Merry Christmas.

[Currie]

Edinburgh Evening News, Saturday, December 27, 1873
ATTENTIVE NIGHT CONSTABLES.
At a meeting of the Limerick Corporation on Tuesday, Mr Cruise, sub-inspector of constabulary, appeared before the Watch Committee to complain that a number of burglaries had taken place within the last week without the watchmen reporting the occurrences. He might mention that he was out the other night with a patrol of police, when be noticed a black object lying in the mire. He sent a man to ascertain what was there, and he returned stating that the object was a watchman lying drunk in the gutter. Inspector Shiel then charged Night Watchman Hinchy with having been drunk on his beat on Thursday morning last. Mr Shiel stated that he had been looking for the watchman for half an hour, and found him drunk in Mr O'Regan's yard. It was half-past four at the time, but Hinchy was unable to tell the hour, and on his (Mr Shiel) stating that he would bring him before the Committee, he replied, "To the devil I pitch you, Mickey." The Committee fined the watchman £1. Inspector Shiel—The career of Hinchy while on the night watch has been one of sleeping and drunkenness.

Another watch-man, described in a local paper as "the notorious Paddy Ward," was next charged with having been drunk while on his beat. The Inspector stated that Ward's coat was covered with mud. Ward—Well, gentlemen, there is no use in telling lies, so I'll tell the whole truth, and that is that my coat was dirtied by an unfortunate woman I was bringing to the watch-house. Mr Kelly—Then she must have got upon your back (Laughter.) Ward—No, sir, she was leaping and jumping, and, in fact, floating in the air; so that she could rub herself to my new coat if she pleased. Now that's the truth, gentlemen. The Mayor—But what have you to say to the charge of drunkenness? Ward —Now, to tell nothing but the truth, I must tell the gintlemen that there is'nt a decenter man on the staff than myself. (A laugh.) Oh, divil's a lie in it. Gintlemen, as I'm brought here at all now, I'll tell ye the whole of it out. I ate a heavy meal of that unfortunate American bacon, and a handful of green cabbage, and a few leathercoats, and they lay across my breast—(laughter)—and at the time I had only a few pints taken to quench the thirst when the inspector came up; and besides, gintlemen, I got a bad account from my little boys in America. Well (leaving the room), whatever the consequence may be, I say a merry Christmas to ye all. An order was made to refer the charges against the watchman to the Council.


Edinburgh Evening News, Wednesday, December 26, 1877
SYMPTOMS OF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON.
The charge-sheet presented to Mr Flowers on taking his seat upon the bench at Bow Street Police Court, London, on Monday, contained over fifty cases, nearly the whole of which were the direct issues of "keeping up the festivities of the season" from the only point of view possible, apparently, to a large section of the London populace. The first charge was preferred against a woman named Donovan, an old familiar face at Bow Street, to whom some good advice was administered by Mr Flowers, without any hope of its being taken—the worthy magistrate intimating that for once he would not inflict a fine, trusting that she would spend the holidays in a becoming manner. "God bless you, Mr Flowers," the old woman replied, "and a merry Christmas to you."

Another old woman, named Kenealey, who had been let out of the workhouse for an hour, and was soon found dead drunk on the pavement, pleaded that she was over 75 years of age, and that she only took one glass. She said she was certain that some "temptation" had been put into the drink (meaning a drug), but the jailer said she had often been charged with drunkenness before at that court when liberated from the house on the pretence of going to see her friends. Mr Flowers, in discharging the old woman, said he should endeavour to be as lenient as possible, being very reluctant to preventing any one spending their Christmas Day at home, but the defendant, no doubt, would be carefully looked after by the workhouse officials, who would not be likely to put such "temptation" in her way.

In another case, where a woman was charged with seriously assaulting her husband, the latter stated that his wife's brother held down his head while the prisoner struck him a succession of blows with a hammer or a poker till he became insensible. In this case Mr Flowers said he did not think he should be the means of depriving a happy family of the chance of spending a "merry Christmas" together, so he should remand the prisoner for a week.


Well, it's Merry Christmas from them, and Merry Christmas from me.

All the best,
Alan

[ninatoo]

A good read! Merry Christmas to you too Alan!

[Anne H]

Wonderful, Alan. Merry Christmas!
and Everyone!
Anne

[nelmit]

Merry Christmas everybody. Hope Santa was good to you all.

Best wishes,
Annette