Assault On A Pit Worker

Striker Sent To Prison

On Monday, at Doncaster, before the Mayor (Mr. R. Robinson), and other magistrates, Jacob Crookes, a miner on strike, was charged with assaulting Joe Johnson, a miner employed at Cadeby Colliery. Mr. W. M. Gichard, of Rotherham, appeared for the complainant.

It was stated that on Saturday night, the 21st ult., complainant was at the railway station with his wife, and was going home by the 11.15 train. Defendant interfered with a man named James Scott, who spoke to Johnson, and told him that his best course was to keep with his wife, so as to avoid being interfered with. Both Johnson and Scott were employed at Cadeby Colliery.

Whilst Johnson and his wife were walking up and down the platform they were followed time after time by the defendant, and a person on the platform stopped Johnson and spoke to him. Seeing Mrs. Johnson was apart from her husband, defendant struck her a violent blow on the chest, and she was knocked down. She screamed, and her husband went to her assistance.

He had a couple of rabbits in his hand, and he put them down on the platform and assisted his wife to her feet. Defendant then stepped towards him, and deliberately struck him a violent blow under the left ear, and he was felled to the ground. Defendant had previously stamped on the rabbits. Complainant got up and moved away, and defendant was taken away by some railway officials.

When Mrs. Johnson was knocked down she had a purse containing 17s. 6d. in her hand, and it was knocked out of her hand, and a great deal of the money lost. Complainant said that when defendant struck him he said “Take that, you blackleg.”

Wm. Stonehouse, miner, corroborated. Defendant admitted the offence. The Mayor said it was a most dastardly attack, and defendant had a bad record. He was committed to prison for one month, with hard labour.