In the last weekend of August 1908 a bizarre situation took place in Blantyre, an unusual occurrence when the police had to announce there were no prisoners in the Blantyre jail!
The former jail at the Police Station on Glasgow Road (pictured) had empty cells, something which made headlines, given a more usual occupancy.
However, reporters didn’t know whether to congratulate the police or query what was going on. With so much crime prevailing in Blantyre at the time, it was little understood why the cells were empty of the police had so few lines of enquiry to follow up.
“No prisoners” in Blantyre was something local citizens could barely understand. This was reflected in the usual crowd that following Monday who would in previous weeks and months come to Glasgow Road in their morbid curiosity to catch a glimpse of incoming prisoners, men and women who had perhaps had too much to drink the previous weekend. That particular crowd ended up being most disappointed that day.
A Moral Suasion League had been set up in previous weeks in Blantyre intent on improving the behaviour of all its residents and the press joked, perhaps the league had served its purpose successfully already.