QSR1887/2/5/2d

Depositions of Elizabeth Buckmaster, widow of Houghton Regis, Edwin Fox, clerk to Messrs Phillips & Co, Surrey, Henry Croll Strafford, clerk at the Bank of England, Henry Owen Williams, clerk of the office of Director of Amy Contracts War Office, Pall Mall, Edward Richard Clark, clerk in the National Provinical Bank of England, 53 Baker Street and John Webb, Williams Street, Manchester Square, shoemaker. In case of Joseph Thomas Turner accused of obtaining by false pretences 6 loads of hay, the value of £25.

20 January 1887

From: 1887 To: 1887

Elizabeth Buckmaster: a widow of Houghton Regis. In 1885 she had been carrying on a farm at Dyers Hall, Harlington. The prisoner came to her in the second week of November asking if she had hay to sell. She told him she could do nothing without the agreement of her co executor. Turner came again the next week and she told him her co executor would be over soon and she would make an arrangement. Whilst negotiating price Turner told her he had 2 contracts for the government. The defendant came again on 1 December and then called again the next day. She sold him the hay for £80 with £4 to be returned if the hay was not satisfactory. Turner began to move the hay but no arrangement was made as to when he would pay for it. Turner moved about 6 loads which was worth about £25. Turner did not pay for it and she did not see him again. She wrote to him demanding payment at 58 Paddington Street but received no reply. She knew Mr Purrett, Mrs Hall and Mr Smith. She had spoken to Mrs Hall of the case. Her co executor was Alfred Buckmaster. She and her co executor had sued Turner and received judgement. Messrs Bennings aced for them and their bill was £12, which she had paid. She did not ask the defendant for references. Her co executor had been a farmer for about 20 years. She believed Turner to be an honourable man. She had thought him no to be straightforward at first because she had been told he had not paid Mrs Hall. It was around 14 December when she first thought she had been defrauded. Edwin Fox: clerk to Messrs Phillips Mortlake Brewery, owners of the lease of 65 George Street, Portman Square. In November 1884 the premises were let by Messrs Phillips to the defendant. He introduced the defendant to Mess Phillips. An agreement was made in writing but he could not find it. The rent was £150 for the first year and £200 thereafter. The defendant left in June 1885 having paid no rent but having supplied a load of hay in April 1885 which was placed as a credit on the rent account. He gave a cheque for £30 on account of March rent which was returned marked ‘refer to drawer’. After June 1885 he discovered he had moved to 141 Marylebone Street. He put a distress upon the goods there for rent but got nothing. The lease had been for 3 years. He did not recall if the defendant had paid for fixtures by cheque or whether they received any other cheque from the defendant. He was a bookkeeper of Messrs Phillips at the Grosvenor Road offices. Henry Croll Strafford: clerk in the Bank of England. No trace could be found in the books of the Bank for the defendant. They had searched for 10 years, so he believed him to have never had an account there. The Bank would not have backed him or stood by him for £2000. Henry Owen Williams: clerk in the office of the Director of Army Contracts, War Office, Pall Mall. That is where Contracts for forage and hay for the War department would pass. Turner had not had a contract with them for the supply of hay during the past 10 years. He believed Messrs Dumpleton had tendered for hay to the War Office but he could not say if they were accepted. Edward Richard Clark: clerk in the National Provincial Bank of England at 53 Baker Street. The defendant had an account at the bank which was closed in December 1885 at the request of the bank. On 5 May 1885 the manager wrote to the defendant as the defendants balance at the bank was seven pence. It remained so until 30 June 1885. From March to December 1885 he never had a balance larger than £22 10s 0d. Sidney Herbert Jarrett: a clerk at the London & South Western Bank, Camden Town. The defendant had an account with the bank which was opened on 12 November 1885. The last cheque paid out was 4 March 1886, leaving a balance of 10s 9d. Jarrett supplied a list of balances for the account, with the highest balance being £58. On 18 November the defendant had £53 15s 11d. £45 was paid in during the day and a cheque for £50 was paid out. John Webb: a shoemaker of Williams Street, Manchester Square. In 1885 he resided at 58 Paddington Street and left there on 30 August 1886 and had been there for 2 years. The defendant had no office or place of business at Paddington Street but for sometime had his letters addressed there. He found the defendants address to be 141 Marylebone Road. The reason Turner gave for having his letters sent there was that it was central. Turner was a hay and straw dealer. Statement of the accused: not guilty.

13 pages

item

Turner, Joseph Thomas,
Buckmaster, Elizabeth,
Buckmaster, Alfred,
Fox, Edwin,
Strafford, Henry Croll,
Williams, Henry Owen,
Clark, Edward Richard,
Webb, John

HARLINGTON, false pretences, hay, Bank of England, War Office, National Provincial Bank of England Limited, clerks, farmers, shoemakers, Messrs. Phillips & Co., London, St Marylebone Portman Square