CITY POLICE COURT.
SATURDAY, JUNE 7,
BEFORE the assistant police magistrate
VAGRANCY. – Thomas Clarke, a man about 23 years of age, was charged with having no lawful means of support. Sergeant Burke prosecuted. From the evidence of constable Jessop, who arrested Clarke, and also that of Senior detective Anderson, it appears that the prisoner was well known to the police as one of the prominent members of the larrikin band in this city.
For the last twelve months he has not been known to do anything for a living, and was the companion of thieves, larrikins, and women of ill fame, he usually put up at one of the boarding-houses at the beginning of the week and left on being asked to pay for his board. When unable to carry out this dodge he would select some cosy corner in the ferry-houses or porches of public buildings to spend the night.
Clarke has also been before the court on several occasions charged with larceny and has served various terms of imprisonment for petty offences. On being asked by the bench how he got his living the prisoner went into an elaborate statement about the police “hunting him down,” he also said that he had only been discharged from gaol on Monday week last, and, as Mr. Day was well aware, it was very hard for a man to obtain work when it was known that he had on been recently discharged from gaol.
Mr. Day said that Clarke was one of those men who were well able to work if he had an inclination to do so, but he evidently preferred to live by his wits. Prisoner was then sentenced to six months’ imprisonment with hard labour.
Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), Monday 9 June 1884, page 5
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