In May 1859 William Conroy, native of Ireland, was charged with inflicting a serious knife wound on the person of Thomas Taylor, Ostler and Brewer at the Castle Inn, Castle Bromwich.
Taylor deposed that the previous Saturday evening Conroy and another Irishman had been at the Inn drinking. Whilst Conroy had had drink, he was not drunk, but the other man was very tipsy. Just before midnight, the pub had been emptied and Taylor went to the cellar to fill the barrels, On returning upstairs, he heard a loud kicking at the door. Conroy and his mate had returned wanting more drink. Taylor stated that when he opened the door, he thought that he had given Conroy’s mate a push from the step and a slight tap. Conroy stated that he had indeed and as a result he thought his mate was dead causing him to rush at Taylor and strike him across the face.
Finding himself bleeding Taylor went back into the house where he found that he was covered in blood from a wound to his cheek. He produced the shirt and waistcoat he’d been wearing at the time indicating that the bleeding must have been very profuse.
The bench questioned Taylor as to whether he had struck Conroy prior to finding himself wounded. He responded that he had struck him on finding himself wounded, but not before. Conroy protested that Taylor had struck him and bloodied his nose before he’d lifted a hand to him. Taylor responded stating that he’d seen the blade of a knife as Conroy struck at him. He claimed to have suffered a great deal from the wound and was still suffering. On the Sunday morning, he’d been attended by Mr Henry Trollope, Surgeon from Coleshill who’d found an incised wound on his left cheek, extending in an oblique direction from the ear to the eye. At it’s deepest, it was a third of an inch deep. The wound was consistent with a common pocket knife. Whilst the wound itself was not dangerous, it would leave a permanent scar on the face. Taylor’s cheek still appeared greatly swollen beneath the bandage.
After hearing character evidence Conroy, who had previously been a quiet decent man, was committed.
