Mexborough & Swinton Times — September 17, 1904
Denaby Man’s Experience in Sheffield
Last Saturday night Martin Hussey, a Denaby miner, got a drop too much in Sheffield, and missed his train.
Coming back into the city, he met Annie Mulligan (23), a married woman, living at No. 6, New Street, and, according to his story, asked her if she could find lodgings for him.
Mrs. Mulligan consented, and took him to a one-roomed house in New Street. He had been there a few minutes, when four men appeared on the scene and proceeded to despoil him. They took his watch and chain, then his clothes which he had taken off, leaving him only his shirt.
Hussey narrated his experience, swearing positively to the identity of all the prisoners.
P.C. Wolstenholme, in his evidence, gave the house where these incidents occurred a very bad name. He said it was worse than any common lodging house, events going off there every week that no one ever heard anything about. “This room,” he added, “is kept for the purpose of taking people down; it’s fair robbery.”
Mrs. Mulligan also admitted that this house was “kept for the mere purpose—nothing else,” but disclaimed any connection with it, or with the robbery of Hussey’s belongings.
The male prisoners also professed not to be the guilty parties.
The Bench, however, came to the conclusion that prisoners were those who committed the offence, and committed all four men for a month, and the woman for fourteen days.