Sarah
Hawkins Genealogy Site
Newspaper
Articles
Taunton
Courier. Bristol and Exeter Journal, and Western Advertiser Wednesday
02 Nov 1904
Page 5 Column 2 & 6 & 7
TAUNTON COMPANIES BOYS' LIFE BRIGADE. - On Wednesday evening a special parade of the above Companies took place in connection with the presentation of medals, &c., won by the lads. Captain Howard WESTLAKE stated that the certificates were awarded by the head-quarters to lads who had obtained 95 per cent. attendance at Sunday School, drill, &c., which was a very high standard, but the harder it was to obtain the greater the value it had when obtained. The medals were awarded for those lads who had attended the same percentage for three years. Mr. T. S. PENNY then distributed the certificates. He said the fact that he had to give away no less than 20 certificates and eight medals, showed the lads had determination. The following were the recipients:- Medals and certificates – Sergeant-Major SILVESTER, Staff-Sergeant JONES, Sergeants TAYLOR and DARBY, Corpl. H. HOLE, Lance-Corporals UPHAM, COLES, and BICKEL. Certificates – Sergeants OATEN and SMITH, Corporal E. TAYLOR, Lance-Corporals WALBUTTON, LANGDON, SAUNDERS, CANNICOTT, and P. JONES, Privates MINETT, K. GUBBIN, F. GUBBIN, and S. OATEN.
BOROUGH POLICE-COURT.
WEDNESDAY. - Before the Mayor (Councillor A. VILLAR), the ex-Mayor (Mr. J. STANDFAST), Mr. J. E. W. WAKEFIELD, Alderman W. LOCK, Alderman W. POTTER, and MR. G. SAUNDERS.
A DROP TOO MUCH. - Wm. PATERSON was summoned for being drunk in Fore-street on the night of the 24th inst. - P.C. HALLARD stated the case, and Mr. C. P. CLARKE, who appeared for the defendant, expressed regret at his unavoidable absence, and said he had unfortunately taken a drop too much. - Summons dismissed on payment of costs.
A DOG CONVINCES THE BENCH. - Sidney WEBBER, of Taunton, appeared to an adjourned summons charging him with keeping a dog without a licence. - The case had been remanded to prove the age of the dog. - George FOSTER, a small farmer, of North Curry, stated on oath that the dog which formerly belonged to him, was only five months old. He had given it to the defendant. - Witness was severely cross-examined by Superintendent DURHAM as to the age of the dog, but defendant stuck to his statement, and offered to bring the dog into Court. - The magistrates said they would like to look at it, and “doggy” was brought in and placed on the Bench. - After an inspection of him, including his molars, the Bench decided to dismiss the summons without costs.
THE VILE TONGUE. - John ROWSELL, of East-street, pleaded guilty to using obscene language on the 17th inst. At East-street. - P.C. HALLARD stated the case, and superintendent DURHAM said numerous complaints had been received as to defendant's bad language. - Fined 2s 6d and costs.
FIREWORKS. - Wm. GILES and Bertie DARBY, little boys, of High-street, anticipated the Fifth of November by throwing fireworks about High-street on the 24th inst. To the danger of passers by. - P.C. WHEELER having stated the case, the youngsters, after being cautioned, were ordered to pay the costs only, 2s 9d each.
FOOTBALL IN THE WRONG PLACE. - Leonard BALL, Arthur WOODBURY, Edgar WOODBERRY, Harold ROWSELL, Wm. UCKFOLD, and Geo. MARCHANT, boys, of Silver-street, who are training in the wrong place to become footballers, appeared to summonses for following this pastime in Silver-street early on the evening of the 18th inst. - P.C. WEBB stated that the offence had been committed at 8.30 p.m. when there were several people about. - Each ordered to pay 2s 7d as costs.
SCHOOL CASES. - The following persons were summoned for disobedience of orders made to send their children regularly to school: - George GREENSLADE, Wood-street, Jane WESTERN and William HENSON, King-street, cases adjourned for a month, and Walter GOODMAN, 58, East Reach, fined 1s and 6s costs. - Mr. J. MATTOCKS, school attendance officer, gave evidence in each case.
A FALSE STATEMENT. - Robert THOMAS, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to making a false statement at Langford, near Bristol, on the 22nd inst. in answer to an attestation paper that he had not been in the Army before. - Recruiting-Sergeant SANSOME, of the Somerset Regiment, stated the case, and as the defendant had already been in custody two days he was sentenced to three days' imprisonment, which meant his discharge on the following day.
SAD CASE AGAINST AN ARMY PENSIONER.
ALLEGED ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.
Henry LIBBY, a middle-aged Army pensioner, well known and respected in Taunton, appeared on a warrant charging him with having, on the 20th inst., unlawfully taken a quantity of poison, namely, salts of lemon, with intent to poison and kill himself.
Dr. W. B. WINCKWORTH, medical practitioner, of Taunton, gave evidence that the previous Thursday he was fetched by the daughter of the defendant to go to the house where he lived with his wife and family at 37, William-street, Rowbarton. On reaching the house he found the defendant sitting on the sofa in the sitting-room. He had been vomiting in a basin, but did not seem to be very ill. Witness was told by the daughter that her father had taken two-pennyworth of stuff that he had bought to clean his hat with, and that he had obtained it from the chemist shop of Messrs. GREGORY & WRENN, North Town, Taunton. Witness gave the defendant, who was conscious, an emetic of salt and water. Owing to some carbolic powder having been put into the basin, the character of the vomit had been altered. Witness, however, had since confirmed that defendant had purchased two-pennyworth of salts of lemon at the chemist shop mentioned. He did not think from his appearance that any of the poison, which was sufficient in full to kill a person, had entered his stomach, as the symptoms of the poisoning were very slight. They told witness at defendant's home that he had had a good deal of trouble lately, which had caused him to go on the drink. Witness added that he had since attended the defendant entirely for the effects of the drink.
Herbert ABRAHAM, manager of Messrs. GREGORY & WRENN's shop at North Town, stated that he knew the defendant. On the Thursday morning previous, about 11 o'clock, he came to the shop and asked for two pennyworth of salts of lemon for the purpose of cleaning a hat. He supplied him with it, and labelled it in the usual way, poison. In answer to Superintendent DURHAM, witness said that he sold a good deal of this salts of lemon for use in trade purposes, it being well known for its cleaning properties.
Louisa LIBBY, daughter of the defendant, stated that her father had been in the Cornwall Regiment as colour-sergeant, and had been pensioned for about eight or nine years. He had been worried a good deal at home of late about one of her brothers. About mid-day on Thursday she found her father in his bedroom sitting on the side of the bed. He appeared to be ill, and in reply to her enquiry as to the cause, he said that he had taken some salts of lemon. She sent for Dr. WINCKWORTH, and in the meanwhile got him down to the sitting-room, where he had vomited. For the last four or five years he had been a teetotaler, but owing to his trouble over the brother, he had been on the drink for about a week. Her father had never done such a thing before as that with which he was charged, and had otherwise lived very happily at home. Since the occurrence he had repeatedly expressed his sorrow for what had taken place.
P.S. PARSON spoke to arresting the defendant on a warrant that morning at his residence. Having read the warrant to him he administered the usual caution, when defendant said “I am very sorry, I have never done anything of the kind before, have been for 26 years in the Army, and never had anything against me.” Witness added that he had known the defendant for several years as a very quiet, steady, and respectable man.
Defendant now expressed his deep regret to the magistrates for what he had done.
The magistrates having retired for a short consultation, on returning into Court.
The Mayor said that the Bench were of opinion that the evidence did not show that defendant had taken sufficient of the poison with intent to kill himself, and they therefore dismissed the case. At the same time they hoped that he would not go on the drink any more.
The defendant promised that he would not do so, and having thanked the Bench, he left the Court with his friends.
SUNDAY EVENINGS IN NORTH-STREET.
THE POLICE STOP DISORDERLY BEHAVIOUR.
Superintendent DURHAM and the Taunton Police are displaying a commendable activity in putting a stop to the disorderly behaviour by certain young people on Sunday evening in North-street, Taunton. Last week, it will be remembered, several of these Sunday loungers were summoned for disorderly conduct in this thoroughfare, and Henry BLACKMORE, John WRIDE, privates in the Somerset Light Infantry, John CUMMINGS, labourer, of Paul-street, and Mabel SOUTHWOOD and Mabel LECK?, young women, of South-street, also appeared to summonses charging them with similar conduct on Sunday evening last.
P.C. HOLLARD gave evidence that in consequence of numerous complaints received, he, accompanied by P.C. SNELL, were on duty in plain clothes on the previous Sunday evening, and he saw the defendants in North-street from 7.25 to 7.40 p.m. obstructing the footway so that other people had to walk in the road. He spoke to the defendants about it. - P.C. SNELL corroborated.
Superintendent DURHAM expressed a hope that the Bench would assist him in putting a stop to this sort of thing, as North-street on Sunday evenings was becoming simply impassable.
The Mayor said the Bench were determined to stop this unruly conduct. Each of the defendants would be fined 1s and 2s 10d as costs, and the next would be more severely dealt with.
THE MAYOR'S HUMOUR.
“ALL RIGHT MY BOY, I HOPE YOU WILL ENJOY YOURSELF.”
Henry RADNIDGE and George CROSE?, young fellows, of no fixed abode, who when they get into trouble invariably describe themselves as labourers, were charged with being disorderly and refusing to quit certain licensed premises on the 20th inst. - Joseph George DIBBIN, landlord of the Seven Stars Inn, East Reach, stated that he asked defendants to leave his premises because he did not like the language they were using. They were quite sober, but refused to go when he asked them – Both defendants pleased guilty, and a long list of previous convictions was proved against RADNIDGE and one against CROSS.
The Bench inflicted a fine of 10s and costs, or 14 days in each case. Both men chose the latter alternative, CROSS remarking “I haven't got the money, I shall have to go down the line to Exeter.”
The Mayor: “All right my boy, I hope you will enjoy yourself.” (Loud laughter.)
THURSDAY. - Before Mr. W. POOLE, Alderman W. GOODLAND, and Mr. T. PENNY.
CHARGES OF FALSE PRETENCES.
A WIDOW'S ROMANTIC STORIES.
Ann BLACKMORE, a respectably dressed woman, of middle age having numerous aliases, who was described as a widow, and who has served two terms of penal servitude for offences in different parts of the West of England, and is still under police supervision, was charged with having on the 25th September obtained by false pretences the sum of 4s, the money of Jane OATEN, a widow, of Cann-street, Taunton. - Prosecutor, who is a laundress, stated that on the date in question the prisoner called at her house and asked if she could do a family's washing. She said the family consisted of a lady and gentleman and servants, and a groom and coachman. The gentleman's name was Colonel WILLIAMS, and they had just come from India. He and the other servants were in London, and as she (the prisoner) was housekeeper she had come from London to get three women to clean Batts House, and was to pay them 3s a day. She had, continued prisoner, some cheques in her possession with which she was to pay the women and get in some coal and a barrel of beer. Asked to show witness the cheques she replied that they were in a box at her lodgings in Wood-street. Prisoner stopped to dinner and tea that day and asked if she could come to lodge with witness. She agreed to pay £1 a week, and to come there on the following Monday. She came again on that Sunday and had all four meals at witness's house, but she went away at night and witness did not see her again. Prisoner promised to pay for what she had had as soon as she had cashed the cheques. On the Sunday prisoner asked for the loan of 10s. Witness told her she could not as she had her rent to pay, but she eventually let her have 4s, which she said she would return on Monday morning, when witness could go with her to change the cheques. Prisoner remarked on receiving the money that a friend in need was a friend indeed. On enquiry at Batts House she found that the Rev. H. K. HOOK lived there and not Colonel WILLIAMS. Had it not been for prisoner's statement with regard to Colonel WILLIAMS she would neither have given her food or lent her money. - P.S. WEST stated that he had made enquiries and ascertained that a Colonel WILLIAMS had never lived at Batts House. - Prisoner, who had nothing to say, was committed for trial at the next Assizes for the County.
A further charge was preferred against prisoner for having on the 17th and 18th October obtained from Henry KELLAND, of 40, Wood-street, by false pretences, food and lodging of the value of 3s. From the evidence of prosecutor it appeared that she went to his house on the 17th October and stated that she wanted lodgings from a coachman and footman in the employ of Colonel PRESTON, who had just come from India. She then asked if he could lodge her as well for a few nights, promising £1 a week for each, and he agreed to lodge three of them. They had, she said, just landed at Southampton, and the men were bringing on the luggage and horses, adding that Colonel PRESTON was going to live near Blagdon. She stayed at prosecutor's house one night. On the 18th she went away on the pretext that she was going to see if the carriages, horses, &c., had arrived, and she did not return. She told prosecutor she had been in Colonel PRESTON's employ 40 years, and had £1,105 in a bank in India, but she could not get it till Colonel PRESTON arrived. - P.S. WEST said no such person as Colonel PRESTON was known in Taunton or neighbourhood. - P.C. REED deposed to receiving the prisoner into custody from the Dunster Police Superintendent. - Prisoner was committed to the Assizes on this charge also.
MONDAY. - Before the Mayor (Councillor H. VILLAR) and Alderman W. GOODLAND.
A DRUNKEN NAVVY. - John ROGERS, a navvy working at Blagdon Waterworks, was charged with being drunk in East Reach on Sunday evening. - The defendant, who pleaded guilty, was discharged on promising to leave the town.
A CASE REMANDED. - Thomas ROWLAND, a travelling showman, was summoned for assaulting Henry OATEN, a labourer, of Taunton, on Saturday – Mr. C. P. CLARKE appeared for the prosecution and applied for a remand till Wednesday, as he did not know whether a more serious charge would be preferred against the defendant. - This course was agreed to by the Bench.