The Express. — 1867-03-07 (London, England)

WESTMINSTER.  Thomas Waterman, superintendent of the casual ward at the St. Margaret's workhouse, Westminster, was reexamined, charged with assaulting Elizabeth Cook, a casual pauper. It appeared from the prosecutrix's statement, that last Monday night week she went and asked for a lodging, and wasgiven ► ticket of admission tothe workhouse. She was ordered into a dirty bath, and because she refused to take it the defendant seized her by the shoulder', threw her with her clothes on into a bath, and turned a cold water tap on her, by which she was deprived of breath and shaken very much. She was then very roughly handled, and taken up to bed. For the defence, it was contended that the complainant was drunk at the time, and upon coming into the bath-room was ordered to take a bath which another person had washed in ; she refused to take it, and also a clean one which was offered her. She then sat down on the edge of the dirty bath, and when she got up was so drunk that she fell into the other Our, and in so doing, caught hold of the tap and turned it on. The defend:tot pulled her out. tihe was very abusive, and tried to assault the defendant's wife, and had to be carried up to bed. The witness, however, who deposed to these facts, was very confused and contradictory in her story ; and Mr. Arnold adjourned the coo for further evidence.  Mr. W. D. Smyth, of Rochester-row, defended the accused, and cross-examined the complainant, by which it appeared that she had been charged with attempting to committ suicide, and taken to Marylebone workhouse by order of the magistrate. She was there in the insane ward for three months, but family matters had preyed on her mind. She had been lined 405., and suffered a month in default, fur assaulting the porter at Marylebone workhouse.  For the defence, Mr. Tubbs, assistant overseer at Marylebone, was called, and said she was a notorious drunkard, and had suffered from delirium tremens. He would not believe her on her oath, and stated as his reasons that she bad deceived him and other people. He had known her ten years, and drunkenness had affected her intellect.  A wallow named Napoleon McCann was called, and said he had her boy, 14 years of age, with . She was a drunkard, and upon more than one occasion had taken the boy's wages and spent them in drink, deserting him. Evidence was also given to show that her two boys had been clothed by the parish. She had sold the clothes, got drunk, and gone out to beg with them. Mr. Arnold stopped the case. From the woman's character and general conduct he felt sure no jury would convict the defendant upon her unsupported testimony ; at the same time, one fact was left unexplained, and that was how the porter came to give her, drunk as she was alleged to be, a ticket for the workhouse. He thought that matter should certainly be inquired into by the parish authorities. He then dismissed the summons.  At the Dull ingdon Divisional Petty Sessions, holden at the County-ball, Oxford, on Saturday, Job Colwell, labourer, of Stanton St. John, was charged with cruelly ill-treating and torturing a dog, on February 2. The case, which was prosecuted by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, was clearly proved, and the defendant sentenced to three months' imprisonment with hard labour.