The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-02-04 00:00:00

YOUNG THIEVES AT SUPPER.
(From the Daily News)

Ned Wright, the humble philanthropist whose en.
deavours to reclaim the dangeroni classes of the cm r.o.
polio are already familiar to the public, gave op Mon.
day evening one of his singular suppers to Into boys
of Deptford as solid show at lesat one conviction for
felony as their title to a caret of Mvitation. The I,lace
choeen is the scene a the 'tramp festival was the
Gospel Mission iu Hai:street, Deptford, and in
this place about 150 boys were assembled at six on
Monday evening.

It is the fashion to describe these young "prigs," as
they are called in tuieves' slang, as presenting striking
peculiarities both in physiognomy and figure; but we
are bound to state that the assemblage on this occasion
looked exceedingly like any other gathering of boys of
the humbler class, and that if we had not been toll
they were convicted young thieves we should have
taken them for ordinsry juvenile "gentlemen of the
pavement," who had not as yet au-mired any title
to a record in the Newf./ate Calendar. They were
some of them pale, some of them ruddy, anti
one of them was decidedly handsome, with quite
an aristocratic air and deportment. They were
neither ill-dressed (for their class) nor apparently ill
nourished, although the eagerness with which they
rushed at the homely fare provided for them indicated
appetites that required no artificial stimulants. Their
oonduct was orderly and decorous, their attention to
Ned Wright's disc uses complete, and their mode of
reap n.ling to, and joining in, the hymns indicated at
least that their early Sunday sohool training had not
been altogether forgolt-n. The company, we wers a.
formed. cinsibted party cif juvenile "mast era," or
pasaers cf leer COlll, nd artly of thieves who prey ot-
dinari v on bL Caere and ear.-semongers• stops, and
other .oas in which trade is carried on with open
windows. . . .

Suppi-r which cnisY -1 f the usual pearoup,
flsvoure wth Aoetralisi, Loaf end 'button, ein I great
hunks ot orsan, we. ihtrid • crecisels at six o'clock,
and the .pire ,a 11,03 of the .: ~:udant, with or cans
was the si .nal fr v ,fer :us c-eering ;am the boys.
They t once 00 i with a will, ALA the
rapidity with wi. hsy ese‘. imp one, two, and
general • nre:• their _ srtan brio it in
successi ii was pene,..ly artooliog the rimitore.
Ned. having allowed his on' eta thoroughly to enjoy
themse.ves, proceeded to address to them one if his
peculiar, rambling. but at bottom thoroughly earnest
and itt icing diicourse,. First. God's blessing was
asked on the humble meal which bad been so highly
relished, and then Ned gave out and the b iyo
in a hymn, t:•e latter picking up the words with &quick
intelligence, and singing sweetly and in good time, at
though at times a ith a little superfluous energy. Hardly
was the hyn- n finished, when Neil broke in with his
own juvenile reminiscences of Deptfor 1. lie remelts,
bere• I, when quite alad, passing along thelleptford-road
handaiffeti, and waiting for what 'A hundred young
shrill voices shouted together—" The 'bus !" which
we were informed is the polite term for the prison van.
A. picture war then drawn of what a manhood such
youtlif ill adventures led up ; and the interest taken
by the audience was evidenced by many a chars- teristic
ejaculation. A skilful comparison WAS next made
between " her Majesty's 'bus" and the comfort-
able 'bus of honest life, and the toys were earnestly
• exhi rted to make life's future journeys, if pos-
sible, in he latter. The usual mixture of hymn and
exhortation followed,Ned speaking with an affectionate
earnestness which brought tears in the eye, of many of
the boys, and in conclusion he atiosialril to all who
wished to lead an honest life to hold up their hands,
promising them plenty of work if they wool I meet
him the following morning at the railway arch in the
Old Kent-road. About half the assemblage held up
their hands with great readiness, but the other half
thrust them down, as if more emphatically to indicate
theirobjection to being reformed.
In the course of the lecture a striking instance WM
afforded of the familiarity of the audience with our
criminal annals. Ned having commenced a very
graphic description of the racer of a young murderer
whose trial and execution he had himself witnessed,
forgot the name of his hero, and on appealing to the
boys ti assist his paenaory with the name, the shrill
voice of a mere hdd shouted out " Mickey " from a
remote corner of the room.

The proceedings terminated with a hymn and a
crayrr, in which about half the boys rtinained to join,
and when Ned ached thew whether they would sit or
kneel, the whole of the boys present preferred the
More reverential posture.