Vandyke Road, Leighton Buzzard 1914 [Z1306/72/13/1]
Monday
12th June 1916: William Mitchell, a labourer of Long Row,
Vandyke Road, has appeared before the magistrates at Leighton Buzzard on a
charge of causing grievous bodily harm to his 17 year old daughter, Rosa Ann Mitchell,
on Saturday night. His wife Lily said that her husband came home at about 9
p.m. the worse for drink and accused her daughter, a munition worker at
Luton, of staying out too late, although Rosa had arrived home before her
father. He took off his belt and used it to strike the girl. Mrs Mitchell said
he did not use the buckle end, and did not hit her daughter in the face. Police
Superintendent warned her that she was contradicting statements she had made on
oath and in her signed deposition. The mother then admitted that the girl had
received a “mark” over one eye. She had tried to get between her husband and
her daughter and had pushed the girl into the back kitchen, but Mitchell had
pulled her out and struck at her with a broom stick. She had seen him strike Rosa
across the head.
A doctor was sent for who
came and dressed the wound on the girl’s head. She had cried all night, but her
mother thought that was more because her father had been arrested than due to
pain from her injury. The doctor had said she would not be fit to go back to
work for a week. The girl appeared in court with a bandaged head, and wept so
bitterly that she had to be removed to another room. Mr. Mitchell asked for
bail, saying he did not want to lose his job and that ”I will never touch
another drop of drink as long as I live after I have seen what it leads to. I
am very sorry for what I did.” The magistrate refused his request and Mitchell was
remanded in custody.
No comments:
Post a Comment