QSR1865/4/5/5

Depositions of James Bates, Superintendent of Police. Arthur Hew, veterinary surgeon of Ampthill. In the case of James Cruws, labourer late of Ampthill, accused of assaulting James Bates, a peace officer in the execution of his duty.

14 August 1865

From: 1865 To: 1865

Superintendent James Bates: on the night of Saturday 12 August, a little before midnight, he receiving information from the landlord of the King’s Head Inn in Ampthill. He went to the house and Mr Hawkes, the landlord, stated to him that there was a party in the house who refused to go away and set him at defiance. He went into the house with Sergeant Hillyard and saw about 15 people in the Tap Room there. There were all strangers except that he may have seen some of them at the Railway Works or about the town. He spoke to them civilly and said “Come my lads the landlord wants to shut up”. One of the men rose from his seat with a paper in his hand and said “Here you police b____r light this for me”. He took no notice and said again that the landlord wished them to go so he could shut up. The same man struck him on the face and said “There you b____r take that and go”. He collared the man and took him into the passage. A rush was made by all the men and he was collared and struck by violent blows to his body. He let the man go, shoving him out of the doors. He did not strike him. He saw he prisoner rush through the passage and into the shed. The prisoner was swearing very much and struck Sergeant Hillyard in the passage. Directly after this he heard a cry outside that Hillyard would be murdered. He was being held and could not move. The prisoner came back again, swearing most violently and he heard him say “I will kill every police b___r in the world”. The prisoner came towards him and hit him on the mouth and knocked out his front teeth. There was a second blow on to his nose which severely injured it. There was a third blow to his eye. All the blows were given with great force and whilst he was helpless and being held by others. The prisoner repeated the words saying that he would murder him. He struggled and his coat was torn to pieces. He got free and knocked the prisoner over a table but he got away. It was more than an hour before the mob went away. Arthur New: he was sitting in the bar of the Kings Head Inn at Ampthill on the Saturday night. He heard a disturbance in the bar or the passage. Bates came into the bar bleeding from the nose. Directly there was a rush into the passage and he went into the passage and spoke to the men. He said “Hold back lads, be quiet” The prisoner pushed him and said “I will kill the bigheaded b_____r”. He saw him strike Bates on the chest. Bates got back into the Tap Room and he saw the prisoner hit him in the mouth. A number of men got around Bates and collared him and held him whilst the prisoner kept striking him. He saw him cut his head. The prisoner struck Bates several times whilst he was held and he struck him with great violence. He saw the prisoner strike Bates whilst his head was near the partition between the tap room and the bar. The blow missed Bates but bent a small iron bar in the glass,. The men were all swearing. The prisoner was like a madman. Statement of the accused: he had once got hurt on his head. He sometimes went 12 months without a drop of liquor and when he got a drop he was “well nigh crazy”. He had been walking hard all day and he had not been there 2 or 3 hours and had no food. The drink had got the better of him and he did not know what he was about. He was quite senseless of what he had done. He was very sorry for it and had told the gentleman he didn’t know what to do; he had never been before a bench of magistrates and had never had a summons. He had always been a good character. He had a wife and 3 children and his wife was in the family way. He was quite out of his mind and he was sorry for what he had done.

item

Cruws, James,
Crews, James,
Bates, James,
Hew, Arthur,
Hawkes, Richard Henry,
Hillyard, William

AMPTHILL, assault, veterinary surgeon, police officer, police sergeant, superintendent of police, Ampthill Kings Head, drunkenness, railway worker