Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 18 March 1892
Stealing Coal at Denaby Main
A Costly Lump.
A boy named Charles Oldfield, lamp carrier at the Denaby Main Colliery, was charged with having stolen coal of the value of 1s belonging to the company, on 6 March.
Mr Hall appeared for the company, and said though the case was trivial in itself yet it was a serious matter, because the company and often missed coal from the stack which was in the yard; in fact they had lost tons of coal from time to time, and it was impossible generally to find who stole it. On the Sunday in question a policeman saw the defendant with something under his arm, coming from the direction of the colliery. The officer saw the boy put it in a hedge and then walk away.
Having seen that it was coal he went to the boy and apprehended him on a charge of having stolen it. The boy in reply said that a man put it out of a barge for his father to fetch. He was locked up.
Inspector Bennett said the boy had stated he is father had thrown the coal from a barge into the hedge. The boy afterwards cried and said “I will tell you the truth. I fetched it from the stack at Denaby Main, because we had none in the house.”
Police constable spy the deposed to the coal being of the value of 1s.
The Chairman reminded the boy that he was liable to 3 months imprisonment.
Fined 20s, including costs.