It seems that the couple were walking back to Joseph\u2019s house in between Parkgate and Rotherham on Thursday 22 June 1899 when he showed her a revolver, which he took out of his pocket. Joseph told her that he had bought it the previous week on a day trip to Skegness, as he began loading it with ball cartridges. The couple then went to his parents house, where they spent the night. The next morning, according to Joseph, it was about 10 am he asked Jenny to hand him the gun and whilst she did so, the gun went off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jenny was immediately rushed into the Montague Cottage Hospital, Mexborough where she was found to be suffering from the effects of a shot from a revolver to her chest. An x-ray proved the bullet to be lodged just under her heart. Needless to say, Joseph was arrested despite the fact that he claimed that the whole incident had been an accident. He told police officers that the gun had been in the inside pocket of his coat and when he asked Jane to pass it to him, the gun had gone off unexpectedly. Medical help was immediately sought and Dr Fullerton had the injured girl immediately transferred to the local hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joseph was immediately arrested on a charge of grievous bodily harm and brought before the Rotherham magistrates on Friday 23 June. Superintendent Quest asked the court for a remand until Jenny was well enough to give her own evidence. He told the court that the prisoner had stated that when she gave him the weapon they had both been sat on the sofa together and somehow the gun \u2018went off.\u2019 However to make matters worse for Joseph, he was, at that time, being described as a deserter from the Royal Artillery. This meant that, whilst investigating this case, he would also need to be handed over to the military authorities to be dealt with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Monday 26 July Jenny\u2019s condition was so poor that the bullet still had not been extracted. However police enquiries had established that, prior to the shooting, Joseph had been threatening his girlfriend and accused her of seeing someone else. In order for enquiries to continue, he was simply remanded once again. In fact Joseph was brought before the Rotherham magistrates several times, but as Jenny was still in a poorly state, he was simply remanded. However the case against Joseph got much worse when he made an inflammatory statement to a witness called Annie Turton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She told the court that she knew that Jenny had spoken to her brother Wilfred ‘for some time’ when she had met him in Sheffield on 3 June. Later, when she had related this conversation to Joseph, he told her that \u2018I intend to do for her if I find her to be untrue\u2019. Finally Joseph was sent to take his trial at the Leeds Assizes where he appeared on Thursday 27 July 1899. Thankfully Jenny was also in attendance as the prosecution, Mr Wilson outlined the case for the court. He told the court that although there was no evidence to show how the revolver went off, he could prove that there had been some real affection between the couple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He produced letters where Joseph, who was undefended, referred to Jenny as his \u2018brown eyed pet\u2019 and declared that she meant more to him than \u2018life liberty and parents.\u2019 In one letter he had written her a poem which stated<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018The waves are high, the sea is deep.
I love you so much, I cannot sleep.
If you love me, as I love you,
Nothing but death will part us two.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nevertheless his jealousy appeared to take him over, as he threatened to shoot her. He told her flatly that \u2018if she turned out to be a disreputable woman, there would be two less persons in Mexborough!\u2019 Joseph claimed \u2018for she knew what a demon jealousy was in a man\u2019s heart.\u2019 Jenny was then called to give her own evidence and she said that the prisoner had been very jealous of her. He had threatened to shoot her and showed her the gun he had bought at Skegness on 14 June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his summing up of the case, the Commissioner advised the jury to return a verdict of \u2018not guilty\u2019, stating that in his opinion no other verdict would be safe. Accordingly Joseph Prosser was found not guilty of shooting Jennie Siddons and discharged! Was he indeed guilty of shooting at Jenny? I suspect he was! The fact that he had bought the weapon at Skegness on 14 June 1899 and the shooting had occurred, just nine days later on 23 June indicates, at the very least a level of pre-meditation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do you think?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It seems that the couple were walking back to Joseph\u2019s house in between Parkgate and Rotherham on Thursday 22 June 1899 when he showed her a revolver, which he took out of his pocket. Joseph told her that he had bought it the previous week on a day trip to Skegness, as he began loading … Continue reading Jenny Siddons.<\/span>