The North-Eastern Weekly Gazette. — 1888-09-29 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

SQUANDERING A FORTUNE.  Edward Strickland, a young man of gentle- 1, manly appearance, who gave an address at the , Adelphi-130411, Strand, was placed in the dock at I Wandsworth Police Court last Saturday charged! with wilfully breaking a plate-gloss window at I the shop of Mr Arthur F. Lawrence, a chetoist, , of 12:5, St. John's-hill, l'attersea.—Folice-cou- I etable Richards deposed that on Friday evening I Mc saw the prisoner go up to the prosecutor's ! premises and smash the window with his I walking stick. Witness salted him for an explanation, when he said he wished to be locked up.—Mr Lawrence, in amasser to the magistrate, said he had no previous knowledge of the prisoner, who, in reply to the charge, stated that he felt desperate, lie was , penniless, and had the prospect of having to ! walk abut the whole night—air Curtis-Bennett: Tat was no reason why you should break people's windows.—The prisoner: Seeing the constable at the corner, I was seized with a sudduo impulse, and broke the window in order to get a lodging for the night. I have played ducks and drakes," as the saying is, with my money, and I am now without raeaua.—Mr hobert Strickland. prisoner's brother, came forward and said the prisoner had been very reckless and extravagant. He received £3,000 at the I death of his mint, but be squandered the whole ! of this amount within a period of three years. I His friends afterwards took him in hand and I sent him to college, where he failed to pass his I examinations. He became possessed of another legacy amounting to 4.1.6C03 which he succeeded en spending in three months. His friends bad assisted him in every possible way, but without avail.—Mr Curtis-Bennett said there came a time when families could not assist any longer, and this he could not help thinking was a hope. I lees case. To many young men .0.00 Moue • would mean a brilliant tuture, but the prisoner had squandered his money away in a useless uleamer.—The prisoner admitted having behaved foolishly, and Mr Curtis-Bennett pointed out to him that he was liable to be imprisoned for three months.—The prisoner asked the magistrate not to seed him to prison, as it would destroy his last chance of retrieving his I position, but Mr Bennett said he was not quite I sure of that.—By direction of the magistrate the I prisoner was put back to enable him to consider I how to deal with the case. Later in the day the prisoner was brought back into Court, when Mr I Curtis-Bennett said he was not quite sure I whether it would not be the best thing for the prisoner if he sent him to prison without ! the option of a tine. The breaking of windows to satisfy one's own amusement could not be tolerated for a moment. Sympathy could be! felt for a man who was poverty stricken through faults beyond his control, but the prisoner was ! deserving of no consideration. There was prosided in this country accommodation for those who v.are destitute, and tire workhouse was the proper place for the prisoner if he had no means. lie ordered him to pay a tine of 1:5 in addition to the damage, or in default to be imprisoned for sue mouth.--The prisoner was removed to the "Lila, and as he threatened to commit suicide if the money was not paid, he was closely watehed by the gaoler.  A