Castle of Exeter: Yesterday: Before J. E. C. Walkey, Esq., Colonel Chichester, Capt. Chichester, Major Wyatt-Edgell, and A. H. A. Hamilton, E. A. Sanders, J. H. Ley, R. M. Davy and C. Tucker, Esqs. … A lad of 13, named Wright, was summoned for setting fire to some straw and thereby damaging a quantity of mangold, the property of Mr. Pinsent, farmer of Doddiscombsleigh. The defendant’s father had worked for several years for the prosecutor, and the boy had also lately been employed by him. On one of the fields was a mangold trench covered with straw; one day this was found to be on fire, and the lad was seen coming from that direction. On being charged with setting fire to the straw he admitted that he had done so but said that it was accidental. He explained that he had lost a brace button and had used a piece of cord as a substitute, he had no knife to cut off the surplus cord, and lit a match to burn it off, and this set fire to the straw. Prosecutor, in answer to the Bench, said he had no complaint against the boy’s father, who was a very good workman; the boy’s general charger was also good. He was, however, subject to fits, and was further in the habit of setting matches on fire in different parts of the farm; it was in order to deter him from this practice that the prosecutor had taken these proceedings. He only wished to have the boy cautioned. At the suggestion of the Bench the prosecutor withdrew from the case, and in dismissing the defendant the Chairman told him that had not the prosecutor agreed to this course they would have had no alternative but to send the case to the Assizes, as the charge was a serious one. The defendant must bear this in mind for the future.
Transcribed in whole or part from scanned originals: Presented with or without modified text and punctuation. For absolute accuracy refer to the original newspapers. Source: The British Newspaper Archive.
Referenced
GRO0412 Hennock: Henry Pinsent: 1844 – 1894