The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1894-04-18 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

GLASSES.  A HAPPY(?) HOUSEHOLD.  HARD SWEARING.  A young woman, most respectably dressed, by name, Margaret Sheflin, who lived with her brotherin-law, Brook-square, was charged in custody, by warrant, at the Borough Police Court yesterday, before Messrs. George Atkin and T. L. Dodds, with assaulting Owen Grimes, Somerville-street, on Saturday last, the 14th lug. The evidence of the prosecutor, Grimes, was to the effect that he had had a pint or two of beer, and was sober enough to understand what he was Raying and doing. He had been living with his wife in Margaret Sheflin's house. On Saturday night last, between eleven and twelve o'clock, his wife was talking with Margaret Sheflin in the parlour. which was also used as a bedroom by George Spring and Margaret Sheflin's sister. He went from his room, the kitchen, to the parlour door, and asked his wife to come out. Margaret Sheflin came to the door,and told him to clear out of the place. She seized a bottle and struck him with it on the forehead. She then ran into the room again, and grabbed the lighted lamp off the mantlepiece, and struck him on the top of the head with that. Both the bottle and the lamp were smashed to pieces. Be became unconscious, and when he recovered he was in his own bed. He went to the Borough Hospital on Sunday morning, and the doctor then dressed the wounds. He had left Sheflin's house now; he had to leave on Sunday. Prosecutor's wife, Annie Grimes, deposed that, as stated by her husband, she was in the parlour. He came twice and called on her to come out, saying he did not approve of her being in there as they were not fit company for her. Maggie Sheflin snatched a bottle off the mantelpiece and struck him with it. He turned to walk into the kitchen and Maggie Slieflin seized the lighted lamp and sent it after him. In response to witness' appeal, Sheflin first put out the light. The lamp struck her husband and he shouted "murder." 'e Shelia followed him into the kitchen, which was in darkness, and there she behaved most recklessly, pitching the glasses, ornaments, and other things about the place, firing them off at anybody, and all in the dark, until witness who had been crying out to her to desist all the time, clasped her round the waist and begged her "For Gods asks" to stop. In answer to the prisoner, witness said it was not true that she went to sleep with prisoner because she was frightened of her husband. She did not hear him threaten that if he did not get his wife lie would kill somebody else. Neither her husband nor prisoner were perfectly drunk, but "of the two she was the drunkest." . .  P.C. 20 (Rigby) deposed that he arrested the prisoner by,warraut on Monday evening at her house. When charged she replied "I never touched him." Prisoner stated that Grimes' wife came to her room to stay because she was afraid of her husband who was blind drunk. Became his wife would not go out of the room he came into her place and struck her time after time. He also assaulted herbrother-in.law with a hottle and left 'an open wound like a mouth" in his head. .  The awe was adjourned for further evidence, and later, Geofge Spring, apparently a coal heaver, deposed that he lived in the parlour with prisoner's sister. Asked what relation he wits to the prisoner, he said he was her "supposed brother-in-law." Grimes was drunk on Saturday night and came to his mow and threw • long knife at him, the handle striking him on the boot He also followed witness into the parlour, bursting open the door and ordering him out of bed. Mrs. Gnmes and "the lady that stands in the dock" were "squabbling with weapons all the time." It WaIS among the whole lot of them. Grimm was a very treacherous man. He drew a bottle from somewhere and strock him on the forehead with it, k-axing a nasty cut and making him fall across the fender