I seem to have spent much of the day reading old newspapers, first of all in the uncomfortable setting of Bradford Local History Library and more recently on-line via the excellent British Library 19th Century Newspaper Database. I came across the following story whilst I was looking for something else and I thought I would share it with you. It comes from the Keighley News of the 29th July 1911.
JUVENILE HOUSEBREAKERS AND THE CINEMATOGRAPH
At Bradford City Police Court on Tuesday, Harry Bennett (14) of 25 Osborne Street and John Taylor (13) of 117 College Road were charged in three cases with housebreaking and stealing jewelery and money to the total of £28. Bennett's mother gave him good character, but Taylors' father said he had previously taken money belonging to his sister. In reply to the charges, Taylor said, "It's them picturedromes that spoiled me. I've seen it done. When we first went in we broke a window and went in". He mentioned several Bradford picture places he had visited. Bennett, who cried during the proceedings, remarked to the magistrates, "Please Sir, I am as bad as him (Taylor)". Taylor was ordered to be sent to a Reformatory, and Bennett was bound over for two years.
and here i blamed it on that evil devil music i listened to...snort. darn those moving pictures, ruining society. i found the reply of the second guy at the end rather humbling yet comical...
ReplyDeleteThem evil picturedromes made me do it! Harry's response "Please sir, I'm as bad as him" seems rather heroic as well as comical. I find myself wondering how both boys fared afterwards?
ReplyDeleteSo how did you and your friend fare?
ReplyDeleteCB : I went on to write Blogs and my mate changed his name to Charlie Chaplin and became something in the cinema.
ReplyDeleteSo a 14 year old fenced jewellery for movie tickets. That's rather resourceful I think. 50 years earlier and they'd have been transported.
ReplyDeletewe jsut don;t cover the news quite as well these days, do we? :)
ReplyDelete;)
ReplyDeletelove it: "please sir, I'm as bad as him" - there's friendship for you.
like the idea of calling movie houses "picturedromes"
I would love to know what became of those boys. I can't imagine that the reformatory helped much.
ReplyDeleteTruth is stranger than .. anything.
ReplyDeleteOf your recent art, wax, choc post....
don't forget it has to be very dark to be 'good'. And, as an example of, something, I always have chocolate in the morning, so I do not have anxiety throughout the day over when I will. Ha. -J
"them picturedromes" will do it, every time!
ReplyDeleteIf Taylor's father hadn't told about the money taking from his sister, I wonder if he too would have been 'bound over'.
ReplyDeletePicturedomes led these ruffians to a life of crime..the sentence seems a bit harsh for such young lads:(
ReplyDelete