From the Deal, Walmer & Sandwich Mercury, 21 July 1865.

Wednesday - Before W. M. Cavell, Esq, Mayor and J. Iggluden Esq.

John Donovan and Ann Donovan, husband and wife, and members of the medical fraternity, were placed at the bar on two charges of assault and two also of committing wilful damage. The nature of the charges is disclosed in the following evidence:-

Elizabeth Jane Leggett - I am landlady of the "Ship and Castle" beer shop. Last evening, shortly after eight o'clock, a man came to the house to see the male prisoner. He had been there a few minutes when I heard a noise in the tap-room, and on going thither I saw Donovan dancing on the table with only his trousers on, and offering to fight his visitor. I sent for a constable, and Seeth came .At that time some crockery ware had been broken in the tap-room. I told Seeth that I wanted Donovan removed from the house, and he said he would fetch Cox to assist him. During his absence the male prisoner forced himself into the bar-parlour, striking me with his hand as I stood at the doorway to obstruct his progress. He was followed by the female prisoner. When in the parlour Donovan seized the poker, and with it broke the table and the gas-fitting; and his wife broke other articles in the room. Donovan also knocked down with the poker another tramp who attempted to enter the room. I estimated the damage at 15s. Donovan was drunk at the time, but his wife was sober; and both left the house before the police returned.

Police-constable Seeth, who deposed to being sent for, as stated by the last witness, and also to seeing Donovan in the condition named, with his wife clinging to him, said - I went to fetch Cox, and on returning the prisoners had left the "Ship and Castle." We afterwards saw them in Water Street, and there took Donovan into custody. The man, offered much resistance, but the woman went quietly to the station.

The Bench sentenced the male prisoner to 21 days imprisonment in Sandwich goal with hard labour, and the female to seven days, also with hard labour.

The offence constituted by Donovan's knocking a fellow tramp down with a poker was not investigated, the party injured (Henry May) withdrawing the charge on the plea that the man was too drunk to know what he was about.

From the Deal, Walmer, and Sandwich Mercury, 12 June, 1869. 1d.

THE SONG OF A SHIRT

Patrick Macdonald a man who was described as a musician, belonging to Dover, and who had a decided military appearance, was placed at the bar on suspicion of having stolen a cotton shirt and a pair of socks, the property of Mrs. Barnes, Lower Street.

From the statement of the prosecutrix, who keeps a greengrocer's shop at the north end of Lower Street, it appeared that on the previous day the prisoner, or "that here gentleman," as she described him, who had formerly lodged at the "Ship and Castle," Lower Street, and who had been in the habit of dealing at her shop, went to her and asked her to buy a pair of socks. She at first declined to purchase, but as the man pressed her very much, she inquired what he wanted for them, and he told her 8d. She told him that she had not taken that amount in her shop, and he then asked 6d. being desirous of getting rid of the man, she consented to buy the socks for that amount, and accordingly gave him the money and told him to step inside her room and take off the socks (for he was at the time wearing them) and "haul them under the chair." After serving some customers, Mrs. Barnes went into the room where the prisoner had been, but found that he had left, and not only were there no socks in the room, but that a shirt which belonged to her lodger, and which she had left in the room, had disappeared. She subsequently informed the police of what had occurred, and they had apprehended the prisoner at the "Deal Castle" public-house. The lodger to whom the shirt belonged had gone to sea that morning, and declined to press the charge "ag'in the gentleman."

In answer to his Worship, the Superintendent said that, although the socks produced had been found under a chair in the "Deal Castle" on which the prisoner had been sitting, the police were not able to prove that they belonged to him or that he had put then where they were found. The prisoner had at first denied that they were his property, but afterwards said they were.

In reply to the Mayor, Mrs. Barnes said she should be quite satisfied if the prisoner returned her her money, and on this being done the man was allowed to depart; at the same time, however, being cautioned as to attempting to play tricks upon the public.