QSR1878/4/5/7/a

Depositions and examination - George Young, charged with stealing one sack and about 4 bushels of barley, value £1 3s, from Henry Scarborough at Luton on 28th / 29th September 1878

14 October 1878

From: 1878 To: 1878

William Frost of Chapel Street, Luton, p0lice constable – from what he heard on the morning of 29 September he went to a shed at the back of premises of a public house kept by James Evans and found a sack of barley containing about 4 bushels. He spoke to Evans. From what Evans said he went into the taproom, saw Young and asked where he got the barley from. Young said he bought it between 11 and 12 the previous night from a man between Luton and Caddington. Young said he left the sack of corn at the side of the road all night, and that when he bought it the corn was in two sacks. He took Young into custody and charged him with stealing it. From information received he went to a field belonging to Mr Taylor and saw a track where a wheelbarrow had been wheeled across. He followed the track to a hedge and found a sack hidden in the ditch by the side of the hedge, with several barley corns in it and several kernels laying close to the sack. The track came from the direction of Henry Scarborough’s farm, Dallow Lane. He went to Mr Scarborough’s and they went to his barley barn. There was a large hole in the heap of barley, apparently where some had been taken away. He saw a large hole in the end of the barn where some boards had been taken off. There were footprints of one person outside and dirt on the boards as if some one got over them. There was barley littered about outside. He took a sample of the barley in the heap. He went back to the police station and charged Young, who again said he bought it from a man the previous night. He has shown the sack taken from the shed to Mr Scarborough who identified it. Henry Scarborough of Dallow Farm, Luton, farmer – on 28 September he had a quantity of thrashed barley in his barn. Young was employed by him one day that week to help thrash. He was in the barn about 5pm on Saturday afternoon and the barley was properly heaped up and the floor swept. The door was shut and fastened by a piece of stick on the inside, and the other door was locked. On Sunday he went to the barn with PC Frost. He missed 3, 4 or 5 bushels of barley. It was the very heap Young was at on the Thursday. They realised somebody had got through a hole. He has compared the barley from the sack and from the heap and is sure it is his. The sack is his – he fetched it out of the granary and laid it in the back. James Warren of Farley Road, Luton, carpenter – on Sunday morning 29th September Young came for a wheelbarrow. He told Young to go and ask Mr Taylor. About an hour later he saw Young coming over the hill wheeling a barrow with a sack in it in the direction from Dallow Farm. He met Young and saw the sack was full of something. Young took it to the public house kept by Mr Evans. Young later came out with the barrow and took it up Foundry Lane. He communicated with the police. George Wish of Windsor Street, Luton – he is a groom and lodges at the Prince of Wales kept by Mr Evans. Young also lodged there and they slept in the same room. He went to bed about 11.05pm. Young was not in bed and he did not see him at all that night. About 6.45am the next morning he heard a noise, looked out of the window and saw Young, who asked him to let him in. He did so. Young asked if the landlord was up. He said “no”. Young called the landlord and about an hour later he saw Young in the taproom. James Evans of Windsor Street, Luton – he is the landlord of the Prince of Wales Public House in Windsor Street and takes in lodgers. On 28 September Young and Wish were occupying the same room. He remembers seeing Young in the evening up to 10.30pm. He did not see him afterwards. He shut up at 11pm. He does not know whether Young was in or not – he thought he was. When he got up the next morning he went to the shed and saw a sack of barley there. While he was looking Young came up and said it belonged to him, and that he had been up all night cleaning the barley which his aunt and 2 or 3 other women gleaned. Young showed him a sample of the barley and he said “it is not like gleaned barley, it is too bright for that”. Young said he fanned it with his aunt’s tea tray. He said he would not have the barley on his premises and went for the police. Young’s boots looked rather dirty and wet. Young cleaned them with his [Evans] scrubbing brush. Samuel Simpson of Windsor Street, Luton, labourer – he also lodges at Evans’. He saw Young there on the evening of 28th in the taproom and heard him tell the landlady he was going to lodge at his uncle’s that night. Young left at about 10.45pm. He saw him the next morning and in consequence of what he heard saw a sack full of something. Young came in and asked what they were all looking at. Young set the sack up and said “there’s clean gleaned barley”. He said “if you glean’t that wherever you had it you glean’t it all at once”. Young said it belonged to his aunt. Young’s boots were muddy and he washed them. Elizabeth Evans of Windsor Street, Luton – she is the wife of James Evans and lives at the Prince of Wales. Young had been lodging there. On 28th September at about 9pm Young came in. About 10.45pm he came and said he could not settle that night and was going to his uncle’s, and that he would settle with her in the morning. Young left and the house was shut up for the night. Next morning they all went to the shed. Young said the barley belonged to him and came from his aunt and 2 or 3 other women, and that he had cleaned it with his aunt’s tea tray. Her husband said he would not have it there. Emily Eyles of Foundry Lane, Luton, wife of Thomas Eyles – on Sunday 29 September Young came and borrowed a barrow to move a sack of corn to Mr Evans. He took it and later brought it back again. Julia Harvey of Burr Street, Luton, wife of John Harvey – she is Young’s aunt. He has no other aunt living there or anywhere near. On 28th September she had no gleaning on her premises. She never saw Young that day or for some time before. He never came to her house to clean up any barley on that day. He never had a tea tray from her and she never sold him any barley. Charles Washington Seabrook of Market Hill, Luton, corn merchant – he is certain the samples of barley produced are taken from the same bulk. George Young – he is not guilty and would rather have it settle here.

item

Young, George,
Scarborough, Henry,
Frost, William,
Warren, James,
Wish, George,
Evans, James,
Simpson, Samuel,
Evans, Elizabeth,
Eyles, Emily,
Harvey, Julia,
Seabrook, Charles Washington

LUTON, Luton Chapel Street, Luton Dallow Farm, Luton Farley Road, Luton Windsor Street, Luton Foundry Lane, Luton Burr Street, Luton Market Hill, stealing, barley, gleaning, Luton Prince of Wales, police constable, farmer, carpenter, groom, innkeeper