Fifteen-Year-Old Boy on Manslaughter Charge

Story of Fight in Rushden Factory - Knifing 'Allegation'

A 15-year-old boy who came to work at Rushden from a distressed area was charged with manslaughter at a Wellingborough Special Juvenile Court on Monday, a sequel to an incident in a Rushden shoe factory after which a Rushden youth died in hospital.

The boy was charged with feloniously killing and slaying Albert Edgar Dickens at Rushden on April 13th.

Accused pleaded not guilty and reserved his defence. He was committed for trial at Northants Assizes and was ordered to be sent in the meantime to a remand home. A further certificate for legal aid was approved by the magistrates.

Dickens was a 17-year-old boot factory employee at Rushden, and was the second son of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Dickens, of 61, Trafford-road, Rushden. He died in Northampton General Hospital on April 13th. the day after admission.

The accused boy appeared at a special court on Friday 19th, when it was stated that he had been arrested at Barnsley the day before. He was said to be the eldest of seven children, his father having been unemployed for nine years.

A certificate for legal aid was granted by the Bench, and Mr. S. N. Page, of Wellingborough, undertook to defend the boy, who was remanded to a home.

The magistrates for the hearing were Mr. A. Allebone (chairman) and Mrs. H. W. Saxby.

Died in Hospital

Edgar Dickens, motor driver, 61, Trafford-road, Rushden, said that his son had been employed in the lasting room of a boot and shoe factory since he left school.

On Thursday, April 4th, at 7.15 a.m., his son left home for work. He was in good health and there was no injury on either arm. At noon the same day he saw his son who was lying in bed.

His left forearm was bandaged, and blood was running down the arm. Witness took his son to Dr. Cotter’s surgery, where he received attention. Until Friday, April 12th his son received attention, and then, owing to his condition, he was taken to Northampton Hospital.

Later the same day witness was sent for and he found his son delirious, he died at 10 30 p.m. the next day.

Supt. M. H. Williams: Had your son ever had any previous serious illness? – No.

He was a very healthy lad? – Yes Sir.

Everything possible was done for the boy, added witness.

Answering Mr. S. N. Page, Dickens said his son was not fond of “scrapping.”

Witness said, in a further reply, that he called at the Labour Exchange, Rushden, and asked the manager to inform the boy’s parents that he and his wife bore no ill-feelings, and offered their sympathy.

Mr. Page: That is still true? – Yes.

A Rushden shoehand, employed in the factory lasting room, said that on Thursday, April 4th, about 10 a.m., he left his machine to go for a drink of water. He saw the accused boy talking to Dickens, but he heard none of the conversation. He saw Dickens, who did not appear aggressive, motion the other boy to go away.

The accused stepped back and deliberately spat in Dickens eye. Dickens wiped his eye, and turned towards the other boy, who ran away. Dickens walked after him to the end of the room, and caught hold of the other’s arm which he appeared to twist, and then they went out of his sight behind some racks. The next he saw was Dickens walking away but accused said something, and he returned, after hesitating.

“Clicker’s Knife”

“I saw them close together. Dickens appeared to grasp the other boy’s wrist,” added witness, “and then I saw the accused’s arm come over, and Dickens put his left arm to his mouth presumably to suck it.”

There was blood on Dickens’ face and arm.

Witness said he found a clicker’s knife in accused’s hand. So far as he knew the accused was on a job which did not require the use of a knife.

Witness said he spoke to the accused, who said he could not help it.

“Dickens was of a sociable nature,” he went on “He would not lose his temper easily, and would stand a lot of leg-pulling.”

Supt. Williams: How have you found the accused boy’s disposition. Is he good-tempered, or otherwise? – Otherwise, sir.

Witness added there was nothing in what Dickens did to aggravate accused, who came from a distressed area, to Rushden.

Replying to Mr. Page he said he did not see Dickens put his finger to his nose and wipe it on accused’s coat, nor did he see Dickens punch the other boy’s head; when Dickens returned after walking away, he caught the other boy’s wrist.

Dickens was taller and stronger, he further replied. Witness said he was a friend of Dickens, and he had nothing against the accused, “except what he did to Albert.”

Replying to Supt. Williams, witness said that the boy had no authority to use the knife.

Another shoehand said accused ran up the room with Dickens after him. Near witness’ machine Dickens twisted accused’s arm behind him and he fell. Dickens struck him on the head.

“I’ll Knife You”

Accused said to Dickens, witness added, “I’ll knife you,” and used an obscene expression. They closed; Dickens took hold of the other’s right hand. Accused got the knife, and he saw him strike Dickens in the arm. It was a deliberate stroke.

Dickens, he said, was a good, even-tempered lad. He had nothing to say against the other boy, who was a fairly good lad, although he had known him to lose his temper.

Accused, he said, in answer to Mr. Page, was one of the smallest in the room. When Dickens struck the other, perhaps he lost his temper on the spur of the moment. He did not see what happened before accused ran up the room.

In evidence, another factory employee said accused had a knife in his hand when the two boys ran by his machine. Dickens was struck in the arm by accused, and it was deliberately done.

Witness said accused followed him to the ambulance room.

“He was very upset, sat on a form crying, and said he didn’t mean to do it,” he said.

Dr. Michael John Cotter, 20, Church-st., Rushden, said that a punctured wound in the back of Dickens’ left forearm had bled considerably, and a tourniquet had been applied at the factory. On April 8th he found slight infections. There was some discharge two days later, but no sign of spreading infection. On April 12th he found a marked constitutional disturbance, and Dickens was sent to hospital. Dickens had nothing organically wrong, but “he had not much resistance.”

The doctor said, in reply to Mr. Page, that the wound was not in itself mortal or dangerous.

“I should say the cause of the infection was the knife.” He added.

Below Normal

The constitutional disturbance was probably due to toxaemia, or to germs from the wound entering the blood. Dickens’ resistance was below normal. It was chance that the boy’s condition took a turn for the worse.

Supt. Williams (re-examining): It is reasonable to expect that if he had not had the wound he would have been alive to-day:- Yes.

Dr. John Chesterton Dick, house surgeon at Northampton General Hospital, said septicaemia, due to the wound, caused the youth’s death on April 13th.

The period between April 4th and April 13th was a perfectly normal one in which the death of a healthy boy might occur, said Dr. Dick, in reply to Mr. Page. Dickens powers of resistance were below normal. Such a wound need not necessarily have fatal results.

The factory deputy-manager said that accused told him he spat in Dickens’ face, was chased, and had flashed the knife to frighten Dickens; he had done nothing deliberate.

Answering Mr. Page, he said that the boy was entitled to use a knife for cutting ends off, and, in reply to Supt. Williams, he said that possibly other witnesses were right when they said accused had no need for a knife on that day.

Boy’s Alleged Statement

Detective-Sergeant F. T. Meacock said that on April 18th, having a warrant for the youth’s arrest, he went to a colliery near Barnsley. He took him to Wellingborough Police Station, where the lad made a statement. This, read by the Clerk (Major F. J. Simpson) ran:-

“We started playing about, and Dickens put his finger up his nose and then wiped it on my shirt sleeve. I then spat on his face and ran away up the factory. He ran after me. He twisted my arm and put me on the ground. I had my work knife in my hand. It was an old clicking knife. I managed to get up from the floor. He kept twisting my arm, and I waved my knife about to frighten him, and told him he would get knifed playing about.

“I am left-handed, and had the knife in my left hand. Dickens grabbed my left wrist. The knife pricked my hand, and I took it with the other hand. He made another grab, and that is when he got cut.

“He then let me go, but I did not know he was cut until another chap told me.”

The hearing lasted nearly three and half hours, at the end of which the lad was committed for trial at Northamptonshire Assizes, after he had pleaded not guilty and reserved his defence.