Mexborough & Swinton Times December 17, 1886
Charge Of Obstructing The Highway At Dalton Brook
Mr. W. Appleyard, farmer, of Conisboro’, was charged with obstructing the highway at Dalton Brook on the 30th ult.
Police sergeant Eke said about 9 o’clock at night he was on duty, and about 40 yards from the public house there he found two horses attached to two drays. He waited 10 minutes, and then hearing the sound of a trap coming down the hill he went into the Grapes Inn, and there found the defendants in the taproom. He had to shift one of the wagons before the trap could get by.
Mr. H. H. Hickmott, who appeared for the defence, said on the day in question Mr. Appleyard, a respectable farmer living at Conisboro’ had sent his son, the defendant, and one of his men to Sheffield with two loads of hay. The distance home was 17 miles, and the weather being extremely severe when they got to Dalton Brook the man Dawson asked permission to warm himself and get something to drink as he was unfitted to go any further. They drew up the wagons on the side of the road next to the public house, leaving about 6 yards of the road perfectly clear. They were unable to put the wagons in the open space in front of the house because it was already occupied by a showman’s cart. Having gone into the house they had not been in 3 minutes, indeed the man Dawson had not had time to taste his pint of beer when the constable came in and said their carts were obstructing the road, and he should report them. The carts were then exactly opposite the house, and it was perfectly absurd for the constable to say that they were 40 yards away.
The defendants were charged with leaving the carts standing for an unreasonable length of time – viz., 10 minutes, surely that was not an unreasonable time for two men to get refreshment on such a bitterly cold night, but in point of fact they had only left the horses 3 minutes. If these charges were allowed to be passed by the magistrates no one would be allowed to get any refreshment at all.
Mr. Appleyard and the man Dawson then gave evidence, bearing out Mr. Hickmott’s evidence, and the magistrates without waiting to hear the evidence of the boy who served the beer, dismissed the case.