Derby Mercury, May 3, 1882, Issue 8729.
LARCENIES BY A BOY.— Wm. Rowley, aged about 12. was brought up on remand charged with stealing a coat value 3s., the property of James Hall Gray, from the Nuns-street Board School, on the 27th March last. The prosecutor is a clerk living in Elm street, and his son attended the school on the 27th ult. The prisoner carried the lad's coat off from the school, and so1d it at a second hand clothes shop in Bridge street for 1s. It was afterwards bought by the parents of a newspaper boy and recognised by Mr. Gray on the boy's back on Monday evening last.-Prisoner was further charged with stealing a shawl, value 9s. 1d, the property of Ann Darbyshire, on the 25th inst. Prosecutrix lives at Shirley, and came to Derby on Tuesday. She bought the shawl and placed it in the carrier's cart. In the course of the day prisoner stole it, and took it to the same shop. Detective Clay happened to be there at the time making inquiries, and he asked the lad where he got the shawl from. He replied that a lady whom he did not know sent him to sell it, but on being taken to the lock-up confessed that he had stolen it from the van. He was ordered to go to gaol for a fortnight and thence to a reformatory till he shall be 16 years of age.