A LIVELY BOY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1175, 17 November 1883, Page 3

A LIVELY BOY.

Rather a remarkable youth, named John Rose, fifteen years of age, was brought up at the Wanganui Police Court on Thursday morning, on three seperate charges .of setting fire to a gorse fence ; breaking into the school at Ferdell, and doing considerable damage 5 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 up all the people in one of the streets, afterwards going to the Rev. Williams' place and borrowing or stealing a horse. Mounting on this, and wearing a pair of blue spectacles, got on credit earlier in the evening at a local, jeweller's, he rode up to the firebell, which he pulled heavily, and then made off into the country districts as far Fordell. Here he broke into a blacksmith's shop and stole a clock, which he hid away in the cokehou3e, 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 Hellier's house ; directly he had gone in again setting fire to his gorse fence. He then went to a house and stole a pair of boots, which he afterwards threw away, and then went 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 0 f having committed similar acts in the past. The Bench remanded him for a week for medical examination. It is not generally believed that anything but pure mischief prompted his actions.