100-YEARS-AGO: SPURNED LOVER IN ECCLES SMASHES UP THE HOUSE

Another story of love and romance from the pages of the Eccles and Patricroft Journal, October 1920, when love breaks down...

John Henry Robinson who lived at Barlow Street, Patricroft appeared at Eccles Magistrates Court, charged with assaulting May Jackson in her home at Blears Buildings, Eccles and smashing crockery belonging to her mother, Margaret Jackson.

Margaret Jackson told the Magistrate that Mr Robinson had been "walking out" with her daughter until three months ago and on the night of September 27th he called at the house to see, May.

She went to bed but was woken by screams and heard Robinson, cry out,

"I have got you now and I will do you in!"

He allegedly ripped the blouse off her back and threw her over the table smashing the plates, cups and saucers, laid out.

A passing neighbour, Emma Woodhall heard the commotion and rushed in to help, she grabbed hold of Robinson who had forced May to the floor and was twisting her arm and managed to separate them.

Robinson took to the witness box and gave a completely different story.

He claimed he had called at the house to chat with May, when Margaret Jackson burst into the room and threw a glass at his head, and as for the smashed crockery, he said that he had bought it for them, so it was his, furthermore he had spent between £300 - £400 on the pair of them and this was the way they treated him.

Getting into the swing of it, Robinson claimed that May and her sister had been seeing other men behind his back and on one occasion he had been, "brutally assaulted" by the men and had his wallet, containing £7 stolen from him.

With a final flourish he told the Magistrate that the two women should have been in the dock, not him.

However the Magistrate didn't share his views, and he was fined 10 shillings for the assault and five shillings for the damaged crockery, and warned about his future conduct.

Reading between the lines it would appear that Mr Robinson was being strung along by May and her family, showering money and gifts on them. and was better off without them, an unrequited love indeed.