GIVE HIM A CHANCE.

NZ Truth, Issue 93, 30 March 1907, Page 4

GIVE HIM A CHANCE.

HOW WATSON FARED.

Ttiree Years In and Three

Weeks Out.

A curly, woolly-headed individual named Brown— good old name, that-^ lost a pair of pants and a pair of boots, and a twopenny tin of bootpolish at Ohristohurch t'other night m a simple sort of way. He gave the parcel to two young rogues, or one of the two— John* Goram and Charles Watson— to hold for him while he lit bis cigarette, or something, and they slid off with the plunder as though . pursued by the seven devils, or whatever it is that pursues one, at a hot gait. But Brown, new m town, found ihat he had been done brown, as the vanish-* ing trick was complete. The precious pair went to Passey's boaMin'g43hop, got a room, and one came downstairs m a few minutes with a new pair, of pants with a nice stripe down the side, and the other had - a new pair of hoof covers. They departed, leaving their old lumber, ia the room aloft. Brown, not bfcing accustomed to that sort of treatment at the hands of total strangers, told a copper, and copper Harvey copped. G-oram was charged with the getaway act, and admitted it right away, but he buoked at being styled as a man .who LIVED BY HIS WITS, m perlice parlance, rogue and vag., and the police withdrew that item, and then the runaway rapscallion was given three months. Pal Charles Watson was then accused of receiving the boots, 'knowing them to have been stolen. His plea was that he bought the boot® off Goram for seven and a sprat, and he swore it, amd put Gioram m the perjury box to swear it, and Bishop, S.M., m gjvins him tihe benefit of the doubt, said * the doubt was a mighty small one. The gentleman was joyfully stepping out of his prison, which has no roof to it, when the inevitable charge of rogue and vag was slung at him, and hit him fair on the proboscis. The police hadn't given him a Chance, he moaned. Only out of chiofcey three weeks alter doing a stretch of three solid years, and what chance of immediate work has a cove when he roamed. ■ round with a blasted character like that ? And he is right; he gets no chance at all. The hossifers, as usual, gave the man a bad character, which isn't to be wondered at, but there was a ray of golden hope m store for him—the helpless, hopelessly harrassed— when the S.M. said ihe would convict him only and send him about his business. Watson got a chance m Court, if he didn't outside it.