A BAND OF HOPEFULS

Evening Star, Issue 14184, 8 October 1909, Page 5

A BAND OF HOPEFULS

BEFORE THE COURT. • At the Juvenile Court this afternoon, a Washer «rf lads appeared before Mr BarUxaioanew, S.M., to answer various charges. Two lads, aged twelve and thirteen respectively, were charged with stealing a quantity d! camellias, the valne of &s, the property of Thomas Pledger; and, further, k with doing wilful mischief by destroying a portion of staircase, the value of 14s, the property of the said Thomas Pledger. It appears that the lads entered Mr Pledger’s ' garden and stole a quantity of camellias, and 'while amusing themselves by sliding down the staircase of the verandah they broke a number of rury of the etairo*&j railing i.n-1 threw them away.—Tho finb-inspector said that both lads had been luff r.' ih; C: ;:*t together previously. One the lads was completely beyond the father's control, and even slept' away from home.—Mr Axoken said that the other lad was not beyond control. He attended school regularly , and had a good home. His mother had already paid a carpenter to repair the damage to the verandah. In reply to the magistrate, Mr Axeken said that he was prepared to undertake the supervision of the lads. He believed that neither of tho lads need be beyond control.—The Magistrate said that ho would adjohrn the caeo of wilful damage till to-morrow to see whether the parents made good tho damage, but he could not overlook the case of theft. In view of tho previous record of the lads he would inflict snch punishment as would impress the boys. Each would receive twelve strokee of tho birch at tho hands of a constable. Four lads aged eleven, twelve, thirteen, and sixteen respectively, were charged with stealing from the hat factory of Sargood, Sou, and Ewen eight clamps, of the value of £24, the property of the firm. All the lads pleaded guilty. It appears that the lads climbed a fence into the yard of Sargood’s hat factory. They broke open a window, and, entering the building, took away the articles in question. One of the lads, under an assumed name, had sold two of the clamps to a brass foundry. Only three of the articles had been recovered.—Chief-detective Herbert said that the linn were not claiming for the damage, which amounted to fully £ls. One of the lads had been before the Court once for stealing fruit, and another for stealing fishing tackle.—Mr Hanlon, who appeared for the lads, said that the boys bad been playing ball, and it went over the fence, and they went after it. They had then fallen into temptation and, taken the moulds. All the lads were of respectable parents, and were not atall bad boys. Tho two who had been before the Court, before had been guilty of very trivial offences, and the present charge should be looked upon as their first offence. The mother of the lads aged sixteen and eleven said that both boys had been well beaten by his father. Tho elder boy earned 17s 6d a week, and never went out at night. The other lad school regularly, and was never'permitted to go out at night, the mother of the lad aged fourteen said that he was beyond control, and that she would like him committed to an industrial school.—The Magistrate committed the lad whose mother desired that she should be committed to ‘an industrial school to the Burnham Industrial School. Ho admonished and discharged the other lads. Each boy was to pay Is witnesses’ expenses. Another charge against a lad for committing a serious offence against a girl was proceeding when we went to press.