Glasgow Citizen, 1 April 1920

Day’s Shooting.

“Miracle someone wasn’t killed”.

“Citizen” Office, Paisley, Thursday. An extraordinary story of a boyish prank was related today by Sheriff Blair, in Paisley Sheriff Court. A lad named Henry Blackley, jun., residing in Johnstone, admitted having stolen a pistol or humane killer and 120 live cartridges from the public slaughterhouse in Johnstone, and with having fired the pistol at no fewer than four people to the danger of the lieges. Mr Donald Cameron, the Procurator-Fiscal, said that on the afternoon of Thursday last, the accused entered the slaughterhouse in Johnstone, where he found a humane killer in an unlocked drawer, and nearly 120 live cartridges. He took these away, and along with two other boys then went out the following morning for a day’s shooting. About 80 of the 120 cartridges were fired. Four of the charges against the accused, to which he pleaded guilty, were that he had fired the weapon at people passing by on the public roads. Fortunately, only one man was injured, his injury being only a slight flesh wound. The man immediately seized hold of Blackley and handed him over to the police. The Fiscal pointed out that this was a powerful weapon, and used in the slaughterhouse for killing cattle, and a bullet discharged from it could travel 400 yards. Sheriff Blair remarked that it was a miracle that two or three people were not killed. Sentence of ten stripes of the birch rod was passed on the accused. Two young boys who were in company with Blackley were discharged with a caution.