QSR1852/3/5/35

Depositions of Joseph Fossey, labourer of Ampthill, George Short, labourer of Westoning, and Edward Scott, police constable of Westoning. In the case of James Billington accused of stealing a bag, a gallon of oats, a mixture of oats, a quart of beans, a quart of chaff.

18 June 1852

From: 1852 To: 1852

Joseph Fossey: was employed by Edward Coleman, a grocer of Ampthill. On 17 June he had been out on a journey with a horse and cart belonging to his master. He had taken with him a bag of corn. On his return home he stopped at the Chequers public house in Westoning. He left the bag, at the horses head for him to feed from. The prisoner was at the public house. Fossey saw the prisoner leave the house, and having some suspicions of him; Fossey went outside and found the corn for his horse was gone. He had only been in the public house for about 5 minutes so it would not have been possible for the horse to have eaten all the corn. Fossey challenged the prisoner about the corn and took the bag of corn the prisoner was holding and poured it into his own bag. He gave Billington into the charge of Constable Scott. George Short: on 17 June had was standing against the Chequers public house at Westoning. He saw the prisoner go to his own horse and remove the corn bag. He then went to another horse and took out 5 or 6 handfuls of something from the bag on the horses head. He emptied it into the bag he had taken from his own horses head. He saw some corn, chaff and beans fall to the ground. He then saw Joseph Fossey come out of the Chequers and charge the prisoner with taking his corn. The prisoner claimed it was his own. Edward Short: he took the prisoner into custody on the charge of stealing the corn. Billington said he did not steal the corn but the horse tossed the bag from its head and some of the corn fell out and he picked this up. The prisoner said he hoped Scott would be easy with him.Statement of the accused: he gathered corn from the ground and put it in his bag. Fossey said he had taken some of his corn but he had not.

item

Billington, James,
Fossey, Joseph,
Coleman, Edward,
Short, George,
Scott, Edward

WESTONING, AMPTHILL, Westoning Chequers, stealing, oats, beans