Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 28 September 1912
The Drink and Theft
A labourer of no fixed abode named James Baugh was fined 5/– and the costs for having been drunk and disorderly at Denaby, and Wm. Howlett, a labourer, for a similar offence at Mexborough, had 2/6 and the costs to pay.
A New Conisboro’ miner named John Watkin had to pay 5/– and 1/– costs for having committed a similar offence, and there was a further charge of having stolen a pipe and a tobacco box, valued at 3s., the property of Thomas Parish, another miner, on the previous afternoon..
Tresa Parish, a Single women residing with her father at 10 Station Road, Conisboro’ said the previous afternoon about 3 o’clock the prisoner came to the house and asked if her father was in. She told him he was at work. Prisoner entered the house and remained about ten minutes. Witness did not miss anything, but when her father returned from work, about 11 o’clock, he failed to find his pipe and tobacco box.
Thomas Parish, the father of the previous witness, said he left his pipe and tobacco box on the mantelpiece when he left at 1-30 to go to work. He missed them at 11.30, and he valued the pipe at half-a-crown and the box at 6d. He knew the prisoner only by sight, and he had never been to the house before.
P.c. Barnes, who arrested the prisoner the previous day at on a charge of being drunk and disorderly, said he discovered the pipe and box on him. When charged he said he knew nothing about it.
Prisoner said he had no recollection of the affair, but be would have to plead guilty.
He was fined 20/– including costs.