Saltcoats - On This Day In History

Published stories from each town's past.
Penny Tray
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Re: Saltcoats - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
2 NOVEMBER 1901

SALTCOATS - ACCIDENT

Yesterday afternoon Mr JAMES COWAN, contractor for the joiner work of a large building presently in the course of erection at the corner of Bradshaw Street, met with a severe accident. While engaged at work inside the building he fell from a scaffold, and was injured about the head.

Doctor Kinnier attended to him, and he was removed home in a cab, suffering from concussion of the brain.
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Re: Saltcoats - On This Day In History

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CASUALTY OF WAR
2 NOVEMBER 1917

Died on service, Corporal FRANK MULLIN, Royal Army Medical Corps – Theatre of war, Egypt – husband of Agnes McCart Mullin, 5 Seabank Street, Saltcoats.
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Re: Saltcoats - On This Day In History

Post by hahaya2004 »

Thanks, PT :D
The most important hour is always the present, the most significant person is the one opposite you right now, and the most necessary deed is always love. - Meister Eckhart (c.1260 - c.1328)
Penny Tray
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Re: Saltcoats - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
3 NOVEMBER 1823

HOUSEBREAKINGS

On Sunday night last the dwelling-house of John Brown, grocer in Saltcoats, was entered by means of false keys, during the time the family were attending divine service in the church, and 58/- carried off. No trace of the depredators have yet been discovered.

And on the night of the 27th, or the morning of the 28th, the head inn was broken into, and a considerable quantity of wearing apparel and some money was carried off. The thieves were traced to Largs, and apprehended, and sent off to Ayr on Tuesday night to be committed.

Also on the same night, or morning, another house in Saltcoats was broken into, and a number of chairs, a table, carpet, etc., was carried off. On the morning of the 29th they were found in a back close, near to the house they were taken from. They are supposed to have been deposited there that morning by the thieves, for fear of being discovered.
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Re: Saltcoats - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
3 NOVEMBER 1854

DEATH

At Saltcoats, on the 30th ultimo, Margaret Orr, wife of Mr David Poe, baker, aged 65 years.
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Re: Saltcoats - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
4 NOVEMBER 1897

TRAVELLING WITHOUT A TICKET

At Kilmarnock Sheriff Court yesterday JAMES TAYLOR, junior, 35 Manse Street, Saltcoats, was charged with having on the 8th and 9th ultimo, travelled on the Glasgow & South Western Railway between Kilwinning and Saltcoats without a ticket, and with intent to defraud the company.

Mr McMichael prosecuted.

The accused pleaded not guilty and was acquitted of the first charge, but convicted of the second.

He was fined 5s, with 15s expenses, or seven days’ imprisonment. The fine was paid.
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Re: Saltcoats - On This Day In History

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CASUALTY OF WAR
4 NOVEMBER 1914

Died on service, Private LAURENCE MURPHY, Service No. 9774, 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers – Theatre of war, France and Flanders – born at Irvine; enlisted at Saltcoats; son of John and Ellen Murphy, Broadway, County Wexford, Ireland.
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Re: Saltcoats - On This Day In History

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CASUALTY OF WAR
4 NOVEMBER 1916

Died on service, Private JOHN CLUGSTON, Service No. 5581, 9th Battalion Royal Scots – Theatre of war, France and Flanders – born at Saltcoats; resident of and enlisted at Glasgow.
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Re: Saltcoats - On This Day In History

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CASUALTY OF WAR
4 NOVEMBER 1918

Died on service, Private ARCHIBALD McKELVIE, Service No. 38885, 1st Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment – Theatre of war, France and Flanders – born at Saltcoats; enlisted at Barrow, Lancashire; son of Archibald McKelvie.
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Re: Saltcoats - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
5 NOVEMBER 1819

BIRTH

At Saltcoats, the Lady of William Kinneir, Esquire, Saltcoats, of a son and heir.
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Re: Saltcoats - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
5 NOVEMBER 1966

JUDGE’S CONCERN OVER LIFE SENTENCES OF ONLY NINE YEARS

Expressing “cause for concern” over the injustice under which a person sentenced to life imprisonment for murder may serve a shorter period in prison than one sentenced for the lesser crime of culpable homicide, Lord Hunter, in the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday, said there were many reasons why such a situation ought to receive immediate and serious consideration. He hoped it would.

Lord Hunter passed sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment upon JAMES FIDDES, who pled not guilty to murder but guilty to culpable homicide by shooting his two sisters in his home at 1 Hirst Place, Saltcoats, on July 16, 1966.

When Fiddes appeared before him at a circuit sitting of the High Court in Ayr recently, Lord Hunter was informed following a telephone inquiry to Crown Office in Edinburgh, that the average period spent in prison by one sentenced to life imprisonment for murder was height-and-a-half to nine years but less or more according to circumstances.

Lord Hunter adjourned the case to yesterday’s sitting of the High Court in Edinburgh when he said that according to further information provided, and according to his mathematical calculations it had become very rare indeed in the course of the last 10 years for the period of detention in life sentences to exceed nine years.

GREAT CONCERN

Addressing Fiddes, Lord Hunter said the case had given him great concern, partly because of its intrinsic difficulties and partly because of wider considerations.

There was no evidence that these two unfortunate women, who were married women of middle age, offered anything which might be regarded in law as provocative though he was prepared to accept that there were some mitigating circumstances arising out of the death of the accused’s mother, and disagreement between accused and his sisters about the distribution of the mother’s estate, a small one, including the house in which the accused lived.

He was not sure that the fact that the accused had taken drink could be regarded as a mitigating factor, though probably drink did contribute to accused’s action.

Speaking of “the wider considerations” and of the release of life sentence prisoners on completion of eight-and-a-half to nine years imprisonment, Lord Hunter said it was apparent that the most unjust and most dangerous results might follow.

If Fiddes earned remission at present allowed for good conduct he would serve 10 years’ imprisonment.

I understand that it would be in the most exceptional cases that there would administrative interference with a determinate sentence of imprisonment passed by this Court for culpable homicide apart, of course, from the remission for good conduct.

UNDESIRABLE

“It is obviously most undesirable that a determinate sentence passed in the High Court of Justiciary in circumstances of full publicity and subjected to a right of appeal should be interfered with by administrative measures which are not subject to the same or, indeed, to any measure of publicity.

“Owing to administrative practice in the case of life sentences for murder there is in my opinion cause for concern that a practice is developing the result of which, in a case like the present, it may well be that an accused person who pleads guilty to, or is convicted of murder may, because of administrative action, serve a shorter actual period of detention than a person who pleads guilty to or is convicted of the lesser crime of culpable homicide.

“The injustice of such a position is apparent. This may, I feel, be the result of a failure by those who are responsible for the administrative action to take sufficient account of the length of sentence passed by this Court for crimes, other than murder.”

POWER OF JUDGES

A Scottish Home Department official said last night that any Judge sentencing a man to life imprisonment had the power to indicate what in his opinion the minimum period should be before release. This was intimated a year ago after the abolition of the death sentence.

“Judges at that time were informed this this new procedure could be undertaken. So far no Scottish Judge has used this right. The Act lays down no restriction on the amount of time a Judge may indicate.”

In Scotland at the present time there are 55 prisoners serving life sentences, including one who is in his twelfth year, the official said.
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Re: Saltcoats - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
6 NOVEMBER 1914

SALTCOATS MAN KILLED AT VANCOUVER

An explosion at the Explosives Factory at Vancouver Island, British Columbia, caused the death of Mr George Robb, who for a number of years resided in Saltcoats.

Mr Robb was for about 15 years employed at Nobel’s Ardeer Factory, and afterwards engaged at the same class of work in South Africa.

Five years ago he went to Vancouver Island and was lately joined by his wife and family.

He was well known in Saltcoats and Stevenston district, where some of his relatives reside.
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