Sheffield Telegraph, Wednesday, 29 December 1915
The Wrong Road
Batch of Young Thieves at Conisborough
Several boys were at Doncaster today charged with breaking into a lock-up shop in West Street, Conisborough on December 22, and stealing a quantity of tobacco, cigars and cigarettes, value 6s 10d, the property of William Henry Jones of Conisborough.
The prosecutor has a lock-up shop, which is attended to by his daughter, Miss Mabel Jones. She left it safe on the night of the 22nd. Next morning she found the window had been broken, and goods to the value of 6s 10d taken away.
Police Constable Knowles made enquiries, and saw one boy, who implicated the others.
One of the boys and another youth (17) were next charged with stealing a quantity of flannelette, value 6s, belonging to Messrs Cockayne & Co, furnishers, Sheffield, from a motor van at Conisborough on 23rd inst.
All the boys had bad records.
One the boys who has no parents was discharged under the First Offenders Act, two others were ordered to receive six strokes with a birch rod, another was sent to a reformatory for three years and a fifth, aged 17, was fined 20 shillings or 14 days to prison. He can earn 27 shillings a week when fully employed