Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 05 September 1902
Coal Stealers Caught at Denaby.
At the Doncaster West Riding Police Court on Tuesday, before Major Dove, presiding and Mr. G. W. Lawton, people were summoned at the instance of the Denaby and Cadeby Main Colliery Company, Ltd., for having stolen coal belonging to them.
Mr. W. M. Gichard, solicitor, Rotherham, prosecuted in all the cases.
The fist case taken that of Elijah Hannon who was charged with stealing 2 ½ cwt. of coal, to the value of 1/5 ½ .
Defendant appeared and pleaded guilty.
Mr. Gichard said he appeared to prosecute in all those cases, on behalf of the Denaby and Cadeby Main Colliery Company. The defendant in that case was summoned for having stolen a quantity of coal, about 2 ½ cwt., to the value of 1/5 ½, the property of the company, from a stack of coal at the Denaby Colliery, on the 27th ult.
It appeared that about a quarter part one o’clock in the afternoon of that day, two police constables, named Edmondson and Sykes. were on duty near the Denaby colliery, when they saw the , defendant and three other men—who would be dealt with later in the day–picking coal, and putting it into sacks. On the officers going towards the others ran off, but the defendant remained. The defendant had in his possession 2 ½ cwt, of coal. The officer asked him where he had got it from, and he said he had got it from the coal heap. No person had any right to take the away. It was becoming a practice in Denaby to steal the coal, and was at present largely indulged in by the persons in the neighbourhood, and those proceedings were taken with a view to putting a stop to the practice.
P.c. Edmondson said he was on special duty at Denaby on Wednesday, the 27th ult., at the time stated. He saw the defendant and several others picking coal from a stack.
The Chairman said that was the first time anyone had been brought up for that offence from Denaby. Probably a great deal of coal had been taken. He hoped it would act as a caution to the others—if any more cases came they would be dealt with more severely. They were inclined to take a lenient view of the and the defendant, would be fined 10s., including the costs, or seven days in default.—
The other defendants were also fined 10s including costs, as follows: Samuel Outwin, ½ cwt.; Thomas Oakley, ½ cwt., a warrant was issued in the case of Frances Wright, who was charged with stealing ¾ cwt, of coal. The facts in each case were similar.