The Express.
London, England, 1866-03-19 00:00:00

A CHILD GIVR INTO CUSTODY BY A CLIB-

7iIYMAN FOE STEELING 4 PENNY.
--*--

During the whole of the ppresent week much
excitement has been oared in Baddltch and the neigh-
bourhood owing to a child being detained in custody at
the lock-up since Monday leart,chargsd with stealing a pommy
piece. It appears the child, whose name is Emily Jane
Ballard, is a scholar in the Inkberrow Sudsy School,
and it was alleged that on Sunday last, while in the
Inkberrow Church, she stole • penny out of the pocket
of a fellow scholar. The Vicar, the Rev. G. R. Gray, who
is chairman of the ben& of iiikakes for this petty sop
lions). division, being informed of the petty theft, after
making some inquiries into the case, instructed the village
policeman to take the girl to the lock-up, which was done
on Monday last. Substantial bail, we believe, wee offered,
but the Rev. Mr. Gray refaced to swept it. The sym-
pathy for the child, wile is about 10 years old, was so
great that a subscription was set on foot in the town, and
in a short time the fee requisite to employ • solicitor was
raised, and Mr. W. E. Simmons, of this, plias, was retained
for the defence. The case was to be heard at the petty
swims held on Friday, and long before the court wee
opened a crowd of persons had assembled for aclmissioo to
hear the case, so great was the interest manifested.
The magistrates on the beech were the Rev. G. R. Gray
(chairman), and Messrs. W. Tabberer and J. Smith.
When the ore was called on, Police-constable William
Hall, stationed at Inkberrow, said, in reply to the chair-
man, that when he apprehended the child he did not
charge her with stealing a penny, but told the police ser-
geant at Redditch when he brought the child to the lock.
up. and said the penny was the property of Jane Gough of
Inkberrow. The chairman said he hoped the ore would
be publicly reported, and he rderstood it had caused a great
sensation in the town ; but he thought that when the
publics heard the feet of the ease they would not be so sur-
prised. About a fortnight ago, the chairman continued,
this child, who was reported to be only nine, but was in
reality eleven years old, and who bad been in his school
some time, role • penknife. Mr. Simmons here inter-
rupted Mr. Gray, and said he appeared on behalf of the
child, and he mart protest against such remarks beteg
made. The feet of taking ewer a knife from the school,
and shortly afterwards returning it did not, he appre-
hended, amount to stealing. The Chairman said
he was not going into the ease, be only wished to
justify the course he had taken in referees to it. Mr.
Simmons said the chairman had smarted in public that the
child stole the knife • and the circumstance respecting
that article had been as
en satisfactorily explained, hecould
not allow the chairman's remark to paw by unnoticed.
Mr. Gray said he never intended to go on with the
ore. All that he wanted was to make the child know
that she mild not steal • knife with impunity. The
offence was the more serious as it was committed in the
House of God. The child bad put her hand into another
chlid's pocket, and he thought it was his duty to punish
her. He had no intention whatever to go on with the case
and he merely mot her to the lock-up to slightly punish
her. He himself oonsidered that • child of her age was
quite as able to know right from wrong as a child much
older, and especially in the House of God, where the
offence was doubly wrong. He desired Mrs. Davis (a
woman who strode to the children in church while the
mienes is presiding at the organ) to attend and explain
the are' but from some cause or other she had not dose
so. (At the commencement of the hearing, Mrs. Davis
was loudly riled several times, but did not answer.] H.
intended to tithe no further notice of the case, and he
hoped and trusted it would prove a lesson to the child if
a child eleven years old would steal • peony, she Would
not hesitate to steal • much larger sum. The case would
be dismissed, and the little prisoner discharged. The child
then left the dock. Mr. Simmons objected to the
can being settled is that way. The ease bad oast slurs
upon the child's character, and his instructions were to
go frilly into the case and have the matter cleared up.
He (Mr. &inures) would oonseut to either have the came
adjourned for a short time then, or until that day week
(Friday next), to give Mrs. Davis an opportaciq of attend-
ing. [An attempt at applause was here rude, but was
speedi y vaporised by the police.] The Chairman &mai.
cooed in the case being gone into, and the child was treght
back and placed in the dock again for a short time. Mr.
Simmons applied to have the child rebored on bail, which
was granted. The Chairman inquired who would be
bound for her appearance, in response to which inquiry
half-a-donee voters replied in the affirmative. Mr. George
Perry, of Heedless Crow, was brad for the purpose in •
fif penalty. The magistrates' clerk reminded Mr. Shure.
that the oar had been dismissed by the bona, and it was
at his request that the ease was goisg to praised. Mr.
Simmons said he was aware of the far. At the riming of
the court Mrs. Davis had not rusted, and the frame
hearing of the ease was consequently adjourned till Friday
next, at lleskietc.—Biruthighass Daily Post.

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