Mexborough and Swinton Times January 7 , 1898

Scene at New Conisborough
Wholesale Window Smashing

Frank Fullwood, butcher, Conisborough, was charged with doing wilful damage to windows at Conisborough on 20 December.

George Bamforth the complainant, said that at 5:30 o’clock on the evening in question he left home went out, returning about 12:45. He went to bed. He was looking out of the window, when he saw someone through a brick through the downstairs window, breaking a couple of panes of glass, valued at five shillings. Frank Fullwood was the man that threw them. He went downstairs and someone went for the police. There were several people outside.

Some half bricks were thrown, and a poker was also thrown to the upstairs window. There were six panes of glass broken altogether, but he only charged the defendant with breaking two of them.

By Mr Tovey (who appeared to defend): He was looking through the window when he went to bed. People came out of a house at the other side of the road. He saw Fullwood there before the brick was thrown. He saw the defendant across the road. He knew it was going to happen. He saw the brick in his hand before he threw it. He did not know the names of the other people. There were the Watsons there.

There were one brick, three half bricks. The half bricks were upstairs. It happened about 1 o’clock. There were two lodgers in the room at the time asleep. The noise woke them up. Fullwood stood in the middle-of-the-road, and threw up the bricks through the downstairs window.

John Hirst said he lodged with the complainant and was in bed at the time. It was he that fetched a policeman. He did not see Fullwood throw the brick. He saw the defendant throw the poker, which nearly hit him as he was stood in the room against the fireplace. The defendant said he would not let them have any sleep; they kept the noise until nearly 4 o’clock.

By Mr Tovey: He never had anything to do with the defendant. He did not see Mr Watson. Bamforth was outside when the poker was thrown

Robert Bedford said he saw the defendant come out of the house at the other side of the road and throw the brick. He stood at the top of the street. He did not see anything else transpire. There were a lot more people with Fullwood.

By Mr Tovey: he had been to Mexborough. He had been in the Masons Arms. He was there about an hour. He wasn’t drunk. He was with his wife, sister and brother-in-law. He could see straight. It was rather dark. He did not know Watson or his wife. He afterwards saw Bamforth. He didn’t see him when the brick was thrown. He was not drunk. He could not say whether the last witness was sober or not.

PC Evans said he was fetched to the disturbance. He saw the windows smashed in the complainant’s house and the windows of Watson’s house were also broken.

Mr Tovey for the defence said the defendant had never thrown a brick at all.