Bouverie Hotel 1910s

Folkestone Express 21-6-1913

Local News

The licence of the Bouverie Hotel was temporarily transferred at the police court on Tuesday from Mr. Allcock to Mr. Adams.

Folkestone Herald 21-6-1913

Tuesday, June 17th: Before Mr. W.G. Herbert, Mr. J. Stainer, Mr. G.I. Swoffer, Mr. R.J. Linton, Councillor W.J. Harrison, and Councillor A. Stace.

Application was made for the temporary transfer of the licence of the Bouverie Hotel from Mr. E.H. Allcock to Mr. Adams. Granted.

Folkestone Daily News 17-6-1913

Tuesday, June 17^th: Before Messrs. Herbert, Stainer, Linton, Swoffer, Harrison, and Stace.

 

The licence of the Bouverie Hotel was transferred from Mr. Allcock to Mr. Adams, the latter having formerly held a licence in Folkestone.

Folkestone Express 12-9-1914

Tuesday, September 8^th: Before J. Stainer, R.J. Linton, G.I. Swoffer, W.J. Harrison, G. Boyd, A. Stace, E.T. Morrison, and C.E. Momford Esqs.

James Andrews was summoned for assaulting William Hector Stevens. Defendant pleaded Not Guilty. Mr. J.S. Atkinson represented the complainant, and Mr. H.J. Myers appeared for the defendant.

Complainant said he was a master tailor, and had been in the Army for 14 years. He had volunteered for service abroad, but his application had been refused owing to the fact that his corps had been filled up. On Friday, about one o`clock, he went into the Bouverie Hotel with a friend and asked for a little bit of cheese and a lager beer. He had not had any drink before that. He was not accustomed to take much. There was only himself and a friend present in the bar, except the proprietor and his servants. The conversation turned on to the war, and he said to Mr. Adams, the landlord, that things looked pretty black for the old country. A conversation then ensued, and Mr. Adams got very heated. He (complainant) was very emphatic, and Mr. Andrews then came in, and must have heard Mr. Adams say that he (complainant) was not an Englishman, but was a ---- German. He also believed he called him a spy. He (complainant) replied “You have made a mistake. My name is Stevens, and it is a good English name”. Mr. Adams retorted “You are a ---- liar”. He went across to the landlord and challenged him to come outside and repeat what he had said in the bar, where he had him at a great disadvantage. Mr. Andrews then joined in the conversation and said “Come out and fight me”. He (complainant) replied “It has nothing to do with you”. At that time he was sitting down. The defendant, who had a massive gold ring on his finger, came across to him and let him have the nicest “plonk” in the eye that he had ever had in his life. He jumped up and called the defendant an arrant coward. He did not strike or touch Andrews in any way. He then went out to try and find a policeman. The discolouration of his eye was caused by the blow. He did not say anything that would tend to lead the defendant to think he was anything but a patriotic Englishman.

Cross-examined by Mr. Myers, complainant said he was not of an excitable temperament. He had not occasionally gone into the bar and laid down the law about the war. He had never been requested to leave the White Lion at Cheriton. He was not of an excitable nature. He denied that he said the Germans would be in England in a fortnight, and that the British troops were no good and their Navy was deficient. When Mr. Andrews joined in he did not know whether he held a brief for Mr. Adams or not. He had spoken to the defendant before. On that occasion he had only been in the bar about a minute or so when Andrews came. He had had no quarrel with him previously.

George Boyd Jordan, of 67, Ashley Avenue, Cheriton, said he was a master tailor in partnership with the complainant. They went up to the Bouverie Hotel together on Friday in order to have some refreshment. Mr. Stevens was not in any way aggressive or objectionable. He entered into the conversation about the war. When the conversation got somewhat excited the complainant did not threaten anyone, either Mr. Adams or the defendant. After complainant had challenged the landlord to make his assertion outside, Mr. Andrews then said “I will take it up”. Stevens was sitting down at the time and the defendant struck him a blow in the eye. The assault was entirely unprovoked on the part of the complainant, who did not return the blow.

Cross-examined, witness said Stevens did not challenge Mr. Adams to fight, and he did not make use of unpatriotic remarks. The blow given by Andrews was a very severe one, and blood ran down the complainant`s face from his eye. Stevens staggered from the bar, but before doing so, told Andrews he should not have done it.

Defendant went into the witness box and gave evidence. He said he was a motor engineer. He had volunteered for service as a motorist, and he had volunteered to assist the Red Cross Society, which had accepted his services. He was in the habit of using the Bouverie Hotel, and went there on Friday at about half past one. When he got into the saloon bar he saw Stevens, who was making unpatriotic remarks about the Army. He had met the complainant once before, and had heard him quarrelling about the same subject. He had no personal feeling against Stevens, who was excited. During the course of his statements Stevens said the Army was no good, the Navy was deficient, and the Germans would be in England in a fortnight. Complainant rushed up to Mr. Adams because he called him a liar, and said to him “Come outside and I will fight you”. Mr. Adams told him to sit down or go away. The landlord was a little excited. He (defendant) eventually went across the bar and said to Stevens “You shall not hit an older man than you. I will take you on”. He (defendant) was annoyed at the remarks Stevens had made, but he took no notice of them because it was not his argument. He, however, regarded the remarks as very unpatriotic. When he told the complainant he would take him on, Stevens said “It has nothing to do with you”. He (witness) pushed him across the bar, and then, when he had sat down, told him to get up. He would not get up, so he said “If you can`t get up I shall strike you sitting down”. Complainant did not get up, so he struck him. Mr. Adams and the young lady laid hold of him to prevent him striking the complainant again. It was a regrettable blow as soon as he had made it.

The Clerk: In plain English you lost your temper.

The defendant: Yes.

The Clerk at this point said the Bench were of opinion that there was no alternative but to inflict a fine, but they had taken all the language used into consideration.

Mr. Myers, however, persisted in calling his other evidence.

Mr. Adams, the landlord of the Bouverie Hotel, said he did not regard Mr. Andrews as a quarrelsome man. He had seen the complainant, who was of a very argumentative, quarrelsome and excitable nature, on three occasions. All the time he was in the house he was talking about the war, and the assertions he made were: “Our Army is not good, the Navy is of no account, our guns are bad, and the Germans are superior in everything. They would be here in a fortnight, and thank God they would be”. Complainant also put down everything on the British side as rotten. Complainant`s conduct went on for ten minutes.

The Clerk: Why did you not take steps to get him out of your house?

Witness: I asked him to go out.

Mr. Myers urged in his address to the Magistrates that Andrews only did what a patriotic and chivalrous Englishman would have done.

The Chairman said the defendant had no right to take the law into his own hands. They had decided to fine him 5/- and 12/- costs.

Mr. Atkinson asked the Magistrates to allow the complainant solicitor`s costs, but the Bench refused the application.

Folkestone Herald 12-9-1914

Tuesday, September 8^th: Before Mr. J. Stainer, Councillor C. Ed. Mumford, Mr. G.I. Swoffer, Mr. R.J. Linton, Alderman C. Jenner, Councillor W.J. Harrison, Mr. E.T. Morrison, and Councillor A. Stace.

William Andrews was summoned by W.H. Andrews for assault. Mr. J.S. Atkinson appeared for the complainant, and Mr. H.J. Myers defended. Mr. Myers entered a plea of “Guilty under great provocation and justification”.

The Magistrates` Clerk (Mr. J. Andrews): That is Not Guilty, then.

Complainant stated that he was a master tailor. He had been in the Army for fourteen years, and had volunteered for service in the present war, but his services were declined because the unit he applied to join was filled up. On Friday he went into the Bouverie Hotel about one o`clock for a glass of lager beer and some cheese. He had had nothing to drink before that day, and was not accustomed to take much. He had a friend with him, and the landlord came in afterwards. Conversation began and turned on the War. Complainant said “Things look very black for the old country”. He did not get heated, but he was emphatic. The landlord (Mr. Adams) told him that his name was good enough for him, that he was no Englishman, but a d--- German spy. He replied “You have made a great mistake; my name is a good English name, and I have served my King and country”. Mr. Adams called him a liar, and he (complainant) went across to the landlord and said he would not dare say things like that to me except on his own premises. Defendant, who had entered shortly before, now broke in, and wanted to fight witness. He told defendant it had nothing to do with him. Complainant was sitting down. Defendant struck him with his fist in the eye, and he jumped up and called him a coward, but did not strike him or touch him in any way. Complainant had said nothing that was unpatriotic, and he never said such things.

Cross-examined, complainant denied that he was excitable. He did not say “The Germans will be here in a fortnight”, nor that our troops were no good, or our Navy deficient. Mr. Adams indicated that he considered complainant`s remarks unpatriotic, but witness did not challenge him to fight.

George Boyd Jordan, a master tailor, said he was in partnership with the complainant, and accompanied him to the Bouverie Hotel on Friday. He corroborated complainant`s evidence, and said he was in no way objectionable or aggressive. He did nothing to incite defendant to fight him, and the blow was entirely unprovoked.

Cross-examined, witness said he did not see complainant standing over Mr. Adams in a threatening attitude.

By the Magistrates` Clerk: The blow complainant received was very severe, and blood streamed down his face. Defendant was excited.

Defendant, in the witness box, said he was a motor engineer. It was the first time any charge had been brought against him. He had volunteered for active service, and had also volunteered his service as a motor engineer free of charge to the Red Cross Society, and his offer had been accepted. The work would keep him engaged all day. On going into the Bouverie Hotel on Friday he saw the complainant, who was addressing very unpatriotic remarks to Mr. Adams. Defendant had had nothing to drink before on that day. He had met complainant before. He had no personal feeling against him. After entering the bar witness sat down, and complainant carried on his conversation with the landlord. Complainant, in the course of his statements, said the British Army was no good, the Navy was deficient, and the Germans would be here in a fortnight. Mr. Adams called him a liar, and complainant got more excited, and, going over to Mr. Adams, said “You come outside and I will fight you”. Mr. Adams sat down and told him to go away. Defendant went across the bar and said to complainant “No, you don`t strike an older man than you. I`ll take you on”. Witness had been annoyed at Stevens`s previous remarks, but had taken no notice. When defendant went over to him and spoke, complainant said “It`s nothing to do with you”. Defendant pushed him across the bar, and he sat down. He would not get up, and defendant said “If you don`t get up, I shall strike you sitting down”, which he did. He regretted the blow as soon as he had given it.

The Magistrates` Clerk: In plain English, you lost your temper.

The Magistrates consulted together, and the Magistrates` Clerk announced that after the admission made by defendant, the Bench had no alternative but to inflict a fine.

In reply to Mr. Myers, Mr. Andrew said the Bench had taken all things into consideration.

Mr. Myers obtained permission to call Mr. Adams, the landlord of the Bouverie Hotel, who supported defendant`s testimony. He said complainant was very argumentative and quarrelsome.

Cross-examined, witness said complainant`s remarks about the British forces were very annoying. He put everything down as rotten. He said “The Germans will be here in a fortnight, and thank God they will”. Witness denied swearing at complainant.

The Clerk asked witness why he did not take steps to get complainant out of the house, if he regarded him as quarrelsome.

Witness said he told him to get out.

Mr. Myers addressed the Court, and asked for the summons to be dismissed on the ground of provocation and justification.

The Chairman said the Bench were still of the opinion they had previously expressed. Defendant seemed to have taken the law into his own hands in striking the complainant, and he would be fined 5s. and the costs (12s.).