Mexborough and Swinton Times April 8, 1927

Miner and Missing Timber
Prison for Conisborough Man

Frederick Hugo Dolman, miner, Conisborough was charged at Doncaster on Tuesday with having stolen timber, the property of Capt Montagu.

Prisoner pleaded “Not guilty.”

PC Thomson said that as a result of information received he interviewed prisoner on March 16, charging him with having stolen the wood. He replied, “All right, I can prove when I got it.”

Edwin Stone, miner of 16, Bligh Street, Conisborough, said he saw the prisoner on March 9 carrying three spars. He asked where he had got them, and he was told they came from a builder who was carrying out privy conversions at Conisborough. Witness paid the prisoner 8p for them as he was told by the prisoner that his land lady would give him an ounce of tobacco for the wood. Witness had often seen prisoner carry similar pieces of wood and thought he had obtained them from the builder.

James Cooper, a builder and contractor, of Conisborough, said he had sold wood from the privy conversions, but not during the past three months. It was not the same timber, which was produced in court.

J Worsley White, estate agent to Capt Montagu, valued the wood at 15 shillings.

Prisoner said he found the wood on the side of the crags. It was tied up in a bundle.

He was sent to prison for three months.