A Teetotaller Summoned For Being Drunk

James Davis, Conisbrough, and Ordrew Beech, Swinton, weresummoned for being drunk on the 18^th. Beech did not appear and Davis said he was not guilty.

Police Constable Thornton deposed that on the Sunday night he was on duty in the highway about 11 p.m. between Kilnhurst and Hooton at Hooton Bar, in company with Sergeant Ford.

They heard a disturbance in the direction of Hooton Roberts, and shortly afterwards they saw the defendants, who were coming along arm in arm, pulling each other about; they were very drunk and use bad language.

The constable stopped them and spoke to them, but as they did not know their names, they had to ask them. Here they had great difficulty, especially from Beech. The witness in the sergeant got to know where they lived, and they separated them.

Davis went off to Conisbrough and witness followed Beech home to Swinton.

Sergeant Ford corroborated; the language of the defendants was very bad indeed – both blasphemous and obscene.

Davis said they were not using bad language. It was the defendant Beech who was drunk; he (Davis) was not. He had not tasted intoxicating drink for two years, and it was clearly a mistake.

The Bench said he would call witnesses to that effect if he liked, and subsequently defendant’s wife went into the box, and swore that ever since she had known her husband, and they have been married two years he had been a teetotaller.

The Bench then dismissed the case against Davis, but it did not transpire what was done with Beech.