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A NINE-YEAR-OLD HORSE THIEF
A NINE-YEAR-OLD HORSE THIEF
Willie Hannigan of Welland
[Welland Tribune, 12 October 1894]
WELLAND, Oct. 6th-Willie Hannigan, who lives with his uncle, Thomas Hannigan here, cut up quite a caper yesterday for a boy of between eight and nine years of age. It seems Willie had quite an observant eye and disposition, and noticing that Mr. James Morwood, grocer, sometimes made use of his nephew’s horse to deliver goods, he founded quite a job thereon, which worked to perfection. He went to Mrs. Morwood’s on Young street, and attempted to hitch up their horse to a light wagon but was not big enough to get the harness on. Upon being caught at this by Mr. John Morwood he represented that he had been sent for the horse and wagon by Mr. James Morwood’s clerk. John thought it a little strange that so young a lad should be sent for the rig, but never dreaming it was all a put up job actually hitched up the horse for the boy and started him off. Instead of going to John Morwood’s, Willie turned on Division street and after amusing the boys in the east end of the town by running the horse about the streets for an hour or two, set out to visit some relatives at Niagara Falls South. He missed his way, however, and brought up at Chippawa, where Mr. Flomerfelt, seeing that the horse was exhausted, and suspecting that all was not right, took the animal in charge. Willie promised to return home if Mr. F. would let him have the horse, but this was refused, and he continued his trip to Niagara Falls South on foot. The horse was of course missed the same evening, and easily traced to Chippawa and recovered, people all along the road having noticed the little boy running the horse. Willie, too, like a bad penny, has returned. Otherwise than in this scrape the boy’s reputation for honesty is bad, and the sooner he is committed to the reformatory for as long a term as the law allows, the better the chance will be of saving him from a criminal’s career.
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