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Taunton Courier. Bristol and Exeter Journal, and Western Advertiser. Wednesday 02 Aug 1905
Page 3 Column 5
TAUNTON BOROUGH POLICE-COURT.
WEDNESDAY. - Before the ex-Mayor (Councillor A. VILLAR), Mr. G. SAUNDERS, Mr. J. E. W. WAKEFIELD, Mr. T. PENNY, Alderman W. POTTER, and Alderman W. LOCK.
A BREEZE ON THE BENCH.
When the Magistrates took their seats on the Bench the Justices' Clerk (Mr. G. H. KITE) suggested as Mr. W. T. BAKER wished to return to Bridgwater by an early train that the licensing applications should be heard first as that was permanent transfer day.
Mr. T. PENNY, who had entered with the other magistrates, asked that the passive resisters' cases should be taken first.
Mr. KITE pointed out that Mr. BAKER wanted to get back to Bridgwater.
Mr. PENNY, warmly replied: I want to go to Bridgwater too. I see no reason why the public-house business should be got over first.
Mr. SAUNDERS: I don't see either why the passive resisters' business should be taken first.
Mr. BAKER drew attention to the fact that the licensing applications were first on the agenda, and it was accordingly decided to hear them first.
MR. WAKEFIELD AND TEMPORARY TRANSFERS.
Mr. W. T. BAKER, of Bridgwater, applied for the permanent transfer of the license of the Bear Inn, North-street, better known as King & Scarlett's wine and spirit vaults, from Mr. Percy KING to Mr. Geo. SCARLETT. - Mr. WAKEFIELD protested in a case like that against a temporary transfer being granted. A temporary transfer was just a protection order, and should only be applied for under exceptional circumstances. In this case they must have known months before that the partnership was to be dissolved, and a permanent transfer ought at once to have been applied for.
Mr. BAKER explained that the partnership had not been actually dissolved when the previous application was made, but he had resolved in future cases to take Mr. WAKEFIELD's advice whenever possible.
The application was then granted, as also was an application for the permanent transfer of the Racehorse Hotel, East Reach, from Mr. W. E. HABGOOD to Mr. G. E. SANDERS.
MORE PASSIVE RESISTERS.
Miss Jessie SMITH, Thos. PENNY, a justice of the peace, Chas. PRICE, and Joshua Crabtree LAMBERT, all of the parish of Wilton, were summoned at the instance of Mr. H. O. GOODMAN, assistant overseer, for non-payment of the education portion of the poor-rate, and orders were made in each case.
A NOISY SCAVENGER.
A scavenger named Jno. COLLINS, of 6, Princes-street, has, according to the statement of Supt. DURHAM, been in the habit lately of annoying his neighbours by the abominable language he makes[?] use of. Steps were therefore taken to put a stop to his conduct, and acting on information given by Edward LLOYD, who lives next door to him, COLLINS was summoned for using bad language. - He did not appear, but the magistrates fined him 7s 6d and 13s costs, or 14 days.
“NOT A WISE VIRGIN.”
The fact that when he was stopped by P.C. WHEREAT in Staplegrove-road on the previous Sunday night for having no light on his bicycle while riding it. Leslie PRICE, son of a town councillor, informed the constable that he had plenty of wick, but no oil, elicited the remark from the ex-Mayor that “he did not belong to the wise virgins.” - Defendant was unable to attend to explain the circumstances himself, and after hearing the constable's evidence a fine of 2s 6d and costs was imposed.
MISCHEVIOUS BOYS CHASED BY A HORSE.
That chasing horses in fields is not always the safest of amusements and certainly not the least expensive was proved by a case in which three boys, Jerry LANGDON, of Paradise-square, Charles CROSS and Ernest DOMINEY, of Laburnam-street, were concerned. They were summoned for doing damage to one of Mr. GOULD's fields at Priory to the amount of 1s, on the 16th inst, and pleaded guilty. - P.C. SMITH said he saw the defendants chasing three horses about the field, and one of them eventually turned round and chased DOMINEY.
The ex-Mayor: Did he bite him?
The Constable: Very nearly, sir. He only just escaped.
When the officer saw DOMINEY's mother she said she thought he was at church.
Fined 4s 6d each, including damage, and costs.
A MIDNIGHT ROW IN A COURT.
ALLEGED USE OF HE [sic] POKER.
According to the story told in connection with a cross-summons by Wm. SPRATT, labourer, and Geo. BURGE, a youth, who live next door to one another, in which each charged the other with assault, No. 13 Court, High-street, is by no means a pleasant place to live in. So rowdy were they last Saturday night between 11 and 12 in fact that it became necessary to fetch two members of the police force, not as one of the witnesses said for the first time either. Both parties as usual in connection with these squabbles told different stories. SPRATT alleged that owing to a row that was taking place in BURGE's house between BURGE's father and mother he went to his door. Defendant's father spoke to him through the bedroom window, and a minute later the defendant BURGE rushed out of the house and belaboured him with a poker about the head and body, as a result of which he bled freely. To protect himself he threw BURGE down and caught hold of the poker, after which he went for the police. BURGE's tale was altogether different, and he called Rose WEST, a young girl, and Mrs. McCARTHY, both of whom live in the same Court as witnesses, and they corroborated his statement. It was to the effect that as SPRATT was “egging” his father on to go for his mother again – they having been quarrelling – he (BURGE) shouted to him to stop. SPRATT thereupon threatened to go for BURGE if he came down. He accepted the invitation, and SPRATT immediately threw him on his back and almost throttled him. He admitted that when he got up he went for the poker, but asserted that he could not use it as he intended because SPRATT had then gone for the police, having damaged himself in the struggle. The witnesses swore that BURGE had not got the poker when SPRATT put him on the floor, but Supt. DURHAM expressed the opinion that the bruises on SPRATT's head were caused by an instrument like a poker. - The magistrates eventually settled the matter by binding both parties over in £5 to keep the peace for six months, each to pay his own costs.
AN ALLEGED INCORRIGIBLE.
APPLICATION TO SEND BOY TO A REFORMATORY REFUSED.
At last week's Petty Sessions a man named Edward MOORE, of Coal Orchard, applied to the magistrates to send his boy to a reformatory as he could not control him, and the case was adjourned for a week for the boy to attend. He came with his mother now, and Supt. DURHAM said that he had found that the father had been a very negligent parent, allowing the boy to become practically a vagrant. He had obtained information from Langport, and the Supt. there said that the father had been summoned several times for not sending the boy to school. - P.C. BOURNE had told him that from enquiries he had made he found that the boy was not treated the same as the rest of the children, not being allowed to have his meals with them. The mother left home at seven a.m. to work at a steam laundry, and did not come back till eight p.m., leaving the children alone. He considered that parents ought to be ashamed to say they could not manage their own children.
The Chairman said the boy would not at present be sent to a Reformatory, and Supt. DURHAM remarked that if they sent those parents to prison who said that they could not control their children or make them go to school, it would soon put a stop to such excuses. Eventually the Chairman told the mother that she must see that the boy went to school, and that unless her husband paid the 5s which was owing on account of a fine for irregular attendance of the child at school he would be sent to gaol forseven [sic] days.
THURSDAY. - Before the Mayor (Councillor Josiah LEWIS) and Alderman W. POTTER.
KINGS-STREET ROUGH SENT TO GAOL.
Thos. CLARKE, a rough-looking man, of King-street, was charged with being drunk and disorderly in that thoroughfare on Wednesday, the 26th inst. - P.C. PERKINS gave evidence to finding defendant in King-street swearing at his wife, who was lying on the pavement with her head bleeding. He was drunk and refused to go indoors.
Defendant was further charged with an aggravated assault on his wife on the same date, and also with living wholly or partly on her immoral earnings. He pleaded guilty to the first charge, but denied the second.
Sarah Jane CLARKE, the wife, stated that her husband on Tuesday evening took 5s from her purse. On Wednesday when he came home he was drunk, and they had a few words about his taking the money. She went out again, and when she returned her husband threatened to strike her with a stool, and he subsequently did hit her, but whether with the stool or with his fist she could not say. The blow, which was on the head, stunned her, and she fell down on the pavement outside. She did not want the defendant to be sent to prison, as he was a good husband when not in drink. With regard to the second charge the wife said that her husband had been living chiefly on what she had earned for the past six months, although occasionally he did some work. When he did he always gave her the money he earned. - Defendant, in defence, said that he earned enough money to keep his wife.
Sup. DURHAM stated that there were several previous convictions against the defendant, and he would have to do 14 days in prison for using obscene language, for which he had been fined but had not paid.
The Mayor, addressing the defendant, said that his wife had expressed a desire that he should not be sent to prison, but the Bench felt they could not fall in with her wishes in that respect. His past record was none too good, and the assault was a very aggrevated [sic] one. The other charge was a very deplorable one. There was nothing more degrading to humanity than for a man, especially an able bodied man, to live as he had been doing. For being drunk and disorderly he would be fined 5s and costs or seven days, for the assault he would be sent to prison for one month, and for the other charge for 14 days, the sentences to run consecutively.
SATURDAY. - Before Mr. W. POOLE.
YET ANOTHER VISIT.
Henry RADNIDGE and Henry ADAMS, both of Taunton, and both of whom are familiar with the inside of Exeter Prison, will again spend a fortnight within its walls. They were both found drunk in Fore-street by P.C. CLARKE on Thursday evening, the 27th ult., and elected to go to prison[?] rather than pay a fine of 10s and costs.