QSR1875/4/5/13

Depositions and examination - William Peck charged with wounding Thomas Wilshire at Northill on 12 October 1875

13 October 1875

From: 1875 To: 1875

Thomas Wiltshire of Ickwell, labourer – on 13 October about 10.15pm he was on the highroad in Northill near the Tythe Barn. He was having a spree with Norman, Endersby and Hill and some others. William Peck was there. He came up to William Endersby and they had a dance together. The he and Peck danced together. While they were dancing Peck cut his right hand side. His left arm was over Peck’s back and his right arm in front of Peck across his waist. Peck’s right arm was over his shoulder. Peck cut him with his pocket knife which was in his left hand. He did not see Peck open it. They had not been dancing together 2 minutes when Peck did this. Peck did not object to dancing or say anything to him. Peck cut the back of his hand in three places. He cried out that Peck had cut him. Peck them said he had cut him with a tobacco pipe. He [Wiltshire] said it was with his knife. Peck again said he had cut him with a tobacco pipe. There had not been any quarrelling between them. He told Peck he would go to the police. Thomas Norman of Northill, labourer – he was about 4 yards away from Thomas Wiltshire. He saw Wiltshire and Peck with their arms round one another dancing. He saw Peck take a knife out of his pocket nad cut Wiltshire. He did not see Peck open the knife. He does not know what pocket Peck took the knife from. When he saw Peck cut Wiltshire he walked up and put his arms out and pushed them apart. He held Peck standing in front of him while they fetched the policeman. While he was holding him Peck stabbed at him with the knife. It passed close to his head, breaking his pipe. He then threw Peck down and took the knife away from him. In trying to take the knife away Peck stabbed him in the side through is clothes, but did not wound him. After a time the knife was returned to Peck. The knife now produced is the same. There was no quarrelling. William Endersby of Northill, gardener’s labourer – on Tuesday 12 October about 10.20pm he with 9 or 10 others were near Joseph Brunt’s. A man named Abraham Woodward was there with a fiddle and they were all “larking” together. William Peck came up and said “I’ll have a dance with you”. Peck took hold of Thomas Wiltshire and they danced together. About three minutes later he saw Peck had an open knife in his hand. He saw Peck cut Wiltshire 3 times across the back of his right hand. Wiltshire pushed him away and cried out. There was not a cross or wrangling word said. It was Mr. Harvey’s rent feast and William Peck had been acting as waiter. Charles Palmer Stevens of Biggleswade, surgeon – about 1am on 13 October Thomas Wilshire came to his house. He found 3 incised wounds on the back of his right hand taking the direction from the little finger to the thumb obliquely. There was no bleeding then but apparently had been considerable bleeding. He dressed the wound. There is no doubt the wounds were caused by a sharp or cutting instrument like a knife. He does not consider the wounds are dangerous. Joseph Newton of Northill, police constable – about 11.30pm on 13 October he went to Peck’s house and knocked at the door. Peck answered and refused to open the door. After a few minutes Peck did open the door and he took him into custody for wounding Thomas Wilshere. Peck said he did not stab him but “done it with a pipe”. He asked Peck for his knife. Peck said he had not got one. He said Peck must have one – Peck then took it out of his trousers’ pocket and gave it to him. Peck said he had never opened the knife, that if it was open “they” must have opened it, and that it was the back of the knife which cut Wilshre’s hand. William Peck - when he came away some of them caught hold of him and asked if he was going to dance. He said he wanted to get on home. Some of them came behind him, gave him a clink of the head and knocked him down. He got up again and Tom Wilshere gave him “that black eye”.

item

Peck, William,
Wiltshire, Thomas,
Norman, Thomas,
Endersby, William,
Stevens, Charles Palmer,
Newton, Joseph,
Brunt, Joseph,
Woodward, Abraham,
Harvey

NORTHILL, Ickwell, BIGGLESWADE, wounding, surgeon, police constable, MUSIC, feasts