Saltley Reformatory Inmates

Thomas Prendergast

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Notes:

7 March 1860 An earlier offence is reported in the Wolverhampton Chronicle and Staffordshire Advertiser Wednesday 7 March 1860 p.5 col.1: ROBBERY FROM A SHOP DOOR.-Two little urchins, named Tunney and Prendergast, aged respectively nine and seven years, were charged, on Monday last, at the Borough Police Court, before the Mayor and J. Wynn and G. L. Underhill, Esqs., with haring stolen a cap from the shop door of Mr. Richards, Queen-street, on Saturday night. Tunney, It was stated, took the cap, and both lads then ran away. Each appeared to be neglected by his parents, who are Irish. The Bench handed over Prendergast to his father, whom they admonished for his apparent neglect, and ordered Tunney to be well whipped. Wolverhampton

15 September 1860 There is a report of the crime in the Staffordshire Advertiser, Sat 15 Sep 1860, p.7, col.7: COMMITTAL TO A REFORMATORY. - A youth, named Prendergast, aged about eight years. who had previously made an acquaintance with this Court, was charged with having on Saturday night attempted to commit a felony in the Market-hall. The prisoner was seen with a penknife in his hand near the stall of John Hailes, near which was a cage containing two pigeons, and subsequently a hole was found to have been cut in the cage large enough to admit of the pigeons being .abstracted. The prisoner, it seemed, was induced to attempt to steal the pigeons by several hoys older than himself, but not known to the police, who promised him money if he should succeed. The magistrates committed Prendergast to prison for 14 days, and afterwards to a reformatory for lour years, resolving to compel his father to pay something towards his maintenance in that institution.

15 December [no year given] Not being in good health and being a very little fellow was allowed to go home for a fortnight.

23 September [1864] Discharged on expiration of term and his parents placed him at tailoring

11 October 1865 There is a report of his later crime in the Wolverhampton Chronicle and Staffordshire Advertiser Wednesday 11 October 1865. p.6, col.3: JUVENILE SHOPLIFTERS.- Two boy", named Thomas Prendergast and Thomas Newell [boy 328], of the respective ages of eleven and nine, were charged in two cases of shop robbery, A young man named Fenny stated that on the previous afternoon he went into the .shop of Mr. Bates, fruiterer, Snow Hill, to purchase a pennyworth of apples. When be got inside the shop, the prisoner Newell sprang up from behind the counter, and witness thinking that he was the person in charge of the place, asked for a pennyworth of apples. Just at that moment a second lad, very like the prisoner Prendergast, came to the door, and muttered some unintelligible words to the lad Newell upon which the latter ran out of the shop, and, with his companion, disappeared.. Mrs. Bates then came into the shop, from the back, and witness told her what he had seen. She immediately examined the till under the counter, and found that it had been emptied of its contents - about 9s. She went to the door, and saw the prisoner Newell running away down Bell Street. She next saw Prendergast, and on accusing him with having been in company with Newell he ran away also. Mrs. Margaret Carter, a small shopkeeper, in Piper's Row, stated that between two and three o'clock the previous afternoon she had occasion to leave her shop for a few moments, and on her return she saw prisoner Newell stooping down at the back of the counter. Prendergast was also in the shop, at the other side of the counter, and when she entered Newell was in the act of throwing a half-pound packet of sugar over the counter to Prendergast, Witness at once seized hold of Newell, and was attempting to capture the other lad, when he struck her a blow and ran away, with something under his arm. She handed Newell over to the police, and Prendergast was shortly afterwards apprehended. The latter only returned from a reformatory about twelve months ago, and was described by Captain Segrave as one of the most impudent young blackguards in the town. They were both remanded until Tuesday, when a further remand took place until Thursday. [Prendergast was sentenced to 4 years in prison]

In the same newspaper, on the same page, at the top of col.4 there is another report of a case in the same court on the same day, involving Prendergast's sister, no first name is given: STONETHROWING. - A thick set young fellow, named George Aspinwall, was charged with assaulting a young woman named Prendergast, sister to the lad charged with shoplifting. The complainant, who appeared in court with her bead bandaged, stated that on Monday afternoon she was told her brother was being killed in "Caribee Island." She went up and asked who did it, when the prisoner said he had, and would serve her the same. She then took up a stone and threw at him, but it did not hit him. Upon that he took a brick-end out of his pocket and threw it at her, striking her on the head and cutting it. For the defence the accused said he was going down Lichfield Street, when the complainant's brother, young Prendergast, threw a stone at him. Defendant then struck Prendergast in the mouth and knocked him down. The complainant then came up and threw a stone at him, upon which he told her he would give it "her back in her own coin," and suiting the action to the word, took a brick-end out of his pocket and threw it at her. The Magistrates said defendant was old enough to know better than throw stones, but considering the provocation he had he would only be fined 1s.and.costs.

25 December 1867 Heard of at Wolverhampton, doing pretty well.

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