Driving a motor car at a reckless pace, August 1916
From The Star, August 31, 1916.
First, a little ditty from the pen of J J Seeley1 writing as 'Tom Bookman' around 1925:
A GUERNSEY TALE.
His fine new car did 95
And it gleamed in the morning sun.
He took his best girl for a drive
And went 'all out' for fun.
He chuckled, 'This whacks old Henry Ford!
Will you marry me, darling Jill?
As they awoke— in the hospital ward—
She murmured, 'Yes, I will!'
Joseph Trott was charged with driving a motor car on the 27th July, at 10.45 p.m., through the Pollet at a dangerous pace. Since the case was called a fortnight ago, the accused had expressed his desire to plead guilty to the charge.
P-C Gallienne said the accused was driving at a very rapid pace, and scattering the people who were coming out of St Julian's Hall in all directions. Witness saw this when in Lower Pollet. There were two officers in the car who were laughing.
Accused said he had full control of the car, and had hooted loudly when he saw the people.
PC Cann said accused was driving at 12 to 15 miles an hour. He would have held up his hand to Trott to slow down, but witness had all his time occupied in pulling women out of the way of the car.
Accused said he was driving at about 6 or 7 miles an hour.
The Bailiff remarked this was too great a speed for a narrow thoroughfare like the Pollet. Accused should have gone up the road leading to the Pollet from the Careening Hard. Apparently motor-drivers thought the road belonged to them, when in reality the thoroughfare belonged to the people.
After summing up the case HM's Procureur asked for the lenient sentence of a fine of £1 and costs, or that the accused should go to prison for 8 days. Accused was sentenced accordingly.
1 A member of a well-known family of publishers and booksellers, we have his cuttings book in the Library. He seems to have particularly enjoyed his holidays in Guernsey, as he writes affectionate limericks and poems about the island.