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Andrew Cathcart

Age: 26

Sex: male

Date: 22 Jul 1909

Place: Hopwood Street, Liverpool

Andrew Cathcart died during a sectarian riot.

Two men were charged with his murder, but they were later discharged at the conclusion of the inquest at which an open verdict was returned.

It was heard that one of the men had been identified as a man that had hit Daniel Munroe on the head during the riot, but that the 15-year-old boy that had identified the man later said that he had seen several people striking Andrew Cathcart. He added that after Andrew Cathcart got up after being attacked, he was then hit on the head with a stick by a man and that neither of the people charged with Andrew Cathcart's murder looked like that man.

A woman, the wife of a stoker, said that she had seen three carters come along and heard a girl say, 'Here's three that were in the procession yesterday', and said that she then saw seven men close around the three carters and saw two men strike. She said that two carters then went away and that the third carter remaining, Andrew Cathcart, was then struck on the head by a man with something like a rolling pin three times. She said that Andrew Cathcart then went towards a shop whilst the men continued to strike him. She said that when then saw Andrew Cathcart run towards a shop, but said that the shop owner said to him, 'I'm not an Orangeman. You cannot come in here’ and said that Andrew Cathcart then ran to another shop where he then fell. She said that Andrew Cathcart then got up again and a crowd gathered and that he was ultimately taken away in an ambulance.

Another person said that he knew one of the men accused and would have known if he were in the crowd, whilst a barman said that he had seen the man that the other person said they knew strike Andrew Cathcart three or four times on the head with what looked like a block of wood.

The coroner then said that much of the evidence against both of the men charged was unreliable and that he didn't think that under the circumstances that it was safe to return a verdict of murder against either of them.

After being attacked, Andrew Cathcart was taken to the Northern Hospital. His wife said that when she went to see him Andrew Cathcart muttered, 'Mean fellows, mean fellows'. He was released from hospital a week later and went home where he later died.

Andrew Cathcart was a carter and had lived at 42 Pugin Street off of Walton Road in Liverpool.

His wife said that whilst he was at home he later told her that he and his two companions had been going up Hopwood Street when a mob came upon them suddenly from behind and that he was felled by a blow on the back of his head. His wife said that Andrew Cathcart said that he then struggled to his feet and was running away when his sight failed him and he fell again on his face and said that he remembered being again knocked on the back of the head whilst he was down, but said that he could not see who had struck him.

His wife said that on the following Saturday night, Andrew Cathcart suddenly put his hand on the back of his head and started crying and said, 'Oh, this pain', and then fell forward speechless. She said that by the time the doctor arrived Andrew Cathcart was dead.

It was heard that Andrew Cathcart had been warned by a woman not to go towards the riot. It was heard that she had said, 'For God's sake don't go up there or you'll get killed' as he was walking along Latimer Street. The evidence regarding what the woman had said was given by one of the other carters that Andrew Cathcart had been with at the time of the riots.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Northern Daily Telegraph - Thursday 22 July 1909, p8

see Dublin Daily Express - Thursday 08 July 1909

see Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Friday 09 July 1909

see Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Thursday 08 July 1909

see Western Times - Thursday 08 July 1909

see Sheffield Evening Telegraph - Thursday 22 July 1909

see Northern Daily Telegraph - Thursday 22 July 1909

see Mid Sussex Times - Tuesday 13 July 1909

see Liverpool Echo - Wednesday 07 July 1909

see Derby Daily Telegraph - Wednesday 07 July 1909

see Northern Whig - Thursday 08 July 1909

see Shields Daily News - Thursday 08 July 1909

see Portsmouth Evening News - Wednesday 07 July 1909