100 YEARS AGO IN SALFORD: HARSH SENTENCE FOR BICYCLE THIEF

I came across this rather sad, story in the pages of the Salford City Reporter from September 1923 and two things surprised me, the quickness of the arrest and the unbelievable harshness of the sentence considering the circumstances.

William Pender aged 22 who resided in Asaph Street, Salford appeared at Salford Magistrates Court charged with stealing a bicycle worth £3 and 10 shillings belonging to Alfred Horrocks who resided at Jubilee Street, Pendleton.

Detective Inspector Jowett told the Court that Mr Horrocks had attended the Labour Exchange on Guy Fawkes Street, when he came out a few minutes later he found that his bicycle had been stolen.

That evening Pender sold the bicycle to a licenced broker in Manchester, he was given some money on account and told to call back the next day for the balance, when he did he was arrested by Manchester police and charged with the offence to which he replied. "that is correct"

In the dock, Pender said that he stole the bicycle to obtain food for his family, saying that in the six weeks he had been unemployed he had received neither dole or relief money, he had a wife and a young child and the workhouse was staring him in the face and apologised for his actions.

Detective Inspector Jowett said that Pender was birched in 1915 for stealing two boxes of sweets and that he was dismissed from his last place of employment for doing private work in his employers time.

The Magistrate then sentenced him to 14 days hard labour in Strangeways Gaol.

Firstly not certain how the the police in those days could be so efficient in apprehending a criminal without the aid of modern day technology but somehow they did.

Secondly the sentence of 14 days hard labour seems very harsh, hard labour in those days meant you were not allowed to talk to other prisoners, given tedious manual labour jobs and fed the basics, soup, bread and water,

Surely this sentence would impact on Penders young wife and child would they have, had to go into the workhouse? Pender seems a petty criminal and receiving the birch when he was 14 years of age for the theft of sweets,hasn't acted as a deterrent to stop him committing further petty crimes.

All in all a sad tale and lets hope Pender and his wife and child were reunited and led a happier life.

Photo ©: Salford Labour Exchange