Mexborough times, 8th February 1878
Mischievous, Boys.
Robert Hughes and Jno. Briggs, two boys, both of Conisbrough, were brought and charged with damaging a wall that place, on the 19th ult.
Mr Jno. Blythe, of Conisbrough, said on Saturday the 19th ult. when he went down the lane in the morning at nine o’clock the wall was all right but when he returned home again by the 5 p.m. train he found the wall coping pushed off in three places. He considered there would be about 20 yards of coping knocked off into the field. The damage is estimated at 10 shillings.
Frederick Kaye, a boy, said as he was going to the foundry at Conisbrough, with his father’s dinner he saw the two defendants pushing the coping stones off with a thick stick. When they had done it they ran away. The stones were pushed off into the field.
The boys were fined 10 shillings and costs 13 shillings and damage five shillings, or one month´s imprisonment.
The chairman remarked that if ever they were found guilty of a similar offence they would be sent to prison without the option of a fine.