South Wales Echo 14th May 1897
A PERIL AT NEWPORT.
The Sleeping-out Nuisance.
At Newport Town Hall this morning, the magistrates had before them three youngsters named Wm. Mullins (12), Patrick Connors (10), and George Price (13), who were placed in the gangway for vagrancy by sleeping out and damaging peat and moss litter by setting it on fire. The youngsters had not, so they averred, done a good evening’s work last evening, and were afraid to go home because they had no money for their parents. They accordingly got into a stable belonging to Mr F. Phillips, corn merchant, which is situated at the rear of the Empire. Here they rejoiced in plenty of clean straw. Before going to sleep, they smoked cigarettes, and Connors threw a lighted match away over a partition. This fell on the peat, and it was set on fire. It was just beginning to light up when P.C. Willcox, about 1 o’clock this (Friday) morning discovered the mischief, and promptly called up the Fire Brigade. Captain Lyne, of the Fire Brigade, in reply to Alderman Vaughan, said the whole place (including the Empire) might have been burned down. and the boys burned to death as well. It was only a question of a few minutes.—The magistrates gave the lads one more chance before sending them to a Reformatory, and awarded them three days’ detention in the cells.
https://newspapers.library.wales/view/4604976/4604979/36/
*It is not certain that this is the same Patrick Connors as no address is given. However, only one Patrick Connors, born in Newport around 1887, appears in the 1891 and 1901 census.
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