Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1870/3/5/11-12
  • Title
    Depositions and examinations - John Payne and Richard Reader, charged with stealing 12 live ducks value £1 14s from Ernest Dixon on 21 June at Wheathampstead (Herts) and being found in possession of teh ducks at Luton on 22 June
  • Date free text
    27 June 1870
  • Production date
    From: 1870 To: 1870
  • Scope and Content
    Arthur John Dixon of Wheathampstead, farmer and miller – he lives with his brother at Batford Mill, Wheathampstead. On Tuesday 21 June about 7pm he saw 29 ducks safe in the duck house. The next morning he missed 12 of them. They were all young brown ducks, nearly full grown. On Thursday 24 June police sergeant Smith showed him 6 dead ducks. He has no doubt they were 6 of them and are his brother’s property. The twelve ducks were worth about £1 16s. His brother’s name is Ernest Dixon. The skins produced are those of the ducks he saw on the 24th. Edwin Harris of Harpenden, dealer – on Tuesday 21 June about 7am he was at Batford Mills. He saw 33 ducks there and bought 4 of them. On 24th police sergeant Smith showed him 6 dead ducks. He believes them to be some of those he saw on Tuesday morning. William Randall of Luton, labourer – he lodges at Charles Day’s in Church Street, Luton. He and Payne have separate beds in the same room. On Wednesday 22 Juen about 6.30am some one called at their back room window. Payne got out of bed and looked out of the window and went downstairs. Reader is the man who came upstairs with Payne. Payne sat a few minutes, then dressed and went down. Reader lay down outside Payne’s bed for about 2 hours and then went down. Reader was in the back kitchen when Inspector James came. He is deaf. Emma White, wife of James White of Luton, labourer – they have a front room upstairs at Charles Day’s in Church Street Luton. On Wednesday 22 June about 10am she went down into Mrs Day’s back kitchen. She saw Reader there with some dead brown ducks lying on the floor. She believes he was tying up the necks with paper. There was no one else in the room. She saw Inspector James come from her window. Sarah Day, wife of Charles Day of Luton, platelayer – they occupy a house that used to be the Elephant and Castle. She knows Reader and Payne. Payne was lodging at her house, Reader was not. On Wednesday 22 June she went into the back kitchen about 9am and found Reader there. He asked if she had a cup of coffee she could give him, which she did. He later came to her in the front room they use as a shop and took up an old newspaper called the “Police News” and asked if she had another old newspaper she could let him have. She gave him one, she thinks it was the Chronicle. Reader went into the back kitchen with the papers. When Inspector James came she saw 2 paper parcels lying in a chair. Reader stood against them. She went out the back way and round into the front room. She saw Reader in the front room with James and Sergeant Smith. James said he wanted to search for some ducks. Reader said “don’t let him search Mrs Day”. She told James he might search where he please. She later went into the back with James and saw him open the parcels lying in the chair. They were dead brown ducks. George James of Luton, inspector of police – on 22 June about 11am he went with Sergeant Smith to Charles Day’s house. They found Reader in the back kitchen, standing against a chair with 2 paper parcels in it. Mrs Day left the room and went into a front room. In a minute or so Reader went into the same room. He and Smith followed and asked to speak with Mrs Day in the back room. Reader then shut the door which opened into the back room and bolted it. Reader said he was to say whatever he had to say there, and should not search unless he showed him his warrant. He told Reader to move out of the way and let him into the back room. Smith had to move Reader to let them pass as he wouldn’t get out of the way. In the back room he examined two paper parcels in the chair. They contained two dead brown ducks each, young ones. He produces the skins. Each duck’s neck was bound up in a piece of newspaper with string. The necks had been broken and on some the skin was torn. Two of the ducks were wrapped in the Police News and the others in a County Chronicle. The ducks were fresh killed and warm. He showed them to Reader and said he would take him into custody. Reader said he knew nothing about them. When they got to the police station he searched Reader and found fresh ducks’ feathers in his coat pockets. There was also fresh blood on his trousers. On Friday 24th he charged him with stealing 12 ducks at Batford Mills. Reader again said he knew nothing about them. Frederick Smith of Luton, sergeant of police – about 10am on 22 June he met Payne at the bottom of Church Street coming from the direction of Day’s house, carrying something covered with a cloth. He asked what Payne had. Payne said 2 ducks. He asked whose they were. Payne said they belonged to “a man up here”. He said if Payne did not give him a proper account of them he would charge him with stealing them. Payne then said he found them by the Sheep Brook. He took Payne into custody. They were young brown ducks, fresh killed. On Thursday 23rd he showed the ducks with 4 others to Arthur Dixon who identified them as belonging to his bother and also to Harris who recognised them as some he had seen at Mr Dixon’s. On Friday 24th he charged Payne with stealing 12 ducks. Payne said he knew nothing about them and was in bed all night. On 22nd he went with James about 11am to Charles Day’s house. He saw Reader and Mrs Day in a back kitchen … [same evidence as George James] … He saw the Inspector search Reader’s coat and find the ducks feathers in it and saw the fresh blood on his trousers. Richard Reader – nothing more to say. John Payne – nothing to say.
  • Exent
    14 pages
  • Reference
  • Level of description
    item
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