No. 1,000 28 August, 1847
John May Harris, a boy only eight years old, has lost his life, at Poplar, from having been compelled to administer to the brutal amusement of a mob. A number of boys had been bathing in the River Lea; Newsom, a labourer, took up the jacket of one of the boys, George Auty, and said he should not have it unless he fought with another boy; Auty chose Harris for an opponent; and as the latter did not wish to fight, Auty was prompted to strike him. The little fellows fought for half an hour, and then Harris gave in. A mob of some forty or fifty, not yet satisfied, gave Harris beer and made him fight again. When he desisted he was much exhausted. More beer was administered, and he was made to race with Auty round a field. The poor boy, carried home almost senseless, died next morning. At the inquest, Dr Bain attributed death to congestion of the brain, caused by excitement and the beer forced upon the boy. By Saturday, four of the men engaged in the shameful pastime had been identified and apprehended.
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