Mexborough and Swinton Times August 10, 1907

Struggle in a Train.
Denaby Girls Plight.

A young man named Joseph Albert Lindley, aged 21, was charged at Doncaster on Monday, with attempting to commit an assault on a young woman named Emma Mosby, aged 18, who resides with her parents at Tickhill Street, Denaby, whilst returning by train from Doncaster on Saturday night.

Complainant stated that she left Doncaster by the 10 p.m. Great Central train on Saturday night, and got into an empty compartment; and just as the train started the prisoner jumped into the carriage. He appeared to be drunk, and noticing his condition she got alarmed and tried to get out of the carriage.

When he saw her going to the door, prisoner said, “you are not – well going to get out,” but she replied that she would. He seized her by the throat with his right hand, hurting her very much and rendering her speechless. She struggled hard and made desperate efforts to get away, but he pulled her down on the floor of the compartment onto her back. When nearing Conisborough station he gradually released her, and she screamed for assistance, going to the carriage window, the train stopped, and she pulled the window down and asked the porter who had come up to let her get out. As prisoner has had her on the floor, and she was afraid of him.

Prisoner denied the charge.

The Porter got into the compartment and rode with them to Mexborough. The train was  in motion when the porter got into the carriage. In getting out of the train at Mexborough she made a further complaint to another porter, and prisoner was detained at the station. A policeman was obtained, and she told him what had taken place. She did not know the prisoner, and had never seen him before that night. He left the parcel at the left luggage office at Doncaster, for which she got a ticket, and she was reading the ticket when prisoner got into the carriage.

Ernest night, a porter at Conisborough, stated that he saw the complainant trying to open the carriage door, and he heard her screaming. He went to her assistance he got into the carriage as the train was moving. She told him a man had assaulted her, and pointed to the prisoner. Prisoner denied that he had touched her. He had no cap, and seemed excited. He was the worse for drink. There were indications of a struggle and the carriage floor. Complainant appeared to have been pulled about, and had marks of dust and dirt on her clothes. Prisoner used very bad language, and getting up, threatened to throw him out of the window. Prisoner was committed for trial at the quarter sessions.