Reference
QSR1842/4/5/41-42/a
Title
Depositions - William Shane charged with stealing barley from Henry Tomson and John Childs charged with receiving stolen goods.
Date free text
26 September 1842
Production date
From: 1842 To: 1842
Scope and Content
James Cook of Luton, corn dealer - on Saturday afternoon between 4 and 5pm he saw John Childs come out of one of the shops up the Crown Yard in Luton with a bag on his shoulder. He saw him walk up the London Road toward the Vine. Childs laid the bag down against the Vine corner. He told William Young to watch the bag and went down to Mr Burge at the Crown. They both went back and opened the bag and found it contained wheat and a small bag of tares. He went for the police and Smalley the police constable went for the bag.
Henry Smalley, police constable - about 6pm on that Saturday Mr Cook told him there was a bag of corn near the Vine corner. He found the bag which contained wheat and a small bag inside containing tares. They waited there some time. When Childs came up they asked him where it came from and he said a man gave him 6d to take it out of the Crown yard. He took Childs into custody and left the corn in the care of Mr Ashton.
William Ashton - he saw the bag now produced standing against the Vine house. He was there when it was opened. It contained wheat and barley mixed. The wheat was at the top and when they shot it out they found barley at the bottom. There was a little bag inside with tares in it. He produces samples of the wheat, barley and tares.
Henry Tomson - the bag now produced is his property. He had several similar sacks which came to him with some foreign red clover he puchased. They are all sewn at the top. He has no hesitation saying the barley is his and he believes the wheat is his.
William Tuffnail of Barton - he works for Mr Henry Tomson. On Saturday about 4pm he saw a bag go from Mr Tomson's warehouse in Mr Bates cart. William Shane said he wanted a bushel of wheat to go to the Crown. Mr Bates cart brought barley to the warehouse. The bag was put in after the barley was taken off the cart. There was nobody but William Shane in the shop. He went with Shane and the cart and on passing the Crown Yard the bag was taken out. There was only himself and Shane and the old man with the cart. They then went to Mr Cook's yard to have some oats. The three of them had a pint of beer at the Crown. He and the old man did not take the bag out. Shane must have taken it out.
[Further deposition] He saw William Shane carry down a bag fromt he middle loft of Mr Tomson's warehouse. Shane put it into a branded sack and brought it down and put it into the cart. He believes there was corn in the bag.
Level of description
item