"I was not drunk, I was only excited", she said

Hertfordshire Mercury, 9th February 1918

Transcript

At Cheshunt Petty Sessions, Mary Smith, of Malvern Road, Enfield Lock, pleaded not guilty to having been drunk, and behaving in a disorderly manner, at Waltham Cross on February 2nd, and also with having used obscene language.

Police Constable Cocker said that he had seen the defendant at about 5:00pm having an altercation with a local butcher outside the latter’s shop.  The butcher requested him to remove her on account of the noise that she was making.  The witness added that the woman smelt strongly of alcohol, her gait was peculiar, and her eyes were dilated.

The defendant said “I was not drunk; I was only excited.  I had been standing in the queue since 8:00am waiting for food.  The butcher told me to come back after dinner.  I did so, and when I got back he would not let me have my old place, but sent me back to the end of the queue.  I have four munition workers staying with me, and they must have meat”.

Inspector Rayner said that only a week ago the woman created a disturbance in a queue outside another shop in Waltham Cross, and she had to be turned out of the queue on account of her behaviour.

She was fined 10 shillings.

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