25 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, April 1, 1976

PRINCESS Anne and Capt. Mark Phillips today came to the defence of fox hunting.

"I sometimes wonder if those people who complain about cruelty to the fox ever think about the chickens or the egg they are eating, and the conditions in which they are produced," declared the Princess. And Capt. Phillips labelled the fox "a pest", which would have to be destroyed by gassing or "some other cruel method which is cruel" if hunting were banned.

EIGHT people were taken to hospital after a double deck crashed into the front of a shop in Manchester Road, near Burnden Park, Bolton, this afternoon. An advertising hoarding over the shop window was damaged, but the shop window was unbroken.

50 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, April 2, 1951

WITH rainfall in Bolton double the average, March more than fulfilled its tradition of "hail and rain" this year. The town's quota of rain was 5.86in, as compared with an average for March of 2.96in. In the last 12 days of the month, rail fell every day. Snow fell for the first time (in March) for two years.

ADVT: Can I have my groceries sent first thing tomorrow? Certainly madam. By using John Haslam's Telephone Order Service, you can phone your order and have it delivered within 24 hours - or the same day if given early enough - to any part of Bolton and district. Phone Bolton 3173.

John Haslam's Ltd., Grocers of Quality. 176 St George's Road, Bolton, 759 Chorley Old Road, Bolton.

125 YEARS AGO From the Evening News, April 1, 1876

LAST night a tramp, apparently answering in every particular to the description of the man who was seen begging immediately before the disappearance of the murdered girl, at Blackburn, on Tuesday, was apprehended in Bolton on suspicion of having committed the murder.

After a description had been received by the Bolton police, Superintendent Holgate instructed Sergeant Rhodes to visit the lodging houses of the borough and ascertain if any person answering to the description of the tramp was lodging in any of them. In the course of his inspection, the Sergeant, accompanied by Police-constable Lawson, called at the well-known lodging house of Julian Caesar, 15, King-street, and found a man in bed whose appearance and clothing remarkably coincided with the suspected tramp. The sergeant woke the man, who had his daughter, aged ten years, in the bed with him, and elicited from him that his name was John Vines, dyer, of Cheltenham. He also stated that he was last working at a place called Pinfold brow, Manchester, about two months ago, and since then had been wandering about the country obtaining a livelihood by getting in coals and begging.

He admitted after questioning that he had been at Blackburn which place he left on Wednesday morning, arriving in Bolton in the afternoon. The man was taken to the police office and informed by Superintendent Holgate that he was apprehended on suspicion of having committed a very serious offence. He replied that he was not aware that he had done anything wrong. At one o'clock this morning information was sent on to the Blackburn office, and the man was conveyed to Blackburn about six o'clock.