A LONELY BOY.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 October 1915, Page 6

A LONELY BOY.

NO ONE INTERESTED IN HIM, CHARGED IN COCBT WITH THEFT. "This lad's father takes very little interest in him and the boy has been living with an aunt who also takes little interest in him," remarked Sub-Inspector Fouhy, when a pale and somewhat unkempt lad who is not seventeen years old yet was before Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday. The boy's name is Frederick Hunt Hardgrave, and he was charged with, breaking and entering the shop of A. A. Thompson at New Plymouth on Thursday, and stealing clothes valued at £2 17s sd. The Sub-inspector remarked that the case was just on the border, for the accused was over sixteen years of age but was not seventeen. The Magistrate said the accused was rather young to make the offence au Indictable one, and he could not be treated as an adult. It was a pity the boy was not just under sixteen and then he could be sent to an industrial school. Eventually the charge was reduced to one of theft. The accused pleaded guilty and elected to be dealt with by the Magistrate. The Sub-inspector stated that the accused was employed at a fish shop which adjoined Mr. Thompson's shop. At noon on Thursday Mr. Thompson locked up his premises and left everything safe, and it was after this that the accused •entered the shoj by a window and committed the theft. Constable Wroblenski next day found the stolen articles at the fish shop, and the accused admitted having stolen them. "This boy has been before the Court before for theft and was convicted," added the Sub-inspector. "I am sorry to say the boy's reputation is not a good one. The boy has also been fined for not attending drill." The Magistrate remarked that he would have great hesitation in sending j the boy to prison. | The boy's father then entered the ness box and told a brief but sad story, and the words moved him so that he cried bitterly, while bis son in the dock was also moved to tears. "T have little to say, your Worship'," said the father. "This is my son, but I have not reared him. His mother died when he was seven months old and since then he has not been at home with me at all. I have sW children besides this boy to look after." Tn answer to the Magistrate the Subinspector said that if the boy were sent to goal he had little doubt the Governor would recommend that he be sent to an industrial school. This was commonly done. It was only in extremely bad cases that boys were kept in goal. The Magistrate said he did not want to send the boy to prison if it meant his remaining in prison. It would only make a criminal of the boy, and he did not want to do that. His Worship adjourned the case to the afternoon to see what arrangements could be made. On resuming, Mrs. Frederick Nichols, the accused's aunt with whom he had lived, was present, and gave evidence. She wept all the time she was in the box. She stated that the accused had come to live with her after his mother's death. He went to school until three or four years ago and when he left he was in the first standard. "He lived with me until two months ago," continued Mrs. Nichols, "and then we put him out because we could do nothing with him." The Magistrate: What do you mean by "put him out"? Witness: Mr. Niehols turned him out. The Magistrate: Did he have anywhere to go? Witness: No. The witness later added that afttr they turned him out the boy went to work at a Testaurant. She had not adopted the boy. The Magistrate reminded the boy that when he convicted for theft a few months ago he was warned that he would have to behave himself in future, but it did not appear as if the warning had had any effect on him. The Magistrate said that he had no power to send the accused to an industrial school, but he would send him to gaol and representations would be made to the Justice Department to have him committed to an industrial school. A sentence of one month's imprisonment without hard labor was imposed.