The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1888-08-25 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

DESPERATE CHARACTER.  ANOTHER ATTEMPTED SUICIDE IN THE BRIDEWELL. At the Borough Police Court on Wednesday before Mr. C. J. Preston (stipindiary magistrate) and Dr. Stevenson, a young woman named Annie James of Egerton•street, was charged, as a woman of bad character, with being drunk and disorderly in Argyle-street, and with assaulting P.C. 34 (Mountfield) whilst in the execution of his duty, also with wilfully and maliciously breaking a pane of glass in , the window of a cell in the main bridewell, and with attempting to commit suicide in the bridewell by means of strangulation. P.C. Mountfield stated that about half-past eleven on Tuesday evening he was in company with Inspector Wilson in Hamilton-street, when they heard a great noise in Argyle- , street. Witness went there and found the prisoner, who was drank, using filthy language to several young men who were stood near by. He requested her to go away, but she refused, and on his threatening to put her in the bridewell she asked to be locked up. He then got hold of her. She threw herself down in the street and became very violent, kicked him on the shine, breaking the skin, and causing his legs to swell, and spat in his face. He tried to bring her quietly, but it was no use. Her language was disgraceful and she was very drunk. P.C. 6 (Sparrow) said he was on duty in the bridewell about midnight when the prisoner was brought in and locked in a cell. She was very noisy for a while and then suddenly became quiet. Shortly afterwards, he heard something heavy fall upon the floor of her cell, and he went and peeped in. Seeing that she was lying on the floor he called the clerk on duty in the office and they both entered the cell together. She was then breathing very heavily and had something tied tightly round her neck which was choking her. The clerk put his fingers under it and broke it. They raised her up, put her on the bench, and then left her. .  P.C. Lister, the clerk on duty in the book. ing office, corroborated what the last witness had said. He added that the string witness had coned her neck had been put twice round and then tied with a double knot. She was black in the face when they went to her, and her face was also very much swollen. When she came round she told them she was determined to commit suicide if she had to strip all her clothes an tear them into shreds to do it. About an hour afterwards she became quiet again, and he went to see what she was doing. She had & long narrow strip of cloth, and was in the act of tying it round her neck. He took it from her, and she then became very disorderly, made a great noise, shouted, cursed, and used violent threats. Some time afterwards she smashed a thick pane of glass in the cell window with a can in which he had given her a drink of water. Calling his Worship's attention to a cut on the side of the prisoner's face, witness explained that he was accidentally the cause of it. She had become so violent that it was necessary to handcuff her to the cell wall. In attempting to do this he fell against her with the handcuffs in his hand and cut her face. Dr. Cornwall had seen her, and said she was not very much hurt.  Bridewell-keeper Parker proved that prisoner had been sent to gaol on June 20th for one month as a disorderly woman of bad character.  In reply to the Bench, Superintendent Clarke said the prisoner had been " about town" for some time; she kept loose company, and when drunk had a most ungovernable temper. Prisoner, who had throughout the hearing of the case maintained a silent, sullen, defiant demeanour, was sent to gaol for three months, with hard labour.