Sheffield Independent Thursday, January 23 1908
Stealing Saddlery at Kilnhurst and Thrybergh
A respectably connected young man, aged 25, Austen Allen, Thrybergh, horse trainer and clipper, was charged at Rotherham With Riding Police Court, yesterday, with stealing a saddle and breeching strap, valued at 40 shillings, the property of Charles Lister, Elm Tree Farm, Kilnhurst on December 30.
Mr Neal defended. Prisoner pleaded guilty.
The harness was placed in the stable at the farm on the night of December 30th and was missed on the morning of January 1. It was subsequently disposed of by the prisoner to John Boakes, of Miklebring, in exchange for Pomeranian dog valued at £2. Information was given to Police Constable Hedland and prisoner on January 20 years surrendered himself into custody.
Superintendent McDonald said he had two more charges against the prisoner, he asked the Bench to hear them, and to commit the prisoner for trial at the Quarter Sessions.
Mr Neal said he was a little surprised. He asked the Bench not to commit the prisoner for trial. He was 25 years of age, and a member of a family of nine children, seven sons and two daughters. The rest of them had never caused their parents anxiety, but two or three years ago the prisoner got into bad company, and he was charged there with obtaining money by false pretenses. That was his first case, and he (Mr Neil) was not going to complain of what the magistrates did, but without any probation or fine dining over he was sent to prison.
12 months ago the prisoner was charged with stealing harness, and sent to prison for two months. Since then he had been leading a perfectly respectable life, but at Christmas time he got too much to drink, and on New Year’s Eve he did not go home. He had in mind that Mr Lister owed him wages, but he had no right to take the harness. The question the Bench had to settle was whether they were going to make the prisoner a jailbird, or do something else which the law allowed by the Act which had just come into operation, the Probation of Offenders Act.
He suggested that the Bench could bind the prisoner over to come up for judgement when called upon, and mentioned that the prisoner’s relatives were willing to assist him so that he might leave the country and endeavour to make a fresh start in life abroad.
Prisoner was committed to take his trial at the next Quarter Sessions. He was also committed to taking trial at the next Quarter Sessions on a charge of stealing leather traces, valued at 10 shillings between December 18 and 20th, and a loin cover valued at 7s 6d, between December 20 and 21st, the property of Thomas Boothroyd, of Silverwood farm, Thrybergh.
To the two latter charges he pleaded not guilty, and the defence raised in respect of the loin, was that he had purchased it at a Doncaster auction for 3s 6d. He sold to Mr Boakes later in the day for 2s 6d.
Prisoner was allowed bail, in South in £20 and his mother as surety in £20.