Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1880/4/5/4-5
  • Title
    Charles Huckle, police constable of Woburn. In the case of Charles Dewburn & William Bailey Rush accused of together commiting an abominable crime.
  • Date free text
    23 August 1880
  • Production date
    From: 1880 To: 1880
  • Scope and Content
    Charles Huckle: a police constable stationed at Woburn. He was on duty in Leighton Street on the evening of 18 August when he saw the prisoner Rush come from a gate opening to a field of Mr Puddlephatt’s into Leighton Street. The field adjoined the police station. The prisoner looked up and down and returned to the field. Huckle went to the gate, opened it as quietly as possible and went into the field. He saw 2 persons lying on the grass by the hedge, about 25 yards from the gate. He stood and watched them for 3 or 4 minutes. He got within a yard of them before they saw him. Rush was lying on his back and Dawburn was on top. Huckle asked what they were doing. Rush rolled Dawburn off of him and he saw Rush had his trousers undone. Dawburn’s trousers were also undone and he saw his naked person. Rush said “I was just teaching him to be a teetotaller. I hope you don’t think anything of the kind of me”. Huckle told Dawburn he ought to know better than messing with Rush. Dawburn said Rush had been messing with him coming up the street and he had planned to put nettles in his trousers had Huckle not come along. Dawburn had been drinking but he was not drunk. There was no footpath in the field. Statement of the accused – Charles Dawburn: he was not working with Rush. He was on top of him. He was going up Leighton Street and he met Rush. They were going in opposite directions. Rush asked to walk beside him and he agreed. Rush went beside him and began feeling him and saying he wouldn’t hurt him. Dawburn pushed him away. Rush said he had meant no offence. They got to Whitlock’s where there was a gate. Rush asked him to sit with and he’d tell him a little about temperance. He asked him to join the temperance society. Dawburn made water. Rush grabbed hold of his collar and pulled him down and asked him to let him [description….] Huckle came and asked what was going on. Rush told Huckle he was teaching Dawburn about temperance. Statement of the accused – William Bailey Rush: he had asked Dawburn to join the temperance cause. He had seen Dawburn at the beginning of the week and Dawburn had [description of act….] He had no intention of what they were charged with and he believed Dawburn did not either. He told the policeman nothing wrong had happened but he did find his things were in disorder.
  • Level of description
    item
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