Old Bailey Proceedings, 25th October 1797

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 23 May 2020), October 1797 (17971025).

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Old Bailey Proceedings, 25th October 1797.

582. CHARLES MARTIN was indicted for breaking and entering the dwelling-house of John Basnett , about the hour of four in the night of the 5th of October , and stealing two pair of cotton stockings, value 6s. six pair of worsted stockings, value 8s. and twelve pair of leather shoes, value 15s. the property of the said John.

JOHN BASNETT sworn. – I am a hosier and hatter , in Tothill-street : On Thursday the 5th of October, I went to bed between eleven and twelve; I fastened my house myself; between four and five in the morning, I was alarmed by the watchman; I came down and observed the pannel of the shutter cut out, and all the goods that were in the window gone; there were eight pair of cotton stockings, and about a dozen and a half of leather shoes; those in the indictment are only what have been found since I had seen them the evening before when I shut up my shop; I saw them the next morning at the Police Office, in Queen-square.

CHARLES WHATMORE sworn. – I am constable of St. Margaret’s, Westminster: On the 6th of October, I apprehended the prisoner in Poet’s Corner, Westminster-Abbey, upon suspicion; he had the things about him; I had heard of the robbery (producing the property): the prisoner offered them to me to sell, and that was the cause of my suspecting him; he had another man with him, and they took me to a private room to shew me them; he asked me eight shillings for the seven pair of stockings, and six shillings and sixpence for the shoes; I pretended I had not got any money, because I wished to get somebody to assist me; I went down to the landlord, and he laid hold of the other man, but he got away; the prisoner pulled me down stairs backwards, and got away, I ran after him, and called stop thief, and he was taken by Grain.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. Have you any partners? – A. No.

Q. You never saw the prisoner about your premisses? – A. No.

RICHARD BLAND sworn. – I am a watchman; I gave the alarm of the house being broke open.

THOMAS GRAIN sworn. – Having some business at the Transport-office, as I was going along I heard Whatmore cry stop thief, and I secured the prisoner.

Basnell. I believe them all to be mine; there is a mark of a bit of thread upon the pair of blue cotton stockings, that I made for the stocking dressers.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. You make the same kind of mark, with a bit of thread, upon all that you send to the stocking-dressers? – A. Yes.

Q. And they go out into the world with that mark? – A. Yes.

Court. Q. Is there any property there that is not your own? – A. No.

Court. Q. Are they the same sort of goods that you lost? – A. Yes.

The prisoner left his defence to his Counsel, and called his serjeant who gave him a good character.

GUILTY . Death . (Aged 26.)

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury before Mr. Justice HEATH.

583. JAMES LEWIS , otherwise DRUCE , was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 6th of October , two pieces of printed cotton, containing fifty-six yards, value 4l. the property of Robert Waithman , and Charles Bristow , privately, in their shop .

GABRIEL JOHNSON sworn. – I am a constable; On the 6th of October, I saw the prisoner, and two more, in Newgate-street, consulting together; I suspected they were about to break Mr. Waithman’s windows; I watched them, when I saw one of them, not the prisoner, go into the shop and bring out two pieces of cotton; he gave it to the prisoner, and I laid hold of him; he dropped it, and ran away, I pursued him, and holloaed, stop thief; he was stopped near Green Arbour-Court; I am certain of his person, because I knew him before. (Produces the cotton).

Court. Q. Who is in partnership with Mr. Waithman? – A. Mr. Brislow.

CHARLES BRISTOW sworn. – This cotton is our property, it has my private mark upon it; my partner’s name is Robert Waithman.

– MARSHALL sworn. – I stopped the prisoner, he was running when I first saw him.

The prisoner, in his defence, denied the charge.

GUILTY (Aged 20).

Of stealing the goods, but not privately, in the shop .

Transported for seven Years .

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. Baran HOTHAM.

584. THOMAS CHUBBY was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 11th of October , an iron stove, value 11s. the property of Noah Yardley .

NOAH YARDLEY sworn. – I live at No. 12, Church lane ; on Thursday the 11th of this month,between four and five o’clock in the afternoon, I was at the bar of a public house opposite my house, and saw the prisoner take one of the stoves which stood at my door, and run away with it; I went after him immediately, and stopped him in Church-court, with the stove on his shoulder; I took him back, and had him committed.

Prisoner’s defence. I am innocent of the crime laid to my charge. I was taking it for a man that asked me if I wanted a job; I was to take it to the Hungerford Coffee-house for 6d.

Prosecutor. He told me he was going to take it to Hungerford Coffee-house.

GUILTY . (Aged 23.) Confined one month in Newgate , and fined 1s.

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.

585. SARAH GROVES was indicted, for that she, on the 4th of August , knowing one Esther Knightley to have stolen goods and monies, the property of Christopher Gearish , feloniously did receive, harbour, assist, comfort, and maintain her, against his Majesty’s peace .

SARAH GEARISH sworn. I am the wife of Christopher Gearish, a salesman in Covent-Garden; on the 15th of June last, Esther Knightley came to live with me, and on the 22d of July, when we went home, about half after eleven at night, the door was locked, and we could not get in; we had left Esther Knightley in the house; when we had got in, I went into the kitchen, and there was a large fire, and a candle on the table; the dining-room door was locked, and the key put under the mat, the drawers in the dining-room were broke open, and the property mentioned in the indictment was gone; there were 202l. in Banknotes, and 107l. in cash, gone, besides my table-linen, and other things. I found a cloth apron of mine, marked, upon the prisoner, and a gown that she had pledged for Esther Knightley ; she owned that she had given her the duplicate; and a black silk cloak, pledged in her own name.

ELIZABETH YOUNG sworn. – (produces a gown.) This gown was pledged with me on the 5th of August, in the name of Sarah Anderson ; I cannot be quite positive that the prisoner is the person that pledged it.

Mrs. Gearish. This is my gown.

JAMES WOODHOUSE sworn. – (Produces a cloak.) This cloak was pledged with me on the 9th of August, by the prisoner at the bar, in the name of Anderson.

Mrs. Gearish. This is my cloak.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM .

586. MARY HODGES, otherwise SUSANNAH ROBERTSON , was indicted, for feloniously stealing, in the dwelling-house of Andrew Butler , on the 2d of October , four cotton gowns, value 19s. a cotton petticoat, value 1s. two linen aprons, value 1s. four pair of cotton stockings, value 5s. a pair of cotton pockets, value 6d. a cotton apron, value 6d. a muslin gown, value 5s. two muslin petticoats, value 10s. two muslin aprons, value 2s. a muslin handkerchief, value 6d. fifty guineas, and five pounds, fourteen shillings, in monies numbered; a Bank-note, value 2l. and another Banknote, value 1l. the property of the said Andrew.

MARY BUTLER sworn. – I am the wife of Andrew Butler , a publican ; the prisoner came to live servant with me last June; she said she came from Windsor; I had not character with her; she lived with me about five months. On the 2d of October I went out in the morning, and left my husband in the house, and another servant, and a boy of the name of Hindes; I returned home about eleven at night, and went up stairs, and missed some of my things. I had seen 12l. of the Bank-notes, a 10l. and a 2l. the night before; they were kept in a club-box, it was the property of the club, but my husband had given security for it, I lost some more money out of a desk in my bed-room, which was not locked; I had seen them the day before; when I came home the prisoner was gone. I saw her again the Saturday after, at Maidenhead.

Q. Did you say it would be better for her to confess?

A. I did; she gave me 13l. 2s. in cash, and a 1l. Bank-note; I do not know whether it was the same note that I lost; she had not received her wages, except about 12s.

– JONES sworn. I am a constable; I had these things of the prisoner’s mother, in her presence, (produces them). Mrs. Butler has had them since.

Mrs. Butler. These things are all my property; this gown was made by a friend of mine, it has never been washed; and here is an apron and petticoat of my own mending. I have no doubt that they are all mine.

JOHN DIXON sworn. I am an officer of Bow-street; after the prisoner was brought back, these things were found sewed to her under-petticoat. (Produces two muslin petticoats, a muslin apron, and several other things.)

Prisoner’s defence. My mistress promised to forgive me if I gave up the things.

GUILTY Death . (Aged 21.)

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

587. WILLIAM MORRIS , WILLIAM MANSELL , and WILLIAM RANTON , were indicted for breaking and entering the dwelling-house of John Davies , about the hour of four in the night of the 5th of October , with intent the goods of the said John, in the said dwelling-house then being, feloniously to steal .

JOHN DAVIES sworn. – I am a bedstead-maker in Portpool-lane , On the 5th of this month I heard the latch at the private door, and I immediately got up, and, in my shirt, opened the other door; I saw two men run out of my passage; I ran across the way and seized one of them by the breast, that was Morris; says I, you have broke my house open; he said he was a coachman; I said, if you are the devil I will have you; I turned round, and saw another man run out of the passage; I ran after him, crying stop thief; the watchman stopped him, he wrested himself from the watchman, and went up a gateway which I knew was not a thoroughfare: I desired him to spring a rattle, which he did, another watchman came, and then the patrole and watchman came up, and we took him in a hay-lost in the stable, that was Ranton; I gave charge of him, and went home to see the loss I had sustained: I found four pigs dead, with their brains beat out; and I verily believe that the third man stands in your presence, but as I did not see his face, I cannot be so positive as to swear.

Q. Had the latch been broke? – A. Yes, it was forced open; I am positive it was fast when I went to bed.

Q. Where were your pigs? – A. In the passage.

Q. Is there any body here that can speak to Mansell? – A. No.

Q. When did you take Morris up? – A. Soon after; when I came home I was sent for to give charge of Morris; I never lost fight of Ranton till he got to the corner of the stable-yard; it was quite moon-light.

JONATHAN KIRBY sworn. – I am a patrole; I was at the taking of Ranton; I found him in a hay-lost, lying upon two trusses of hay; I told him he was the man that had done the robbery, and he said he was asleep there; Davies immediately charged him as being one of the men.

Ranton’s defence. I am innocent of the fact; I was standing at the corner of my own yard when the watchman came up to me, and I went to lay down to sleep in my father’s hay-lost.

Morris’s defence. I got up half an hour sooner than I thought it was, and going along, Davis came out and said his house was robbed, but he never laid hold of me at all, but away he went, and away I went and had some purl in the lane.

Ranton called two witnesses, and Morris one who gave them a good character.

Morris, GUILTY Death . (Aged 25.) Mansell, NOT GUILTY .

Ranton, GUILTY Death . (Aged 20.) Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

588. WILLIAM COPE was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 13th of September , twenty-four iron tinned handles for saucepans, value 10s. the property of Richard Jones , William Taylor , and William Maizeaux .

(The case was opened by Mr. Knapp.)

ABRAHAM WRIGHT sworn. – I am clerk to Messrs. Richard Jones , William Taylor, and Peter Maizeaux. On the 13th of September the prisoner was going from the factory to dinner, Mr. Jones desired me to stop him; he them went into the room where he had been at work; I took him to Mr. Jones, and there was a dozen saucepan-handles in his bosom, and another dozen in his right-hand pocket; he did not say any thing: a constable was sent for, and the things delivered up, and he was committed.

Mr. Taylor proved the partnership.

Joseph Hawker sworn. – I am servant to the prosecutors; I made these handles for the prosecutors; when I was at the Brown Bear, Bow-street, he was there; says he, I did not know whether they were tin or pewter; he said he took them for the support of his family.

(The constable produced the property, which was deposed to by Hawker.) Prisoner’s defence. It was distress that made me take them.

(To Mr. Taylor.) Q. What did he earn? – A. He could earn at least 25s. a week, if he had been diligent, which he was not: he had been with us about four months.

The prisoner called four witnesses, who gave him a good character. GUILTY (Aged 37.) Confined one year in the House of Correction , and fined 1s.

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

589. ANN SANMERT was indicted for feloniously stealing, in the dwelling-house of Thomas Cowderoy , on the 19th of October , a canvas bag, value 2d. eight guineas, a half-guinea, two half-crowns, twenty-four sixpences, two silver groats, a dollar, a French half-crown, thirteen shillings, a Bank-note, value 1l. and another Bank-note, value 1l. the property of the said Thomas.

THOMAS COWDEROY sworn. – I am a grocer , in Broadway, Westminster . On Thursday last, atnear eight o’clock in the morning, the prisoner came in for some tea and sugar; I had just been settling my money, and put it in the window on the ledge; I gave her change for a shilling, and she went away; I went into the back-room, I had not been there half a minute when I turned round and saw the prisoner going out again; I thought she had left something upon the counter, and I took no notice of that, and about ten minutes after I missed the purse: I had seen her many times before, she had asked me if I wanted any waistcoats made, that she worked for Mr. Hill, a pawnbroker; I went there and got her address, the constable was then in the street, and I took him with me, she was not at home, we waited about a quarter of an hour, when she came in, and I gave charge of her; she was searched in my back parlour, and in between her things the constable found the money; he cut the string and it fell from her, there was 2l. 5s. in silver, including a French half-crown, and two bad shillings; and eight guineas and a half in gold, and two Bank-notes.(William Messenger, the constable, produced the property.)

Cowderoy. I can swear to the Bank-notes, and two four-penny pieces that I had had a long time by me.

Prisoner’s defence. Two doors before I came to the prosecutor’s house, I saw a dog with something in his mouth, I heard it chink, and I took it from him.

GUILTY Death . (Aged 57.)

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM .

590. SARAH JOHNSON was indicted, for feloniously stealing, on the 19th of October , a linen shirt, value 6s. a linen shift, value 2s. a check linen apron, value 10d. a black silk bonnet, value 3s. and a scarlet cloth cloak, value 6d. the property of Philip Baldwin .

ELIZABETH BALDWIN sworn. – I am the wife of Philip Baldwin. Last Thursday I lost the things named in the indictment; I left them in the house for a quarter of an hour, and when I came back again, the prisoner was gone with the property.

SARAH WORLIDGE sworn. – I saw the prisoner go out with the things about three o’clock, and I followed her across the fields; I desired her to stop and throw the things down, she said she had nothing, and I followed her till she did throw them down.(The constable produced the property, which was deposed to by the prosecutor.)

Prisoner’s defence. I did it from necessity and want.

GUILTY (Aged 14.)

Transported for seven years .

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM .

591. THOMAS MOSELY was indicted, for feloniously stealing, on the 4th of October , a toilinet waistcoat, value 2s. a linen shirt, value 1s. and a pair of velveteen breeches, value 2s. the property of James Woods .

JAMES WOODS sworn. – I am a labouring man ; I lodge at the Old Crown, Highgate-hill ; the prisoner lodged in the same room; I saw my property the day before I lost them, hanging up in the room; after the things were gone he did not come back to his lodgings. This was on the Tuesday; I saw him on the Friday after, and apprehended him; he had my cloaths upon him.

JOHN MANN sworn. – I am a constable; the prosecutor sent for me, and I apprehended the prisoner with the things upon him. (Produces them; they were deposed to by the prosecutor).

Prisoner’s defence. I took the liberty of putting them on while I got my own mended.

GUILTY (Aged 26.)

Confined six months in the House of Correction , and fined 1s.

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

592. PATRICK MURDOCH was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 21st of October , a guinea and a half , the property of John Mulry .

JOHN MULRY sworn. – Last Sunday night I lost a guinea and a half; I went to bed about ten o’clock at night, I put it into a piece of paper in my waistcoat pocket, to give to my mistress; the prisoner slept with me that night, and when I went to give it to my mistress I missed it, and I got a constable, and when he was going to be searched I saw him let it drop.(The constable produced the money.)

Mulry. I knew the paper that it was wrapped up in; he said he only took it out of a joke.

Prisoner’s defence. There were three of us in the bed; I picked up a piece of paper, I did not know what was in it.

GUILTY (Aged 36.)

Confined six months in the House of Correction , and fined 1s.

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM .

593. SARAH TURNER was indicted, for feloniously stealing, on the 12th of October , three linen shifts, value 3s. the property of Francis Hack .

DIANA HACK sworn. – I am the wife of Francis Hack; the property was hanging in the yard between five and six o’clock; I saw the prisoner come into the yard, and take them off the line; upon her seeing my husband come to the door, she threw them down, and he apprehended her.

WILLIAM KNIGHT sworn. – I am a headborough; I was sent for to take charge of the prisoner. (Produces the property.)

The prisoner did not say any thing in her defence.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

594. PETER MALONE was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 7th of September , three quarters of a pound of Spanish wool, value 2s. 6d. the property of Thomas Knight and Joseph Bickham .

Second Count. Laying it to be the property of Henry Salter and Henry Cooper .

WILLIAM GREEN sworn. – I am a constable belonging to the Custom-house: On Wednesday the 27th of September last, between four and five o’clock in the afternoon, I saw the prisoner at the bar looking some Spanish wool out of a lighter at Galley quay ; I saw some Spanish wool in his hand; I was called away, and when I returned back, the lighter was worked out; I stopped him and found three quarters of a pound secreted partly in his hat, and partly under his apron. (produces it): I shewed the property to Mr. Knight, and he ordered me to take him to the Compter.

Prisoner. Q. Did you ever find me pilfering or skulking about?

Green. If I must speak, I must say that he has been very guilty of pilfering on the quays.

Court. Q.Whose lighter was it? – A. Henry Salter and Henry Cooper ‘s; Mr. Knight and Mr. Bickham are Clothworkers Porters unshipping merchants’ property.

THOMAS KNIGHT sworn. – I am a Cloth-workers’ Porter, Joseph Bickham is my partner; we are Tackle Porters, and are jointly liable for any loss that may be sustained. I employed the prisoner to do part of the business; I observed there was something in his hat, I suspected he had got something there; I saw Green take the wool from him, partly out of his breeches, and partly out of his hat; it is the same kind of Spanish wool that we were at work upon.

Prisoner’s defence. This wool laid a little bit here, and a little bit there, I meant to bring it to the scale as I did the night before, when Mr. Green was there, and before I could get to the scale, he took hold of me, and dragged me to the Compter.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the London Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.

595. ROBERT SPARKES was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 23d of October , six pounds of raw sugar, value 3s. the property of William Hould , Samuel Pinchin , Thomas Kilby , Samuel Drake , William Davis , John Jefferies , Robert Wright , and Robert Hobbins .

WILLIAM HOULD sworn. – I am a gangsman, a ticket-porter ; the persons named in the indictment are my partners; we are jointly responsible for the goods under our care: On Tuesday the 3d of October last, about four in the afternoon, I detected the prisoner coming out of Chesler’s quay with some raw sugar; I detected him, and carried him back to the warehouse door; there might be five or six pounds, I cannot say; he had some in his apron, and some in his hat; he was not employed by me, nor there was not any body at work at that time in that warehouse; the only excuse he made to me was, that he was in liquor, but he did not appear to me so; there was a hogshead standing at the loop-hole, that had the head broke in, and it corresponded with that which he had about him.

WILLIAM WELLS sworn. – I am a constable upon the quays; I was sent for to take charge of the prisoner. (Produces the sugar.)

Prisoner’s defence. I had no property about me.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the London Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.

596. JOHN BROWN was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 8th of October , a piece of coral, mounted with silver, value 5s. the property of Henry Davis .

HENRY DAVIS sworn. – I keep a coal-shed ; I know nothing of the affair.

ELIZABETH GFARING sworn. – I am servant to Henry Davis : I was walking out in the evening with my mistress’s two children and a neighbour’s child, in St. Martin’s-lane; three young men followed me through Ducke’s Court, one, which was the prisoner, keep close to me, and when I got into Castle-street, the two behind whistled, and I saw no more of them till I got to Green-street , and there I saw the prisoner again; he told me I should lose the child’s hat; I said, no, I should not, for it was fastened on; he told me, that house, where there was a light, was duke somebody’s house, I turned my head, and he ran away with the coral in his hand, the string was cut or broke; I cried out, and hewas brought back to me directly; the coral was afterwards found.

Cross-examined by Mr. Knapp. Q.How old are you? – A.Seventeen.

Q.What age are the children? – A. One six months, and the other four years and a half old.

Q. Did your mistress know that you were out at that time of night with so young a child? – A. I do not know.

Q. Were you ever out so late with them before? – A. No.

Q. Had you ever seen the prisoner before? – A.No.

Q. Where did you live before you came to Mrs. Davis? – A.With Mrs. Chilton.

Q. Did you walk out in Leicester-fields, while you lived with her? – A. No.

Q. You had never been addressed before by young men? – A. Yes; when I have been going of an errand.

Q. Then it was not very extraordinary you should be addressed by young men now; it was night, was not it? – A. It was a beautiful moonlight night.

Q. Did he attempt to kiss the child? – A. No.

Q. He did not attempt to be rude to you? – A. No.

Q. He did not attempt to salute you? – A. No, nor never attempted to touch me.

Q. You do not know where the coral was found? – A. No.

Q. A great many young men in the street at the time? – A. Yes.

Q. And other ladies besides yourself walking the streets? – A.There might.

CHARLES MERRY sworn. – I am clerk to the secretary of the Imperial Ambassador: I was passing through Leicester-fields, in company with a friend, I heard a cry of stop thief, and the screams of a woman, which alarmed me, and I immediately run to the spot; I observed the prisoner running very swist, and I went up to him; he was brought back to this girl, and she charged him with snatching the coral; he said, my dear, what do you want with me, I have nothing of your’s; I understood the coral was thrown over the rails; I was present when it was picked up upon the grass-plat.

Cross-examined by Mr. Knapp. Q. The prisoner said, my dear, in that familiar sort of way? – A. Yes.

THOMAS WILMOT sworn. – I was in company with the last witness; I found the coral inside of the railing of Leicester-fields.

GEORGE ALLEN sworn. – I took charge of the prisoner. (Produces the coral).

Prosecutor. It cost me twelve shillings about twelve years ago; it is mine.

GUILTY (Aged 18.)

Transported for seven years .

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

597. JOHN MILLS was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 21st of September , a boiling copper, value 5s. the property of William Heaford , fixed to a certain dwelling of his .

Second Count. For feloniously stealing seventy pounds weight of lead, value 5s. the property of the same person, and fixed to a certain building of his.

WILLIAM HEAFORD sworn. – I am a publican , I keep the Bell in Ratcliff highway : Between Thursday the 21st, and Friday the 22d of September, my premisses were broke, and my copper gone, and the lead. I went to the Shadwell office, and got a warrant to search the house of John Myatt , in Gravel-lane, and there I found the lead and the copper; we fitted it to the place, and it fitted exactly; we took up Myatt the next day, and he proved the buying it of John Mills, accordingly Mills was taken up, and he denied the fact.

Mr. Alley. Q. Was this copper ever put up? – A. The copper has been fixed; it was cut up when I saw it.

MARY BUCKLAND sworn. – I am servant to Mr. Heaford; I hit the copper at the bottom with a shovel, and bruised it very much; we lost it between Thursday and Friday, and in the lead there was a nail-hole that corresponded, and white-wash about it; I am sure it is the same copper.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. Any body might have given a violent blow to any other copper, and it would have had the same effect? – A. Yes.

Q. And you mean to take upon yourself to say, that when you saw it cut to pieces, you could swear to that copper? – A. The bottom was not cut at all; I am positively sure it is the same.

Court. Q. Did it correspond with the brickwork? – A. Yes, it did.

EDWARD ROGERS sworn. – I am a Police officer: On Friday the 22d of September, I received information that the house of Mr. Heaford had been robbed; I went with a search-warrant to the house of Myatt, where we found a copper and some pieces of lead; we fitted it to the brick-work, and it corresponded.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. Would you, as an honest man, undertake to swear to a copper after it had been cut up in that way? – A. No; I certainly could not.

GEORGE BAILEY sworn. – I am servant to Mr. Myatt: On the 22d of September last, the prisoner came to me, and told me he had some old lead and an old copper, if I had a mind to bring the cart for it; he went away, and between seven and eight o’clock in the morning, my master ordered me to go to Mr. Mills’s for some old stuff; accordingly I did, it was close by; Mr. Mills told me the lead was in the scale, and I went and got it, and he put down the weight, and told me I might put it to the door for sale if I liked, for there was no fear of it, and I took it away in the cart, the copper and the lead; I found the upper part was not good, and I cut it away from the bottom part of it; the officers took it away from my master’s that same day.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. The copper was not cut up till it came to Mr. Myatt’s? – A. No; it was bent double.

Q. Do you mean to say that the bottom, which is most used, was less worn than the top? – A. The bottom is never so much burnt as the side.

Q. Was not Myatt taken up for this himself? – A. Yes.

Q. And you cut it up at Myatt’s house? – A. Yes.

Q.That poor man told it to you whole and without any concealment? – A. Yes.

Q. And what did you give him for it? – A.Eight-pence halfpenny for the copper, and one-penny farthing for the lead.

Q. That is a fair price, and not such a price as persons that have stolen things would sell them at? – A. I never bought stolen goods.

Q. Was Myatt never charged with any thing of this sort before? – A. Not since I have been servant to him.

Q. Do you remember any thing about three hundred weight of copper? – A. I never heard of it to my knowledge.

Q. How long have you lived with him? – A. Six months.

WILLIAM HALL sworn. – I am a smith, servant to Mr. Myatt: On Friday the 22d of September, I saw Mills in my master’s shop, that is all I know.

JOHN MYATT sworn. – I live in Old Gravel-lane, I am a dealer in old iron; the prisoner lives in New Gravel-lane: On Friday the 22d of September, he came to me and told me he had got some goods for me, and while I was at breakfast I sent Bailey for them; I paid him nine-pence a pound, or thereabouts for the copper, and something short of one-penny halfpenny for the lead; Mr. Rogers came the same day, and took them away.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. The lead you never saw at all; do you usually buy lead without ever having seen it? – A. Yes; it is a very common thing.

Q. What, to buy what you never saw? – A. My servant saw it.

Q. You gave three-pence a pound? – A. Or thereabouts.

Q. How long ago is this? – A. The 22d of last month, I believe it was eight-pence halfpenny that we agreed for.

Q. What are you? – A. I deal in iron.

Q. Do you keep a coal-yard? – A. No.

Q. You keep an honest old iron shop? – A. Yes, and rags.

Q. Has it happened now unluckily to you, some little time ago, that there was an information against you? – A. It did happen so.

Q. That was something about a similar job with this? – A. No.

Q. You got through that, did you? – A. Yes.

Q.And you will get through this, if you can six it upon the prisoner, and save yourself? – A. If I had not had it from him.

Q. I believe that little accident that happened to you before was about three or four hundred weight of copper? – A. No such thing.

Q. What was that about? – A. Mr. Rogers can tell you very well; he took some iron from me, and I had it all back again, because I proved that I had it fairly.

For the Prisoner.

MARTHA HARVEY sworn. – I am a washerwoman and chair-woman; the prisoner’s wife keeps a broker’s shop, he is employed at the waterside; I was at his house on Friday the 22d of September, between seven and eight in the morning, and about eight o’clock, a man came with a copper and some lead in it; Mrs. Mills asked how he came by it, he said, he was a housekeeper, lived in Wapping, and sold it for distress; Mrs. Mills agreed to give him eight-pence a pound for the copper, and five farthings for the lead; I went backwards into the shed, and I saw no more of it, Mr. Mills was then at the water-side.

The prisoner called three other witnesses, who gave him a good character.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.

598. WILLIAM BRAMBLE was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 14th of October , a woollen blanket, value 7s. and a woollen bed quilt, value 20s. the property of Thomas Norris , the elder.

THOMAS NORRIS, jun: sworn. – My father keeps a carpet and upholstery warehouse ; I was in the accompting-house on Saturday the 14th of October, about five o’clock in the afternoon; I saw the prisoner run out with a quilt and a blanketfrom the shop window; I went to the door, he ran up Holborn, and I followed him into Redlion-square, where I saw him within the rails, and the property upon him, I brought him back.( Henry Ford , the constable, produced the property, which was deposed to by Mr. Norris.)

Prisoner’s defence. A man offered me a shilling to carry them to Gower-street, Bedford-square.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

599. ELEANOR CARTER was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 27th of September , two yards of silk ribbon, value 3d. a linen pocket, value 4d. half a yard of cotton, value 6d. seven yards of silk lace, value 12d. a yard of serret, value 1d. a half-bound small printed book, entitled, “The History of Auld Robin Gray, with the Adventures of Jamie and Sandy, a Scotch Tale,” value 2d. another printed bound book, called a Prayer-book, value 6d. a canvas bag, value 1d. and a piece of foreign silver coin, value 6d. the property of John Curtis .(The case was opened by Mr. Knapp.)

JOHN CURTIS sworn. – I am a tobacconist , in Grice’s-alley, Wellclose-square : The prisoner lived servant with me nine months; she had eloped for a week, and in the course of my enquiries after her, I learned that she was in a miserable situation, dreadfully diseased; I got her into the work-house, and my own doctor attended her; she sent for some clothes out of the box, when the things were discovered.

Mrs. CURTIS sworn. – I found in her box an old pocket, a piece of cotton, a prayer-book, and the other things named in the indictment.

-HOBART sworn. – I am an officer, the box was opened in my presence, she herself said it was her box; these things were found in it, (produces them). They were deposed to by Mrs. Curtis.

Habart. The prisoner said she was very sorry for it, she said, she had taken a great deal of tobacco, and given it away.

GUILTY (Aged 25.)

Transported for seven years .

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

600. JAMES LANDRITH , otherwise JAMES GALLOWAY , was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 29th of September , two dollars , the property of James Galloway .

ISABELLA GALLOWAY sworn. – I am the wife of James Galloway: On the 28th of September, the prisoner came to our house, and pretended that he was an uncle of Mr. Galloway’s; he said, he had made a very handsome fortune abroad, he had got a ship loaded with bale goods, and he wanted to do something very handsome for his friends; he said, Mr. Galloway was his nephew, and had a right to a share of it; he drank his tea, and part of three bottles of wine; I lit him up to bed, and locked him in, and put the key in my pocket; he wanted to see what fort of a bed I had got to lie on, for he was sure it was very mean; in the morning he wanted to borrow a guinea of me, I would not lend him a guinea; some time after, somebody wanted change for two dollars, he snatched the two dollars out of my hand, and refused to give them me again; he went into the bar and took a bottle of brandy; I sent to Bow-street for a constable, the constable took him into the parlour, and searched him, and found the dollars on him.

HENRY CROCKER sworn. – I searched him, and found two dollars in his right-hand pocket. (Produces them.)

Mrs. Galloway. I cannot swear to the dollars; I did not mark them, but he was not out of the place.

Q. What did he say, when you charged him with having taken them? – A. He said, he would not give them me, when he did, he would give them me with a very handsome present; the next time I asked him, he said, he would see me d-d first.

Q. Did you believe at that time, that he would make you a present? – A. No; I told him, I was sure he was an impostor.

Prisoner’s defence. I was very-much in liquor; I don’t know any thing of it, my brother was just come home from the West-Indies, and I was so overjoyed at seeing him again, that I did not know what I did.

Prosecutrix. He was a little in liquor, but not insensible of what was passing.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

601. MARY ANN MOREY was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 7th of October , a cotton frock, value 9s. and a stuff skirt, value 2s. the property of John Thomas .

JAMES DYSON sworn. – I am a sine-drawer: Last Tuesday was a week, coming through Spital-square , I saw the prisoner sitting upon a step, and stripping the child; I seized her, and asked her whose child it was, she said, it was her brother’s, and she was taking the clothes off to put them on in a more comfortable manner.

SARAH CASTLE sworn. – I live in Spital-square, I saw the prisoner take off the child’s pinnafore, and its frock; I asked her why she did that, andthan she doubled up the petticoat, and put it on over the frock; I stopped her till the last witness took hold of her.

Dyson. I took the child home; the child told me its name, the Bellman was crying it on London-bridge, she said she had it the other side of the square.

JOHN THOMAS sworn. – I live in Harrod-street, near the Mint, about a mile and a half from Spital-square, the child was missing between four and five in the afternoon.

Prisoner’s defence. I was coming through the Borough, and saw the child crying; I asked it where its mammy was, and it pointed strait on, I led it over London-bridge, till I got to Spital-square, and I put the petticoats round its shoulders to keep it warm.

GUILTY (Aged 19).

Transported for seven years .

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

602. THOMAS PRYER was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 6th of October , three ounces of silver turnings, value 14s. the property of Thomas Gooch .

THOMAS GOOCH sworn. – I am a watch-case maker ; I have lost a vast quantity of turnings within these three months: the prisoner worked for me, with six other men; he was about some work which produced a large quantity of turnings. I sent to Hatton-garden for an officer, we went up to his apartments, where none of the other men that work in the shop can go, and in searching his box, we found, inside a pair of breeches, some silver turnings; and when he was taken to Hatton-garden he said he had never taken any before; he had lived with me about three years; knowing him to have bad parents, I took him in out of charity, he lived with me two years as an errand-boy, and in consequence of his good behaviour, I took him apprentice.

WILLIAM TINK sworn. – On the 6th of this month, when I went to work, I missed a quantity of turnings from my lathe, I told Mr. Gooch of it and he searched the prisoner’s box.

GEORGE LONGDEN sworn. – I searched the prisoner’s box; I found these turnings in a pair of breeches, wrapped up in a glove. (Produces them.)

Gooch. These are the sort of turnings that are produced in our work.

Prisoner’s defence. My box was always open; I don’t know how they came there.

GUILTY (Aged 16).

Transported for seven years .

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

603. MARK PEDDEL was indicted, for feloniously stealing, on the 26th of September , sixty-three pounds of bacon, value 39s. the property of Thomas Marshall .

THOMAS MARSHALL sworn. – I am a cheese-monger in Spital-fields . On the 26th of September, about eight o’clock at night, I saw the prisoner passing backwards and forwards in the street; the bacon hung at the door, and I and another laid wait for him; he came to it several times, and at last he took it off the hook and went away with it; I stopped him, and gave charge of him.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. This was at night, and dark? – A. Yes.

Q.Do you mean to swear that that is the man that took the bacon? – A. Yes, that is the man.

Q.What coloured coat had he on? – A. A whitish coat on.

Q. Did you never say it was a man in a blue coat? – A. No; there was a man in a blue coat with him.

Q. You might have prevented the these if you pleased, by taking in the bacon? – A. Yes.

JOHN GREEN sworn. – I saw the prisoner take the bacon off the hook, and go away with it.

Prisoner’s defence. I am entirely innocent of the fact.

JOHN BREWER sworn. – I heard the prosecutor say it was a man in a blue coat; and I heard him say he would not swear to any one.

The prisoner called three other witnesses who gave him a good character.

GUILTY (Aged 27.)

Confined six months in the House of Correction , and fined 1s.

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

604. RICHARD DODD was indicted, for feloniously stealing, on the 6th of October , fifty pounds weight of hair-powder, value 15s. the property of John Atkins and Abraham Atkins .

GEORGE DENT sworn. – I am clerk to John and Abraham Atkins . On the 6th of October, Mr. Saxton and the officer called upon me, in consequence of which we went on board the ship Sarah, and upon examination found 12lb. deficient in one box, and in another 38lb.; it was marked and labelled in the same manner as that which was found upon the prisoner. I saw it at the office afterwards.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. How many pounds of powder were found? – A.Ten pounds.

Q. You don’t mean to swear that that is the powder you lost? – A. No.

Q.And it was four or five days after you had shipped it, before you missed it? – A. Yes.

JOHN M’CARTY sworn. – The prisoner was at work for me, on board the ship, all that day, the 5th of October.

JOHN PEACOCK sworn. – I put twenty boxes of powder on board the ship Sarah.

EDWARD ROGERS sworn. – On the 5th of October, going up East Smithfield I met the prisoner, he crossed the way, and I followed him and took the powder from him.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. This was at noon-day? – A. Yes.

Q. It was not at all concealed? – A. No.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM .

605. HANNAH HUNTER was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 25th of September , a pint pewter pot, value 10d. and a half-pint pot, value 5d. the property of Jacob Fifer .

JACOB FIFER sworn. – I am a publican in Leman-street, Goodman’s-fields . On the 25th of September, in the afternoon, I saw the prisoner go out of my house, I missed a pint and a half-pint pot about half an hour after she was gone.

THOMAS GRIFFITHS sworn. – (Produces the pots). I searched the prisoner at the office; she was brought there by a Mr. Timms; I found these two pots upon her; she said she took them to raise a little money to pay her rent.(They were deposed to by the prosecutor).

Prisoner’s defence. I was rather in liquor, and a boy gave me these pots.

GUILTY (Aged 41.)

Confined one year in the House of Correction , and fined 1s.

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

606. WILLIAM BENNETT was indicted for that he, on the 23d of September , six pieces of false and counterfeit milled money, made to the likeness of a sixpence, and two other pieces of counterfeit milled money, made to the likeness of a shilling, the same not being cut in pieces, did put off to one Israel Mulberry, at a lower rate and value than the same, by their denomination, did import, that is to say, for two shillings, in monies numbered .(The indictment was opened by Mr. Ward, and the case by Mr. Knapp).

ISRAEL MULBERRY sworn. – Examined by Mr. Ward. By the desire of Mr. Colquhoun, I went to the house of the prisoner in Bridge water-gardens on the 23d of September, between six and seven in the morning, with another woman, whose name I do not know; we knocked at the door, and the prisoner let us in, he was in his shirt; he went in and put his coat and waistcoat on, the woman that was with me told him she wanted a shilling’s-worth, and he brought out some bad money in a paper; then he asked me how much I wanted, I told him two shilling’s-worth; he then gave me six sixpences and two shillings. He asked the other woman that was with me, whether she had got any blacking; she said, no: the prisoner then gave her a bit of blacking, and she gave it to me in the presence of the prisoner: there was one sixpence that I objected to, it looked very yellow, he changed it and gave me another. On the Tuesday following I went again, with the same woman, and the officers, Armstrong, Ray, Ferris, and Peach; we knocked at the door, and the prisoner said he should not be ready for two hours; the officers did not go within sight of the door; I went to the officers and told them, and they went into the house and took them into custody. Armstrong has got the money and the blacking that I had of the prisoner; I gave them to him that same day, in the presence of Mr. Colquhoun.

JOHN ARMSTRONG sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knapp. I am an officer belonging to the Police office, in Worship street, in consequence of information, I went, on Tuesday the 26th of September in the morning, to the prisoner’s house in Bridgewater-gardens, in company with Clark, one of the Marshalmen, and the other officers; with a warrant from my Lord Mayor; they refused to let us in, we pushed very hard at the door, and the bolts or something gave way, and we went in; I saw the prisoner in bed, we took the prisoner in custody, and proceeded to search the house. This money I had of the last witness, on the 23d of September, and this blacking, (producing them).

Q. Is that good money or bad? – A. It is counterfeit; there are six sixpences and two shillings.

Q. Of what particular use is blacking in the process of coining? – A.This blacking is used upon the money, to take the white off, to make it appear as if it had been in circulation.

JOHN CLARK sworn. – I am one of the City-Marshalmen: I was in company with Armstrong and the other officers, at the house of the prisoner; Armstrong and myself searched the house, it is in a court, just by Brackley-street, Bridgwater-gardens, a place called the Wooden-world; there was a man and his wife in bed; the woman made a terrible piece of work; I held the man, and we searched the house, and on the mantle-piece, we found two bad sixpences; I searched his pockets, and in his breeches-pockets, I found two that I cannot tell whether they are good or bad, and two shillings, one of which is a bad one; I found this pot with some blacking in it.

Court. Q. Is that common blacking for shoes, or blacking for any particular purpose? – A. I cannot say.

Q.(To Armstrong). Is that the sort of blacking that is used for blacking shoes? – A. It is the sort of blacking used by coiners.

JOHN RAY sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knapp. I am an officer belonging to Worship-street; I went with Armstrong, and found the prisoner and his wife in bed; I secured the man and handcuffed him in consequence of his making resistance; I found in his wife’s pocket five sixpences all counterfeit.

Armstrong. I believe these to be all counterfeit.

Prisoner’s defence. My wife kept a green-grocer’s shop, and these five sixpences, that these gentlemen swore before the Lord-Mayor, they found upon the mantle-piece, she had taken in the shop; and this woman that has swore against me, I never saw before in my days.

The prisoner called four witnesses, who gave him a good character.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the second London Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.

607. SAMUEL RUSSELL was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 3d of October , nineteen pounds weight of cheese, value 8s. the property of Thomas Clarke .

RICHARD PARR sworn. – I am servant to Thomas Clarke , a waggoner : I was coming along the road with my waggon; near Maidenhead-Thicket, I took up a hamper for the prisoner, he brought it himself; he went along with me as far as Colnbrook; I was going to stop all day, and he said, he wanted to go forward; and he would get into the waggon, and change his clothes, and he desired me to go in and get sixpennyworth of gin and water; I went in and left him in the waggon; it was twenty minutes before he came to me; when he came in, he paid for the gin and water, and went on with a sack; I saw him come out of the waggon, with a sack on his back; I had sixty-one cheeses to leave at Oxbridge.

Q.Where was the waggon at the time he left you? – A. At Colnbrook; I missed it about half an hour afterwards; I got upon my horse, and the landlord and I went after him; we overtook him at the Magpie, Hounslow-heath; I asked him if he had got the cheese, and he made me no answer; I put my hand to the sack, and pulled out the cheese, and I swore to it; it had the mark of a B upon it, and had been squeezed, which I observed before I put it into the waggon; I sent for a constable, and he offered me a guinea and a watch to let him go; I delivered the cheese to the constable.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. The prisoner is an old acquaintance of your’s? – A. Yes; I used to carry money to his daughter.

Q. I believe you took it in your head to be entertained with a boxing-match on the road? – A. No.

Q. Do you mean to swear that you did not desire him to drive your waggon on for six or seven miles, while you went to look at a boxing-match? – A. No.

Q.It was his own sack that he took out of the waggon? – A. No.

Q.Was it your’s? – A. No.

Q. Did you not see the sack opened, and found it filled with his clothes, and a quantity of shoes and boots, and apples? – A.There was a coat and waistcoat of his in the sack, and some apples.

Q. Did not the prisoner say to you, if you had lost a cheese, the man, who was in the waggon. might have put it into the sack? – A. No; he did not.

Q. Did not two men ride in the waggon to town? – A. No.

Q. Do you mean to swear, that during the time you were driving the waggon, there was no man in the waggon? – A. Yes.

Q. And you mean to say that you never left the waggon? – A. Yes.

Q. At the time you supposed you had lost the cheese, did you count them? – A. No; I did not then, only from the appearance of the waggon, I knew there was one gone.

Q. Was there not a person who ran away from the public-house the moment the charge was made? – A. No; there was not.

THOMAS LEDIARD sworn. – I keep the Golden Cross, at Colnbrook; the first that I saw was the waggoner drinking some gin and water; the prisoner came in soon after, and drank with him; about half an hour after that, he missed the cheese; and we took a horse a piece, and overtook him at a public-house at Hounslow; I saw the cheese taken out of the sack, and delivered to the constable.

Mr. Alley. Q. Did you not see a man run away from that public-house? – A. No.( James Cooper , the constable, produced the cheese).

Parr. This is the same cheese.

Prisoner’s defence. I drove his waggon to Maidenhead; he stopped and had his breakfast; and afterwards he stopped to look at a fight; he never overtook me till I got to Colnbrook; how the cheese came into the sack, I do not know.

The prisoner called seven witnesses, who gave him a good character. GUILTY (Aged 36).

Transported for seven years .

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.

608. WILLIAM ALMOND and THOMAS POTTER were indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 22d of September , five hundred pounds weight of lead, value 10l. the property of James Constable , fixed to a certain building of his .

Second Count. Laying it to be the property of Jane Price .

Third Count. Laying it to be the property of the Mayor, and Commonalty, and Citizens of the City of London . And,

Three other Counts. For feloniously cutting the same lead, with intent to steal the same.(The case was opened by Mr. Knowlys.)

CHARLES WEBB sworn. – Examined by Mr. Vaillant. Q. Did you, in consequence of any information you received on the 22d of September, go to any premisses in Butcher-row ? – A. Yes; the first house, to the bar of those which are now standing, I do not know the number of the house; I went upon suspicion that there was somebody upon the house getting the lead; a person of the name of Smith was with me; I heard a rattling among the tiles, upon the top of the house, and searched every room as we went up; we went up to the top of the house; as we were getting out, I saw some lead tied up, about four or five hundred weight of pieces cut, it had the appearance of being cut with a knife; we went down stairs through the next house, and when we had got to the bottom room, we found the two prisoners concealed in a closet; they begged us not to hurt them, and we took them to the watch-house; we found two knives lying in the place where the lead was cut up; the door of that house stood upon the jar; the door of the other house they could not get out at, because it was boarded up; I had been at work there; I quitted the house at six o’clock, there was a fence round the two houses, I found the door of the fence open; what lead was not cut up was marked across, as if it was ready to cut up (produces the two knives and a piece of the lead;) the cutting appeared very bright.

Cross-examined by Mr. Knapp. Q. What are you? – A. A bricklayer.

Q. Of course the whole house is to come down, is it not? – A. Yes.

Q. Who had the care of the house? – A. Joseph Stevens.

Q. How did you get into the house, when you went to work? – A. We had no business in that house.

JOSEPH STEVENS sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knowlys. I left this house safe at six o’clock in the evening; I am employed, under the City of London, to take care of it.

Cross-examined by Mr. Knapp. Q. The keys are left at the Surveyor’s office? – A. Yes.

Q.And any body going to the Surveyor’s office, having an authority from the City of London, might go in there? – A. Yes.

Q.Who went in after six o’clock at night, you do not know? – A. Nobody has the key but the Surveyor.

WILLIAM MONTAGUE sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knowlys. I am in the Surveyor’s office of the City of London; I know this house in Butcher-row, the City of London have agreed for it with Mr. Constable; I have never taken any care of the keys, because the house was to be pulled down.

Q. Was the house surrounded with a horde? – A. Behind it was, but not in front.

Cross-examined by Mr. Knapp. Q. As to the keys you took no trouble at all about them? – A. Certainly not.

Q. They hang up in the office, do they not? – A. No; they are put in drawers, and not locked up; Mr. Constable not having been paid, I do not think we ever received them.

Q. Is Mr. Constable here? – A. Not that I know of.

Q. For ought you know, there might be no keys to the house, or in whose custody they were, if there were any, you do not know? – A. No, I do not.

The prisoners left their defence to their Counsel.

The prisoner Potter called three witnesses, who gave him a good character.

Almond, GUILTY (Aged 17.)

Potter, GUILTY (Aged 22.)

Confined two years in the House of Correction , and fined 1s.

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

609. EDWARD CLARKE was indicted for feloniously stealing, privately from the person of George Watson , on the 26th of September , a pocket-book, value 2s. and a Bank-note, value 2l. his property .

GEORGE WATSON sworn. – I am an acting lientenant . On the 26th of September, about eleven o’clock in the day-time, passing through Fleet-street , I felt in my pocket and missed my pocket-book; I was stopped by means of a horse and cart standing in the way; when I missed my pocket-book I turned round and saw the prisoner the next person to me: Mr. Rhodes, who is a witness, said, that is the person who has picked your pocket; and I caught hold of him; it was not found upon him, it is in the possession of the beadle.

JOHN RHODES sworn. – I observed the prisoner pick the pocket of that gentleman in Fleet-street, the corner of Silver-street; I did not know the prosecutor before; the prisoner had a pocket-book inhis hand when he turned round to make off, upon observing me looking at him, he threw the pocket-book into the street, I immediately collared him, and he said he picked it up; but I was conscious of his guilt; I seized him and holloaed to a boy in the road, who picked it up.

WILLIAM MARCH sworn. – I am an officer; I took charge of the prisoner and the pocket-book;(produces it).

Watson. This is my pocket-book; I had a two-pound note in it, and some other papers, which are in it now.

Mr. Gurney. Q. Is your name written in that pocket-book? – A. No.

Q. Perhaps you only know that it was a pocket-book like that you lost? – A. I have every reason to believe it is the same book; I had had it but a few hours in my possession, and therefore I am not so positive of it; but I have no doubt of its being the pocket-book.

The prisoner called eight witnesses, who gave him an excellent character.

GUILTY of stealing, but not privately (Aged 18.)

Judgment respited .

Tried by the second London Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM .

610. JAMES MACKEY , JOHN TAYLOR , and JAMES BOND , were indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 12th of October , a canvas bag, value 2d. twenty-four pounds, eight shillings, in monies numbered, two Bank-notes of 20l. each, one Bank-note of 5l. another Bank-note of 2l. and seven Bank-notes of 1l. each , the property of Edward Green and Francis Roberts .

JOSEPH NORBURY sworn. – I am a gentleman’s servant out of place; I am at Mr. Skerrett’s, a merchant, in Milk-street; I was sent by Mr. Loudunsac, his clerk, with this money, to carry to Mr. Glynn’s, the banker’s, No. 12, Birchin-lane; I met the prisoner Bond, I asked him to direct me to the house, he told me it was the last house but one on the left side of the way; he then jostled up against me, I felt the money go, it was in my coat-pocket; I said, you have robbed me, and collared him; and then another young man of the name of Bonner stepped up, and said, no, it was not him that had robbed me, it was two others that had taken the bag out of my pocket, and had run away; I pursued them, Bonner took one of them, and the others were taken in Leadenhall-market; I picked the bag up out of a cellar.

Cross-examined by Mr. Const, counsel for Bond Q. Bond you met in the street? – A. No, in Birchin-lane.

Q. You asked him which was the house? – A. Yes, I pulled the bill of the money out of my pocket, which had got the direction upon it, and he told me the place; he was like all of a tremble, and he said, it is the house on this side.

Court. Q. Did he give you a right direction? – A. I do not know; he said first, it was the last house but one, and then said, it was the house on this side of it, and at that time I felt the money go.

Q. Upon the impression you had of him at that time, you let him go? – A. Yes.

FRANCIS ROBERTS sworn. – I am a man’s mercer; I only know that the property is mine and my partner’s; I can swear to some of the notes.

JOHN BONNER sworn. – I am warehouse-man to a warehouse in the city; I was in Birchin-lane, I saw the prisoners at the bar following Joseph Norbury for two or three yards before they came to him; they were all three together; I saw them beckoning and winking at one another; Norbury had got a direction to the banking-house in his hand, Bond came up and stood close by his left side, shewing him where he was to go; I had seen them all before about the city. Taylor and Mackey came close behind him, and Mackey picked his pocket; I then went up to the young man and asked him what he had lost; he had, in the mean time, missed his money, and was returning and speaking to Bond; I told him the two principal ones were run up the passage that leads through into St. Michael’s-court; we pursued them, and in St. Michael’s-court I called out, stop thief; there were some ticket-porters standing at the tavern, and they directed us into Gracerhurch-street, we pursued them there, and were informed they went up the butter passage into Leadenhall-market; I went into the market, and we were informed by a butcher, that they were gone up the left hand side of the market; I very soon then saw Taylor and Mackey together in a dark passage; Bond we left behind in Birchin lane; I called out that they were there, upon which Mackey threw down some money into a cellar, two guineas rebounded from the bars, which I picked up; a constable then came up and secured them, and took them to the Compter.

Cross-examined by Mr. Const. Q. The young man has told us he applied to Bond first, to enquire something? – A. He might.

Q. Bond did not run away? – A. We left him; we followed the bag.

Cross-examined by Mr. Gurney, counsel for Taylor.

Q.When Taylor was taken, I believe you found nothing at all upon him? – A. No.

Q. You do not mean to say you saw him speak at all to Mackey or to Bond? – A. I saw them very close together, and in company together.

Q.Were there no other persons in company together in Birchin-lane, besides? – A.There might be, but they ran away together, and were caught together.

WILLIAM LOUDUNSAC sworn. – I saw a porter of our’s give Norbury 78l. 8s.; 54l. in Bank-notes and 24l. 8s in cash, the property of Messrs. Roberts and Green; he was to carry it to Sir Richard Carr Glynn’s. I can swear to one of the notes, a 20l. note; I know it by the number and sum.

JOHN PERRY sworn. – I saw Mackey and Taylor pass my door in Leadenball-market, about four o’clock in the afternoon of Thursday, the 24th of this month; I knew them to be pick pockets, and I watched them, they went round the corner; I saw a little canvas bag in Mackey’s hand; they went into a dark passage and stopped there, Mackey was counting out the money, and as I went by he was counting 19 guineas; I went about twenty yards beyond them, and I heard a hue and cry; I saw them making their escape, they made towards me, and I immediately seized hold of them both, one by each arm; Mackey had the money in his left hand, and he threw it down a cellar; the notes went through, but some of the money rebounded back.

Mr. Const. Q.When they were dividing the money Bond was not with them? – A. No.

Mackey’s defence. I am innocent of the charge laid against me.

Taylor’s defence. I met Mackey, who was an old ship-mate of mine, I went into Leadenhall market with him, he works there; I know nothing of Bond.

Bond’s defence. This gentleman asked me where the house was; I told him I could not tell rightly, but I believed it was a little lower down.

Mackey GUILTY (Aged 20.)

Taylor GUILTY (Aged 24.)

Bond GUILTY (Aged 32.)

Transported for seven years .

Tried by the second London Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

611. WILLIAM JONES was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 4th of October , a carcase of lamb, weighing twenty pounds, value 8s. the property of James Brown .

JAMES BROWN sworn. – I keep a shop in Newgate-market ; I killed twenty lambs about three weeks ago, I do not know what day it was, and in the night I lost one; it was brought to me the next morning from Mrs. Rutter.

GEORGE ALLEN sworn. – I stopped the prisoner at the bar with a carcase of lamb upon his back, I asked him where he got it; he said, he bought it; that was in Three-tun-passage, leading from Newgate-market, near about twelve o’clock at night; he was very much in liquor, and he threw it down, whether accidently or purposely I cannot tell; he took it upon his shoulders again and pitched it down in the Market; he was delivered to the watchman, but he is not here; he was not bound over.

Court. Then there is a defect of evidence, the prisoner must be acquitted.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the second London Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

612. WILLIAM COLEMAN, otherwise MIDDLETON , and WILLIAM OSLAND , were indicted for unlawfully shooting, on the 1st of September, with a pistol loaded with gun-powder and a leaden bullet , at Daniel Webb .

Second Count. Charging William Coleman with shooting at Daniel Webb, and William Osland with being present, aiding, abetting, assisting, comforting, and maintaining the said William Coleman in shooting at the said Daniel Webb.(The indictment was opened by Mr. Gurney, and the case by Mr. Fielding)

DANIEL WEBB sworn. – Examined by Mr. Gurney. I am a corporal in the first regiment of Tower-Hamlets Militia: On the 1st of September I went after a deserter from our regiment, who enlisted by the name of Cooper, we could not find him; but going along, we met with another deserter of the name of Staggers, and took him to a public-house; serjeant Pearce was with me, and was going to hand-cuff him, but he said, I know him very well, and he would go with me; after we had got out, he got away, and I jumped towards him, and caught him by the hat, but he got away, and left the hat in my hand; I ran after him, and when I got to the corner of Sharp’s-alley, Cow-cross, a man knocked me down, that was neither of the prisoners, this was between five and six o’clock in the evening, it was as much day-light as it is now; I then went on after serjeant Pearce, and corporal Pearce, towards Chick-lane, and when I got to the bottom of Chick-lane, I went into a public-house to get the dirt scraped off my clothes, and we had a pot of porter; at that time I had a pistol, I knocked the prime out, and gave it to serjeant Pearce, and he put it in his pocket; while we were there, I saw the prisoner Coleman, and others, come in at the public-house door, and they waited till we came out; when we came out, Coleman said, you have not got the man, and d-n your eyes you shall not have the man’s hat; he struck the hat out of my hand, with a stick, to the other side of the street; I turned round to serjeant Pearce, and said, we will take him to Hatton-Garden-Office;with that, he out with a pistol, and fired it at me, the ball entered at my wrist, and broke the small bone; the ball was cut out by Mr. Ramsden, in St. Bartholomew’s hospital.

Q. How far were you from him at that time? – A. As near as I am to you; the prisoner, Osland, then passed between me and Coleman with a pistol in his hand, and directly after that I heard the report of a pistol, but do not know who fired it.

Q. Had you seen Osland before he came between you and Coleman? – A. I cannot say, to my knowledge, that I did.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q.When you apprehended Staggers, was any body along with him? – A. Yes, several.

Q. But neither of the prisoners? – A. Yes, I believe Coleman was one.

Q. After the deserter had escaped, you went into a public-house to get some drink, and clean your clothes, and it was neither of the prisoners that knocked you down? – A. No.

Q. When you came out, you had a bayonet in your hand? – A. No, I had not; corporal Pearce had.

Q. A naked bayonet? – A. No, in a sheath; it was not unsheathed before I was wounded; I never knew he had one at all till after I got to the hospital.

Q. A scuffle ensued? – A. No.

Q.Was no person struck by either you or any of your company? – A. Not that I know of, I struck nobody; I am sure there was nobody struck before the shot was fired.

Q.Upon your oath, were you not attacking a stranger who had been passing by, before these persons came up at all? – A. No.

Q. Did not one of the prisoners cry out to you not to hurt the man? – A. No, I did not hear any thing of the sort; nor I did not see an attempt to strike a blow.

Q. You were present? – A. Yes; I am sorry I was.

Q. I am sorry for your accident; but if there had been a blow struck before that, you must have seen it? – A. Yes.

Q.How came Pearce by the bayonet? – A. I do not know, I took none; I had a pistol, and so had he.

Q. Did Pearce never produce a pistol? – A.Serjeant Pearce, as I understand, fired one.

Q. Did serjeant Pearce, or the prisoner at the bar, fire first? – A. The prisoner; serjeant Pearce did not fire his pistol till a considerable time after I was wounded.

Q.Had you any warrant that day? – A. No, I had not.

Q.Were you ever before a Magistrate to see Staggers attested? – A. I saw him examined by the doctor, and saw him go into the committee-room to be attested.

Q. Did you see him take any bounty-money? – A. No.

Q. Did you go to arrest him for the sake of the reward, or merely in consequence of his being a soldier? – A. I entered, myself, as a volunteer; and I expect every man to do his duty, as I do and will, as long as I have breath.

Mr. Gurney. Q. Are you sure there was no scuffle at the public-house door before Coleman struck the hat out of your hand? – A. No, there was not.

Jury. Q. Had you ever seen Coleman before? – A. Yes; I knew him three years ago.

Jury. Q. Was there ever any quarrel subsisting between you? – A. Never; I never had a word with the man in my life.

JOSEPH PEARCE sworn. – Examined by Mr. Fielding. I went, in company with corporal Webb, after a deserter of the name of Cooper, we could not find him; going along, we met Staggers; Webb said, he was very much like a deferter from our regiment; we laid hold of him, he went to the public-house with us to have some gin; we were going to hand-cuff him, and he said he would go quietly with Webb; when he had got out, he sprung from Webb, and got away; going down Chick-lane, Webb was knocked down, and we went into a public-house to get some porter, and get him cleaned; I had a brace of pistols, Webb had a pistol which he knocked the prime out of, and delivered to me; my brother was with us, he had a bayonet, in a sheath, under his great coat; when we came out of the public-house, we had got about five or six yards distance, when the two prisoner’s came down, and said, you have not got the man, and d-n your eyes you shall not have his hat; upon that, the prisoner Coleman, with a stick, knocked it out of his hand; Webb said, do not use us ill, if you do we will take you to Hatton-Garden; they immediately said, d-n you, we are armed as well as you; they had seen my pistol when I had Staggers in the public-house; I think Coleman was one of the persons that drank with us; Coleman drew out a pistol and fired, I cannot say at whom; the other prisoner fired a second pistol; I was at the distance of about as far as from here to that window when the first pistol was fired, which wounded Webb; when Osland fired his pistol, he was on the other side of the way.

Q. Who fired the third pistol? – A. I cannot be positive which it was; I then said, my lads, take care of yourselves, for it is now fire to fire; I might be six, seven, eight, or ten yards off; I saw my brother wounded, I saw the blood runningdown, I saw Webb fainting, and then there were two or three pistols fired at us, after I had gone to their assistance; and then they went away. I took Webb to Bartholomew’s-hospital.

Q. When were they apprehended? – A. I cannot say; the Police-officers apprehended them.

Q.Look at the men; have you any doubt they are the men? – A. I have not the least doubt in the world.

Q. Have you ever had an opportunity of taking Staggers since? – A. Yes, he is now in the Savoy prison, as a deserter. I saw the ball extracted from Webb’s arm.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q.You won’t undertake to swear that Coleman was in your company at the public-house? – A. No.

Q.Had you ever seen him before that day? – A. No, I had not seen either of the prisoners before that day.

Q. All the opportunity you had of seeing the men, was during the time of the scuffle? – A. Yes.

Q. A great many people were present? – A. There was not a person in the street but the three people that fired, and us three.

Q. Was there no outcry? – A. None at all; I did not observe any other person in the street, till after we were wounded.

Q. Did he ever attempt to offer any violence till Webb said he would take him to Hatton-garden? – A. No, only knocking the hat out of his hand.

Q. Did he not endeavour to take him into custody? – A. Not that I saw.

Q. Did you not endeavour to take him into custody before he fired? – A.No.

Q. In point of fact you did intend to take him to Hatton-garden, for striking the hat? – A. Webb talked of taking him there.

Q. Did Webb make this observation-don’t use us ill, or we will take you to Hatton-garden, before the pistol was fired? – A. Yes.

Q. Do you mean to swear that that was his expression? – A. Yes.

Q. I think he said himself, that at the moment the hat was struck out of his hand, he said, we will take you to Hatton-garden? – A. He said, don’t use us ill, or we will take you to Hatton-garden.

Q.Do you mean to swear that? – A. Yes.

Q.There were several pistols fired after, you say; Webb did not say a word about that? – A. I say it, and swear it.

Q. Do you mean to say the bayonet was not unsheathed, for the purpose of taking these men into custody? – A. Not till after the pistols were fired.

GEORGE PEARCE sworn. – I am a corporal in the first regiment of Tower Hamlets; I was with my brother and Webb.

Q.After Webb was knocked down, did you go to a public-house to clean him? – A. Yes; when he came out, he went across the right hand side of the road; the prisoner Colman said to Webb, d-n your eyes, you have not got the man, nor you shall not have his hat; he then with a stick knocked the hat out of Webb’s hand; then Webb made answer, and said, do not molest us, if you use us ill we will have you to Hatton-garden: he took his pistol out directly, and shot Webb through the arm; after that the other prisoner went past on the left side of the road, and fired, but I cannot say at whom; after that I went to Webb’s assistance, who was fainting with loss of blood; I heard three or four pistols more fired afterwards; but I cannot tell who fired them, I had a bayonet which I unsheathed after the second pistol was fired off.

Q. Are you quite sure of that? – A. Yes.

Q. Are you quite sure that none of your party had meddled with Colman, before he fired the pistol? – A. I am certain of that.

Q. After this, your attention was taken up by Webb? – A. Yes; my brother laid hold of one arm and I of the other, and took him to the hospital.

Q.Had you ever seen either of the prisoners before? – A. No.

Q.Have you never said that the man who fired the first pistol was a tall man in a blue coat, six feet high? – A. No.

Q.Do you know a person of the name of Brown, a publican? – A. No.

Q.Are you sure you never said the man that fired the first shot was a tall man in a blue coat, six feet high? – A. Never.

Q. How long did the scuffle last? – A.Three or four minutes.

Q.What time in the evening? – A. Between five and six o’clock.

Q. Do you mean to swear that these are the persons? – A. Yes.

Q. I believe it was five or six weeks before they were apprehended? – A. I cannot say.

Q. Did you undertake to say they were the men before Webb told you so? – A. Yes, I remembered Colman immediately.

Q. Do you mean to say that if these men had not been in custody, you would have known them if you had met them in the street? – A. Yes, I should; if I was to see you again I should know you.

Q. Was there no attempt to take this man into custody? – A. None at all.

Q. And you mean to say that without any provocation they fired these pistols? – A. Yes.

RICHARD PERRY sworn. – Examined by Mr. Gurney. I am one of the Police-officers of Whitechapel; I apprehended Colman on the 28th of September, in the London-road, Blackfriars; I apprehended Osland on the 14th of October.

Osland’s defence. I was never near the place that day at all.

Colman. Osland was not in my company at all that day.

The Jury having retired about an hour, returned a verdict

Colman GUILTY Death .

Osland GUILTY Death.

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

613. ANN SMITH was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 11th of October , two check linen aprons, value 2s. and a half cotton shawl, value 1s. the property of Mary Dewell , spinster ; and two linen aprons, value 1s. the property of Thomas Dewell .

MARY DEWELL sworn. – I am the sister of Thomas Dewell. On the 11th of October, about two in the afternoon, I lost two linen aprons, and two check linen aprons, from a back-room, near the Chapel, Old Brentford ; it is my mother’s house; the prisoner lived next door; the window had been opened and propped up with a stick, that she must have got in that way: I found her in the room, I asked her what she did there; she said, she was going to hang the clothes out to dry; she said, she thought I was busy, and she did it to assist me: I asked her why she did not come to the front door, and ask me if she should assist me; she said she was afraid she should disturb me; she then got out at the window into an alley, the same way that she got in; she dropped the two linen aprons in the alley; they were all on a table; the door was not locked. I got a constable, and delivered her and the things to him; we found the other two aprons and the shawl in a room in the house where she lives, not her own room.

WILLIAM MOORE sworn. – I am a gardener; I heard the cry of stop thief, and saw the prisoner running, and stopped her about 100 yards from this girl’s house, near the alley; nothing passed between her and me. I took her to this woman’s house, and a constable was sent for.

(The constable produced the property.)

Dewell. These linen aprons are my brother’s, I wash for him, he is a tallow-chandler; I have no doubt at all about it.

Prisoner’s defence. Her mother brought me these things to pawn; and I carried her a plate of sheep’s liver fried, and a quartern of gin.

Q.(To Dewell). Was there any intimacy between your mother and the prisoner? – A. She has come in to ask my mother how she did, no farther.

GUILTY (Aged 47.)

Confined six months in the House of Correction , and fined 1s.

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.

614. HENRY BOXER was indicted for being found at large, on the 8th of October , before the expiration of the term of seven years, for which he was ordered to be transported .(The prisoner requested to have his trial put off till next morning, in consequence of not being able to procure a material witness before that time; but the Court having no business to go on with, proceeded as follows):

JOHN OWEN sworn. – I know the prisoner; he was tried here in January session, 1794; he was capitally convicted, and had a pardon upon condition of being transported for life; he was ordered to be transported for life in the June session following. I am sure he is the man.

Q. Had you seen him in custody before? – A. No; I am positive he is the man.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q.This is above three years ago? – A. Yes.

Q. Were you in court when he was convicted? – A. Yes.

Q. He was pardoned on condition of being transported? – A. Yes.

Q. That pardon was afterwards altered, on condition of his serving on board some ship of war until duly discharged? – A. Yes, I have that pardon;(produces it). He was delivered on board the tender at the Tower, on the 18th of July following.(The certificate of his conviction and pardon read.)

THOMAS GRIFFITHS sworn. – I had information of the prisoner being at large, and I apprehended him.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. It was no secret that this man was on shore now and then? – A. I do not know that it was.

Q. He was one of the press-gang belonging to the Enterprize? – A. Yes, I have heard so.

Q. And do you not know it is their duty to go about to try to detect where persons are? – A. I do not know it.

Q. Have you never seen him busied and employed among press-gangs? – A. I have heard so since.

Q. Who lodged the information against him? – A. John Nowlan gave me the information of him.

Q. You know there is a snug 20l. among you if he is convicted? – A. Yes.

RICHARD PERRY sworn. – I am an officer; I know no more than Griffiths; I was in company with him when he apprehended the prisoner.

JOHN GRIFFITHS sworn. – I was in the office when the man was committed; I was present when he was tried; I proved his being convicted in thiscourt in January 1794; I am sure he is the man that was cast for the highway robbery.

Q.Whereabout was he apprehended? – A. Near the water-side, by Nightingale-lane.

Prisoner’s defence. When I was sent on board the ship, from the prison, I went two or three cruises in Lord Howe’s fleet; I was set ashore at Torbay in sick quarters; after that I was on a cruise off St. Domingo, we were taken, and I made my escape from a French prison; I got away to Jamaica to my own captain; I had a fever which fell into my legs; after that, I went on board the Lottery Guineaman, we came over to Liverpool, where I was six weeks; when I got better, I came up to London and told Lieutenant Dickinson my case, and he took me into his employment, and from there I went to Lieutenant Christie, on board the Enterprize tender, lying at the Tower; I have been in pay with Lieutenant Christle ever since.

Court. Q. He has set up a very good defence, if it was proved; I will make enquiry as to the ground of it, and if I find it has any colour, he shall have the benefit of it.

– KIRBY sworn. – When I took him on board the tender, he was in favour with the regulating officer, and got to belong to a press-gang, and went about, I saw him several times with the gang, it is upwards of a year since I saw him in the gang. GUILTY Death . (Aged 22.)

Lieutenants Dickinson and Christle afterwards appeared and deposed that the prisoner was in his Majesty’s service on the day that he was apprehended, upon which the Court assured him of a pardon.

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.

615. THOMAS MERRIT was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 10th of October , fourteen ounces of tea, value 2s. 6d. the property of the East-India Company .

Second Count. Laying it to be the property of certain persons unknown.(The case was opened by Mr. Knapp).

GEORGE TOWARD sworn. – I am a labourer in the India Company warehouses, and so was the prisoner: I was moving a table where a coat was lying, I accidentally put my hand upon the pockets, and felt tea in them; I informed the elder, and he desired us to watch; Harding, and I, and Vokins watched, and the prisoner came and asked who had moved his coat, we got an officer and took him into custody, Vokins, the King’s officer, took him into the accompting-house, and searched him, he was a long while getting his clothes on, the place was dark, and we could not see what he was doing, but he seemed to be fumbling about his breeches.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. You did not see the clothes, till you saw them upon this place? – A. No.

Q. There was tea scattered upon the ground? – A. I cannot say, there might be.

Q. Did he not complain that somebody had been doing something with his clothes? – A. No, he did not.

Mr. Knapp. Q. Did you see the clothes moved? – A. Yes.

Q. Did you see any body take the tea out, and examine them? – A. No.

SAMUEL VOKINS sworn. – I am a King’s officer;(produces the tea;) I took this tea out of the prisoner’s breeches, I took him into the accompting-house, and found fourteen ounces of tea concealed in his breeches behind; the constable took him before the Alderman, I was there, and he said it was his first offence, and therefore hoped they would be merciful to him.

Mr. Alley. Q. Was nothing said to induce him to say so? – A. I believe not, I was not close by him at the time.

Mortin. I am assistant elder of the East-India Company’s Warehouses; this is the fort of tea that is in the warehouses.

Prisoner’s defence. I found the tea in my pocket.

GUILTY (Aged 47.)

Confined six months in the House of Correction , and fined 1s. and publicly whipped as near as possible to the gate of the East-India Company’s Warehouses .

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

616. ANN WATSON was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 12th of October , forty-five yards of cotton furniture, value 4l. 4s. seventy-two yards of cotton binding, value 4s. a cotton counterpane, value 12s. a woollen blanket, value 8s. a pair of linen sheets, value 10s. a pair of linen pillow-cases, value 2s. 6d. a damask table-cloth, value 1s. and a glass decanter, value 6d. the property of Frances Seymour , in a lodging-room, let by her, by contract to the said Ann .

FRANCES SEYMOUR sworn. – I have kept a lodging-house about nine months, No. 19, Norwich-court, Fetter-lane ; I let lodgings to the prisoner, and another woman of the name of Smith, it was a weekly ready furnished lodging; they came on Tuesday the 10th of October, and continued till Thursday, early in the morning, when they went away, without giving any notice; I missed a large four-post bed hanging, like this, (produces a pattern of it;) six dozen yards of binding, a pair of sheets, a pair of pillow cases, a large blanket, a damask table-cloth, and a small decanter; I havenever found any of the things since; the prisoner cohabited with a man of the name of Missling. under sentence of transportation, in Newgate; I took her in Newgate; I missed the things on the Thursday morning after they were gone.

Q. Do you know how these two ladies got their livelihood? – A. Mrs. Smith told me she had a friend, a gentleman in Cheapside, that she lived over the water, and it was too far for him to come to visit her.

MARY EVANS sworn. – I take in needle-work, and have some little income coming in; I lodge with the last witness; all I know is, that the prisoner and the other woman were in the house about a quarter before twelve, when I went to bed.

Prisoner’s defence. I went as servant to Mrs. Smith; when the landlady asked her what capacity she was in, she said, she saw company; and my mistress and I quarrelled that night, and I have never seen her since; I know nothing of the things being gone.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

617. MARY KING was indicted for breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Mary Cross , widow, about the hour of four in the afternoon of the 3d of October , and feloniously stealing four linen shifts, value 20s. the property of Thomas Turpin .(The prosecutor and witnesses were called, but not appearing, their recognizances were ordered to be estreated).

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

618. WILLIAM DAVIS was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 27th of September , a claw hammer, a wooden mallet, three chissels, five other chisseis, five Turkey oil-stones, a wooden filaster, a hand-saw, and a variety of other carpenter’s tools, the property of Jane shipley and William Shipley , in their dwelling-house .

WILLIAM SHIPLEY sworn. – I am in partnership with my mother, Jane Shipley; the prisoner was a porter in my house; On the 28th of September, he came to his usual employment in the shop; I took him up upon suspicion; the constable searched him the my presence, and found three duplicates of articles taken from my shop; I afterwards got a search-warrant, to search his lodgings, and there I found most of the articles in the indictment, in a box locked up, the key of which was in his possession; he gave the constable the key himself.

THOMAS MITCHELL sworn. – I am a constable: On the 28th of November, I went to Mr. Shipley’s, and searched the prisoner; I found two keys and two duplicates; I went round to the pawnbrokers, and found the tools there; we afterwards went to Marlborough-street, got a warrant, and searched his lodgings, where we found these articles. (Produces a large quantity of tools).

Mr. Shipley. They have all my name upon them, and some few of them have my own hand-writing upon them, my private mark; the compasses I can positively swear to.(Two pawnbrokers produced a band-saw and some other articles, but could not say of whom they had received them).

The prisoner did not say any thing in his defence. GUILTY of stealing goods, value 3s. (Aged 32). Confined six months in the House of Correction , and fined 1s.

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM .

619. JACOB STONE was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 10th of October , a wooden tub, value 3d. and 40lbs. of butter, value 30s. the property of William Tilsley .

WILLIAM TILSLEY sworn. – I am a cheese-monger : On the 10th of October, I was sitting in the back parlour, I had a cart of butter unloading; I was called out, and learnt that a tub was gone.(The carman deposed, that in consequence of information, be followed the prisoner, and took him with the property upon him).

Prisoner’s defence. I do not know any thing about it.

GUILTY .

Confined one year in the House of Correction , and fined 1s.

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

620. MARY STEWARD was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 19th of October , forty yards of calico, value 52s. the property of Joseph Craig , privately in his shop .(The prosecutor and witnesses were called, but not appearing, their recogizances were ordered to be estreated).

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM .

621. ELIZABETH LEACH was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 2d of October , a linen table-cloth, value 1s. a shirt, value 1s. five linen towels, value 10d. a linen glass-cloth, value 1d. three linen handkerchiefs, value 3d. three pair ofcotton stockings, value 6d. a silk handkerchief, value 6d. a silver tea-spoon, value 1s. two muslin neck-handkerchiefs, value 4d. and a linen apron, value 1d. the property of John Groves .

JOHN GROVES sworn. – I know nothing of the robbery.

ELIZABETH GROVES sworn. – I am the wife of John Groves , I lost the things named in the indictment at different times; I live at No. 130. Drury-lane ; On the 2d of October, I had missed a table-spoon, the prisoner’s sister lodged with me, I went to the prisoner’s lodgings, with a constable, and found some things in her box that I believe to be mine, a shirt that has Mr. Groves’s name upon it, some of the handkerchiefs are marked; a pair of worsted stockings, a linen apron, marked; the other things have no mark.

Cross-examined by Mr. Gurney. Q. You do not know that the box in which these things were found was the prisoner’s? – A. No; I do not.

Q. It was a room occupied by the prisoner’s brother and his wife? – A. Yes.( Robert Beresford , the officer who bad possession of the property, was called, but not appearing, his recognizance was ordered to be estreated.)

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

622. THOMAS ROBINSON was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 19th of October , a mahogany round table, value 4s. and a copper teakettle, value 1s. the property of Esther Clift , widow.

ESTHER CLIFT sworn. – I lodge in Well-street , I go out a chairing; I was out a washing next door when some person took away, from my lodging, a mahogany round table, and a tea-kettle, between seven and eight in the evening, I heard the alarm, and went out; about an hour after, I found them in a house in Malaga-court, Nightingale-lane, about a quarter of a mile from my lodging.

RICHARD JOHNSON sworn. – I am an officer: I went, with the last witness, to a house in Malaga-court, where I saw the table and kettle; I brought the woman in whose possession they were to the watch-house.

JOHN WOOD sworn. – I apprehended the people of the house; I met the prisoner, and he said he found the things facing the Well-street Play-house; he said a man put them down, and stopped to make water, and then ran away, and he thought it was requisite they should be taken care of; and he said he was coming up to the watch-house, and he walked along with me.

Prisoner’s defence. I saw a man put the table down, and stop, pretending to make water, but I found he did not, and seeing me look at him, he took to his heels and run away; I took the table and carried it home, and hearing that it was stole, I was going to the watch house to tell them of it, when I met the watchman.

The prisoner called his serjeant who gave him a good character.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

623. MARY WEATHERALL was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 2d of October , two pewter pint pots, value 1s. 6d. and a drinking-glass, value 3d. the property of Thomas Phillips .

THOMAS PHILLIPS sworn. – I am a publican : I lost two pint pots, and a drinking-glass; the prisoner was in the house, and I had her searched, and found them upon her.(Henry Bates the constable produced them.)

Phillips. They are my pots.

GUILTY . (Aged 49).

confined one year in the House of correction , and fined 1s.

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

624. JOHN NORTH was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 29th of september , four ounces of thyme-seeds, value 1s. 3d. seven ounces of lettuce-seeds, value 1s. 9d four ounces of sageseeds, value 2s. three ounces of cucumber-seeds, value 1s. five ounces of marjorum-seeds, value 3s. two ounces of endive-seeds, value 6d. a pound of coriander-seeds, value 2d. two pounds of carrawayseeds, value 9d. three ears of India corn, value 6d. six linen bags, value 2s. and one hundred and twenty paper bags, value 2s. the property of Jacob Wrench , Jacob-George Wrench , and John Wrench .(The case was opened by Mr. Knowlys).

JACOB-GEORGE WRENCH sworn. – I am in partnership with Jacob and John Wrench, seedsmen , in Lower Thames-street; the prisoner was my father’s apprentice , he had lived with us three years before he was bound apprentice, we took him in from Bridge Ward Charity-school; I had an apprentice of the name of Griffiths, he left my service in the second week of September, before his apprenticeship had expired. I cannot say that we missed any property, it is only from information that we know any thing of it; I apprehended the prisoner behind my counter, on Saturday the 7th of October, and in consequence of further information, I sent a constable down to Ware to search the house of Griffiths. I attended the second examination before the Lord-Mayor, when the articles mentioned in this indictment were produced.

Q. Did you, or any person there, make him any promise, or threat, to induce him to confess? – A. No.

Mr. Knapp. Q.Was it not taken in writing? – A. I cannot say; but I believe it was not.(Mr. Knapp objected that the confession before the Lord-Mayor could not be received in evidence, which was over-ruled by the Court.)

Mr. Wrench. I asked him what articles he had taken from our house; and I recollect mentioning thyme, marjorum, or sage; I asked him if he had taken any bags; he said, he had taken half a dozen of half-peck linen bags; and he was afterwards committed.

Q. Do you know the prisoner’s hand-writing? – A. Yes.

Q. Look at those letters and papers? – A. They are every one his hand writing. His box was searched in my presence, and in it was found Bank notes and bills to the amount of 70l. three of them were promissory notes, one for 21l. 2s. 6d. the other two for four guineas each; upon a further search we found a roll, containing sixty six guineas.

A Letter read, addressed Jacob Wrench, Esq. Lower Thames-Street, dated Oct. 18.

“Dear Sir,”All I have to expect in this world is your”goodness and mercy, which I hope in God you”will shew me; in fact, I bias myself up with”that hope, from the many favours already re-“ceived from your most beautiful hands To-“morrow I remove to Newgate, at ten o’clock,”when I hope I shall receive the same favours”there, as I have done here. I remain your most”unhappy and unworthy servant,” John North .”

Another Letter read, addressed Messrs. Wrench and Sons, No. 126, Lower Thomas-Street, dated Monday Morning.

“Gentlemen,”I hope your goodness will extend to mercy,”as that is all the hope I have to depend upon,”and will be ever bound to pray for the lenity”shewn me, from your humble servant,” John North .

” N. B. Will endeavour to find out where Ro”berts is, and who the note is drawn by.”

Cross examined by Mr. Knapp. Q. Did you not say any thing like this-you know you are before the Magistrate, and it is of no use to conceal any thing? – A. I did not tell him any such thing.

Q. You did not offer him any money, if he would confess? – A. No.

Q. Is there any other person interested in the business, besides those you have named? – A. None.

Q. I take it that it is impossible for you to swear to seeds? – A. Certainly.

Q. When you sell seeds in your shop, do you send them in sacks with marks upon them? – A. Yes; if Mr. Knapp were to order any mark to be put upon the sacks, I should mark “Mr. Knapp” upon it.

Q. If I had happened to be a customer, there would have been nothing strange in finding a sack at my house marked in the same way that other sacks are marked, that are sent to your customers? – A. No.

Q. Had you any dealings with a person of the name of Lee, at Ware? – A. There is an occurrence upon our file of that kind.

Q.With a Mr. George Lee ? – A. Yes.

Q. Who did that person turn out to be? – A. My apprentice of the name of Thomas Griffiths .

ELIZABETH TOLLY sworn. – Q. Do you know the prisoner? – A. I do; I went three times to the house of Mr. Robertson, Bell-alley, Coleman-street, by the order of John North.

JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON sworn. – I live in Blue Harp-court, Bell alley, Coleman-street.

Q. Do you know a person of the name of Griffiths? – A. Yes; he lived with Mr. Wrench, and afterwards, at Ware, in Hertfordshire, by the name of Lee; the prisoner has been in the habit of sending me parcels to send with things that I have bought for Griffiths’s private use down to Ware, in Hertfordshire. Mrs. Tolley has brought me things from North; I was not in the habit of opening the parcels.

Q. Did you ever receive any letter from the prisoner? – A. Yes.

Q. Tell me if you ever received that letter from him? – A. It seems to correspond with what he has sent me.

Q. Upon your oath have you never conversed with him upon the subject of that letter? – A. I believe it came from North. (It is read).

“Dear Robertson,”You will find at your neighbour’s house op”posite you, a parcel left there by me for G. Lee ,”containing a few paper bags, containing thyme,”marjorum, &c. I knocked at your door but it”was of no use, as you were all at lullaby; so”this poor man, at the noise of knocking so hard,”awoke, and had compassion upon poor me out”in the rain, and so let me go on, sleepy gentle”men, “John North.

“N. B. The parcel, per bearer, only contains”ears of India corn, which I could not find be”fore this morning, so good morning, have you”will find a better day than yesterday was.”

Q. Who did you send these parcels to? – A. To Lee.

Cross-examined by Mr. Knapp. Q. You never examined the contents of the parcels? – A. No, only the India corn.

Q. You come here in custody now, don’t you? – A. Yes.

Q.And you saved yourself from being prosecuted by giving the account that you did? – A. Not that I know of.

Q. Do you not believe now that you should have been tried for this offence, if you had not turned King’s evidence? – A. I don’t doubt but I might have been tried, but it would have been innocently done. I took the Indian corn down to Ware myself.

Q.In point of fact, had not Lee left a sum of money in your hands for the purchase of different things? – A. He had.

Q.Had you ever made any purchase for him at Mr. Wrench’s? – A.None; I had money for the purpose of that and other things.

RICHARD HAZARD sworn. – I am a constable; I went down to Ware, and brought Lee to town in custody; he turned out to be Thomas Griffiths; I searched the house, and brought some things away; we only searched the shop at first, we did not go up stairs. (Produces the properts).

Cross-examined by Mr. Knapp. Q.These things were all found at Ware? – A. Yes.

Q. Not in the prisoner’s possession? – A. No.

Q. Did you hear the prisoner say how he came by the money that was found? – A. He said he got it by insuring in the lottery.

Mr. Wrench. This parcel of sage seed and this of endive seed have the hand-writing of the prisoner upon them, who was our servant.

Mr. Knapp. Every thing that the prisoner sold would have such sort of memorandums upon them? – A. I never remember an instance of putting a memorandum inside the parcel.

Q. You appear in one instance to have had a customer of the name of Lee, whom you did not know? – A. Yes.

Mr. Knowlys. Q. I believe it is regular to mark the parcels outside? – A. Yes.

Q.You would not have dealt with this Lee if you had known who he was? – A.Certainly not; he was a runaway apprentice of mine.

The prisoner left his defence to his Counsel.

Mr. Knapp. (To Mr. Wrench.) Q. How long had the prisoner lived with you? – About six years.

GUILTY (Aged 20.)

Transported for seven years .

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.

625. JOHN NORTH was again indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 29th of September , three pints of white turnip-radish seed, value 1s. two ounces of red cabbage sead, value 6d. four ounces of brocoli seed, value 2s. an ounce of cauliflower seed, value 1s. eight ounces of parship seed, value 3d. a pint of corn-sallad seed, value 3d. an ounce of said seed, value 2d. and eight ounces of carrot seed, value 3d. the property of Messrs . Wrench .

The case was opened by Mr. Knowlys.

JOHN WATSON ROHERTSON sworn. – The prisoner was in the service of Messrs. Wrench.

Q. Look at that letter and bill of parcels, whose hand-writing are they? – A. The prisoner’s; I put the bill of parcels within side a parcel, and he came and took it from me. I gave it to him for Lee.

Q.Who was that Lee? – A. Thomas Griffith , an apprentice of Mr. Wrench’s; that bill of parcels has my hand-writing upon it.

Q. Where did you get that parcel from in which you included that bill of parcels? – A.Elizabeth Tolley brought it to me from North, and some lines with it, certifying that it did come from him.

The letter read, dated Oct. 4, 1797.

“Dear Robertson,”It rather surprised you, no doubt, last night,”my sending you a parcel after writing as I did,”believe me an opportunity served which I made”use of in favour of T. G. The articles sent are”very good, and one or two new ones; and I”think they will do as well as new ones almost;”he very much wants them; he writes me he can”have some new articles at another time, then”these will do to mix with them. I have another”thing or two to send him; I will endeavour to”let you have them by Friday, if possible. Inclose”him this bill, then he will see how to sell them;”they will be all free-cost to him. I am forty my”writing was so had last night that you could not”read it, it wa only to ask you to receive the”parcel, the woman seemed to know nothing”about it; I have just told her you had just bought”it and paid for it; but it was of no consequence,”as I turned it off. Hope you sent the measures”off yesterday.

“Your’s sincerely.

“J. NORTH.”

“Hope you let no one see my letters but your”self; the hill inclosed is entirely for a blind, in”case ever any thing should happen, which you”know we cannot be too cautious in what we say”or do, as time is so precarion, we are obliged to”look before we leap. T. G. has all he wrote”for, except beet, celery, and charbon, those I”am sure he cannot want these two months, flower”seed not these three months, and told flower seed”will not grow, so it is of no use to send them.

“J. N.

“Some part of this wrote in the cellar-Wed”nesday morning, ten o’clock. I shall write” Thos. G. in the course of the week; if you have”any thing to say send it to me.”(The bill of parcels read.)

ELIZABETH TOLLEY sworn. – I carry out parcels for Messrs. Wrench. The prisoner sent me with a paper parcel to the last witness; it was on a Tuesday night, the week before North was taken, he was taken the Saturday following.

Mr. Knapp. Q. You know nothing about it, but that it was a paper parcel? – A.Nothing more.

CHARLES RUTT sworn. – I am a grocer. The prisoner brought me a parcel on Friday morning, October 6, to go to Mr. George Lee, at Hertford, I sent a bill of parcels with the goods that I sent at the same time.

Q. Do you know where he lived? – A. No.

Mr. Knapp. Q. You supposed that he lived at Hertford? – A. I recollect now it was at Ware, near the Spread Eagle.

RICHARD HAZARD sworn. – I am a constable; I searched the house of George Lee, at Ware; his real name is Thomas Griffiths .

Q. Look at that letter, and tell me if you found that? – A. I found this at Robertson’s house.

Q. Look at those other two papers? – A.These were enclosed in the parcels at Lee’s house. (Produces the parcel.)(Mr. Wrench proved the hand-writing of the prisoner upon the parcels).

Mr. wrench. Every article corresponds with the bill of parcels.(The two letters read that were read upon the former trial). GUILTY .

Transported for seven years .

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

626. LAWRENCE MARONEY was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 23d of October , twenty-two pounds weight of lead, value 2s. 6d. the property of George Oakley .

GEORGE OAKLEY sworn. – I am an upholsterer in St. Paul’s Church-yard ; the prisoner was a weekly porter with me; I employed him to remove some old lead from the top of the warehouses, that were under repair; I missed the lead, and afterwards saw it in the cellar, I desired my clerk to mark it, and keep watch; I saw the prisoner go in at the door, I collared him and found it upon him. I sent for a constable, and he has got it; I told him I was astonished at his doing so, for he was a very good servant. It was a cistern-head of a gutter.

Q. What character has he borne? – A. A very good one up to this time.

THOMAS STANDAGE sworn. – I marked some lead, at the request of Mr. Oakley, which was afterwards found upon the prisoner.(The constable produced the lead).

Prisoner’s defence. I was in liquor, and did not know what I was doing.

GUILTY (Aged 44.)

Confined six months in the House of Correction , and fined 1s.

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

627. JOHN ASQUITH was indicted for feloniously and sacrilegiously stealing, on the 19th of October , four parts of brass arms for candlesticks, value 16s. and four brass nozzles, value 4s. the property of John Henderson , Joseph Norville , and Thomas Hornsby , being the church-wardens of the parish of St. Michael in Cornhill .

Second Count. Laying them to be the property of the parishioners.

Third Count. Laying them to be the property of the parishioners in the custody of the said church-wardens.

MARGARET CLARK sworn. On Sunday week, the prisoner came into St. Michael’s church, Cornhill ; at the end of the prayers he went out, and having some suspicion of him I followed him, and after he had got out, I heard a noise like the rattling of branches, in the cloister; I went towards the place, and found him concealed behind one of the pillars; upon seeing me he threw down this branch,(producing it); he went into the street, I followed him, and laid hold of him, several people came to my assistance.

CHARLES HOLMES sworn. – On the 15th of this months, I was at church, I heard a noise in the cloister, I went and saw him in custody of the last witness, and being a constable, as I was conducting him to the Compter, I discovered these two branches, partly in his breeches and partly under his coat. (Produces them).

JOHN HENDERSON sworn. – I am one of the church-wardens, I know nothing of the robbery.

The prisoner said, in his defence, that he found them lying behind the porch; and presented a petition, stating, that with a heart sincerely full of condition for the offence he had committed, he most fervently implored the compassion of the Court, as nothing but the extremest necessity could induce him to have committed such an offence. He also produced a certificate of his good behaviour in the Chatham Barracks, and a recommendation,signed by Lord Winchelsea, as a proper object of charity.

GUILTY Death . (Aged 57.)

The Jury recommended him to mercy, on account of his age and misfortunes.

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

628. JOHN GLOVER was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 15th of September , two geldings, value 30l. the property of George Cronch .(The case was opened by Mr. Raine)

GEORGE CROUCH sworn. – I live at Fulham-bridge-yard, Knightsbridge : On Thursday the 14th of September, the prisoner at the bar, and another man of the name of Cooper, came into my yard, to ask for a horse for each of them, to go to Rochester, in order to take a public-house; they did not have them on the Thursday, they came again on Friday morning, about a quarter before ten, and I delivered them two horses; I delivered a bright bay horse to Glover, and a dark bay to Cooper; I said, they must be back the next day, the Saturday, because those horses were hired for the Sunday following, and they said they would; they then left me, and did not return; I sat up every night, expecting them to come, till Tuesday; Glover told me he lived at No. 4, Union-street, Berkley-square; on Tuesday I went there, and they told me he lodged over Lord Aylesbury’s stables; I went there, and he was not there; I enquired what public-houses they used; I went round to two or three, I went amongst others to Mr. Badcocks; I received some information on the Wednesday, and I took Glover at Mr. Badcock’s, in Duke-street, Grosvenor-square; and, in consequence of an information, I went down to Oxford on the Saturday, to make enquiry; I went to Mr. Probatt’s, the Roebuck-inn, in Oxford, and the next morning I went into his stables and found my bridle and saddle there, that had been upon the bright bay horse, that was let to Glover, I claimed it, and it was delivered up to me; I then went to the Angel-inn, and found my bright bay horse in the stables, and it was delivered up to me.

Cross-examined by Mr. Gurney. Q. You did not believe that young man meant to steal that horse from you when he hired it? – A. No, I did not think he did mean it.

Court. Q. What do you believe now about it? – A. I believe he meant it, or else he would not have hired horses to go to Rochester, and took them directly to Oxford, and sold them.

Mr. Gurney. Q. Have not you been to him, and told him you did not think he meant to steal the horse, and if he would inform you where the other horse was, you would not prosecute him? – A. But it never came to light.

Q. One of your men knew Cooper perfectly well? – A.That was a servant of mine, he is not now.

JOHN PROBATT sworn. – I keep the Roebuck-inn, in Oxford, the prisoner came to my house, on Friday the 15th of September, about nine o’clock at night; I was not at home at the time, I came home about eleven, I did not see him that night; Cooper lived opposite my house for six years, they both dined at my house on the Saturday, they were both talking about selling horses; the horse was shewn out, and several people were about buying it, but they could not agree, I went out and bought it; they went as brothers, in the name of Cooper, and I knowing one of them, I bought the horse of the prisoner; it was a bright bay horse, the other was a dark bay; it was the bright bay that I bought of Glover, I gave him eight guineas for it, he had both broken knees, ten or twelve years old, and fired on the off leg behind, nobody else would give so much for him; Cooper said, his brother would not have sold the horse upon any account, but he was obliged to go to Shrewsbury that night upon particular business; I sold it the next day to Mr. Bulley at the Angel-inn.

Q. Did you go with Crouch afterwards to the Angel? – A. No, I did not.

Mr. Raine. (To Crouch.) Q.Describe to us how this bright bay horse was as to his knees? – A.When he went out of my yard, he had no broken knees, he was perfectly found, except that he was fired on the off hind leg when he was quite young.

Q.(To Probatt.) What appearance had those broken knees, did it appear to be an old blemish? – A. Cooper said, the horse had fallen in coming down.

Mr. Gurney. (To Crouch.) Q.Probatt did not go with you to see if it was the same horse that you had of Cooper? – A. Yes, he did.

Mr. Raine. Q. Was this horse a gelding? – A. They were both geldings.

The prisoner called four witnesses, who gave him a good character.

GUILTY Death . (Aged 35.)

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

629. MARY CLARKE was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 17th of October , a piece of printed calico, containing twenty-one yards, value 3l. 10s. the property of Jonathan Peele , Lawrence Peele , Joseph Peele , John Peele , Edmund Peele , and Richard Yates , in the dwelling-house of Edmund Peele .

HENRY SAUNDERS sworn. – I am porter to the prosecutors; Three women came into the warehouse under pretence of begging charity, the prisoner was one of them; I suspected them, and followed them; the prisoner ran, and I overtook her in Blackwell-Hall-court, I never lost fight of her; I told her she had got a piece of print, but she said she had not; I felt, and found it under her petticoat.

Q.Has the warehouse any communication with the dwelling-house? – A.There is a private staircase leads from the warehouse into Mr. Peele’s house; I had seen the print about two hours before.(Mr. Jonathan Peele proved the firm).

Q. Does the warehouse belong to all the partners? – A. Yes; but they have nothing to do with the house except Edmund Peele. I saw the prisoner brought into the warehouse, and she dropped the calico.

– DIXON sworn. – I am a constable, (produces the calico); I received this from Mr. Saunders.

Saunders. This is the calico, I know it by the pattern; I missed it upon her going away.

Prisoner’s defence. I met with two women, who asked me if I knew of an overseer; I told them I did not, I should be glad to get something if I could myself; and I went with them into this place, and was ashamed to ask, and so I turned out again; I do not know any thing of the calico.

GUILTY (Aged 25.)

Of stealing goods, value 39s.

Transported for seven years .

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

630. ESTHER GIBBONS was indicted for feloniously receiving, on the 29th of July , eighty-eight pieces of muslin, value 130l. the property of John Jackson , James Jackson , and Robert Potts , whereof Thomas Smith , otherwise called Gipsey Tom, at the Hertford Assizes, was convicted of stealing, she knowing the same to have been stolen .(The indictment was opened by Mr. Knapp, and the case by Mr. Knowlys.)(Mr. Stafford, clerk to the clerk of the Assize of Hertford, produced a copy of the record of the conviction of Gipsey Tom).

Mr. Stafford. It is a correct copy, I examined it both ways. (It is read.)

JOHN MACAULAY sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knapp. I am a manufacturer, at Glasgow: On the 4th of July, 1796, I packed up one hundred and thirty-six pieces of muslin in one box, marked W. & W. No. 4. London; and, afterward, there were some other marks which I did not put upon it; I delivered the box to the waggoner, James Moslyn , it was Jackson and Potts’s waggon, to be conveyed to London.

JOSEPH GREEN sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knowlys. I drive Messrs. Jackson and Potts’ waggon from Fairburn, in Yorkshire, to London; I had a box in the waggon marked W. W. 4. I saw it in the waggon myself, and I am sure the waggon had not been disturbed till it had got to Hatfield Wood-side, and there it was robbed; the ropes were cut, the canvas unskewered, and the box taken out; the box was in the very front of the waggon, of the outside; we always lay a night at Hatfield Wood-side; the guard’s name is Banks that was with me; we discovered it coming down Barnet-hill, seven miles on this side of Hatfield; we missed it just as it was getting light, about three in the morning.

Q. Have you seen the box since? – A. Yes.(Produces it).

Macauley. This is the box that I packed up.

Green. This is the box that I lost about eight the same morning; I found the box in an oat field, near the public-house where I had slept; the last time I saw the box was at Fairburn.

Cross-examined by Mr. Fielding. Q.Before the box was lost, the last time you saw it was at Fairburn, in Yorkshire? – A. Yes.

Q. Then you came to Hatfield, and stayed a night? – A. Yes.

Q. How far had you got from Hatfield before you discovered any thing of the matter? – A. Coming down Barnet-hill, about three o’clock, or between three and four.

Q. Then you had no particular view of this box after you left fairburn? – A. No.

Q. What first happened, or when it happened to the waggon, you do not know? – A. I cannot say particularly.

Q.When you first made the discovery, did you see any body near it? – A. No.

Q.Therefore, whatever happened was long before you got to Barnet-hill? – A. Yes.

Q.Who was in the waggon, or how it was lost, you do not know? – A. No.

Q. Do you know whether the part of the hill, where you first discovered that something had been done, was in Middlesex or Hertfordshire? – A. It was in the hollow between Barnet and Whetstone.

Mr. Knapp. Q. But where the box was found was at Hatfield-wood-side? – A. Yes.

JAMES BANKS sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knapp. I am guard to the Newcastle waggon, I was with the waggon, I had not seen the box in the waggon at all; when we got to Hatfield-wood-side there was nothing amiss with the waggon, but going down Barnet-hill, I discovered something amiss at the off corner of the waggon; when we got to thehollow we stopped, and missed the box; I went on with the waggon to London, and the waggoner went back to Hatfield-wood-side.

JOHN JOBLING sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knowlys. I am agent to the prosecutors of this indictment.

Q.What are their names? – A. John Jackson, James Jackson, and Robert Potts, they were the proprietors of the waggon.

Q. Have they been called upon, in consequence of this loss, to pay for the property? – A. I, as their agent, have paid for it. I expected this box to come by the waggon, but it never came to hand.

Mr. Fielding. Q.In what way has the claim been made upon you? – A.They claimed it as a loss, and we paid it.

WILLIAM NIXON sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knowlys. Q. I will examine you very slowly, and give you full time to recollect yourself. – What public-house did you keep on the 7th of August? – A. The Swan and Pike.

Q. That is in the county of Middlesex? – A. Yes.

Q.Was Mary Elwich a servant of your’s at that time? – A.She was.

Q. Was Samuel Shones a servant of your’s at that time? – A.He was.

Q. Was your son, John Nixon, living with you at that time? – A.He was.

Q. I believe you saw a person, at Hertford, of the nick-name of Gipsey Tom? – A. I did.

Q. Did you know him before? – A. Yes.

Q. Had you known him long before? – A.About three weeks.

Q. Did you know a person of the name of Finch? – A. Yes.

Q. Do you know another person of the name of Taylor? – A. I did.

Q. Did you see Smith, or Finch, or Taylor, at your house? – A. I did.

Q. When did they come to your house? – A.Between three and four in the morning.

Q. On what day? – A. I cannot recollect the day of the month.

Q. In what month was it? – A. It could not be in August.

Q.How long before you were taken to Bow-street? – A.About three weeks, but I cannot say positively; it was some time before I was taken to Bow-street; they brought two sacks of muslins, one hundred and thirty-five or one hundred and thirty-six pieces, I cannot be exact which.

Q.What became of those pieces of muslin? – A.They were at our house; they brought them in sacks, and took them up stairs; they said, they were afraid they were wet, and desired to have a room to open them in.

Q.What became of those pieces of muslin? – A. Some went to Peterborough, and others went I know not where.

Q. Look round, and tell me whether you know Mrs. Gibbons? – A. I do.

Q. Have you ever seen her at your house? – A.Twice.

Q. Did you ever see her at your house when Gipsey Tom and the other two men were there? – A. I did.

Court. Q.Both times, or only once? – A.Only once, I believe.

Mr. Knowlys. Q. What time in the day did she come to your house, when Gipsey Tom, and Taylor and Finch were there? – A. It might be twelve or one o’clock; I saw her when she was there, but I did not see her come into the house.

Q.Did she come alone? – A. No; two men came with her.

Q. Do you know their names? – A. William Gibbons was one, and Henry Nash was the other.

Q. Where did Mrs Gibbons live at that time? – A. In London, I believe.

Q. Have you any doubt of it? – A I have none whatever.

Q. Was your son, Nixon, sent any where on that day? – A. He was.

Q. By whom? – A. I believe, by Finch.

Q. Are you sure it was by one of the three? – A. I cannot be sure, because I did not see him sent, it is only what I have been told; I know he went somewhere.

Q. When Mrs. Gibbons came, did any thing pass between her and these three men? – A. That I cannot say, I was not in their company.

Q. How did Mrs. Gibson find her way to your house? – A. By somebody driving a one-horse cart, or chaise; there were two men.

Q. Where did it come to? – A. It stood in our yard.

Q. What conversation passed between her and the two men, at this time? – A. I heard none.

Q. Did you hear from her what business she came upon? – A. I did not; she never spoke one word to me, neither good nor bad.

Q. What became of the muslins? – A. I cannot say; some, I tell you, went to Peterborough, and the others I know not where.

Q.Where were the muslins, when Mrs. Gibbons came to your house? – A. I believe they were up stairs.

Q. You know you have been examined at Bow-street? – A. Yes; I know it perfectly well, and at Hertford, and at Chelmsford.

Q. When did Mrs. Gibbons go away? – A. In the afternoon sometime.

Q. In whose company was she while she staid at your house? – A. The people that were there,were Finch and Taylor, and Smith, Gipsey Tom, and the people who came with her.

Q. What were they talking about? – A. I do not know; I was not in their company at all.

Q.After Mrs. Gibbons was gone, how many pieces of muslin were there left? – A. I cannot say, I did not see them counted after; I saw them counted in the morning.

Q. After Mrs. Gibbons was gone, were there one hundred and thirty-six pieces, or less? – A. I cannot tell any further than what they told me, the boxes were gone to Peterborough.

Q. Did you see the muslins after they were counted? – A. Yes.

Q. Did you see Mrs. Gibbons go? – A. Yes.

Q.How did she go away? – A. In the same conveyance.

Q.Did she return at all after she first went away? – A. Yes; she went a little way, and returned back again in the same chaise.

Q.Did it return empty or full? – A. I cannot say.

Q. Did you see the cart? – A. I saw the cart.

Q. How came she to return? – A.She was called by Gipsey Tom.

Q.When she was called back by Gipsey Tom, what passed between her and Gipsey Tom, or any of the others? – A. I know not.

Q. Where were you? – A. I was going a fishing with two gentlemen, with a cast net.

Q. Did you hear none of the conversation that passed between her and Gipsey Tom, Finch and Taylor, or any of them, after she returned back? – A. I never heard one word till after she was gone, what they told me.

Q. Did you see him go? – A. I do not know exactly, I cannot say that I did, or did not.

Q.Did you see her go, or not? – A. I cannot say whether I did, or did not, exactly.

Q. Did you see the cart when she went? – A. I really cannot say, I cannot charge my memory; it is pretty near eighteen months ago.

Q. Do you believe you saw it go or not? – A. I believe I did.

Q. How far were you off? – A. I might be one hundred yards.

Q.Where were you? – A. By the river side.

Q.Your house is by the river side? – A. Yes.

Q.And your yard is by the river side? – A. Yes.

Q. Were you not in the yard when she went away? – A. No; I was not.

Q. Are you sure of that? – A. Yes; I have a perfect recollection of that.

Q. Do you know whether any thing was taken away in the cart, or not? – A. I cannot say what was taken away.

Q. Will you swear that you do not know whether any thing was taken away in the cart or not? – and before you answer, I tell you every word you say will be taken down in writing, and therefore be cautious and perfectly collected, before you give the answer. – Do you mean to say you did not see any thing taken away? – A. I will not say whether I did or not see any thing taken away; I believe there was something went away, but whether they only brought it and took it away from there, I do not know.

Q. Did you see any thing taken away? – A. I saw the sack taken away, but I did not see any thing but the sack taken away.

Q. How were the muslins brought to your house? – A. In sacks.

Q. Was that sack full or empty? – A. It could not be empty, because there was muslin in it.

Q. I mean the sack which was taken away with Mrs. Gibbons? – A. I do not know whether it was full or half full.

Q.Then there was something in the sack? – A. No doubt of it.

Court. This ought to shew you the carelessness to say nothing more of the manner in which you give your evidence; you swore, till the moment the gentleman told you the peril in which you stood, you swore most positively you did not see her go away; now you swear that you saw her go away, and saw the sack go away, neither full nor half full; I must beg of you to recollect, you know what I said to you at Hertford, and I did hope to have found you a very different sort of man now; it is really shocking? – A. I say nothing but the truth.

Court. Q. That is impossible; you were either perjured at Hertford, or you are perjured now; you know all that passed between you and me, when I tried that cause? – A. I cannot recollect; I have never been well since.

Q. Mr. Knowlys. Q. How many sacks did these men bring with them? – A.Two.

Q. They brought, you say, two sacks with them? – A.They did.

Q. One sack was taken away in Mrs. Gibbons’s cart? – A. I do not know that the same sack was.

Q. Did you see two sacks after Mrs. Gibbons went away? – A. I did not look for them; I did not see them at all, for I never went into the room after.

Q.Upon your oath, do you not know what was in the sack? – A.Upon my oath, I never saw any thing put into it.

Q. Now I caution you again – Upon your oath, do you know what was in that sack? – A. I do not know what was in the sack, not as to my own knowledge.

Q. Upon your oath, have you never heard whatwas in that sack, in Mrs. Gibbons’s presence and hearing? – A.Never in her hearing in my life.

Q. Who went away with Mrs. Gibbons, when that sack was carried away? – A.Will Gibbons and Harry Nash the same persons who came with her.

Q.Was any of your property taken away that day? – A. I do not know, there might, or might not.

Q. Upon your oath, have you ever suspected from that hour to this, that any of your property was taken away in that sack? – A. I never did suspect there was any property of mine taken away.

Q. Were there any other muslins in your house at the time? – A.There were three pieces of muslin that Finch left at my house that were not taken away.

Q. Then they were not taken away in the sack? – A. No.

Q. At that time, had you any other property in your house besides your own, and those brought by these people? – A. I cannot tell, I had lodgers up stairs, and I cannot tell what was in my house.

Q. Have you ever had any complaint from those lodgers? – A. I never had

Q. Now I ask you, what became of the muslin in your house, after Mrs. Gibbons went away? – A. I do not know; the muslin that went to Gipsey Tom, was sent by a man to Cheshunt-street.

Q.Who picked up the muslin that went to Gipsey Tom? – A. I do not know; my son wrote the directions, and the man carried it in the cart.

Q.Did you see the package? – A. I did not see them packed; I saw the boxes.

Q. Be a little cautious, did you not lend one of these boxes that conveyed them? – A. My son lent one, and the girl the other.

Q. You saw the pieces of muslin that were in your house, and the size of them – I ask you, would those boxes that were sent to Gipsey Tom hold half of the muslins in your house? – A. I do not think they would, they might hold half.

Q. And of those muslins that were packed up, and sent to Gipsey Tom, how many remained in your house? – A. I never saw any more but these three pieces.

Q. Then you only found, after Gipsey Tom had packed up his, and Mrs. Gibbons gone, these three pieces? – A. No; these three pieces were left for Finch’s wife; I never saw any more.

Q. Nor were any more than three pieces found in your house, when the officers searched it? – A. There were not

Q. Can you tell us now where your son is? – A. I cannot.

Q. You do not know where your son is? – A. I do not know any more than you do.

Cross-examined by Mr. Fielding. Q. The thieves that have been convicted were at your house? – A. They were.

Q.They did not bring a box into your house? – A. They did not.

Q. They did not bring a chest? – A. No.

Q. They had been there some time? – A. About three times before.

Q. Then Bill Gibbons and Nash, with that unhappy woman, came to your house? – A. Yes.

Q. Then I think it is as well taken, that she came with them as that they came with her? – A. I cannot say.

Q.Which drove? – A. I cannot tell.

Q.Then those people being in the house, held a conversation, but what their conversation was, or what about, you know not? – A. I know not, I was not in the room with them.

Mr. Knowlys. Q.When your son left your house, did you see any letter that he was in possession of? – A. I did not.

Q.Never? – A.Never.

Q. Did you see the direction of a letter? – A. I did not, I cannot read.

MARY FLWICH sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knapp. Q.You were servant to the last witness, Nixon? – A. Yes.

Q. Look round, and tell us if you know the prisoner at the bar, Mrs. Gibbons? – A. To the best of my knowledge I have seen that lady at the Lock twice.

Q. Do you recollect what month of the year it was? – A. I cannot say, it was in summer time.

Q.Was she there alone? – A.She was in the parlour, we had more company.

Q. Do you know a person of the name of Smith, otherwise Gipsey Tom? – A. I remember a gentleman being down there, with something the matter with one of his hands, I do not know his name.

Q.Where there any other persons in the house that day besides Mrs. Gibbons in their company? – A.There were gentlemen in the house, but I do not know whether they belonged to this lady.

Q. Were you present at the time when Mrs. Gibbons came there that day? – A. I did not see her, I was busy in the parlour.

Q. Do you recollect, the night before you saw the prisoner at the bar there, any persons coming to your house? – A. I do not particularly recollect that.

Q.You did not go up stairs, did you? – A. No, I did not.

Q. Do you remember when Mrs. Gibbons went away? – A.No; I do not recollect any thing about it.

SAMUEL SHONES sworn. – Examined by Mr.Knowlys. I am servant to Mr. Nixon; I used to attend the stables sometimes.

Q.Do you know that lady? – A. I cannot say that I can make an affidavit of it.

Mrs. NIXON sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knowlys.

Q.You are the wife of Nixon that keeps the Swan and Pike? – A. Yes.

Q.Look at that lady, do you know her? – A. I do not, to the best of my knowledge.

Q. I do not mean to be personally acquainted, but did you never see her before? – A. I do not know that I have; I know there is a person of the name of Gibbons, but to the best of my knowledge I do not know whether that is the person or not.

Q.What do you believe? – A. I believe in God.

Q.Then as you do so, and call God to witness that you will speak the truth, see that you do so, do you believe you have ever seen her before? – A. I cannot say that I have, or that I have not.

Q. Did you know Gipsey Tom, otherwise Smith? – A. Yes.

Q.Did you know Taylor and Finch? – A. I might, I cannot say that I did by their names.

Q. Do you recollect Smith coming to your house at any time? – A. He is a tall man, I do not know whether he is the man.

Q. Was that the man that was convicted at Hertford? – A. Yes.

Q. Did that Smith come to your husband at any time before he was taken to Bow-street, with any people? – A. I cannot tell the people by their names.

Q.You have been talking of the man who was convicted at Hertford? – A. I do not know who that was.

Q. Did any person come to your house about a fortnight before your husband was taken to Bow-street? – A. A great many.

Q. Did any person come in the night? – A. Not to my knowledge.

Q.Were there any sacks brought to your house? – A.No, never; I never saw them, I know nothing of any sacks.

Q.Were there any muslins at your house at any time? – A. To my knowledge, I do not know any thing of it.

Q.Were any muslins found in your house? – A. I cannot tell what they found, I did not deliver them any; I delivered my place up to them, I cannot tell, I was not capable of knowing what they found; I never attended them.

Q.Now I ask you, did you know whether the officers at Bow-street found any pieces of muslin in your house? – A. I do not know.

Q. That you swear positively? – A. I swear I do not know.

Q. Did they search your house? – A.They did; my servant went with them, and I know not what they found.

Q. Did you see what they took away? – A.No, I did not; I was incapable of seeing any thing when they went away.

Q. Did any persons come to your house in the night, a short time before your husband was taken up? – A. I never saw any body in the night, I never did; I attended my house as long as it was open, and when I went to bed my house was shut up.

Q. Did any persons apply for admission into your house, and call your husband or any of the family up, a short time before he was taken to Bow-street? – A. I never answered to it, nor never heard it.

Q. Perhaps we are quarrelling about the word night, did any person call any of the family up early in the morning? – A.Sometimes the harvest people did, but I cannot say whether they did or not.

Q.Did any three persons stay in your house any time? – A. I have no lodgers at all.

Q. Did any three men come and stay any time before your husband was taken up? – A. I cannot say.

Q.Did a Mr. Smith stay there? – A.Not to my knowledge; I cannot tell what I do not know.

Q.Where is your son? – A. I cannot tell.

Q.When did you see him last? – A. I cannot tell when I saw him last, it is some time back, but I know not the time.

Q.How long ago, is it a week? – A. O dear me, a great deal more than that; I know not when.

Q.Has he never been to your house since the officers were there? – A. No, he never has.

Q. Nor shortly before? – A. No, he never has.

EDWARD FUGION sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knapp. I am one of the officers of Bow-street; I apprehended Smith, otherwise Gipsey Tom, at Peterborough, in Lincolnshire; I searched his lodgings at Peterborough, and found a pair of large saddle bags, full of muslin; I brought him up to town, and the muslin, and the muslin was sworn to at Hertford; Carpmeal has got part of it, and part was delivered up.

Cross-examined by Mr. Fielding. Q. I believe you some how or other was directed to the house of the woman at the bar? – A. I went the last time she was apprehended.

Q. You searched her house? – A. Yes.

Q. And found nothing there? – A. No.

Mr. Knapp. Q.Where was that house? – A. A lodging in Cork-street, Burlington-gardens, a back parlour.

Q. Did you apprehend her? – A. Yes.

Q. What name did you apprehend her by? – A. We were informed that she went by the name of Owen; I do not know that myself.

Q. Do you know whether that was her residence or not then? – A. Yes, it was.

THOMAS CARPMEAL sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knowlys. I am one of the officers of Bow-street: I searched Nixon’s house upon the occasion of this robbery; I found three pieces of muslin. (Produces them.)

Q. Did you afterwards, in consequence of information from Nixon, apprehend Smith? – A. Yes, at Peterborough; we found forty-five pieces of muslin in a pair of saddle-bags, four of them are here.

Q. Do you know Mrs. Esther Gibbons? – A. Yes.

Q. Do you know where she lived at the time this information was given by Nixon? – A. In Little St. Martin’s-lane.

Q.Were you present when she was taken up? – A. No.

Q. Was she a lodger in Little St. Martin’s-lane? – A. No; she and her husband kept a house there.

JOHN RIVETT sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knapp. I am one of the officers of Bow-street: I apprehended Mr. Gibbons at No. 19, Old Burlington-street.

Q.How long have you had a warrant against her? – A. A long time; I have not been able to find her before.

Cross-examined by Mr. Const. Q.You knew her house in St. Martin’s lane? – A. Yes.

Q. Did you search her house? – A. No.

Mr. Knowlys. I admit nothing has been found that she is said to have taken away.

RICHARD RYDER sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knowlys. I live at No. 19, Old Burlington-street.

Q. Do you know the prisoner at the bar? – A. Yes; I know her person, she had two back parlours at my house; she came to me about the 24th of June, by the name of Owen.

Q. Was her husband with her? – A. I believe he used to come backwards and forwards; I should know him if I were to see him.

Q. She lived at your house in the name of Owen till she was taken up? – A. Yes.

Mr. Knowlys. (To Macauley.) Q. Look at these muslins found in Nixon’s house? – A. Yes; they are part of the muslins that I packed up to send to London, they have my pencil mark upon them.

Q.Look at those which are part of the bundle found upon Gipsey Tom? – A.They have my mark; they are part of the goods that I sent by the waggon.

The prisoner left her defence to her Counsel.

NOT GUILTY .

Nixon was committed to Newgate by the Court, to take his trial for receiving stolen goods.

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

631. WILLIAM PARKER , BENJAMIN SMITH , JOHN SMOKEY , otherwise SMITH , and WILLIAM BISHOP , were indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 5th of June , two hundred pounds weight of fat, value 3l. the property of Thomas Paris .(The indictment was opened by Mr. Gurney, and the case by Mr. Knapp).

THOMAS PARIS sworn. – Examined by Mr. Gurney. I live in Ray-street, Clerkenwell , I am a coach-master, and licensed to slaughter horses : On Tuesday the 6th of June, I found the door of the shed broke open, and a great quantity of fat taken out, and spilled all the way along to Parker’s shed, where they had put the pails down to rest; I live about one hundred yards from Parker’s shed; the place was shut up, and I then went and called Smith up, who is Parker’s partner, he opened the door, and I saw some fat; he begged I would not hurt him, and said, he did not know any thing of it; he went with me up the street, and insisted upon my going to drink, I refused to drink; we went into the Three-tuns, where we had a dram a piece, and he asked me how much I had lost; I said, two or three hundred; he asked me how much it was worth; and I said, I would seek a remedy by law, and then he offered me three guineas; there were three or four hundred; of fat, some in a copper, and some in a rub.

Cross-examined by Mr. Knowlys. Q. I am told that two of these men are licensed horse-slaughterers as well as yourself? – A. I believe they are.

Q. Do you not know that they are? – A. I believe they are.

Q. Upon your oath, have you never applied to take away their licence? – A. No.

Q. Have you never applied, before this charge was brought against them, to take away their licence, or desired other persons to apply for that purpose? – A. I have heard talk of such a thing, but I have had no hand in it.

Q. Upon you oath, have you never been the means of any application to take away their licence? – A.Not in the least.

Court. Q. Have you indirectly done so? – A. No; any further than Mr. Spencer said it was a nuisance, and he asked me about it, but I did not advise him any thing about it.

Q. Upon your oath, did you never desire any body to interfere about the licence? – A. No.

Q. When you were before the Magistrate, andmade this complaint, did you not desire the licence to be taken away? – A. No.

Q. Nothing was said about it? – A. The Magistrate said, there was no stopping of their licence.

Q. Who was it said any thing about it? – A. I do not know.

Q. Were you not present? – A. I cannot say.

Q. Upon your oath, were you not present? – A. I cannot say.

Q. What do you think about it? – A. It is so long ago I cannot recollect.

Court. Q. Come, answer like an honest man, do you believe you were present? – A. I cannot positively say.

Court. Q. Do you believe it? – A. I cannot say; if it was the last day I had to live I could not tell.

Q. These men, I believe, have got a great deal of business lately? – A. That has not affected me any.

Q. Upon your oath, have they not been increasing in business? – A. It is a business I do but little of.

Q. Then you may as well give us a plain answer to a plain question? – A. I have not troubled my head about it.

Q. Has not their business been increasing? – A. They had a great deal of business the very first week they did begin.

Q. Do not you know that it has increased? – A. Why, I did not look after their business.

Q. Do not you know they have? – A. They might have.

Q. Do not you know they have? – A. Yes.

Q. You took these men up on the 6th of June, did you? – A. No.

Q. Not the day you found it out? – A. No.

Q. When did you take them up; was it not a month after? – A. I cannot say.

Q. Upon your oath, was it not in July? – A. I cannot say.

Upon your oath, was it not in July? – A. I could not say if it was the last day I had to live, I believe it was three weeks, or a month, before they were taken up.

Q. Was it not in July; just a little before the July Sessions? – A. I believe it was.

Q. The Magistrate, I believe, admitted them to bail? – A. Yes.

Q.And you walked home pretty nearly together, I suppose? – A. Yes.

Q. You were bound over to prosecute at the next Sessions? – A. Yes.

Q. Did you prosecute at the July Sessions? – A. The trial did not come on, we attended.

Q. Upon your oath, did you prefer any bill of indictment in the July Sessions? – A. I do not know the day of the month.

Q.Upon your oath, were you not bound over to prosecute at the July Sessions? – A. We did it as soon as it could be done.

Q. Do you mean to say you preferred a bill of indictment as soon as possible? – A.According to the rule of the Court at the Sessions-house.

Q. When did you prefer your bill of indictment? – A. I never understood that we were to take a particular account of that time, only the time that we were robbed, and therefore I did not take an account of it.

Q. Upon your oath, do you not know that you did not prefer a bill against him in the July Sessions? – A. I do not know.

Q. Then you never took them up a second time? – A.Upon my life I cannot tell.

Q. Upon your oath, did you indict them before September Sessions? – A. I do not know whether I did or not; I have not been well, nor have not had my recollection about me.

Q. When did you take your witnesses before the Grand Jury; is it a week, or a fortnight, or a month? – A. It is a great deal more than a month, I believe.

Q. Do you believe that? – A. It is about a month, I believe.

Q. These people were taken up about the 6th of July, and you let them alone till September Sessions? – A. I cannot say.

Q. Did you take them up once or twice by a warrant? – A. I cannot tell that.

Q. Upon your oath, were they not admitted to bail a second time? – A. I cannot tell, upon my word.

Court. You must bring better witnesses than these; you cannot prove the loss nor any thing else but by this witness, who has so disgraced himself.

All Four NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the first Middlesex jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

632. GEORGE SINGER was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 16th of October , sixteen pair of boys beaver gloves, value 5s. the property of William Stable .

WILLIAM STABLE sworn. – On the 16th of October, between eleven and twelve, I was in the parlour, I observed a man going out at the shop-door, I went out and saw the prisoner walking towards the Adelphi, and I thought his arms were in a position as if he had something carrying before him; I immediately went after him, and when he came to the corner of the Adelphi he ran across to Bullen-court, he was then putting them into his pocket; I asked him what he had got there; he said, some paper; I opened the paper, and found sixteen pair of boys beaver gloves in it, which Imyself had taken down about twenty minutes before to serve a customer with, (produces them); I have had them ever since, they have my marks upon them.

Prisoner’s defence. It is the first time I ever did such a thing in my life, and beg the favour to go to sea.

GUILTY (Aged 20.)

Confined six months in the House of Correction , and fined 1s.

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM .

633. JOSEPH ALLFORD , otherwise TAYLOR ALLFORD , was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 16th of July , twenty-one yards of calico, value 30s. the property of Sylvanus Hanley .

(The prosecutor and witnesses were called, but not appearing, their recognizances were ordered to be estreated).

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

634. NATHANIEL BARTLAM was indicted for feloniously receiving, on the 4th of September , seventy-six fans, value 2l. 10s. and seventeen fan sticks, value 1l. 10s. the property of John Pike , knowing them to have been stolen by Ann Bartlam .

JOHN PIKE sworn. – I am a fan manufacturer , No.55, Newgate-street ; the prisoner’s wife brought his work to my warehouse, and took an opportunity of stealing fans; I found a dozen at Mr. Todd’s in Fore-street, which I knew to be mine, and what struck me particularly was, that one of them, which was marked 2s. 9d. I fell at 6s. a piece wholesale.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. You never saw the prisoner’s wife steal any fans? – A. No.

Q. She came there whenever she had occasion to come with work? – A. Yes.

JOSEPH TODD sworn. – I bought these fans of Henry Burgess. (Produces them).

HENRY BURGESS sworn. – I sold these fans to Mr. Todd; I received them from the prisoner, I understood that he was a fan-maker.

Pike. These are my fans.

Mr. Alley. Q. The prisoner is a fan-maker? – A. No, he is not; he only makes a particular branch of fan-sticks; he has worked for me four or five years.

Q.Have they any mark? – A. No; I will swear to them without.

Q. You have sold a great number of the same sort? – A. Yes; but I mean to say I never sold these.

( Thomas Barnard Ward proved some of them to be his ornamenting for Mr. Pike).

WILLIAM BLACKITER sworn. – I am an officer; I searched the prisoner’s house, and found three fans in Mrs. Bartlam’s pocket. (Produces them).

WILLIAM BUXON sworn. – My father is a haberdasher; I bought some fans of the prisoner’s wife.

HANNAH MARCHANT sworn. – I bought some fans of the prisoner’s wife, I know nothing of him.

ELIZABETH HARVEY sworn. – I bought some fans of the prisoner’s wife.

Court. (To Pike). Q. Did the prisoner never come to your warehouse as well as his wife? – A. Yes, sometimes.

Court. They must prove that these identical fans were stolen by the wife; here is no evidence to shew that they were not stolen by the husband; this is a very distinct offence from that; it is true she was convicted, but there were three fans found upon her person, and therefore it was a proper conviction.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

635. WILLIAM GOLDSMITH and RICHARD SIMMONS were indicted for breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Anthony Stubbs , about the hour of six in the afternoon of the 1st of October , no person being therein, and stealing, a silver watch, value 1l. 10s. a metal key, value 1d. six silver table spoons, value 1l. 10s. eleven silver tea-spoons, value 11s. two silver salt-spoons, value 1s. a silver seal, value 6d. a silver knee-buckle, value 6d. a silver pencil-case, value 3d. a silver milk-pot, value 5s. a black silk cloak, value 2s. a glass set in horn, value 3d. three cloth coats, value 1l. 1s. a cloth waistcoat, value 2s. a silk waistcoat, value 1s. a cotton waistcoat, value 2s. two woollen waistcoats, value 2s. three pair of velveteen breeches, value 5s. a pair of jean breeches, value 5s. a pair of leather breeches, value 5s. three linen shirts, value 3s. and a pair of cotton stockings, value 6d. the property of the said Anthony.

Second Count. For breaking and entering the said dwelling-house about the hour of eight in the night of the same day, with intent the goods and chattels of the said Anthony, feloniously to steal, and afterwards burglariously stealing the same goods.

ANTHONY STUBBS sworn. – I live near the London-Apprentice, in the Curtain-road : On the 1st of October, I went out about half past twelve o’clock, I left nobody in the house, I locked the door, and put the key in my pocket; I returned about half past eight, and heard a rattling at the door; I made a stop in the yard, before the gate,and I saw two men come out of my house; Goldsmith I am sure was one of the men, and I believe the other prisoner was the man that was behind him; Goldsmith said to me, how do you do, sir, we have been waiting for you a long time, we thought you would not come home to-night; he then passed me, and said, good night, sir, and then they both ran away; I pursued them to the corner of the Curtain-road, one turned to the right, and the other to the left; I pursued him that turned to the right, that was Goldsmith; he made a feint to fall down, he was pursued and taken; I gave charge of him to the watchman; and at the watch-house we had intelligence that the other was taken; I am not so certain to him as I am to Goldsmith, because he had been out of my sight; we missed a silver watch and some spoons, and the other things that are named in the indictment.

Q. Was any thing carried out of the house? – A. Yes; the watch and the tea-spoons, and tablespoons; all the articles of silver were gone; there was nothing found upon Goldsmith, the things were found upon the other man.

Q. Are you sure that Goldsmith was one of the men? – A. I am quite positive, I was never five yards behind him; I could have stopped him sooner, but I was in hopes somebody would come up to my assistance.

Cross-examined by Mr. Gurney. Q. At eight o’clock on the first of this month, it was dark? – A. It was a clear night.

Q. Do you mean to say that you can swear positively to the man’s face? – A. Yes.

Q. You were very much surprised? – A. Yes, it struck me in amaze.

Q.Therefore you could not be so minute in your observation as if you had not been in amaze? – A. Yes, it made me more minute.

Q. There were other persons who had joined the pursuit? – A. I saw but one person, and he was running after the other man; there might be other people about that I did not see, but I could see twenty or thirty yards before me.

Court. Q. Did you find the doors forced, or the windows? – A. We could perceive no marks of violence.

JAMES TAYLOR sworn. – On Sunday evening, the 1st of this month, at the corner of the Curtain-road, I heard a cry of stop thief, and saw three men running; the prisoner, Simmonds, came very near me, I seized him by the collar, but he got from me; I pursued him into Old-street-road, there I lost sight of him, he was, however, stopped, and when I came up, he was saying, it is not me, it is not me; I said, it is you; for I was very positive to his person, being a fine moon-light night; I turned him round to take him to the watch-house, and once or twice I heard something drop; I desired his hands to be laid hold of, and an officer came up directly, we took him to the watch-house, and searched him; the first thing we took from him was, a black silk cloak, which seemed to be down by the side of him; the officer then began to feel in his waistcoat pocket, and there was taken from him a large key, picklock keys, a silver seal, and a silver knee-buckle, that seemed to be out of his waistcoat pocket; the officer then said, strip, he proceeded to rummage his breeches, and in his left hand breeches pocket, he found eleven silver tea spoons, and a silver salt-spoon; he then proceeded to pull his breeches down, and between his breeches and his skin, there was a silver watch, that was all that I saw taken from him in the watch-house; the officer then locked him up in the cage, and we proceeded the same road as the prisoner had run, and there was found in a yard, six table spoons, which the woman of the house delivered to the officer, and said, she had picked them up in the yard.

WILLIAM ROBINSON sworn. – On Sunday evening, the 1st of this month, about half past eight o’clock, I heard an alarm of stop thief, stop thief, knock him down, and the prisoner Simmonds ran past my door; I pursued him towards Hoxton-market-place; when I came up to him, I took him by the collar; I had never lost sight of him; I saw him searched, and the things found upon him that the last witness has mentioned.

LYON SOLOMON sworn. – I searched the prisoner Simmonds; I found a dark lanthorn, a silk cloak, a silver milk pot, tea spoons, and these picklock keys. (Produces them.)

Stubbs. These are all my property, I can positively swear to them, they are all marked.

SAMUEL HARPER sworn. – I was sent for about a quarter before nine; I went, and secured the prisoner, and went to look about the house, to see what had been lost, with the prosecutor’s wife; and about the floor, where the men stood, in the kitchen, there were all these things packed up in a bag, (produces a great quantity of wearing apparel;) and under some loose things, close to the drawers, was this iron crow.

Stubbs. These are my property, they were not carried out of my house.

The prisoners left their defence to their Counsel.

Goldsmith, GUILTY Death . (Aged 27.)

Simmonds, GUILTY Death. (Aged 22.)

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM .

636. JAMES LEWIS was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 25th of October , two yards of carpeting, value 12s. 6d. a yard and a half of other carpeting, value 1s. 6d. half a yard of othercarpeting, value 1s. 6d. and six brass wires, value 15d. the property of George Seddon , senior, Thomas Seddon , George Seddon , junior, and Thomas Shackleton .

THOMAS SHACKLETON sworn. – I am in partnership with George Seddon , Thomas Seddon, and George Seddon, the younger: We lost the property named in the indictment, from our warehouse in Aldersgate-street ; the prisoner was a servant in the house; on Wednesday last, about eight o’clock in the evening, the prisoner was brought into the accompting-house, and the property found concealed, part of it in his breeches, and part under his waist coat, the brass wires were in his pocket; we missed them from the warehouse.

WILLIAM JONES sworn. – I am clerk to Messrs. Seddons: On Wednesday evening last, I saw the prisoner take the carpeting and six brass wires from the warehouse, and wrap it round his body; he was taken into the accompting-house, and it was found upon him.

JOHN FINLAY sworn. – I have the management of the carpet warehouse; I missed from the warehouse the carpeting that was taken from the prisoner; I did not miss the wires.(The constable produced the property, which he had received from Mr. Shackleton).

Finlay. I can only speak positively to the two yards; I had put it there in the morning.

Prisoner. It is the first time I was ever guilty of such an offence.

GUILTY (Aged 57.)

Confined six months in the House of Correction , and fined 1s.

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.

637. SARAH SMITH was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 7th of October , two linen sheets, value 10s. the property of John Seymour , in a lodging-room .

JOHN SEYMOUR sworn. – My wife let a lodging to the prisoner, I did not; my wife lies in and cannot attend.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.

638. SAMUEL FRY and HANNAH, the wife of WILLIAM CORBETT , were indicted, the first for feloniously stealing, on the 27th of September , four live ducks, value 4s. the property of James Hone , and CORBETT for receiving the same, knowing them to be stolen .

JAMES HONE sworn. – I keep the Black-Horse at Hampton ; On the 27th of September, I lost four live ducks; I got a warrant to search the house of one Jeffery’s, with Cooper, the constable; the prisoner, Corbett, lodged in the house, Fry cohabited with her; in Corbett’s room I found two of my ducks at the feet of the bed under a bit of a blanket dead; I apprehended Fry soon after at the same house, and they were taken to Bow-street; Fry said at Bow-street, that he found them; I am sure they were the ducks I had lost the night before.

THOMAS COOPER sworn. – I am a constable at Hampton; I apprehended Corbett at Jeffery’s; I was present when the ducks were found.

RICHARD JEFFERYS sworn. – I am a fisherman; Fry and Corbett lived together at my house, as man and wife, I was not at home when they were apprehended.

JOHN HAYNES sworn. – I have been admitted an evidence for the Crown; I went to Mr. Hone’s on the 27th of September, at twelve o’clock at night, with Fry, we stole four ducks, Fry killed them, and we divided them in the church-yard, we took them from an out-house; I had two ducks, and Fry had two.

Fry’s defence. That man has sworn falsely, he said we divided them in the church-yard, we did no such thing.

Corbett’s defence. I was in bed and asleep with my child at the time, Jefferys knows it; my husband has been abroad five years.

Jefferys. She and her girl were both in bed.

Fry, GUILTY (Aged 27.)

Transported for seven years .

Corbett, NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron HOTHAM.

639. THOMAS WILEY was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 6th of September , out of the General Post-Office, a letter directed to Messrs. William , Son, and Company, Bankers , London.

Second Count – For stealing out of a certain house for the receipt and delivery of letters sent by the General Post, two other letters. – And

Three other counts, charging them to be, instead of letters, packets.(The indictment was stated by Mr. Knapp, and the case by Mr. Fielding.)

THOMAS HUNT sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knowlys. I am message carrier to Messrs. Kellisons, bankers, in Norwich; I sent a letter by the post, addressed, Messrs. Williams, Son, and Co. bankers in London, on the 5th of September, it contained thirteen Bank of England notes, a 10l. note, No. 4793, dated the 29th of April, 1797; eleven 5l. notes, No. 2836, 3d of July, 1797; No. 1548,20th of March, 1797; No. 6984, the 16th of March, 1797; No. 9462, the 9th of March, 1797; No. 5154, the 28th of March, 1797; No. 3808, the 2d of March, 1797; No. 553, the 14th of March, 1797; No. 1144, 21st of March, 1797.

Mr. Knowlys. Those are all that are traced.

Witness. There was a 2l. note also in the letter.

Mr. Knowlys. That is not found.

Witness. I put all these notes in the letter myself; I wafered it up, and carried it to the Post-office in Norwich, between three and four in the afternoon.

GEORGE LITCHFIELD sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knapp. I am the post-master at Norwich: On the 5th of September, I made up all the bags for London.

Q.You forwarded them regularly? – A. I did, the post goes from Norwich at half past four, the box shuts at half past three.

JOHN SNART sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knowlys. I belong to the General Post Office; I received a bag of letters from Norwich to London, on the 6th of September which would leave Norwich in the afternoon of the 5th.

Q.When you received the bag was it sealed up, and secured as the bags in general are? – A. It was.

Mr. SHERIFF WILLIAMS sworn. – Examined by Mr. Fielding. Q. Be so good as tell me your firm? – A. Robert Williams , the elder, Robert Williams, junr. John Drury, and Thomas Roberts .

Q.Was there any letter received at your house, on the 6th of September, from Messrs. Kellisons? – A. No.

Q. Are Messrs. Kellisons correspondents of yours? – A. Yes.

– SWANN sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knapp. I am employed in the General Post-Office; the prisoner was employed by the Post-office, as caller of the charges; when the charges are ready, to come into the inland office to call the letter-carriers to take the letters.

Q. Had he access to the Inland office, at the Post-office? – A. Yes.

Q. The mails are opened and sorted there? – A. Yes.

JOHN BAPTIST AUSTIN sworn. – Examined by Mr. Fielding. I am in the employ of the Post-office, the prisoner was in the situation that has just been described; in consequence of his absenting himself from the office, we sent a messenger after him on the Friday, he was not to be found, but on Saturday morning the 9th, his mother came with him, and she said she supposed as her son had not been at the office, he had been doing what he ought not to have been doing, and she searched his box.

Court. Q.Was that in the boy’s hearing? – A. No.

Mr. Fielding. Q. Be so good as tell me what passed in his hearing? – A. I told him we had heard various reports, we had heard that he had kept a horse, he said that he saw the horse in Newgate-street, it was a very unruly one, and the man offered him the horse, if he would undertake to break it, and the man said he should have the horse for a trifle; I asked his mother if she knew any thing of his conduct out of the office, as we had reason to suspect he was not doing as he ought to do, and, she unrequested, took out these 5l. notes, which she said she had taken out of his box, (produces them); he began to cry, and wished her not to produce them.

Q. When they were produced, did he acknowledge that his mother had taken them from his box? – A.Not in words; I asked him how he came by those notes; he said, that on Tuesday he met Davis in Oxford-road, that Davis owed him twelve shillings, which he desired he would pay; Davis said, he had not twelve shillings, but put his hand into his pocket, and said, take these, and that then Davis left him.

Q. What day of the month was the Tuesday, that he said he had met Davis? – A. The 5th; there were two other notes produced by his mother for single pounds; the boy said, he had received those two pound notes from a man to whom he had sold some rabbits.

Q. The boy was kept in custody; was any enquiry made? – A. Yes; a clerk of Messrs. Williams brought the particulars of the notes that were lost.

Q. Do you know whether that unhappy lad’s father is living? – A. No, he is dead.

(The notes were compared, which corresponded exactly with the description given by Mr. Hunt.)

JOEL TRAVERS sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knowlys. I am a waggoner, I drive the Wendover waggon: I saw the prisoner on a Wednesday morning in September, I believe it was during Bartholomew fair; I was sitting in the Bell tap-room, in Warwick-lane, and the ostler had got a little poney, that I had had with the team, watering it, and that lad came in, and asked whose property it was; I told him it was mine; he asked me if I would fell it; I told him I did not care whether I did or not; at last I agreed to fell it him for three guineas; provided I would let him have it to shew his father, he said, if he was not back in twenty minutes he would forfeit a shillingsworth of punch; I told him he must leave something then, and he gave me a five pound note; he came back, and said his father thought it too dear; we agreed at last, and I gave him one pound seventeen shillings out of the five pound note.

JOHN HILL sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knapp. I am a taylor: A few day after Bartholomew-fair the prisoner came to me, and gave me an order for a coat and waistcoat, I live in Cross-street, Hatton-garden, he paid me for them before-hand; I told him he had better not chuse them himself, but desire his mother to come; however, I agreed to make them for him; he gave me a five pound Banknote, and I gave him two pounds one shilling and sixpence in change; I do not know the number of the note, but my name is upon the back of it.

JOHN MILLER sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knapp I am one of the Bow-street officers: On Friday, the 15th of September, I went to the prisoner in the Cold-bath-fields House of Correction, he gave me these papers, and said, that was all he could say about it; I went by the direction of Mr. Parkins, the Solicitor; it is his own voluntary consession. (It is read, dated September 14, 1797.)

“GENTLEMEN,”About six months ago, Mr. Davis asked me”to deliver his quarterly letters at twelve shillings”per quarter, which I agreed to; one morning he”called me in one corner of the yard, and said,”he would give me sixpence to go to Alderman”Curtis, to get change for some bills, which I”refused to do; then Mr. Sibbert said, he would”give me a shilling to do the same for him, but I”would not; for that reason, Davis said, he would”tell Mr. Sparke, our Inspector, that I would”not deliver his letters; I told Mr. Sparke, that”he had borrowed a great deal of money on his”walk, and he was ashamed to go for his money”for the letters which I did take, and he was short”in the Treasury; one morning he told me, after”I had done delivering my letters, I was to call”on him, at the Green-man, in Bucklersbury, to”help him to deliver, which I did; I perceived”him put a letter in his pocket, which I spoke to”him about; and he said, if I told the office, he”would have me murdered, and then made me a”present of a dollar, and told me not to mention”it; soon after this, Mr. Sibbert absconded; Da”vis told me, if I told of their proceedings I should”get killed, and such like threats; Davis then”used to give me a sum of money not to tell of”him, when I said I would not tell; at last, he”persuaded me to do the same, and then he ran”away; and one morning I met him, and asked”him for twelve shillings, which he owed me;”and he said, he had not got it, but if I would”bring him another letter to the corner of New”man-street he would give it me, which I did;”he gave me the twelve shillings, and desired me”to meet him in a field near Copenhagen-house,”where he opened a letter containing a bill, value”400l. he desired me to meet him again, which”I did; he desired me to mind what I was”after, or else he would kill me, because I had”brought him a letter with nothing in it but taylor’s”patterns, and promised to meet me again, and”to buy him a horse, which I did, and never met”him from eight o’clock till two o’clock, and”tore the letter in pieces, and other bills, and went”home to my Godmother’s house, and put the”notes in my box, and locked it, with two one”pound notes, which he gave me, I gave them”to my mother; and, on Friday night last, my”mother searched my pockets, and took the key”of my box out, and opened the box, and took”out the notes; in the morning she called me up”to go to the office to work; she took me to Mr.”Stowe’s room, when, after some conversation,”my mother produced the notes to Mr. Stowe;”and then he ordered me to be kept in custody till”Wednesday, to go before a Magistrate.

“Sincerely from my heart.

” T. WILEY.”

One letter, with the stamp Newcastle; another letter, directed to somebody in Portland-place; another, directed to – Tavistock-street, Covent-garden; and another, directed to Messrs. Williams, and Company, Lombard street.

JAMES WHITE sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knapp. I am foreman at the Powder-mills at Waltham-Abbey.

Q. Do you know Davis? – A. Yes; he was employed at the Powder-mills, in August last, he came there on the 16th of August, and from that time to the 31st, he was regularly at work at the mills, except one afternoon, when I gave him liberty to go out for half a day. September the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th, three quarters of a day; the 5th, 6th, and 7th, a whole day; he worked there by the name of John Evans. (Davis called in.)

Q. Is that the man? – A. Yes.

Q. How far is Waltham-Abbey from Shoreditch church? – A.Near twelve miles.

JOHN-EVANS DAVIS sworn. – Examined by Mr. Knapp. Q.How came you to take the name of Evans? – A. I was under some trouble for debt, and as my name was Evans, I thought I had a right to take it. I was employed in the Post-office, and was dismissed, because I was deficient in the Treasury, I could not make up the money that I owed.

Q. Had you any connection with the prisoner on the 5th or 6th of September? – A. No.

Q. Did you ever give him any notes? – A. No; I never saw the lad from the 26th of July till I saw him at Bow-street; nor since that time till now.

Q. You knew him while he was in the Post-office? – A. Yes; I knew him and his father, he has been dead about a year and a half.

Prisoner’s defence. What I have said, is true; but I cannot recollect exactly the day.

GUILTY Death . (Aged 13.)

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. Justice HEATH.

640. WILLIAM PROCTOR , otherwise JOSEPH BURRIDGE , was indicted for obtaining under false presences, from William Anderson , two yards and one eighth of woollen cloth, value 35s. the property of the said William .

GEORGE ANDERSON sworn. – I am apprentice to my father, William Anderson , linen-draper , in Gracechurch-street; on Tuesday, the 15th of September, a written order was brought to our house, by Thomas Coxhead , (producing it), purporting to come from Mr. Creasy, of Deptford; we tied up the parcel; my brother went down and got into Monument-yard, and one of our porters went down Fish-street-hill; and Mr. Austin, as soon as the prisoner had received the parcel, laid hold of him; John Loveland, Mr. Samuel Austin , and my brother, were present when the goods were delivered to Coxhead; it was two yards and an eighth of superfine drab; the order was for two yards and three quarters of superfine blue cloth, but we did not tie up according to the order; I understood it was not of any consequence what was tied up in the parcel, so that we could prove that he received the parcel; we had had reason to suspect him.

THOMAS COXHEAD called in. – Q.How old are you? – A.Eleven last May.

Q.What will become of you in the next world, if you swear that which is false? – A. I shall not go to God. (Sworn). My father is a bricklayer; I was playing at top in Monument-yard, with another boy, I do not know what day it was, the prisoner came to me, and asked me to go to Mr. Anderson’s for him, for some clothes, he said, it was a little beyond Eastcheap, in Gracechurch-street, and he gave me three-pence farthing for myself, and a letter, to carry to Mr. Anderson’s; I carried it, and they gave me some cloth tied up in a paper, and I carried it to Mr. Burridge, he was waiting in the Monument-yard.

Q. Who were present? – A. Mr. Stephen Anderson , Mr. Loveland, and Mr. Austin came and took him.

JOHN LOVELAND sworn. – I am porter to Mr. Anderson; I was present when Coxhead brought the order, on the 15th of September.

Q.(To Anderson). How was this paper delivered to you? – A.As it is now, only doubled up.

Loveland. I went out before the cloth was delivered to the boy, down Fish-street-hill, right opposite to the Monument; I stopped there, and saw the boy come down the hill with a parcel in his hand; as soon as he got up to Proctor, he gave him the parcel; as soon as he took the parcel out of the boy’s hand, I crossed over, and caught him by the collar, and he then dropped the parcel, and Mr. Stephen Anderson picked it up, and carried it home in one hand, and had Mr. Burridge with the other; when he got home, he delivered it to the constable.

SAMUEL AUSTIN sworn. – I am a man’s mercer; I was at Mr. Anderson’s, on the 15th of September. I went down to Monument yard, by his direction, I waited there till I saw Coxhead come and give the parcel to the prisoner at the bar, he gave him some halfpence; immediately as he had got the parcel, I endeavoured to secure him with Mr. Stephen Anderson, and their porter; after that we took him to Mr. Anderson’s house, a constable was sent for, and the parcel delivered to him.

Q.(To George Anderson). Has your father any customer at Deptford, of the name of Creasy? – A. Yes. (The constable produced the property, which was deposed to by Mr. Anderson).

Coxhead. This is the parcel that I had from Mr. Anderson, and gave to Mr. Burridge.

GEORGE BARBER sworn. – I am shopman to John Creasy, at Deptford: I do not know the prisoner, I never saw him at Mr. Creasy’s house.

Q.Look at that order, do you know the handwriting of Mr. Creasy? – A.Perfectly well, I never saw Mr. Creasy write any thing like this; I know that no such thing was wanted at our house at that time.

JOHN CREASY sworn. – This is not my handwriting; it is not spelled as I spell my name; there is an too much in it.

Q. You live at Deptford? – A. I do.

Prisoner’s defence. I was out of employ, and received that order from a person, to receive these goods; the gentleman said his name was Creasy; and I knew my brother had lived with Mr. Anderson, and therefore I got this boy to go for it.

The prisoner called one witness, who gave him a good character.

GUILTY (Aged 26.)

Imprisoned twelve months in Newgate , and fined 1s.

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.

641. ROBERT JOHNSON was indicted for having, on the 30th of July , received of an ill disposed person unknown, two quart pewter pots, value 2s. the property of John Davis , he, the said Robert knowing them to be unlawfully come by .(The Court were of opinion that, as it did not appear in evidence that the identical pots found on the premises of the prisoner, had been stolen, he ought to be acquitted.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the first London Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.

The SESSIONS being ended the COURT proceeded to GIVE JUDGMENT as follows:

Received sentence of Death – 13.

John Asquith,

Thomas Wiley ,

William Ranton ,

Charles Martin ,

William Goldsmith ,

William Coleman ,

otherwise Middleton,

Mary Hodges,

otherwise Susannah Robertson,

Richard Simmons,

William Osland,

William Morris,

Ann Snnmert,

John Glover,

Henry Boxer.

Transported for seven years – 13.

John North,

James Mackie ,

Eleanor Carter,

Thomas Pryer,

Mary Clarke,

John Taylor,

Mary-Ann Morey,

Samuel Fryer.

James Lewis,

otherwise Druce,

James Bond,

Sarah Johnson,

John Brown,

Samuel Russell ,

Imprisoned twelve months in Newgate, and fined 1s. – 1.

William Proctor , otherwise Burridge.

Confined two years in the House of Corrections, and fined 1s. – 2.

William Almond , Thomas Potter .

Confined one year in the House of Correction, and fined 1s. – 4.

William Cope , Hannah Hunter , Mary Weatherall , Jacob Stone.

Confined six months in the House of Correction, fined 1s. and publicly whipped as near as possible to the India Company’s Warehouses – 1. Thomas Merritt .

Confined six months in the House of Correction, and fined 1s. – 8.

Lawrence Maroney , James Lewis, Mark Peddle, Thomas Mosely, Patrick Murdock, William Davis, Ann Smith, George Singer.

Confined one month in Newgate, and delivered to his Serjeant-1.

Thomas Chubby .

Judgement Respited – 1. Edward Clarke.