QSR1873/4/5/2

Depositions and examination - Alfred Watts, otherwise John Gates, charged with obtaining 20s and 6 quarts of beer from Joseph Wild by false pretences on 4 May 1873 at Luton

28 July 1873

From: 1873 To: 1873

Joseph Wild of Luton, innkeeper – he keeps the Windmill. On Saturday 4 May 1872 [sic] Watts came to his house at about 9am. He had seen him there once before but only knew him as “Curly”. Watts said he was working on the Midland Railway as a ganger over 9 men and was waiting to see the cashier, and asked for 6 quarts of beer and £1 in small silver for the cashier’s use. On that footing he let Watts have the 6 quarts and £1 in silver. Before he did so Watts said he would return by 11am and bring the money and the men to dinner – Watts had ordered dinner for 9 men at 12pm. He did not see Watts again, the beer has never been paid for nor the money returned. He later found that Watts was not working on the railway but was hoeing turnips for a Mr How. [Cross-examined] Watts asked “the Mrs” to lend him a few shillings on 3 May. Watts did not ask him to trust him for some beer until 4 May. Watts did not ask him to lend him the money on 3 May – he would not lend him a halfpenny. Eliza Wild of Luton, wife of Joseph Wild – on Saturday 4 May 1872 she saw the prisoner between 9 and 10am. Watts came to her house and asked her husband to lend him a sovereign for the cashier on the Midland Railway as the cashier did not have change to pay the men. Her husband let Watts have it. She served him with a gallon of beer while her husband counted the money. Watts said he would return about 11am with the men for his dinner and would pay the money back and settle for the beer then. She understood Watts had a quart of beer early in the morning. Watts has not paid for the beer or returned the money. She had not seen him again until that day. [Cross-examined] Watts had the beer in a gallon bottle. Her husband did not say he had trusted him before and would trust him again. Watts said he was in a hurry as the cashier was waiting for the change. Henry Perkins of Luton, ganger on the railway – he is a ganger on the Midland Railway from the Hitchin Road Bridge toward Chiltern Green, close to the Windmill. He has been ganger there since April 1871. Watts never worked on his district of the railway. He knows Watts by the name Curly. George Armstrong of Luton, sergeant of police – on Wednesday 16 July he took Watts into custody under the warrant produced. He read the warrant and Watts said “All right – I expected you would be here after me – I know I had the beer and money too – I was at work with some more chaps at Mr How’s at Crawley Green and we drink the beer and then went and got drunk with the money”. Mr How is a farmer. Alfred Watts otherwise John Gates - Wild lent him the money and trusted him for the beer. No cashier was named. Wild came to his house and told his [Watts] wife he trusted him and said he wanted the bottle.

item

Watts, Alfred,
Gates, John,
Wild, Joseph,
Wild, Eliza,
Perkins, Henry,
Armstrong, George,
How

LUTON, Crawley Green, false pretences, beer, innkeeper, ganger, police sergeant, Luton Windmill, turnips, Midland Railway Company