Croydon Advertiser and East Surrey Reporter – Saturday 08 November 1873

Guy Fawkes Orgies.

— On Thursday morning, William Wallace, labourer, of 12, Rock-terrace, Mitcham, whose face was blackened apparently through a liberal application of burnt cork, was charged before the Croydon magistrates with wilfully breaking a square of glass, value 1s., the property of Mr. Barnard Cox, of 6, Dixon’s-cottages, Figg’s-marsh, Mitcham. The prosecutor stated that Wednesday evening, six or seven persons, among whom was the prisoner, came rushing into his shop, and made a disturbance. He asked them to leave quietly, but they only made more noise. At last they went outside, and the defendant, flourishing a stick which he carried, broke a square glass.

— The Bench appeared to think that the damage was done more accident than design, and after asking the defendant the meaning his blackened face, he was ordered to pay a shilling for the damage, and was discharged with a caution not to get into such a scrape again.