The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1903-03-25 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

BARSY OMER.  Wp_dkairT:yt:hteue.:.rEleinituT.gn:tblfw:l7l:::thoe;raml(neilltio:ll42l: aedemmotoaSal:cm:i. out- It7trihodcma.piiirboB7:l:,,t_l7,o4l,......ed.:. eot:hfneeedilri leneec:tffhoeieolt::: hiw's :eiriVala:celt:nii:v°:•l°rYidal:abenitBy:lingeso:eadv:lnel " .n( 311 Isecsa:arigiidr.ii.:::Agvwd.eitareehasne.icehEr.eoin.slotnxth:uartisesrainaiildFstise:ltorej•r.nepan.p.:ppG:hu n i as ma"..o.tutßspaitneiret. t,,,,lihroougwhasoueot trhdeiaeirlyerif:LAr roira , 11- Dodd snr Harry Assiter, who was nern.,,,,,in • Police Court Missionary, a eels- noble cult. and delicate piece of woos said that the title of his lecture Bar,- hod led to misapprehen, Ai,n. minds of some, who imagined that about to deal with the new Lieeni or with with the famous "Bar" ~, of Commons, or with the eater:Ca"; convenient, bar at the entrants. Mersey. He could asserz them ,s,„ 1.• ject had relation only to the hit bar police court dock. Very often a first off AL after gazing round the court in some token of sympathy would turati—Z jugipp grewfoallri:nif.tnstaunooce: theuh'g tc ;a' dhnweAwi.4essio'lhrillin4l. rat i;:-...w.mar sasnelhullgiflibrranigi: ,iOIS to of five women of leol charactei cai , him with the request that he would good word" for one of their companion, had been locked U. the hiod life the prisoner lei, and that head alone there were for •-,`"' t. ,011,'ICtIong against her, he asked the deputatiot if the, could think of any good thing he could so' about her. After a time one of the numbe said. "No, blest if we can, bet do what you can for her." The woman in was sent to prison far a month. and on coming out was offeied a shelter in a women's home, which she refit-ed. At tale% however, the police court wttneo.d soon • far removed front such affairs of Hugel,. A dimicutive street musician wa, on ins occasion asked what he had to say in reale to a charge of drunkenness. He that he lived in Liverpool, and bad been so stupid as to get drunk so tar away fom home AS the dock cottages. stereo he should have waited until he go:. :Inwn tetlis -ferry. Another time police offieer gated that a boy, who was charged with sleep* cat, was in a very dirty coudivon, where, upon his mother exclaimed, Toro Ws,, ships, that boy is washed every Saturday of his life!" (laughter). On another ottation a mother failed to recognise her own son a Court, because the bridelvell keeper had washed him in the interval of separation. Another culprit was a woman trom the north end of the town, who was charted with as saulting a neighbour. When asked to eve her version of the affair, she said, "Tour Worship, I don't know why I should he proseented at all, for I got the worst of it When my husband and I came not of oil door she seized me by the hair of the bend and swept the street with me." Whea asked what her husband was doing to allow her to be served in such a was. she replied that he was standing by praying for bee all the time (laughter). It was intereeting to note the excuses offered for their offence by those who were charged with drunken. nesa. During the past year, thirtyone laid the hlame upon their mates, sateen had been imbibing too freely at birthday parts,, and asked to be excused on that account; christening parties were responsible is thirteen eases, weddings in twelve, set funerals in fifteen. Seven pleaded toothache, six urged rheumatism, and five said, "Your Worship, the devil tempted me and I did drink." From the foregoing statistics they could only conclude that the devil vut not so black as he was sometimes painted. Then there was the class of prisoner who eudeavoured to obtain an acquittal by demo and sham. About a month ago an old grit' haired man limped in apparent 9010 to bar, and stated that though guilty of bens ging be was homeless and triendlese, and being lame was unable to do hard work. Taking pity on his infirmity the Bench charged bon, whereupon to everybody's no' prise the delinquent drew himself us. saluted, and marched out of the court eel out so much as a limp! He, the speaker, met him as he left the building, and hay* warned him that his trickery had been Os covered and that he had better clear out s 1 the town as quickly as possible. Having expressed his thanks, the old impas.or rot all the way from the Court to tho ferry, But the police court missionary had wino times to deal with cases of genuine ma. fortune. Some time ago he had had totted w,th a caw of attempted suicide, when a youth oi teen,sowo years, without parent'. laving spent months looking for employment with little success, sleeping on dime steps and under hedges, was at length drives to the extremity of despair, and attempted to end his existence by jumping from a Woodside terry boat. Be was rescued, and having expressed his regret, was do charged into .be hands of the miagiocary. A home was found for him, work provided, and he was now doing well (elndoow• Another case was that of a girl charged with stealing cowl, who was deliberately seat oil for the purpoae, and whipped by her stepmother if she did not bring home enough. Neither of the parents troubled to spoor in Court, though they knew ot the gt.!l plight. She was discharged, and tio r^:.• sionary succeeded in getting her into a home, whence she went as a servant to clergyman's house, where she had nee Ives for ten months, and had given every ...DM faction (applause). Yet another instants was that of a man who had been fined foe not seeding his ohildren to wilco]. Doperl elicited that be had been subjected to a train of misfortune that had broken lia spintfamily tad finally onutterwaed trHuciescl imfinh,,wassndpilidill, his family adopted by kindly neighboae. and he himself sent off to Wales, where his old mother was doing her best to retell him to health, hope, and manliness OP plause). Having in their cells no sYroey thetic companion in whom to confides prisoners occasionally expressed their neat'. insists en the walls of their cells wait finger nail or a hairpin. One such in.crio tion run thus, "Locked up for within: tot seven days, that's *Something!" Another had written, 'Liberty: how to get it; that its the question?" while a third example an ambitions "poem" of tweniy.eight lines. The work of the police court missionary old/ began al the bar. Cases were follOWni ap in homes and lodgings, children or prionert cared for, first offenders visited and ell' eouraged in well-dein,, discharged prisonel provided with work, fines paid 60 that tle gaol taint might be escaped, and a cores epondeoce carried on with those who had received assistance. One man tesolied ha gratitude to the speaker by sending low e.a envelope addressed to -The Hight Bev. nH. Aseiter." Mr. Asaiier closed his remarks by submitting an epitome of his oorlt dot' ing tbexehiybeaitedr, aafeeterrie7hniteli,liAjferr. ,11,A;;ImAg. with criminals and prison lite, many el Al"' excited con liclerable sentudien.