Bohemia Village Voice

Sourced by Sarah Janes

HASTINGS BOROUGH BENCH

A MIDNIGHT FIGHT

The story of a midnight fight was told in the summonses against three women. – Louisa Page, Leila Mitchell, and Kate Baker – for using obscene language in Cambridge-road, on September 29th.

Louisa Page was the only defendant to appear and when the summons was read she declared that “I didn’t swear as much as the other two.”

The three women were fighting, said Chief Constable James, and they were disturbing the whole neighbourhood by their abusive language. They were a complete nuisance to everybody, and on the night in question they did not move on until a constable on duty in the place appeared on the scene, and another policeman living in the district who had gone to bed had to get up, dress and come to shift them.

The Chief Constable asked for the maximum penalty as all three women were women of evil repute.

The Bench, Page, said that they thought her case was different from the other two. Evidence bore out her statement that she did not swear as much as the rest, and she acted under provocation. She would be fined 20s. and costs, or 14 days, while the other two would be fined 40s. and costs or a month.

Page asked for the time to pay, but the Chief Constable objected. The Bench accordingly refused to allow her time and she was removed in custody.

From Hastings & St Leonards Observer, 1910.