MANCHESTER COURIER AND GENERAL ADVERTISER 1856 to 1885 1 5 January 1856 Manchester City Court STEALING IRON FROM A BOAT Two young men named James Wynn and George Cooper, were charged with stealing two cwt of pig iron from a boat belonging to Mr Joel Carrington, carrier between Runcorn and Oldham. The prisoners were taken into custody about half past five o'clock on Tuesday afternoon when offering the iron for sale at a marine store. A boatman in Mr Carrington's employ said that on Monday night both prisoners assisted him to get his boat through several locks on the canal in Ancoats, but he did not see them throw any iron on shore, although they had plenty of opportunity of doing so. The iron produced was of a similar description to that which he had in his boat, and the “pigs” bore the same mark. He had brought the iron from Runcorn, and was taking it to Oldham. The prisoners, in defence, said that they had found the iron, and were committed for trial to the sessions. 2 26 January 1856 FATALITY A boatman named George Upton was drowned in the canal near the Castleford Wharf on Saturday. He had been sick on the previous night, and it is conjectured that on going to the side of the boat, he accidentally fell overboard. A verdict of “Found drowned” was returned at the inquest. 3 9 February 1856 Ashton and Stalybridge POLICE COURT Martha Savage was charged with stealing about 23 yards of print and calico, with several articles of wearing apparel, to the value of about 9s, the property of Thomas Robinson, boatman, Droylsden. The prisoner, being destitute, was allowed to sleep on Robinson's sofa, and in the morning she decamped with the above property, taking a part of it to her lodgings in Manchester, and stating that her aunt had given it to her, and pawning two pieces of print. She was committed for trial. 4 16 February 1856 Warrington POLICE COURT On Monday, a woman of bad character named Emma Bradley was sent to Kirkdale for three months hard labour for stealing a purse containing two sovereigns and a gold wedding ring from Thomas Whitfield, a “flatman” both by nature and profession. 5 1 March 1856 FATALITIES IN MANCHESTER At the Welcome Inn beerhouse, Fleet Street, Deansgate, on Tuesday, a woman named Mary Haddock was killed by falling from the top to the bottom of the stairs. The inquest was held the same afternoon by Mr Herford, the city coroner. The deceased was about 50 years of age, and the wife of a boatman living at Northwich. She had been a week at the Welcome Inn, “drinking a good deal” with another woman ; and she went upstairs to fetch a pair of clogs to give to the woman, who was at that time sleeping in a room downstairs. The deceased, however, was sober at the time. She never spoke after falling ; a surgeon was sent for immediately, but she was dead before he arrived. The jury returned a verdict of “Accidental death”. 6 1 March 1856 Rochdale and Middleton VIOLENT ASSAULT AND ATTEMPTED HIGHWAY ROBBERY At the petty sessions on Wednesday, James Burns, a boatman formerly employed on one of Mr Jackson's boats on the Rochdale Canal, was charged with these offences. Mrs Fitton stated that on Tuesday night at ten o'clock, she went from home to see a nephew, and taking with her a lighted lantern. On going down Thornham Lane, a man (whom she believed to be the prisoner) met her and knocked her down. He wore a dark hairy cap, and something red, like a comforter, round his neck, but what it was she did not distinctly notice. Whilst she was down, the man covered her mouth, and seized her about the pockets. She managed, however, to call out, when some of her relatives coming up to her assistance, the man immediately left her and ran off. Her husband and brother went in search of him, and the prisoner was apprehended on board the boat, in bed, about eleven o'clock the same night. For the defence an alibi was set up. It was shown, however, that Burns, on the boat reaching Slattocks, about four miles from Rochdale, left the boat and took the horses to the stables of Mr Cheetham, a farmer, who was accustomed to receive them at 3d a night. Mrs Cheetham stated that she heard a voice call out, at the dock, a little before ten o'clock, and shortly after she heard the same voice, as it were, approaching their stables. Though called to prove the alibi, Mrs Cheetham gave evidence the other way ; as she stated that shortly after the horse had been put in the stable, the prisoner came to their house and got a quart of milk, and she noticed something red about his neck. It would be about ten minutes after ten o'clock when he left with the milk. The prisoner was committed for trial. 7 22 March 1856 Stockport HORSE STEALING BY A TICKET OF LEAVE MAN On Thursday at the Stockport County petty sessions, before James Newton, John Wright, T W Tatton Esqrs and the Rev C K Prescott, a man named John Harrop was charged with stealing a gelding, the property of William Curtis, a boatman at Oxford. The prosecutor stated that he was employed on the Bridgewater Canal ; and on the night of the 27th November he put a gelding belonging to him in the stable of a beerhouse at Newton, in this county, in the occupation of Francis Kitchen. It was safe at eight o'clock at night, and he missed it between three and four the following morning. On the Monday after (the horse having been stolen on the Wednesday) he went with Mr McDonald, the special high constable of Middlewich, to the house of James Pott at Agden Bridge near Lymm, which is about 17 miles from Newton. He claimed the horse, and it was delivered up to him. It is worth £18, the money he gave for it. McDonald deposed that from information received, and in consequence of the description of the horse in the Hue and Cry, he accompanied prosecutor to Agden Bridge on the 3rd of December to the stable of Pott, who is a beerhouse keeper and also the keeper of a small provision shop there, adjoining the Bridgewater Canal, and Pott supplying the boatmen on the canal with provisions. He obtained a warrant against a man who gave the name of John Carter for stealing the horse, but who, on seeing him in the lockups on another case of horse stealing, he found to be the individual in question, and whose real name appears to be John Harrop. The warrant was read over to him, and the prisoner said it was correct ; he “had stolen the horse, and given the name of Carter to Pott”. Abraham Longson, sergeant of the Stockport police, said he had known the prisoner since 1847. He was present at the sessions for Manchester in October 1849, and the prisoner was there convicted of horse stealing. The witness was likewise present at Stafford assizes in July 1850, and the prisoner was there likewise convicted of horse stealing and sentenced to ten years transportation. James Pott, who described himself as a boat proprietor, near Lymm, said the prisoner offered to sell him a dark grey gelding on the 28th November for £10, but suspecting the transaction, a constable was sent for. After the constable had put some questions he bought the gelding for £8. The gelding was delivered to the constable, and subsequently restored to William Curtis, the owner. The prisoner declined to say anything in his defence, and was fully committed to take his trial at the next Chester assizes. 8 12 April 1856 Ashton and Stalybridge POLICE COURT William Johnson, charged with embezzling 18s 9d, the money of his employer, a boatman named Matley, was again brought up at the county sessions on Wednesday and committed for trial. 9 14 June 1856 A WOMAN FOUND IN THE BRIDGEWATER CANAL Early on Thursday morning, the body of a middle aged woman was found in the canal near Trafford Moss, between Stretford and Barton, the mutilated condition of which led those who discovered it to a belief that a murder had been perpetrated ; the examination of a surgeon, however, proved that the wounds and broken bones had not been sustained during life, having most probably been caused by the canal boats. On Thursday afternoon, an inquest was held on the deceased, before Mr Rutter, coroner, at the Robin Hood Inn, Stretford. George Dawson, who lived at Wigan, and went with a fly boat on the canal between Wigan and Manchester, deposed that at four o'clock that (Thursday) morning, when coming with his boat towards Manchester, on arriving at the Barton Ness, half way between the Moss Bridge and Barton Bridge, in Barton, the boy who was driving the horse called out that there was a man or woman in the canal. Witness ran to the bow of the boat, and saw the body floating erect, with the face visible to the mouth. He made a grasp at the black dress which the deceased wore, but it rent. There was another boat behind, and having called out, “I have missed her”, the man in the second boat made a similar attempt, and also caught hold of the dress, but it again tore. He, however, held the body with a boat hook ; and on the boats being stopped, deceased was lifted upon one of the boats, and brought forward to a building at Moss Bridge, whence it was removed to an outhouse of the Robin Hood.