A MISCHEIVOUS BOY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1113, 16 November 1883, Page 2

A MISCHEIVOUS BOY.

The Birch Wanted.

A rather remarkable youth named John Rose, 15 years of age, was brought np at the Wanganui Police Court yesterday morning on three separate charges of setting fire to a gorse fence, breaking into a school ai Fordell and doing considerable damage and stealing a pair of boots from a house at Fordell, all on Sunday morning last, to all of which he pleaded guilty. He is the son of a most respectable settler of Wanganui. It appears that on Saturday night he commenced operations by ringing np all the people in one of the streets, afterwards going to the Rev. Mr Williams’ place and borrowing or stealing a hprge, Mounted on this! wearing

a pair of bloc spectacles he got on credit earlier in the evening at a local jeweller’s, ho rode np to the fire bell, which he pnlled heavily, and then rode off into the country districts as far as Forde.ll. Here he broke into a blacksmith’s shop and stole a clock, which he hid away in the bakehouse, and then went into a place of worship, taking out the interior of the harmonium and dissecting it. He next knocked a farmer up in the middle of the night to find his way to a settler’s house; directly the farmer had gone in again, the boy set fire tohisgorse fence. Then he went to the house and stole a pair of boots, which he afterwards threw away. Going to the local school, into which he got through the window, he poured ink all over the tables and into the clock, scratching the maps and doing other damage. He has the reputation of committing similar acts in the past, and the Bench remanded him for a week for medical examination. It is not generally believed to be anything but pure mischief.