Here is this week’s round-up of pieces from the Batley News relating to the parish of St Mary’s. As usual I have put in bold the names of those connected to the parish who served with the military. And, as ever, the spelling and punctuation matches that of the newspaper.
There was a reaction to Joe Auty’s shocking courtroom rebuke of John Curley:
LETTER TO THE EDITOR.
Mr Joe Auty and the Wounded SoldierSir, —Is it not time Mr. Joe Auty was asked to resign his position as a dispenser of justice, when he takes it upon himself to say that a man who gives a wrong name is not fit to live? The man he referred to was an absentee from his regiment, and was wearing three wound stripes, so I take it he was wounded on three separate occasions whilst defending his country, and, incidentally, Mr. Auty’s person and property. Would it not have been more charitable to have excused the man under those circumstances?
JUSTICE.
On the Western Front, there was bad news about yet another parishioner, Willie Hargreaves.
Batley Carr Tenterer Missing
Private Willie Hargreaves, K.O.Y.L.I., whose wife lives at 7, Sheard’s Yard, Ward’s Hill, Batley, and whose parents, Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Hargreaves, also resides at Ward’s Hill, is posted missing from April 14th. He enlisted over two years ago, and has been once invalided from France through sickness. At Easter he went out a second time. He was connected with St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Cross Bank and was employed as a tenterer by Messrs. John Fenton and Sons, Batley Carr.
The final three pieces for this week’s round-up concern court cases involving parishioners. The first involved John Joseph Warren and James McIntyre.
Gambling in Borough Road
John Joseph Warren, pony driver, and James McIntyre, piecener, both of Ambler Street, Batley, were fined 20s. each at Batley Court on Monday for gaming with dice for money. Constable Brown said he was near Borough Road in plain clothes with Sergeant Hebden and Constable Chinnery, when he saw defendants and six others gaming. Although 30 yards away he saw the dice shoot up many times, and heard such remarks as “I’ll have a shilling on this.” After watching them for 40 minutes the officers approached the party, and witness caught hold of two men, but in the struggle failed to hold them. There were three dice and 1s. 5d. on the ground. When charged they replied “It’s a fair cop.” —Defendants pleaded guilty. McIntyre was said to have been previously convicted for gaming with coins.
Beatrice Higgins was charged with two thefts, one against fellow-parishioner Annie Gavaghan.
Thefts from Batley Shops
“When I get into a shop I can’t help it. I lose myself,” said Mrs. Beatrice Higgins, 10, Back Richmond Street, Cross Bank, who was charged with stealing three 4ozs. of tea, an apron, a tin of condensed milk, and a baby’s linen frock from various Batley shops, as well as a gold signet ring worth 15s. and a shilling in cash from Annie Gavaghan, 21, Back Richmond Street. She was fined £4, as well as 9s. witnesses’ expenses, and ordered to refund 15s. to Gavaghan.
The final case spotlighted the sensitive issue of mill theft of army clothing. It was a case attracting interest across town, and involved accusations of betrayal. Amongst those charged was parishioner Agnes Jackson.
EXTENSIVE THEFTS BY BATLEY RAG SORTERS
Over £60 Worth of Goods Recovered
Prosecution by the Army Clothing Department
A Woman who Gave Her Neighbour AwayBatley Police Court looked like a Quarter-master’s store this morning when ten women were charged with extensive thefts from the Batley depot of the Army Ordnance Corps. Army clothing of all kinds was to be seen in piles.
The Court was crowded to overflowing. Defendants were: — Mary Sophia Scaife, rag sorter, 38, Victoria Street, Carlinghow; Elizabeth Ann Bell, button cutter, 13, Victoria Street, Carlinghow; Mary Ann Moyser, rag sorter, 71, Cross Bank Road, Batley; Sarah Jane Haigh, button cutter, 28, Victoria Street, Carlinghow; Agnes Jackson, rag sorter, 2, Convent Place, Cross Bank; Grace Harrand, rag sorter, 31, East Street, Batley; Beatrice Ann Riding, rag sorter, 30, Oaks Road, Soothill; Melinda Redgwick, weaver, 1, Albert Square, Batley Carr; Emma Elizabeth Shaw, rag sorter, 5a, Field Lane, Batley; and Ada Dyson, rag sorter, 3, Rouse Mill Lane, Soothill.
A list of the stolen property, put in by Supt. Barraclough, showed that £15 worth of goods were found in the possession of Mrs. Scaife, including 125 towels, 50 pocket handkerchiefs, and four bags of rags worth £7.
Over £5 worth of goods which it was alleged had been stolen by Mrs. Haigh included seven pairs of pants and rags worth 35s.
The value of the property stated to have been found in the homes of the defendants was:— Mrs. Moyser £9 10s. 9d., Mrs. Bell £4 15s. 3d., Mrs. Riding £2 11s. 3½d., Mrs. Harrand £1 1s., Mrs. Shaw £4 15s. 1½d., Mrs. Jackson £3 1s. 3½d., Mrs. Dyson 2s. 9½d., Mrs. Redgwick £1 14s., or a grand total of over £63.
Supt. Barraclough said Mrs. Scaife had seven children. She had worked at the Depot since last December. Lieut. Brooke was responsible for the stores, and the fact that several articles had been missed had cast suspicion on almost everyone. In pressing for a severe penalty, the Superintendent said Major Chalkley, commanding and the local A.O.C. depot, was much concerned about the large quantities of articles which had been missed recently. Altogether about £100 worth of property had been stolen.
Lieut. Brooke recognised in a partially made rug found in Mrs. Scaife’s some French Army grey rags, as well as Army red and tartan rags similar to some that had been taken.
£15 was a very moderate estimate of the value of the goods found at her house.
Constable Brown said he found at Mrs. Scaife’s house, amongst other things, 50 pocket handkerchiefs, 22 Army shirts, and 125 towels.
Mr. J. H. Wilman: The only articles you charge her with stealing are those found in the house?
Witness: That is so. He added that when charged with the theft defendant replied “I may as well tell the truth. I have stolen a lot of stuff from there, same as they all have.”
Mrs. Scaife called another defendant to prove that she had bought several towels from the depot. She asserted that two Army shirts she was accused of stealing belonged to her own son when he was in the Army. She added “I admit stealing some, but I am only like them all.”
Mr. Wilman: You must not say that.
The Bench found the case proved and reserved the question of punishment.
Mrs. Bell, whilst admitting that she had stolen some of the things, told the Bench that on March 6th and several days previous she was at home with blood poisoning. Being in a fix for money, and knowing what was in Mrs. Scaife’s house, she went there, found the key on the window sill and went in. She “lost herself” and took the majority of the things she was now charged with stealing from the depot.
Pointing to Scaife she said “I took them from her house and pledged them by degrees. She can charge me for housebreaking if she wants. I did it partly in need and partly in revenge. She has made a common practice of poisoning my husband’s mind against me while he was in the Army, by telling him I associated with other men.”
She added that Mrs. Scaife had “shopped” her husband, who was now in custody in Dewsbury (he was an absentee), and she had taken her revenge by “shopping her” in this way. She did not want the other women to think she had “shopped” them, for Mrs. Scaife was the only one she had told of. She did not report the others.
The case against Mrs. Bell was also considered proved.
The other dependents admitted taking some of the goods.
Another outburst occurred when the defendants were making their statements. Mrs. Scaife said “I have done it because the others have done it. After having my boy killed I have got into that state I don’t care what I do and what I don’t. I have neither friends nor relations in Batley where I could take stuff to, as some of the others have done. There isn’t a honest woman at the A.O.C.”
Two women who cheered at this statement were removed from the Court.
Fines were imposed as follow, with an allowance of 3s. 6d. for witness in each case:- Scaife £10, Bell and Shaw 50s. each, Moyser, Haigh, and Jackson 40s. each, Riding, Harrand and Redgwick 20s. Each, and Dyson 15s.
Supt. Barraclough protested against the allegation that all the employees at the Depot were thieves. It was a dastardly charge to make behind the people’s backs, and he thought Lieut. Brooke would treat it with contempt.
Past To Present Genealogy 