Sussex Express - 16th August 1859
Worthing - Town Hall - James Medhurst, a turner, residing in Gloucester Place (there being three persons of the same name and each turners, it may perhaps be right to state that this is the youngest of the family), was brought from the cells, charged with assaulting his wife, Sarah Medhurst, quite a young woman, with an infant in her arms, who deposed - I went home yesterday afternoon, and was sitting in front of the fire place, breaking wood to light the fire, when my husband came in and dragged me out of doors, and gave me a stripe on the side of my face. I gave him no reason to do this. On Sunday night, because I told him I was going to take the child out, he said if I went out I should not come in again. I did go out, and he locked me out. I go in afterwards. I told him i wanted to go to Brighton on Monday. He said if I go I should not come in any more. I went to Brighton on Monday, and when I came home he had fastened me out; he was inside tipsy. I could not get in, and I then went and got a bed in Ann Street. I went home on Tuesday, but could not get in doors. I gave him no cause for this; it is not once, it is always so, because I don't go out to work and leave the child alone, to keep him, and I can't to so, for the child's ill under Mr Harris's care. Several times last week he made these rows; he came home one day when I was washing; he knocked my bonnet over my head, and threw the clothes I was washing all over the house. He was in liquor then, but not so much.
Prisoner - She says there is no cause for it, but on Monday morning we breakfasted together as comfortable as could be and an hour afterwards I went home and found her gone, and every small thing in the house carried away, which she can't deny.
Wife - I beg your pardon, James Medhurst, I did not carry a thing away from the house but what I stood upright in.
Chairman - Have you ever taken his things away and sold them? - Never, sir, I am quite certain.
Prisoner enumerated a host of things, plates, flat irons, boxes, and their contents etc.
Clara Wingfield who lives next door to the prisoner and his wife, said, she returned home from work at half past four o clock on the previous evening, when she heard a row and went round to see its causes, and found prisoner putting his wife out of his house, and saying she should not come in any more; he put her out by actual force, and shut the door. She did not see prisoner strike his wife. She heard a row between them between one and two the night before.
The Chairman asked complainant if she had sufficient food
Wife - I sometimes have sufficient, at other times nothing to ear.
Prisoner - She is as violent, that there's no peace with her; a man who had been to Portsmouth and Plymouth and other sea ports, said he never in all his life heard such blackguard language from any woman. I hadn't had any beer for three weeks, and didn't mean to have any. I had signed the pledge, and meant to stick to it again as I did twelve months ago, but she leads me such a life, there is no comfort at home; nothing ever cooked to eat and everything, I am ashamed to say is so dirty; the knives and forks are never cleaned nor the candle sticks since we left "Heene" as for tongs, I carried them away to get cleaned, for they were as rusty as an old horse shoe (laughter), as for my clothes its worse still.
Chairman - How long have you been married? - 18 months.
Wife - No, it's 14 months, and I never have a halfpenny; for if he sends for anything he gives me the bare money, and if I happen to spend a penny he swears at me shamefully. He well knows he has never given me five shillings to clothe the child since it was born.
Prisoner - You don't go to my pocket, do you?
Wife - No I don't.
Chairman - We can have no altercation here.
Prisoner, in a winning tone - She has been the cause of my being brought here. I was never in the hands of the police, or brought before the bench before.
Wife - That's only because they were afraid of you; you know you stood over your mother for an hour, with a knife in your hand, threatening to kill her as she lay in bed ill.
Chairman - Can you find sureties to keep the peace; you cannot be allowed to go on like this.
Prisoner - I think my brother will.
Chairman - It is to be regretted that you have broken the pledge; your conduct was much better when you were a "tee-totaller". I fear you have lately been giving way to drinking. You had far better try and leave off such habits, and sign the pledge again.
Prisoner - So I have, sir. I stuck to it, till last Monday she drove me to drinking again.
Chairman - There is no doubt, but there are faults on both sides; the magistrates call on you to enter into your own recognizance in £20, and fine one surety in £10, to keep the peace for three months, and you must support your wife, and not turn her out of doors.
Prisoner - She went away, and I fastened the doors and windows, but she got in.
Chairman - So she had a right to do.
Prisoner - Of course she had. I believe most of the things are brought back; I saw them last night.
Prisoner sent for his brother, but a message came back to say he would have nothing to do with him.
Prisoner said he thought Frederick Ede, the cabinet maker, would be bound for him if he was at home, but he had been out for two days. He sent for his bother-in-law "Boon" but he likewise declined to come.
Sergeant Stevens - Neither of his brothers will come; they told me so, for they would rather him go to prison for three months for his conduct to his mother.
Prisoner - That's very kind.
The court was kept waiting some time, to enable the prisoner to find bail, which he was unable to do, whereupon the magistrates deliberated, and the chairman, addressing the prisoner, said, "You see the position you have placed yourself in by acting as you have done towards your wife; the magistrates, under all the circumstances, are inclined to deal leniently with you and to take your own recognizance in £20, to be of good behaviour towards your wife for three calendar months; and let me caution you, if you do not behave well to her, and are brought here again charged with a similar offence, you will assuredly be sent to the house of correction, and kept to hard labour during which imprisonment. Will you promise to behave better"
Prisoner - I will, sir.
Chairman - Then take care not to be brought here again.
Clerk - The costs are 19s.
Chairman - You will have to pay the costs, 19s,, and in default of payment you will be sent to the house of correction for ten days.
Prisoner applied for time, and was allowed till next week.
He then left the court, evidently feeling he had had a narrow escape, which had not a little frightened him.