QSR1876/1/5/6

Depositions and examination - Thomas Kiteley of Leighton Buzzard, farmer, charged with stealing 3 pottles of barley meal value 1s 3d from William James Bodger at Leighton Buzzard on 12 November 1875

23 November 1875

From: 1875 To: 1876

John Loke of Ledburn (Bucks), labourer – he works for Mr Bodger and knows Kiteley well. He came into Mr Bodger’s service on 31 October. He thought he missed something after he had been with him a week. He missed some maize meal. He mashed the meal on Saturday night, levelled it in a tub on his master’s premises, and made an impression of private marks on the meal. The next morning he missed some. On the Saturday night he laid a sack across the tub. He doubled it and put a string across it. On Sunday morning he found the string on the floor and some meal gone. His marks were gone. The next Tuesday morning he missed more meal from the tub. He then told his master. On that night he levelled the meal again. He missed some more the next Friday morning. He missed 3 pottles of his master’s meal. He feeds the pigs on barley meal, maize meal and potatoes, all mixed together in the tub. He mixes 2 sacks at a time. The tub stands on the floor of the hog tub house in the outer yard. An open yard adjoins the hog house. You have to go through that yard to the outer yard. A cart hovel adjoins the tub house on the right hand side. He should not miss a small quantity of pigs’ food taken from the tub. On Tuesday 9 November it was a frosty morning. He saw some footsteps under the hovel but not on the grass. [Cross-examined] He has known Kiteley for 25 years. He never said he suspected Kiteley or he should have warned him. He never said to Saunders he suspected Kiteley. William James Bodger of Leighton Buzzard, surgeon – on 9 November he was informed by Loke that meal had been missed. He knows Kiteley well. Kiteley has no business on his premises at any time. He informed the police. He asked around the premises to find where the take of the meal could gain access to them. He found at the end of a low wall which separates his premises from Kiteley’s that some wire netting put up by himself to keep Kiteley’s fowls out of his premises had been loosened at one corner and that the wall there was covered with barley meal in a state of solution or liquid mixture. He found a door leading from the outer yard into the inner yard was unfastened, which was generally kept fastenend. The door is his and is the only access to the inner yard. He later heard that Kiteley had been arrested on his premises. [Cross-examined] Kiteley does not live on the adjoining premises. He does not know where he lives. He has known Kiteley for 30 years, but he is not respectable. He has heard Kiteley has been in custody and the superintendent of police told him so. [2nd cross-examination] He has seen the Kiteleys upon the adjoining premises and has seen stock there. George Bird, police constable stationed at Leighton Buzzard – he knows Kiteley well. He went with PC Lunniss to watch Dr Bodger’s farm at Leighton. On Friday morning 12 November about 5am he heard footsteps and saw Kiteley inside the yard. Kiteley was coming towards him and going out of the gate. He stopped and searched Kitely. He and Lunniss found nothing on him. He asked what Kiteley was doing at that time of the morning. Kiteley said his sister had lost a hen and he had come to look for it. He asked what colour it was. Kiteley said “a black one”. He told Kiteley it was the wrong time to look for a black hen in the dark and that he should take him into custody. Kiteley said he could not go yet as his brother was waiting for him to go milking. Kiteley was taken to the police station. He and Lunniss went to Dr Bodger’s premises later the same morning and went in the direction of Kiteley was coming from when they found him. He saw footsteps from the meal house to a wall between Dr Bodger’s farm and Kiteley’s premises. He saw traces of barley meal on the wall. At Kiteley’s premises on the other side of the wall he found the bag produced with string attached. The end of the string was lodged on the top of the wall. All down that side of the wall it was smothered with barley meal. He took the bag to Dr Bodger’s farm and compared it with the meal in the tub and it corresponded. The potatoes mixed up in the tub were whole ones. He found some whole ones in the bag. He then went to Kiteley’s sister and asked her if she had lost a hen. She said “no”. Lunniss asked if she told her brother she had lost a hen and she said “no”. They checked her hens and the black hen was there. Kiteley was charged with stealing the meal. Kiteley said he knew nothing about it but in the afternoon he said “I hope you will not get the man (meaning Loke) into trouble and think as I bought the stuff of him for I am sure he knows nothing about it”. [Cross-examined] Miss Kiteley’s premises adjoin Dr Bodger’s and she lives there. Kiteley and his brother work together. He is a milkman in the town and keeps cows. He has only sold milk for the last week or so. They searched Miss Kiteley’s house and took away some meal. They made inquiries and took it back. He never heard anything against Kiteley. [2nd cross-examination] When he saw Kiteley it was so dark he could not find any meal on him. The bag was not more than 30 yards from the meal house. James Lunniss, police constable stationed at Leighton Buzzard – on 12 November he went with PC Bird to Dr Bodger’s farm. [Repeats George Bird’s evidence] John Olden, police sergeant stationed at Leighton Buzzard – on 12 November he was taking Kiteley before a magistrate for remand. He head Kiteley say to PC Bird he hope he would not get the man [Loke] into trouble as he did not buy it from him and he knew nothing about it. Thomas Kiteley – he knows nothing about it. He is not guilty.

item

Kiteley, Thomas,
Bodger, William James,
Loke, John,
Bird, George,
Lunniss, James,
Olden, John

LEIGHTON BUZZARD, Ledburn, stealing, barley, surgeon, farmer, police constable, police sergeant, pigs, milkman, hens