Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1884/4/5/10-12/a
  • Title
    Depositions of Charles Stevens, railway detective of Bedford, Frederick Bennett Webb, straw plait merchant of Rothesay Road, Luton, Alfred Carrington Chessum, warehouseman of Lower Thames Street, London, Henry Mainstone, carman of Thomas Passage, Whitechapel, London, Jonathan Coughlin, railway employee of Whitechapel, London, Thomas Robert Haynes, railway employee of Camden, London, Robert Mayes, railway guard of Priory Street, Bedford, Thomas Smith, railway employee of Luton, William Munroe, carpenter of Luton, Aneas Lane, beerhouse keeper of Duke Street, Luton, Charles Haswell, licensed victualler of Hitchin Road, Luton, Nelson Haywood, straw hat manufacturer of Burr Street, Luton, James Anniwell, police constable of Luton and Charles Rogers, police inspector of Luton. In the case of William Hill, Phineas Hill & John Palmer accused of stealing a bale of canton straw plait from a wagon on the Midland Railway. Evidence attached to document: consignment ticket & receipt.
  • Date free text
    1 October 1884
  • Production date
    From: 1884 To: 1884
  • Scope and Content
    Frederick Bennett Webb: straw plait merchant carrying out business in King Street, Luton. On 15 August he purchased 24 bales of canton plait in London of Messrs Kurth Stubbock of Australian Avenue, London. 19 were delivered soon after the order. On 19 September he ordered another 5 bales to be sent by the Midland Railway. 4 were delivered on 22 September. The other bale was reported missing. He has now compared a sample of the plait received with the plait in the custody of the police. He believed it to be the same. He produced an invoice showing the markings on the cover of the bale, and this corresponded with the marking on the wrapper. The bales had been sent Mr Warner, general warehouseman of 60 Lower Thames Street, London. Alfred Carrington: a warehouseman in the employment of Mr Warner. He remembered delivering to the Midland Railway Company on the 20 September 5 bales of canton straw plait for Mr FB Webb of Luton. The consignment note related to 5 bales and the mark corresponded with the wrapper. He made the mark on the wrapper himself. Henry Mainstone: a carman in the service of Midland Railway at City Station, London. On 20 September he recalled receiving the 5 bales described on the consignment note from Mr Warner’s warehouse. He took them to City Station and handed them to Jonathan Coughlin, a checker in the employment of the Midland Railway. Jonathan Coughlin: a checker in the employment of the Midland Railway Company at City Station. On 20 September he received 5 bales mentioned on the consignment note from Henry Mainstone. He weighed the bales and had them put direct onto wagon no.49 for Luton. He signed the consignment and put the ticket [attached to the deposition] on one of the 5 bales. The wagon left on the 9.50pm train for Luton. Thomas Robert Haynes: a number taker at Childs Hill siding of the Midland Railway Company and was on duty on the night of 20 September. He checked the number of the wagons on the 9.50pm train from City Station and amongst the wagons was the no. 49. The train arrived at Childs Hill at 12.07am and the wagon no.49 left the siding at 7.35am for Luton. The guard on the train was Robert Mayes. Robert Mayes: a goods guard employed by the Midland Railway Company. He was the guard on the 3.15am goods train fro St Pancras to Bedford. He picked up 30 wagons at Childs Hill; 12 being for Luton. He arrived at Luton at 9.50am on the morning of Sunday 21 September. Thomas Smith: a goods foreman in the employment of the Midland Railway Company at Luton station. He was on duty on 22 September and checked the goods out of wagon no.49 at Luton Station about 8am. There were 5 bales of canton plait for Mr FB Webb of Luton. When he went to the wagon he found the string on the corner of a bale had been cut and there were only 4 bales. He marked the invoice on the bottom in lead pencil to show that a bale was missing. When the goods arrived on the Sunday morning they were shunted down the yard near the cattle docks and was not unloaded. William Munroe: a carpenter in the service of the Midland Railway Company. He was on duty on 22 September at 7am. He went to the water closet at about 7.05am, beside the new sidings about 30 yards from where he worked. There he found a canton wrapper. Charles Stevens: a detective in the service of the Midland Railway Company. In consequence of a telegram he received, he came to Luton and examined the wrapper and found a portion of a ticket [fastened to deposition] attached to the wrapper and another portion lying loose. Aneas Lane: landlord of the Duke of Cambridge beer house in Duke Street, Luton. On 21 September, William Hill and John Palmer came to his house and had a pint of beer. William Hill paid for it and they remained half an hour before leaving. They returned about half an hour later and Palmer was perspiring as if he had been walking fast. Phineas Hill was in the house when the other 2 men came in. Phineas did not go out with them. Charles Haswell: landlord of the Old English Gentleman alehouse in Hitchin Road, Luton. He remembered Palmer and William Hill coming into the house on the evening of 21 September and they took beer together. Palmer had no money but Hill stood him 2 pints. Palmer said he would have money in the morning. On 22 September Palmer and Phineas Hill came to the house about 7.20am. 2 or 3 minutes later William Hill and a man named Shane came in. They had 4 or 5 pints between them and stopped about an hour. Palmer came in later that day with Phineas Hill and Nelson Haywood. Nelson Haywood: on 22 September he was in Hitchin Road about 9.45am and met Palmer. Palmer said he had a bale of canton that would suit him. Haywood said he had plenty but asked the price. He was told six pounds. He asked to see a sample and Palmer went up Ashton Street and brought a sample back. Whilst they would looking at the sample William Hill came up and Haywood told Palmer he would like to see the bulk. Palmer said Hill would show him and they went to Phineas Hill’s house in Ashton Street. He saw the plait and said he didn’t care to buy it. They then offered it to him for £4 15s. William Hill swore it to be his own plait. They finally agreed a price of £4 5s and he told Hill to take it to his place in Albert Road. William Hill took the plait to Albert Road and Phineas Hill’s son was with him. The plait was in 2 bags, which William Hill emptied and counted. There were 239 pieces; one piece short of a bale. He paid William Hill and was given a receipt [attached to deposition]. He went with William Hill and the boy to the Antelope public house where they found Phineas Hill, John Palmer and a man named Charles Shane. He drunk with them and they went to various public houses. He later heard a bale had been stolen and delivered the plait and the receipt to Inspector Rogers. Oliver Phineas Hill: lived with his father Phineas Hill in Aston Street, Luton. He recalled being in the Hitchin Road and seeing William Hill and Palmer coming down the road in the Hitchin Road from the direction of Ashton Street. Hill and Palmer had a hand truck with them and they had 2 bags and a big bag on it. Palmer asked him to take the truck to Nelson Haywood in Albert Road and wait until they came. He met the men in Albert Road and helped them to unload the truck and saw the bags carried into Mr Haywood’s. He saw William Hill open the bags and take out some of the plait. Palmer did not go inside. William Hill sent him for a receipt stamp and afterwards went with William Hill and Haywood to the Antelope public house and there saw all the prisoners and Charles Shane. They drank together. James Anniwell: a police constable stationed at Luton. On 30 September he was in charge of the Luton Police Station when the prisoners William Hill and John Palmer were in the exercise yard. William Hill asked him to send for Inspector Rogers and that they were guilty and wished to tell all they knew. He sent for the Inspector. Charles Rogers: Inspector of Police for the Borough of Luton. On 22 September he received information that a bale of canton plait had been stolen from the Midland railway’s premises during the night of 21 September. He made enquiries and arrested the 3 prisoners. On 30 September he was called to the police station and took a statement from prisoner William Hill. Statement of the accused: William Hill – he was innocent of fetching the plait from a truck on the Midland Railway but found it in 2 heaps in the meadow adjoining the line. Phineas Hill: he was perfectly innocent of the affair in any shape or form. The plait was brought to his house by William Hill and John Palmer, who said they had found it. They took it away the next morning. John Palmer: they had seen it in a meadow in Crescent Road and helped take it away.
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