Saturday, May 22, 2004

100 years ago: At York City Police Court, an 18-year-old woman was brought up on remand charged with wandering abroad, not having any visible means of subsistence. The police court missionary said she had reasoned with the girl for an hour before the trial, but could do nothing with her, and she would not be helped in any way. She was one of a large number of girls that roamed the streets near the barracks in York, and the Chief Constable said the number of girls who went after the soldiers was becoming far too numerous and he intended putting on special watchers to keep these girls from the street. Another girl had been sent to prison the previous day and told a sergeant that she had arranged to meet today's defendant at Wakefield prison. The Chief Constable replied: "it would be the best thing to send her to Wakefield prison so that they could come out together," and gave her 14 days hard labour at the establishment.

50 years ago: An SOS was sent from York Cattle Market for a police patrol car to chase a pig, which was last seen heading in the direction of Oswaldkirk. The pig was one which had been bought at a sale by a farmer from Nottinghamshire, and when he came to collect it, he found it had been taken away in a vehicle by a farmer from Oswaldkirk who had mistaken it for one he had brought. The chase was urgent because the pig was "on licence," meaning that if the farmer arrived home and unloaded it, it could not be moved from his farm for 28 days.

10 years ago: The publican at the Flag and Whistle pub in Huntington signalled a new era with the introduction of a signal post. The pub opened 12 years ago on the site of the old New Earswick station, and the landlord and landlady were hoping to bring back some of the romance of the railways to the pub. A 30ft high signal, bought from British Rail, was erected outside as the first sign of their hunt for rail heritage to add to the pub.

Updated: 16:07 Friday, May 21, 2004