An adjourned County Petty Sessions convened on Monday, presided over by Magistrates Messrs. F. Hickson, K.W., and C. Croker, S.R.T.P. Among the cases heard, an altercation between two inmates of the Limerick Union captured the court’s attention.

An inmate named Hartigan faced prosecution for an assault on fellow-inmate John O’Leary. Representing the Guardians, Mr John Ryan, solicitor, presented the case, with O’Leary as the primary witness. O’Leary recounted that on the 25th of the previous month, in the dining hall of the Union, Hartigan had accused him of interfering with him. O’Leary denied the accusation, prompting Hartigan to strike him on the jaw, knock him down, and follow up with a kick. Mr Ryan labeled Hartigan as a troublemaker, underscoring the severity of the incident.

Mr Stevens, Assistant Labour Master, admitted he did not witness the assault, but his previous encounters with both Hartigan and O’Leary indicated a lack of good conduct. The Magistrates expressed concern over the presence of able-bodied men like them in the Union, questioning whether the facility was intended to serve as lodging for the entire country. Mr Stevens was unable to provide a satisfying response to this query.

Under cross-examination by Mr Hickson, O’Leary explained that Hartigan and he had been in and out of the Union for a considerable period. Hartigan attributed his family’s reliance on the Union to a scarcity of employment opportunities. Mr Hickson emphasized that such behavior would not be tolerated in the future.

In another case, Mary Mason, a repeat offender, faced a charge of stealing two hens belonging to Mrs. M’Mahon of Clonoceen. Sergeant Power recounted that he had encountered Mason in Shapaboola on the 28th of the previous month, during which she dropped a pair of fowls upon noticing him. He subsequently charged her with theft. Mrs. M’Mahon identified the hens as hers. Mason pleaded guilty and appealed for leniency. District-Inspector O’Hara revealed that Mason had a history of imprisonment for larceny. The Magistrates sentenced her to three months’ imprisonment, with the term commencing from the date of the sentence.

Limerick Echo – Tuesday 13 March 1906