Mexborough and Swinton Times, May 13^th, 1932

Gaming Offences

Swinton Man Blames Brother

When a number of miners were summoned for having gambled with coins on a footpath leading from Swinton to Mexborough, near the Swinton Council sewage works, one of the defendants Reginald Frost (28), miner, of William Street, Swinton, complained to the Rotherham West Riding magistrates on Monday that the policer had got the wrong man.

“It should have been my brother” he added

P.c. Making and P.s. Thompson both stated that they knew Frost and that it was he and not his brother whom they saw.  P.s. Thompson admitted that Frost was something like his brother.

After hearing evidence of Reginald Frost’s wife and that of other defendants who were similarly charged, the Chairman (Mr. J. S. Colton Fox) said the magistrates thought the police had made a mistake and the case against Frost would be dismissed

The other defendants, several of whom had previous convictions for gaming with coins, were fined as follows: George Best (45), 2, Cromwell Road, Mexborough. 19s; William Shaw (50), Meadow View Kilnhurst, 10s, Walter Sutton (32) 18, William Street, Swinton. 30s.; John J. Atkinson (28), 104, Brookfield Avenue, Swinton. 20s.; Arthur Oliver (28), 21, Walker Street, Swinton, 10s; Henry Groves (28), 75, Fitzwilliam Street, Swinton, 20s.

For having gambled with cards at Doncaster Road, Wath on April 24^th, four Wath men were each fined 10s.  They were James Bristol (28) miner, John Willoughby (19), miner, George Hobson (17), pony driver, and George Taylor (18), pit-hand.  Andrew Taylor (21), miner, of Wath, who was the only defendant to appear, was fined 7s 6d.