29 March
1902
ASHTON AND DISTRICT
There was singular, and might have been serious,
occurrence near the Corporation Arms, Guidebridge,
about 8.30 on Saturday night. An electric car
was passing in the direction of Ashton when suddenly
a loud noise like the bursting of a sky-rocket
was heard, and sparks scintillating about in all
directions. The car was suddenly brought to a
standstill, the lights went out temporarily, and
the passengers became alarmed.
The motorman and the conductor descended into
the road to ascertain the cause, and lying on
the ground they discovered a telegraph or telephone
wire, which had somehow become detached, and fallen
on the overhead trolley. Immediately the wire
and the electric conductor of the car formed contact,
which was probably only for about a hundredth
part of a second, as the electric was travelling
at a good speed at the time, fusion was set up,
resulting in an explosion. When the wire fell
from overhead several persons were standing immediately
underneath, and it was lucky that they escaped
injury.
The members of the Wesleyan Church,
Hooley Hill, were installed in their new Sunday
school on Saturday afternoon, on which day the opening
ceremony took place. It is a striking tribute to
their zeal and persistency, after years of unflagging
efforts in the way of a bazaar, sales of work, tea
meetings, &c., backed up by a patient and persevering
ladies’ sewing class, that such a magnificent
structure stands so very well. It will be a blessing
to the locality for both Sunday and day school purposes.
So expeditiously has the contractor (Mr J THORNLEY)
gone on with the work that less than 12 months have
elapsed since the foundation stone laying. The new
school and the furnishing will cost altogether about
£3,200.
Magistrates seem to be like time
and tide, which waits for no man. At the Ashton
County Police Court on Wednesday, a young man put
in an appearance just at the rising of the court
and said that the prosecutor in a case had sent
him as his representative and to apologise, saying
that he was detained by the guardians.
“Guardians are guardians and magistrates are
magistrates,” said the chairman, “and
we don’t wait for anybody.” The inexorable
hand of the law, however, relinquished its grip,
and after a little good-humoured banter, the case
was proceeded with.
MAKING SHORT WORK OF £2,000
An Ashton Man’s Legacy
At the Ashton Borough Court on
Thursday, John W TAYLOR was summoned by his wife,
Emily TAYLOR, for an aggravated assault. The evidence
of the prosecutrix, who was represented by Mr A
LEES, solicitor, was to the effect that on Sunday
last her husband went home the worse for drink.
He thumped and kicked her and further assaulted
her by striking her in the face. Her eye was bruised,
and she now complained of pains in her head.
Two years ago defendant had a legacy left him amounting
to £2,000, and of this sum he gave his wife
£100. A deed of separation was entered into
some time ago, but the parties got together again.–
By Mr LEES: She borrowed 5s 6d on Monday for her
husband to go to Lincoln and when he went away she
had no food in the house.
Defendant said that when he returned home from Lincoln
there was no fire in the house. His wife was drunk
and the children were in bed with their clothes
on, and he had to undress them. On Sunday night
when he got home his wife was lying on the sofa,
drunk, and when she got up she staggered. She said
she would be on the couch, and when he went upstairs
she followed him and made a bother. He shoved her
and her face struck against the bedpost. It was
not his wife he had to contend with altogether;
it was her mother.
The Chairman (Mr W HAMER): Has that fortune of £2,000
been wasted? Yes. I gave her £100.– What
was the business that you went to Lincoln for? I
went to earn a living, and I got something, and
when I got home I found her drunk.– I suppose
there was a race on? Yes.– What became of the
£1,900? I have got without it, as they say.–
You think the wife should be able to keep the £100
when you got rid of the £1,900? I should think
£1 a week ought to keep them.
The Bench fined defendant 10s, and costs, or 14
days’ hard labour, but refused to grant a separation
order, the Chairman remarking that if defendant
was again brought before the Bench on a similar
charge he would be severely dealt with.
ASSAULTING A CONSTABLE AT
WATERLOO
Cowardly Action
At the Ashton County Police Court,
on Wednesday, George ENGLAND was charged with being
drunk and disorderly and assaulting Constable KNOWLES
whilst in the execution of his duty at Waterloo
on March 8th.– Defendant did not appear in
person, but sent his wife to represent him, and
she pleaded guilty to being drunk, and not guilty
to disorderly, and that her husband did not remember
anything about the assault.
Constable KNOWLES said that at 7.30pm on the 8th
inst, he saw the defendant drunk and disorderly
in Wellington-street, Waterloo. He was shouting
and swearing and wanting to fight. On asking him
for his name and address he refused the same, and
witness took him to the police station. On the way
he turned round and kicked witness on the shins
and struck him in the face. A young man who was
passing along the road lent his assistance, and
defendant kicked him also.
The Magistrates’ Clerk: Why isn’t your
husband here this morning? He said he would not
be able to come as he was working.– The Chairman:
It is a cowardly thing for a man to send his wife
in a charge of this sort.– The Clerk: What
does he do? A pattern-maker.– Superintendent
HEWITT: He is bound under a recognisance to appear.
That was the condition under which he was released
from the police station. I also issued a reminder
to him so that he ought to know that he should be
here.
The Chairman: We thin it is a cowardly thing that
he has sent you. The police shall be protected in
this court, and he will be fined 20s and costs,
or one month with hard labour, for assaulting the
police, 5s for costs, or seven days, for being drunk
and disorderly, and 3s for witness.
SENSATIONAL SHOOTING AFFAIR
AT DAISY NOOK
The inhabitants of Daisy Nook,
the sequestered little hamlet near Ashton, so popular
with the young at Easter time and with the older
and more sedate during the summer months, were thrown
into a state of consternation and excitement on
Sunday night about 8.20, when it became known that
a boy named Albert SALTHOUSE, aged 12, son of Mr
James SALTHOUSE, of Oak Hill House, Littlemoss,
had been shot.
It appears that SALTHOUSE and a number of other
boys were standing near the wooden bridge over the
river Medlock at Daisy Nook, when a young man and
young woman, lovers apparently, passed by in the
direction of Crime Lake. SALTHOUSE, it is said,
made some remarks as they passed, and this appears
to have irritated the couple, for when about 15
yards away the young man suddenly turned round,
and snatching a revolver from his pocket, he pointed
it full at SALTHOUSE and fired, at the same time
shouting out “Take that.”
The bullet from the revolver passed completely through
SALTHOUSE’s thigh just above the knee, fortunately
only just missing the femur or thigh bone. SALTHOUSE
shouted out “I’m shot,” and fell
to the ground, suffering great pain. Instead of
chasing and capturing the perpetrator of the deed
the companions of SALTHOUSE gathered around him,
rendering all the assistance they possibly could,
and raising an alarm.
They carried him to the surgery of Dr BOWMAN, who
on examination found a nasty flesh wound. The bullet
could not be found, having passed out at the back
of the leg. After receiving treatment the boy was
conveyed home.
Sergeant DOVE, of the county police, was on the
spot shortly after the occurrence, and he at once
went to work to discover the man who fired the shot.
He had no clue, the boys being unable to give any
description of the man with the exception that he
was a young man about 20 years of age, and was wearing
a short fawn-coloured overcoat and hard felt hat.
Judging from the wound in the boy’s leg the
bullet must have been fired from a revolver of large
calibre and not an ordinary toy pistol. So far the
police have not succeeded in arresting the man,
but their vigilant investigations, it is hoped,
will be successful in unravelling the matter.
BREAKING AND ENTERING AT
ASHTON
Smart Capture by Sergeant Wild
At the Ashton Borough Police
Court on Monday, two slovenly unkempt youths named
Samuel SIMKISS and James GREENWOOD were in the dock
charged with breaking and entering the dwelling
house of George HAGUE, and stealing several articles
of clothing and 2s in money between 11.45pm and
5.30am on the 23rd March. On the case being called
the Clerk said the charge would be reduced to one
of larceny, so that the magistrates might deal with
the case.
Geo. HAGUE, prosecutor, said: I am a greengrocer,
and reside at Oldham-road, Ashton. At a quarter
to 12 o’clock on Saturday midnight I retired
to bed. About 5.30 on the following morning I was
told that thieves had been in and I came downstairs.
I found that the two shirts, two pairs of clogs,
and a number of other articles produced had been
taken from the house. They are worth about 15s.
I found that two dirty shirts had been left in place
of mine, and two pairs of old clogs.
Sergeant WILD said: About five minutes past seven
o’clock on Sunday morning I received information
of this larceny and a description of the articles
stolen. About 9.50 I saw the two prisoners in Scotland-street.
I noticed they were both wearing clean shirts. On
closer examination I noticed one of the shirts seemed
too large for the prisoner SIMKISS, and that the
colours corresponded with the shirts stolen. I noticed
that GREENWOOD was wearing clogs which answered
the description.
I thereupon arrested the prisoners and brought them
to the Town Hall. I searched them and found the
purse produced in SIMKISS’s pocket, containing
1_ d. I charged them. GREENWOOD said, “We know
nothing about the boots,” and SIMKISS replied,
“We know nothing about the soap.” The
boots and soap, as well as the other articles produced,
were mentioned in my charge. The prisoners admitted
that the shirts and clogs left in Mr HAGUE’s
house were theirs.
The Chief Constable said the prisoners came from
Stalybridge. SIMKISS had been up there seven times,
four times for stealing. GREENWOOD had been up three
times, twice for stealing, and SIMKISS had been
whipped twice. The prisoners were committed to prison
for three months.
THE HOUSE FURNISHING TRADE
OF ASHTON
Sir,– Can you allow me space
in your paper to call attention to the increasing
number of people who buys their goods in Manchester.
One cannot help noticing the van loads of furniture
coming to private houses in Ashton day after day.
I have lived in Ashton many years, and have always
been able to suit myself here, and have the satisfaction
of knowing that I have assisted my fellow-townsmen
by spending my money in my own town.
There are people who would have believe that they
have the welfare of Ashton at heart, but, strange
to say, some of these are the first to go elsewhere.
There is no doubt that furniture, &c, can be
bought quite as well and as cheap in Ashton as Manchester.
In fact, if people would only think the Ashton tradesman
has a reputation to keep up, and it does not pay
him to sell goods that will not do him credit, whereas
the Manchester man never expects to see his customer
again.
People say they get a better choice in Manchester,
there is more variety, and the prices are lower.
Would not our tradesmen be able to keep larger variety
if these people would buy in Ashton; and as to cost,
an old Ashtonian tradesman told me that he could
supply anything a customer might see in Manchester,
at Manchester price. Any fair-minded person would
look upon these out-of-town transactions as mean
and unchristian-like.– Thanking you in anticipation,
I remain yours &c, – A REAL ASHTONIAN
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE
A case is reported in which, at the end of the eighteenth
century, a man was executed for murdering his brother
under the following circumstances, The two men lived
together in a house not far from the coast of Sussex.
They occupied the same bedroom. One morning, on
of them, whom we will call A, was discovered to
have mysteriously disappeared. The bed on which
the men slept was stained by a quantity of blood,
and spots of blood were traced from the room out
of the back door of the house, which was nearest
the coast, and down to the cliffs. There the traces
disappeared. The other brother, B, had been the
first to give the alarm. Unable to offer any explanation
of the mystery, he was apprehended. He protested
his innocence, but in giving the alarm was treated
as a damning fact against him, and he was executed.
Now what really happened? Just this: that A had
been seized during the night with a violent fit
of bleeding at the nose; getting up, he went out
of doors in the hope that the fresh air would relieve
him. In that way he walked towards the cliffs. It
was the dead of night, and he suddenly found himself
in the middle of a gang of smugglers, who, taking
him for a spy, disbelieving his story and disregarding
his protests, carried him on board the ship which
was discharging the contraband.
In due course he found himself, weeks afterwards,
in the Barbados. As there was no telegraph in those
days, he took the first passage he could get home
again, and several months after his disappearance
turned up, to the consternation of everybody, only
to discover that his unhappy brother had in the
meantime had been murdered by a dozen jurymen who
had failed to give the prisoner the benefit of the
doubt. |
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