Walter Steeles (buried 1930)

Worthing Gazette - 14th October 1896

Dangers of the Streets - A child killed at Broadwater Broadwater has added to the catalogue of fatalities of the current year by the death of a little fellow named Steeles, the victim of a street accident. The facts of the occurrence were submitted to Mr FW Butler, Coroner for the county, at the Reading Room in the village on Monday afternoon. Mr George Paine being chosen Foreman of the jury. Having been sworn, the jurors proceeded to view the body, which lay at the parents house, a considerable distance from the scene of the inquiry. The house is opposite the licensed premises know as the Old House at Home, and forms one of a group of cottages which lie back some yards from the highway, and to which access is gained by means of a large gate. The house actually visited by the jury is of modern build, but it is of somewhat singular construction. Having viewed the body and returned to the Reading Room, the jury heard the following statements: The Mother's Evidence - Harriet Steeles, wife of Walter Steeles, a wheelwright, deposed that the deceased, Leonard George Steeles, was their son, and was two years and seven months old. He died at a quarter to five on Saturday morning. About six or seven minutes to two on Friday he was out in the roadway with his sister, ten years of age, who generally looked after him, and whom witness regarded as quite capable of taking care of him. the little girl, Edith by name, also had a baby in a perambulator, and the three children left the house about twenty minutes to two. A Witness of the Occurrence - Henry George Apted, fruit-grower, stated that he was standing at his garden door about two o'clock on Friday afternoon, next to the door by which Mrs Steele's house is approached. Deceased was standing on the opposite side of the road, with his elder brother, his sister and a baby in a perambulator, and another little girl with them. A hawker's two wheeled trolley, drawn by a pony, was being driven down the road in a westerly direction, the driver being seated on the side of the vehicle. The pony was being driven at "a nice pace" though not so fast as hawker's carts were usually driven. As soon as she saw the cart coming the little girl ran across to the opposite side of the road with the perambulator, leaving the deceased at the spot where they had all been standing. For a time the little child stood quietly there, but all at once he took it into his head to follow her, and ran right into the pony's legs. The animal knocked him down on his back, and the wheels of the cart went over him. He had seen this sort thing hundreds of times at Broadwater before - older children running across the road when horses were approaching and the little ones following them as well as they could - and he wondered that accidents had not happened before. After this occurrence witness picked up the little boy, who seemed even then to be dying. Somebody suggested that deceased should be taken to the infirmary, but witness took him into his mother's house and told the driver to go for Dr Duke. The driver, he thought, could not have seen the child. He pulled up at once and did everything he could. Nature of the Injuries - Dr Allen Duke, who is in practice at Broadwater, said he saw the child about a quarter-past two o'clock. He looked dreadfully pale, and there was a lot of dirt on the right side of his face. There was no external mark of injury on the head or face. He was insensible, and, in fact, looked like a dying child. At that moment he gave witness the impression that he was suffering from concussion of the brain. After a time he came round, and seemed to be suffering pain. Witness had him undressed, and found what appeared to be a mark on his back caused by the wheel going over his body. On the clothing was an external mark which made it appear that the wheel had gone over the left side of the abdomen, but there was no corresponding mark on the body. the child pointed to the stomach as the seat of the pain, and from other evidences it looked as if there was a rupture in the bowels. In witness's opinion death was caused by shock to the system and rupture of the intestines. The Driver's Statement - Edward Packhan, a youth, the driver of the trolley, said he was sitting on the left-hand side of the cart, nearest to the child. He saw deceased run, but before he could pull up it was under the wheels. The little girl who ran across the road first only just cleared the pony's head. - Mr Afted: Yes, sir; he drew off to save the little girl. Verdict - The Coroner summed up very briefly, remarking that it was very fortunate for the driver that Mr Apted saw the whole occurence - The Jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death".

Brighton Gazette - 24th December 1912

Boy and the Gas Meter - A charge at Worthing - At a Children's Court at Worthing, yesterday, William Arthur Frederick Steeles, 14, was charged with stealing 7s.9d. from a slot gas meter at 3 Mill View Terrace, Elm Grove, the property of the Worthing Gas Company. Mrs Ball, the occupier of 3 Mill View Terrace, said she put a penny into the slot of the meter on 15th December, and it was then all right. On the following Tuesday, she was away from the house for a time, and before leaving she locked both the front and the back doors. The bedroom windows upstairs were open. When she returned, she noticed that the bedroom window at the back was open at the bottom, which was not how she left it. There was a shed underneath this window by which anyone could climb up to the window. The next day on going to the meter, she noticed it had been interfered with. Edwin Searle, an employee of the Gas Company, gave evidence that the meter reading shewed that there should have been 7s.9d. in the box. P.C. Brett gave evidence as to interviewing the boy on the 19th. He asked him about a number of coppers he had been spending the last two or three days. At first the boy denied having spent any, but, on being cautioned, he made a confession that he got through the window at Mrs Ball's house, and broke open the meter with a poker, and stole about 7s. He said he had spent most of it at a shop in Elm Grove. He took witness upstairs, and, pointing to a trap hatch in the roof, said, "What I haven't spent you will find up there." Witness got up into the roof and discovered 2s.3d. The Bench bound the boy over for six months, and ordered him to pay 10s. towards the costs.

West Sussex Gazette - 17th April 1913

Worthing - In December a boy named Steeles was bound over to be of good behaviour for twelve months, and his father entered into recognisances also to see that the boy behaved himself. The boy has been convicted twice since then, and yesterday the father, Walter Steeles, was summoned to show why his recognisances should not be forfeited. Steeles said he had tried to get the lad into the Navy, but could not get him character. the Bench felt that parents were sometimes inclined to take these undertakings too lightly; but seeing that a fine upon Steeles would probably mean he would have to go to prison, they adjourned the case sine die, leaving the matter hanging over him. 

William Arthur Frederick Steeles (the son of Walter),

died in action on 26^th September 1917. He served as a private with the 14^th Battalion Royal Hampshire Regiment. He died during the 2nd battle of Passendale at Shrewsbury Forest, Ypres, Belgium.  William was in the Tower Hamlets Trench on the front line when there was heavy fighting. There were many casualties that day, but the Battalion protected the area. He is buried at Zonnebeke, west Vlaanderen, West Flanders, and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial at Zonnebeke William earned the Victory, British and 15 star medal.

The Worthing Herald - Saturday 7th July 1928

Worthing Police Cases - Walter Steeles, 51 The Drive, was charged with stealing 1590 feet of wood paling, three posts, two boards, one rail and 1cwt of nails, valued at £6.7s.4d., the property of Thomas Hunter Hart, a timber merchant of West Tarring. Evidence was given by Mr Hart, Thomas William Court Cousins, 53 The Drive (son-in-law of defendant), Walter Henry Thomas Steeles, St Elmo Road (defendant's son), Edward Stanley Greenfield, Broadwater (another son-in-law), P.C. Dear and Inspector Holmes. Mr A Buckland Dixon, for the defence, submitted that no felonious intent on defendant's part had been shown by the prosecution. In reply, Supt. Bristow contended that the prosecution had shown that defendant intended to deprive Mr Hart of his property, which in law, was larceny. The Bench, after retiring, decided that there was not sufficient evidence on which to charge defendant, but they considered the police had done rightly in bringing the case before them. Defendant would be discharged. Mr Hart said he so much admired the way in which the police had conducted the case that he wished to place a guinea in the Poor Box.