WORKINGTON POLICE COURT.

 

Before R. S. THOMPSON and T. S. DOUGLAS, Esqs.

 

There was an alarming rush of business at this court on Wednesday.

 

JOSEPH PARK, station master at Camerton, was placed in the dock charged with taking for his own use the sum of 3s. 6d. during May or June, the money of the L.&N.W.R. -- MR. CROKE, of London, appeared to prosecute, and the Chief of the Detective Department, at Euston, a MR. ELIJAH COPPING (or Copp-him) attended to give evidence.  MR. COPPING gave a minute account of the circumstances, and of how JOSEPH had been caught, and WM. YOUNG, WM. SWINBURN, JOS. SWINBURN, MARY NIXON, and FRANK NIXON were also called as witnesses.

 

Prisoner did not deny having received various small sums of money and failing to account for them, but said he could not tell how it had happened.  He pleaded not guilty of defrauding the company intentionally, and wished to be tried at that court.

 

After a lengthy hearing the justices retired, and on returning, fined PARK L10 including costs, in default one month at Carlisle, the Chairman remarking that it was only on account of his previous good character that he had got off with a fine.

 

 

WORKINGTON POLICE COURT.

 

The next case was a sad one.  One JOSEPH ALLISON, a clogger, of Falcon Place, summoned his wife JANE, a pale sad-looking and apparently half-hungered woman, for having as he alleged, stolen a quantity of articles from his house on Friday last.

 

MR. E. ATTER appeared for the woman and asked ALLISON how long he had been married. - ALLISON didn't want any bother with MR. ATTER, and he said to the Bench, "Your Worships am I compelled to speak to that man ?  His very features indicate the most conceited man I see in this place."

 

Bench said he must answer questions. - JOSEPH said he didn't want to talk to MR. ATTER, he had received two of the nastiest letters from him ever he received.  Further questioned he said he had been married about 12 years.  He had been twice at the court before.  His wife had left him in all nine times.  He wanted peace at any price.

 

MR. ATTER said that the woman had been very unfortunate in having to live with JOSEPH.  He never gave her any money, and she had to get food any way she could.  The things she was said to have stolen were things that had been out at the mangle, and she had gone with them to her husbands door and found it locked, so took them to a friend's house.

 

ALLISON persisted in talking and at length the Bench dismissed the case.

 

 

WORKINGTON POLICE COURT.

 

Some hard swearing followed in the next case, and it will be a miracle if the police don't get a few cases now for perjury.  THOMAS DONNAGAN and WM. MINNIGAN toed the line charged with assaulting GRAHAM TINNION, a water bailiff on the 10th. 

 

MR. GORDON FALCON was for the defendants and MR. T. C. BURN for complainant.

 

When in the dock THOMAS looked supremely happy, stuck his tongue in his cheek, and picked his teeth with a stick.  WILLIAM folded his arms around him and defied creation.

 

From the evidence it appeared that on the 20th, a good crowd of folks on the Cloffocks got an idea that GRAHAM TINNION's head was a proper thing to throw stones at, so they went at it.

 

TINNION said prisoners were two of the stone-throwers.  Both strongly denied, and witnesses swore strongly to their innocence. 

 

The witnesses were named STEPHENSON, THOMPSON, RIDGE, and McGRATH, all gentlemen rather of Arabian cast.  THOMPSON was exceedingly good at saying "Yiss, Sir," but RIDGE never once said "Yiss, Sir," though he stood with cap in hand, and was very vociferous.

 

After a long hearing, defendants were each fined 30s. including costs, and they seemed considerably shook up.

 

 

WORKINGTON POLICE COURT.

 

Next a very little boy and three girls were up for stealing coals at Lonsdale Dock, the property of the L. & N.W. Co.

 

Police constable 119 deposed to catching them, and the bags they were filling were produced in court. 

 

MR. CROKE said his Company did not want to press the cases, they only wanted this pilfering stopped.

 

MR. T. S. DOUGLAS said that the Company should have a special constable to watch this place, as it was easy of access to children and they were tempted.

 

The girls were set at liberty and the little boy's mother was ordered to bring him back in a fortnight with a view to his being sent to an Industrial School.

 

 

 

WORKINGTON POLICE COURT.

 

SAMUEL GAUNTLET, PATRICK McCARTEN, and JOHN McGEE, the two latter only appearing, were charged with building a weir or dam on the Cloffocks for the purpose of illegally catching salmon.

 

MR. T. C. BURN prosecuted, and said the Derwent Fishery Board had very great difficulty in getting at these cases, and they had been compelled to call in the aid of the police.

 

SERGEANT READ gave evidence.  He said sometimes as many as 30 persons were building these weirs, and signals were given them so that the police could hardly get near them.

 

Prisoners fined 40s. each including costs, or one month.

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WM. HEADLEY, labourer, pleaded guilty to having used a click-hook to catch salmon.  Bench fined WILLIAM 40s. and 18s. 6d. costs, and WILLIAM looked serious.

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WILLIAM MORGAN next came in view.

 

INSPECTOR LANCASTER caught WILLIAM with six nice salmon trout in his possession, and he said he wished he had let them alone.  The six fish were produced in court and looked very nice.

 

We think the reporters should have had them, they cast hungry eyes towards them.

 

Bench fined MORGAN 10s. for each fish, and 40s., costs, L5 in all.  He paid the money, but the sweat broke out on his brow as he went out.

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WILLIAM KEENAN came up smiling.  He was charged with buiilding a weir to catch salmon.  SERGEANT REED gave evidence.  Fined 40s. which he paid smilingly.

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HENRY HIGGINS, and SAMUEL GAUNTLETT, both summoned for using a net and bag (produced) for catching fish.  Neither defendants put in an appearance, and warrants were issued.

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WORKINGTON POLICE COURT.

 

JOSEPH PEARS, a little boy, and his father JOHN, were both summoned, the boy for working a poor blind pony with a big mattery sore on it's back, and the father for causing the boy to work it.

 

JOHN was talkative, and said the pony had gone under some railings and scraped its back.  Certainly it was very bad, but he was from home and didn't know of it.

 

Bench fined the boy 10s. including costs, and the father 40s.  JOHN declared he would never pay, and was taken away to the cells, but he thought better of it, and paid up.

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WILLIAM GREENHOW, JOHN MARRS, JOHN HOLMES, and HENRY GALE, four respectably dressed men, were charged with playing at pitch and toss on Sunday the 1st inst. near Barepot.

 

Police constable 114 gave evidence, and a gentlemanly youth named THOMAS FLETCHER corroborated.

 

All fined 20s. each, which they paid smiling.

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DANIEL DORAN had let his heifer stray on the highway at Northside, so was called up, but his wife appeared instead.

 

MRS. DANIEL said it wasn't their heifer.

 

Police constables 117 and 51 gave evidence.

 

Bench said DANIEL must pay 5s.

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WORKINGTON POLICE COURT.

 

WILLIAM BOWMAN toed the line looking rather unhappy.

 

Police constable 59 said he had beendrunk and disorderly, and had ordered to go where the big fire is kept up.

 

Fined 15s. including costs.

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HENRY BURNS, a well-dressed young man, said by Police constable 114 to have been drunk and disorderly at Camerton, was fined 12s.

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Warrants were issued for JOHN CAIRNEY and THOMAS MILCREASE, who had not answered their summonses.

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ROBERT BRICO was up for drunk and disorderly.  ROBERT had got a clean red neckerchief on and looked very nice.

 

He came up smiling for his physic - 12s.

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WORKINGTON POLICE COURT.

 

Four boys regular Arabs - named PROCTOR, HIGGINS, BANKS, and KEENAN, were charged by MRS. MAYSON, of Finkle-street, with stealing sweetmeats from her shop.  MRS. MAYSON and a girl named MARY ANN GRAHAM gave evidence. - The boys mothers were in court and all talked together, ultimately boys pleaded guilty, and PROCTOR - who had been up twice before - was sent to gaol for two weeks, and then to a Reformatory for 5 years, the other boys fined 15s each.  PROCTOR's mother, poor creature seemed sadly cut-up.

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Next case was that of JAMES CAMPBELL.  JAMES was charged with having savagely assaulted a child of 11 named MARY ANN RAFFERTY, on Saturday night last, and making her mouth and nose bleed very much.  He denied the assault, and said the girl was in the habit of coming to his door and shouting offensive things, and on Saturday night he ran after her, and she ran into a house near.  He followed, and the door probably hit the girls face, but he did not do it.  There seemed to have been bad feeling between the two families, the childs mother alleging that on Friday night JAMES had threatened the girl, and said he "would knock her Irish soul out."

Bench fined JAMES 15s., but he said he wouldn't pay, and marched briskly off to the cells.

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FRANCIS McCLARENCE appeared in the dock with his right hand thumb tied up. - MR. SUPERINTENDENT THORNBURROW said they wished the Bench to make FRANCIS contribute something to the maintenance of two boys he had in the Industrial school.  They only asked that he should pay 1s. a week each for the boys. - FRANCIS said he was off work, and when he had work, he only made about 18s. a week. - MR. T. S. DOUGLAS told him that he could not possibly keep the boys at home under 1s. each per week, and he would have had to keep them if they had not been sent to the Industrial school.  He added that it was a mistake for parents to think they had no right to maintain their children in these schools. - Case left over till FRANCIS got to work.

 

The Court sat continuously for over four hours, which was good business.

 

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