Catch up on the full story of last weeks NEWS...........
*Assault on Arthur Wragg –
Arthur Wragg was the alleged victim in last week’s news,
but there was an Arthur Wragg who had been in trouble with the police before,
but not as the victim. Was it the same
Arthur? I think it probably was as there
is only one Arthur Wragg that I can find as being born in Chesterfield of the
right age; He was born in 1845, the son of John and Ann Wragg who resided on
Church Alley, under the shadow if the Crooked Spire. Arthur had a younger brother named Reuben.
On 23rd December 1866 Arthur Wragg was charged
with having assaulted an old man named George Fidler. George stated that he was walking to his home
on Silk Mill Yard when he saw Arthur, who proceeded to follow him down the yard
to his front door, where he knocked him down at his door way. It was also alleged that this was the third
time this had happened.
Arthur accused George of being drunk and having fallen
himself. He stated that George would
have hurt his back “by tumbling out of bed drunk”. George did not have any witnesses to
collaborate his accusations and Arthur stood his ground and denied the
actions. Arthur told how George was
swearing at him that night and agreed that he had walked over to him, at which
point George had fallen over his own door mat.
George’s wife had also appeared and was said to have followed her
husband falling over the door mat, whilst in her nightie.
George recalled a few nights earlier when Arthur had been
throwing stones at his door. When he had
gone out to Arthur, he had received a stone thrown straight at him which had
extinguished the candle that he held for light.
Arthur the defendant did have witnesses to the events of
the 23rd December. Margaret
Collins told how George was “swearing and making a noise about 8 o’clock”. She went on to tell how she went to the door
to see what the commotion was about, she heard George say “you’re on again –
I’ll spend £5 over you” to which Arthur replied that he didn’t have £5. At this George fell over the mat, his wife
came out and also fell over the mat. The
couple, she thought, were drunk. Bridget
Lester also backed up Arthur’s version of events confirming that he did not
touch George.
The Bench decided that there was insufficient evidence to
convict Arthur Wragg and George was made to pay the 2s 6d fine for expenses.
Only 7 months on; in August 1866 Arthur Wragg a collier
aged 20 years old was again in trouble for fighting in Silk Mill Yard. He was found in the early hours of Sunday 2nd
August stripped and fighting with another man.
Police Superintendent Stevens found the men and sent them packing. But only 15 minutes later the argument had
started up again. The Bench heard how
there was some sort of disturbance most weekends in the yard and how Arthur was
a “great blackguard and nuisance”.
Arthur was of course not happy with this title and argued that he had
gone into a friend’s home to clean up his face upon which when he returned back
out into the yard he was attacked again.
His reputation did not do him justice and on this
occasion Arthur was found guilty and sentenced to pay either 10s and costs or
do 14 days imprisonment – to which he replied “By _____ I’ll do the 14 days
like a horse”.
Was this the same Arthur Wragg as appeared as a victim in
1868? Did he have a knack of finding
trouble as he frequented the streets of Chesterfield? Arthur Wragg died on 11th June
1887 at Victoria Street, Chesterfield.
He was aged 42 years old and unmarried.
He did not leave a will and so administration of his estate was given to
his brother Reuben.
As for John Sweeney, he was around the same age as
Arthur, being born sometime around 1845 in Ireland. In the 1871 census he was working as a
labourer and lodging with Malechy Tracey a bricklayer’s labourer on
Saltergate. What became of him after
this is not known – does anyone know his whereabouts afterwards?
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