Widnes Examiner. — 1886-11-06 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

AGGRAVATED ASAULT ON A WOMAN. At Warrington Borough Court. on Monday morning, before the Mayor (Alderman Harrison) and other magistrates, John Welsby, foreman fustian cutter, was charged with doing grievous bodily harm to Catherine Bate, wife of a forge labourer. who lives at 75, Stamford-street, on the evening of the 23rd of October. Subsequently the charge was reduced to one of aggravated assault. —Mr. Whittle (deputy town clerk), who prosecuted on behalf of the police, said that prisoner was the brother of James Welsby, landlord of the Golden Ball, who ' also had a fustian cutting shop at which he employed prisoner as foreman. On the night in question the husband of the prosecutrix was in the public-house with a friend, and prosecutrix went there for him. She heard him quarrelling with a man Lamed llamblett and told him to come away. High words passed, and prosecutrix pushed her husband out of the house. As she was doing so, it was alleged, prisoner kicked her, inflicting a serious injury.—Evideuce was called to bear out the case for the prosecution, and Dr. Adams described the injury received by Mrs. Bate, who, he said, was now out of danger —For the defence Mr. Jenkins urged that Welsby was not the man who inflicted the kick. He called several witnesses, who bore out the defence, and very contradictory evidence was given. In giving the decision of the Bench, the Mayor said that the magistrates were all of the opinion that the case was a gross one. They were convinced that prisoner inflicted the injury, and they wholly discredited almost every word of the evidence given for the defence He never heard such wholesale perjury in his life, and he believed that there was more than one witness who deserved to be committed for trial for perjury, the last one particularly so. It was established beyond all doubt that that man in particular c )mmitted perjury. Prisoner might thank his stars that he had not to take his trial for murder. He would be sent to prison for two months, and on his release would be called upon to find two sureties for his good behaviour for the six months then ensuing. He would also have to pay £2 15s Gd the costs. The Mayor added that it was only fair to say that Mr. Jenkins had acted with perfect propriety in the matter, and had done everything that a professional gentleman could do. Mr. Jenkins replied that his wish always was to elicit truth. On the conclusion of the business of the Court, the Mayor addressed John Cairns, one of the witnesses for the defence, who had been told not to leave the Court, and asked him what he meant by committing deliberate perjury, to which he replied that he had spoken the truth. The Mayor reiterated that Cairns had said what was utterly unreliable, and had been telling a pack of untruths. Chief Constable Hunt observed that Cairns deserved prosecution, and intimated that he should keep him in custody for an hour until he thought the matter over.—At the Borough Court, on Tuesday, two women named Letitia Ellis and Catherine Daley, who gave evidence on behalf of the prosecution on the day previous, attended before the magistrates.—Chief Constable Hunt explained that on Monday a serious charge of kicking was tried, and the women gave evidence. The prisoner, John Welsby, was foreman over the fustian cutting shop in which the two witnesses were employed, which belonged to Ins brother, James Welsby: After the trial they were discharged from their work, and he wished the Bench to order that they should be allowed something for having attended the court in connection with the case on two occasions. They were thrown out of work at a moment's notice because they spoke thetruth, although they were summoned witnesses and came with reluctance. The Bench recommended that 3s be allowed to each.