QSR1874/4/5/6

Depositions and examination - William Hill, charged with wounding Walter King with a constable's staff at Luton on 21 September 1874

12 October 1874

From: 1874 To: 1874

Phinehas Hill of Luton, stiffener – he lives at Guildford Street, Luton. On the evening of 21 September William Hill, his brother, and himself had a few words. A policeman came and went home with him. William Hill followed. He said “Will you go home and have no bother”. William Hill said he would come into the house. He said “you won’t”. William Hill said he would go round to the back. PC King was the officer. He asked King to come in and to turn his brother off the premises if he went round to the back. PC King did come in. He let PC King out. His brother was on or against the step. He heard a running along the street and shut the door. Walter King of Luton, police constable – on 21 September about 8.45pm he was on duty in Bute Street. He went to near the Wheelwright’s Arms in Guildford Street. Phineas Hill came out and asked him to go home with him as he was afraid of his brother. They left together for Phineas Hill’s home. When they had got halfway home the prisoner came to them and struck at his brother. He got between them. William Hill swore and threatened King. They then went to Phinehas Hill’s house, with the prisoner following. Phineas Hill got there first. Before he could shut the door the prisoner put his foot between the door and the post. Phineas Hill asked him to remove his brother as he would not have him in. He put the prisoner off the step and he went round towards the back. He went inside the house. The prisoner put his foot against the front door for a second time and he and P Hill pushed him off the step. The prisoner then struck him on the forehead and knocked his helmet off. W Hill struck him again and cut the lower part of his ear. The prisoner had with him all the time a large black retriever dog and kept saying “Leo, at him, bite him”. He took his staff out to protect himself and the prisoner struck him again with his fist. W Hill wrenched the staff from him, took hold of his collar and struck him on the back of the head with the staff. It dazed him for a minute or two. W Hill ran up and struck him again on his forehead with his staff. There were 2 or 3 hundred people around. He called on Mr Collis to assist him. Collis came and took hold of the prisoner and he received his staff from Mr Collis. While he was trying to handcuff the prisoner W Hill tried to bite him and kicked him several times in the groin. With the assistance of PC Wright he took W Hill. On the way to the police station the prisoner struck him several times and something about killing a man like him. He has since been attended by Mr Hayward and has been unable to do any duty since. [Cross-examined] The prisoner was like a raving madman. He stopped one or his blows with his staff. Joseph Wright of Luton, police constable – he was called to PC King’s assistance. He saw the prisoner in the custody of PC King and Mr Collis. The prisoner was drunk. Blood was streaming from King’s head. As they were coming along the prisoner kicked King in his legs and said he intended to kill him. The prisoner was violent at the station. Elizabeth Cherry of Luton, bonnet sewer – she lives at 2 London Road. On the night of 21 September about 9pm she saw a crowd of persons against the Wheelwright Public House. She saw P Hill there. His nose was bleeding. She saw PC King with him and the prisoner Hill on the pavement. He was drunk and trying to get into the house. She heard him say he would smash his brother’s brains before he finished with him. She saw P Hill go towards his house. The prisoner came and hit him in the breast violently. A police constable stepped between them. The prisoner tried to get in at the back of the house and put his foot in the door. He used bad language towards his brother. She saw him pulled away from the steps and the policeman asked him to go. He would not go and the policeman tried to push him off. The prisoner then hit him and knocked his helmet off. He then hit the policeman on the side of the head. There was a large black dog there which the prisoner tried to set on the policeman. The policeman drew his staff and the prisoner took it from him and hit him with it twice on the head. The prisoner had hold of the policeman with both hands. The policeman called for assistance and Collis and another came and the prisoner was handcuffed. Whilst they were handcuffing the prisoner she saw him try to kick the policeman. She then sent PC Wright up. Frederick Robertson Haward of Luton, surgeon – he was called to see PC King on 22 September. He was suffering from an excised wound of the left ear, a stellated fracture of the outward plate of the skull, a contused wound on his forehead and on the posterior part of his head. Such blows in his opinion might have been inflicted by a police constable’s staff. Three days after his first visit the patient was suffering from inflammation of the membranes of the brain. He has attended PC King ever since and he is still under his care. He does not apprehend any fatal consequences now. The wounds will incapacitate PC King for another month. Henry Ross Collis of Luton, warehouseman – on 21 September he was in the neighbourhood of Phinehas Hill’s house. He saw the prisoner there drunk with a policeman’s staff in his hand. W Hill said to the policeman “now you b— I’ve got it and I’ll give it to you”. Hill’s sister begged him to give up the staff but he would not. The policeman tried to get the staff from him and he struck the policeman twice across the head with it. They struggled and the prisoner fell. The PC called him to help. He went and took the staff out of the prisoner’s hand and assisted in handcuffing the prisoner. He tried to kick the policeman in the privates. The policeman was bleeding very much. Robert Webdale of Luton, warehouseman – he lives in Wellington Street, Luton. He was near Hill’s house on the evening of 21 September. He saw the prisoner and a large crowd present. He helped to handcuff him. The prisoner was very violent. He saw Mr Collis take the staff from him. The prisoner kicked at the policeman. He saw blood on the policeman’s forehead. William Hill – has nothing to say.

item

Hill, William,
King, Walter,
Hill, Phineas,
Wright, Joseph,
Cherry, Elizabeth,
Haward, Frederick Robertson,
Collis, Henry Ross,
Webdale, Robert

LUTON, Luton Guildford Street, Luton Bute Street, Luton London Road, Luton Wellington Street, wounding, police constable, bonnet sewer, surgeon, warehouseman, Luton Wheelwright Arms, drunkenness