Mexborough and Swinton Times, September 3.
Conisborough Glassblowers After Potatoes.
Samuel and Joseph Hinchcliffe, glassblowers of Conisborough, were charged with stealing potatoes, the property of John Blades of Conisborough.
The prosecutor stated that the lads stole of a peck of potatoes from a field belonging to him on the 25th ult. Whilst witness was working, a man, whom he would call as a witness, came into the works with potatoes, and said the defendants had been caught pulling them up. On going to the ground he found that a large quantity had been pulled up.
The lads denied the charge.
Alma Sanderson, deposed that about 12:50 on Wednesday morning last, he saw the two defendants going down a field into the prosecutor’s garden, and watched them pulling up potatoes. When they were returning from the garden, witness caught hold of one of the lads, and found several potatoes hid under his shirt. He heard the lads whispering together and saying, “we won´t get so many.” It was in consequence of this that he watched their movements.
The lad said they got the potatoes from their own house, and this their mother asserted.
PC Morley gave the lad James a bad character.
The prosecutor said he did not wish to press the case, but he had had a quantity of things stolen from his garden, and he wanted to put a stop to it.
A fine of five shillings and costs, altogether, £1 was inflicted.
The mother said she should not pay a Halfpenny.
In default of payment the lads were to go to jail for 14 days with hard labour.