Mexborough and Swinton Times October 26, 1912
Unhappy Conisbrough Home
Glassblower Sent To Prison
A Shocking Story
There were two charges against a Conisbrough glassblower named John William Dawson at the Doncaster police Court on Thursday, before Mr W.J. Hodgson (presiding) and Mr F Kirby, one for assault his wife on 31st, and the second for leaving his wife and two children chargeable to the Guardians.
In respect to the former, he was committed to prison for a month, and the second was remanded until Friday. A pitiful story of domestic unhappiness was unfolded.
The wife, a slender woman, whose name is Emily, said she laid an information against the prisoner on 3 August, charging with assault on 31 July. On that date he came home for his tea about 5 o’clock, and commenced thrashing her because she remonstrating with him. The whole of the trouble had been caused by the prisoner going with other women. When prisoner came in, she said if he would get their little girl – who was ill and under the doctor – some support, instead of going with other women, it would look better of him.
He then knocked her down, rendering her unconscious. She could not tell many times he struck her, but she had two black eyes, and was bruised all over the head, face and body.
This is not the first time he had thrashed her. She went for the police, and the day after went to the magistrates clerk’s office, when a warrant was granted. The present disappear, and he had only just been found.
They have been married 13 years, and she had had seven children. They had buried five.
Replying to the prisoner, she said she was unconscious ¼ of an hour.
She denied however, that she first threw the fire shovel at the prisoner.
Prisoner said this sort of thing had been going on for several years, and he would be happy when he got away from her. The six or seven weeks he had been away had been the happiest he had experience for four or five years. All the children had been caused by his wife, was very jealous minded. He admitted the assault, but he was owing to throwing things at him. He had stood it for the last five or six years, and he would not be struck by any woman inside his own house.
“It has not been a home for me,” he proceeded, “it has been a living hell.”
The Chairman said he saw the woman when she applied for a warrant, and he did not think he had ever seen anyone who had been so badly knocked about.