QSR1871/2/5/8

Depositions and examination - William Stone charged with stealing 18 bushels of soot from William Reeve at Leighton Buzzard on 21 March 1871

31 March 1871

From: 1871 To: 1871

Thomas Kempster of Leighton Buzzard, labourer - about 10.30am on Tuesday 21 March he was going down the Hockliffe Road at Leighton Buzzard to Humphrey Tompkins house for money owed to him by Tompkins for work. He saw Stone coming out of a field occupied by William Reeve driving a horse and cart. There were 4 or 5 sacks in the cart. Stone was sitting on the sacks and wished him good morning. He went to Mr Tompkins then returned towards Leighton Buzzard. He overtook Stone and the cart and walked behind. Stone stopped at his residence near the British School and carried the sacks to his barn. The sacks were full. Stone placed an old door and some straw on the sacks. Stone left his yard with a load of dung. He went and opened one of the sacks and found soot in it. He thought it strange Stone should cart soot from another man’s land to his own barn and it made him go and open the sack. He told William Reeve last Wednesday 29 march what he had seen. He could not tell Reeve earlier as he heard he was ill and confined to his bed. He has been shown 3 sacks of soot by the police which he believes to be those he saw in Stone’s cart and barn. Thomas Ruffhead, police constable at Leighton Buzzard - on Wednesday 29th he went to Stone’s premises. He went into Stone’s barn and saw three sacks of soot covered with straw and a door. About an hour later he saw Stone. He asked if Stone’s horse and cart were engaged by Mr. Reeve on the 21 March. Stone hesitated a minute then said yes. He asked Stone if he was there with it and he said not. Stone then said he went there once or twice to see if they had done with the horse and cart but was not there when the horse and cart left. He asked what time that was and Stone first said the afternoon, then 10.30am. Stone said he did not know who brought the horse and cart from the field when it was done with. Stone said he did not know, he was not at home and was drawing out manure for Humphrey Tompkins. He believes it was Motive Smith or Jack Reeve. Stone said he had soot on his premises which he bought from Abrahams of Stanbridge last year. He said he would charge Stone with stealing the soot and take him the to the police station. Stone swore he never took the horse or cart or soot from Reeves’ field that day. He has examined the soot and sacks and found the soot was quite alive and had been recently put in the sacks. If the soot had been in the sacks some time it would have become hard. The outside of the sacks were not much discoloured with soot. William Reeve of Leighton Buzzard, farmer - he hired Stone’s horse and cart to draw soot from a barn in a field close to the Hockliffe Road into the field. On 21 March the soot was loose in the barn and was to be placed loose in the cart and sown on the land. His men were to drive the cart, fill it with soot and sow it. Stone had no occasion or right to be with the cart. He [Reeve} was ill at the time and did not hear of the robbery until some days after it happened. William Stone - he was never on Mr Reeves field that day or brought away any soot.

item

Stone, William,
Reeve, William,
Kempster, Thomas,
Ruffhead, Thomas,
Tompkins, Humphrey,
Smith, Motive,
Reeve, Jack

LEIGHTON BUZZARD, stealing, farmer, police constable, carts