QSR1884/2/5/3d

Depositions of Levi Horn, dealer of Dunstable, William Allen Thody, Henry Tofield, William Allwood and George Simonds all of Dunstable. In the case John Weston accused of stealing 5 fowls.

26 January 1884

From: 1884 To: 1884

Levi Horn: a grocer living in Union Street Dunstable. He kept some fowls at the back of his premises and lost a total of 9. He lost 6 of them 2 at a time around Christmas and the other 3 the previous week. The prisoner lived at Mrs Abrahams he advised PC’s Thody and Tofield when the fowl went missing. On loss of the last 3 he went with the constables to Mrs Abrahams where he saw 5 fowls in a greenhouse, but he was unable to identify them. William Allwood: an employee of the Dunstable Gas Company and about 12 month previous had had sold Levi Horn 15 fowls. To the best of his belief the hen produced was one of the 15. George Simmonds: a dealer of 37 Upper Union Street in Dunstable. On 22 January he examined the 5 fowls produced and identified 2 to be those of Mr Horn. The previous year he had borrowed one of the hens from Mr Horn to sit of some ducks eggs. He fed it and had it about a month. The hen was returned when the eggs hatched. He had known that particular hen when it had belonged previously to Mr Allwood. He had great experience in fowl and considered the hen markings very peculiar. William Allen Thody: a police constable stationed at Upper Houghton Regis. He received information from Levi Horn that he had lost some fowls and with PC Tofield, they found 2 fowls shut in the greenhouse on the premises f Mrs Abrahams. He afterwards saw the prisoner who said they were his property and he had bought them from a man in Leighton Buzzard named Janes. The prisoner lived at Mrs Abraham’s premises where the fowls were found. Henry Tofield: a police constable stationed in Dunstable. On 22 January Levi horn gave him information on the loss of 3 fowls. One hen later returned and Horn missed only 2. That evening he went with PC Thody to Mrs Abarham’s in Union Street and found 3 fowls in the greenhouse there. He saw the prisoner that evening and asked if he had any fowls, to which he relied no and neither did Mrs Abrahams. Asked to account for those in the greenhouse he said he had bought them at Leighton market from a man called Wetherhead but whom they called Janes. The man lived in Leighton near Bardells. He went to Wetherhead and ascertained he had not sold any fowls to the prisoner. Statement of the accused: he did not desire to make a statement.

8 pages

item

Weston, John,
Horn, Levi,
Thody, William Allen,
Allwood, William,
Tofield, Henry,
Simonds, George,
Abrahams

DUNSTABLE, Dunstable Union Street, Leighton Buzzard Market, stealing, fowls