Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Thursday 20 October 1904

A Hat Hunt at Barnsley.

“We are very sorry for the hat, but, you see. the boys tell a different Story, and we have no alternative but to dismiss the case,” was the only consolation which Joseph Taylor, an elderly Darfield resident, was able to obtain yesterday from the Barnsley magistrates, before whom he appeared in support of summons charging George’ Shipman, schoolboy, with having wilfully damaged his felt hat on the 5th inst.

He said that as he was going through Darfield, the wind blew his hat off. He shouted to two boys to stop it, whereupon Shipman ran in and deliberately kicked it. He called out him, and he kicked it again.

“It’s a shocking hat now, whatever it was before,” commented the chairman, whereupon Taylor said it cost him 8s. six months ago.

One boy said Shipman kicked the hat. Another said he was helping boy named Davis to capture it, when Davis fell, tripping up Shipman and both went to the ground on the top of the hat.

The Bench observed that it was no wonder the hat suffered if that was the case.