The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

582.   KATE WEBB(18) , Maliciously wounding   Bridget Enright.

  BRIDGET ENRIGHT . I live at 13, Barton Street, Hoxton, and am an

ironer—I know the prisoner, but she is not a friend of mine—on June 11th I met her; she asked me to have a drink with her and I did—this was before eleven a. m.—I went to an oil shop with her, and then went home with her and remained all day—she got the worse for drink, and asked me if I had sufficient money to treat them—I said, "No," and she pulled out one of my earrings and struck me with a knife; it went into my breast, but not far—I took the knife out of her hand—it belongs to her young man—this is it—she was the worse for drink—I did not pull out a hairpin and stick it into her arm—I did not try to stab her with a knife—I did nothing to defend myself, I was senseless.

Cross-examined by the prisoner. I was not with two young men in a public-house at Hoxton—I did not ask you to let me have a wash; I was dressed for the day—I have got a wound on my head; a man did it with a pewter pot—I did not say "I am coming home to your place to-night," nor did you say that I could not—I had got a lodging in Hoxton—I did not say, "Do you know who I am?"—I did not pull out a knife, but a young man gave me one—I did not catch hold of you by your hair, or follow you.

By the COURT. I did not fight with her—witnesses were examined at the Police-court, and one of them said that we were having a rare fight—that is not true.

  ARTHUR MARTIN MITCHELL . I am house-surgeon at St. Bartholomew's—I saw the prosecutor on June 12th, she had two incised wounds on the scalp and a very small one on her breast, and the scar of an old scalp wound which might have been produced by a pint pot—this knife would produce the wounds on the scalp; they were not serious, one was half and the other three-quarters of an inch deep—she was sober—the prisoner was rather fresh.

  ALFRED BUCRKYE . I am a labourer of 6, Haig Street, Bethnal Green—on June 11th, about 10.45 p. m. I saw the prisoner and prosecutrix standing against a wall striking blows at one another—they were having a rare set-to—I stopped a few minutes and looked at them, and the prosecutrix fall but commenced it again, and after she fell the prisoner got on top of her and some people pulled her off, and then they got into Newbury Street, the prisoner tried to run away, the prosecutrix ran after her and fell against the wall—I went up and saw her bleeding from her head and saw the police there—neither of them seemed sober—I am not acquainted with either of them.

  EDWARD HARLECK (306 City). On June 11th, about 10.45 p. m., I saw a crowd and found the prosecutrix leaning against the wall, her dress was covered with blood, and I took her to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, she appeared sober—I took the prisoner at 3.45 next morning and told her she would be charged with cutting and wounding; she said "I did it in self-defence."

The prisoner's statement before the Magistrate, "I took the knife away from her and used it in self-defence.

Prisoner's Defence. I never saw the knife until she had it.

The prisoner received a good character.

GUILTY of unlawfully wounding under great provocation. Discharged on Recognizances.