Drink and the Lancashire Press p127

Abstract

The UK Alliance, the organisation set up to campaign for legal restrictions on drink, presented this digest of Lancashire press reports where drink was involved, for the last six months of 1929. It gives some fascinating insights into behaviour, and attitudes to this, in the late nineteen twenties.

DRINK AND THE LANCASHIRE PRESS.

THE following is a summary of cuttings taken from fifty of the weekly newspapers in Lancashire, The Manchester Evening News and The Liverpool Evening Express (approximately 1,500 newspapers) for the half-year ended December 31st, 1929, in which are recorded happenings concerned with drinking and drunkenness, public-houses, publicans and clubs.
The 1,622 cases summarised here were of sufficient public importance to warrant report in the Press. A much greater number of cases could have been extracted where it was obvious that drink was playing a part, but only those are included where drink and the agents and agencies for distributing drink are specially referred to.

A. DEATHS (63 cases).

(1) MURDERS AND MANSLAUGHTER (10 cases).

1. Father and son accused of killing relation : a quarrel and struggle : death due to natural causes accelerated by strain and excitement : Father had been drinking all day.
2. J.M. murdered his wife : M. was abnormal and exhibited symptoms of chronic alcoholism. Hanged.
3. J.T.M. (41), motor-driver (Hulme), accused of murdering G.C. (71). M. had been in two public-houses, and said that G.C. “had had plenty to drink.”
4. G.F. found guilty of murdering elderly shopkeeper. “I did the murder. I hit him with a hammer. I used the knife as well. I was drunk at the time . . . . can’t remember everything because I was drunk.” Reprieved.
5. W.T. accused of the murder of his wife ; had both been drinking : wife alleged to have been “kicked to death.”
6. R.B. (25), accused of murdering his child (2 ½ years), by throwing her out of a window. He had been treated for alcoholic excess : and was ill from the effects of heavy drinking.
7. Fred W. (33), committed for trial on a charge of manslaughter of L.S. whom he took for a drive in his car. Had drinks at frequent intervals, accident occurred at midnight and S. killed.
8. R.A. accused of the manslaughter of J.R. Deceased was drunk and abused R.A.’s mother. R.A. struck him with poker in self-defence.
9. J.S. (43), accused of manslaughter of J.T. (59). J.T. had just left public-house at closing time : walking along road in front of companions : knocked down and killed by car driven by J.S. who drove on. J.S. had had two pints of beer.