QSR1872/4/5/11-12

Depositions and examinations - Arthur Perry charged with stealing 12 dozen straw hats value £6 from his master Frederick Simpson on 9 August 1872 at Luton; Richard Stokes charged with receiving stolen goods.

19 August 1872

From: 1872 To: 1872

Frederick Simpson of Luton, manufacturer – he carries on business in George Street, Luton. Arthur Perry has been in his employ as warehouseman for nearly 3 ½ years. Joseph Hawkes is his general manager and Thomas Simpson his porter. The greater portions of the hats produced are his property. All those before him were manufactured by his work people for him. He believes the other lot produced also belong to him. He has not sold the hats produced or any similar ones to Stokes. He had authorised Perry as a salesman but not to send the goods out of the warehouse until they have been properly entered. Perry was authorised to take money but must account for it by paying it over at once to himself or Mr Hawkes. He finds no entry of any goods sold to Stokes and no money received from Stokes has been accounted for. Any sale of goods to Stokes on 9th was without his knowledge or consent. All the hats before him are saleable goods and not old stock. The value is about £4 11s. I had not missed the goods or previously noticed any deficiency. There were about 15 or 20,000 hats on his premises at that time. [Cross-examination] Perry never offered to pay him for the goods. He has had no conversation with Perry since the robbery. He sent to Stokes who eventually came on the evening of Saturday 9th. He asked how many transactions Stokes had of this kind. Stokes remained silent. He offered to forgive Stokes if he would tell him the whole truth. Stokes said he had been about twice before. He said if Stokes had not told the whole truth he would prosecute him. Stokes then said there had been perhaps half a dozen times. He asked the last time Stokes came on this errand – Stokes said on the Thursday before Perry went out for his holiday. He asked how many goods Stokes received. Stokes said he did not know the quantity. He asked what Stokes gave for them – he thinks Stokes said 30s and about £1 or 25s for the other lots. He has taken these proceedings because he does not believe Stokes told him the truth. Mr Cotchin and Mr Hawkes have acted for him in this matter. He was not acquainted of this robbery until Saturday 9th. At the time he made the promise to Stokes Perry was not in custody and he had not instructed the police. Perry was apprehended on Tuesday or Wednesday and Stokes that morning (August 19th). He received a letter from Perry before he was in custody. He discovered the hats on Stokes’ premises before Stokes made any statements to him. Thomas Simpson of Luton, porter – he is engaged in Mr Simpson’s warehouse in George Street. On Friday 9th August between 2 and 2.30pm he was directed by Perry to go on an errand. No one but Perry was then in the warehouse. When he came in at the back he saw Stokes leaving the warehouse at the front. He asked Perry who it was. Perry said he was just going to sell him a little lot of rubbish but did not say who it was. He then went out in the back yard. In about 10 minutes Perry came and gave him 2 half crowns. Perry told him it was part of the money he had taken for the hats he had just been selling. He refused to take the money. Perry asked him to say nothing about it. He did not miss any hats. [Cross-examined] H has been with Mr Simpson for 12 months. It was Perry’s duty to sell to proper parties. He never knew him sell to Stokes. Stokes is a hawker of straw goods to markets. [Re-examined] He went to Stokes’s house on Saturday 10th and brought the hats produced from there. He told Mr Hawkes about 9pm the same evening. John Cotchin of Luton, manufacturer – on Saturday 10th from a conversation he had with Mr Simpson and Thomas Simpson he went to Stokes’s house at about 5pm. He had seen Arthur Perry before then. He knocked at Stokes’s house and as no one came he entered and found a basket in a front room. He saw Stokes and said he wanted to ask him some questions. He asked when Stokes was last in Mr Simpson’s warehouse. Stokes denied ever being there. He asked if he know Mr Simpson, Stokes said he did not. He asked where he got the hats from at the top of the basket. Stokes hesitated then said he had hats made up for him all over the town. He asked if Stokes knew a young man named Perry. Stokes said he did, and hoped he was not going to lock him up. He told Stokes to come along with him to see Mr Simpson. Stokes refused. A female came, lifted up the lid of the basket and said “you never made those hats – I’ll swear they are Mr Simpsons”. The woman told Stokes to tell the truth. Stokes admitted he had the hats. He said if Stokes would not go with him he would take the hats. He called Thomas Simpson who took the basket away. The hats produced were on the top of the basket. The basket was full. About half an hour later he saw the basket opened in the presence of Mr Simpson and Mr Hawkes who recognized the goods as Mr Simpson’s. [Cross-examined] He was not instructed by Mr Simpson but acted as a friend to him. He went to Stokes at his own judgment. He had seen Perry in the warehouse at Mr Simpson’s suggestion in the presence of Mr Hawkes. Perry was crying. Perry admitted it was a very bad job and said he could not think how he came to be so silly. He advised Perry to tell the truth. For some time Perry said that was the only thing he had ever done, but at last admitted he had done it before three or four times. He said the first time he had sold anything he got 2 or 3 shillings for a lot of odd stuff of no use to anybody. He did not tell Perry if he told the whole truth he would be forgiven. [Re-examined] He only advised Perry to tell the truth. Stokes told him on Saturday he had sold about 6 dozen hats. Joseph Hawkes of Luton, manufacturer’s manager – he is superintendent and general manager of Mr F Simpson’s business. He keeps the accounts and the cash. Perry was warehouseman and sometimes in Mr Simpson’s absence waited on customers. Perry was authorised to sell to regular customers but not to strangers. It was Perry’s duty in his absence if it were an urgent case to enter the goods before they left the warehouse and to pay over the money to him at once and account for it. Stokes is not a customer of Mr Simpson’s. Perry did not account for any transaction with Stokes on Saturday until he taxed him with it at about 1pm. When Perry came in from dinner he said he wanted the money Perry took from Stokes yesterday. Perry said it was £1 14s 6d and gave him the money. He then asked for an account of the goods. Perry said they were the regular prices, a few here and a few there. He asked for particulars. He then wrote the paper produced containing the particulars as Perry gave them to him – 2 blacks @ 1s 6d; 4 whites @ 17d each; 3 boys @ 22d; 3 boys @ 22d; 2 brown twist @ 22 ½ d’ 2 grey @ 21 ½ d; and 3 black flora at 2s 3d. He said he missed 6 black floras – Perry said he only sold three. He said they did not come to amount Perry said but he would take the account, which amounts to £1 13s 9d. He told Perry he was very grieved he had acted so wickedly and so ungratefully and his duty was for Mr Simpson, that he must leaved the premises immediately and wait until he was sent for. Perry said there was some screw due to him and he would pay the lot. He advised Perry to tell the truth but used no threat or promise. He saw the basket Thomas Simpson brought from Stokes. The fine black twist floras now produced were in Mr Simpson’s warehouse on Friday, also the 8 black tuscan mushrooms, four boys white pearls, 4 boys white twist, 3 brown twist “Dolly Varden”, two white rock ditto, 3 grey split pearl, and 11 white canton Dolly Vardens. He believes the remained to be theirs – bought goods of which the bulk have been sold so he cannot compare them. None of the sort of goods before him were sold on Friday. He has missed about 2 or 3 dozen more goods of this description. The goods found at Stokes are worth £4 6s 10d and the others missed would be worth about £2 [Cross-examined] Until this time Perry had conducted himself well. Frederick Smith of Luton, police constable – about 10pm on Tuesday 13th he apprehended the prisoner under the warrant produced. He read the warrant. Perry said he knew he had done wrong but was charged with stealing more than he took. He had a warrant for Stokes on Thursday. He apprehended him and read the warrant. Stokes made no reply. He received the goods produced from Mr Hawkes. Arthur Perry – he has nothing to say. Richard Stokes – he has nothing to say.

item

Perry, Arthur,
Simpson, Frederick,
Simpson, Thomas,
Cotchin, John,
Hawkes, Joseph,
Smith, Frederick

LUTON, Luton George Street, stealing, straw hat manufacturer, straw hat worker, porter, manager, police constable