QSR1887/4/5/11b

Depositions of John Thurnham, schoolmaster of Norton College, Luton, PC George Burgess of Luton and Detective William Chamberlain of Luton. In the case of Robert Bigg accused of breaking & entering an outhouse and stealing 27 fowls.

28 September 1887

From: 1887 To: 1887

John Thurnham: he had a lock up fowl house at the back of his property and it was safe about 4pm on 10 August. On the next morning he found the fowl house had been broken into and between 20 and 30 fowls stolen. He advised the police. On 14 August he accompanied Detective Chamberlain to some houses in Old Bedford Road. There he saw 27 fowls, 1 being alive. From that number he could identify half a dozen as his own. A cockerel was stolen which was not in the bag, but he afterwards saw the cockerel at the police station. He was shown a hammer by Detective Chamberlain which compared with the marks made on the fowl house. PC George Burgess: on 14 August, in the company of Detective Chamberlain he searched the prisoner’s house. They found feathers on the stairs and against the back door, also in the back of the house leading to the water closet. He was present when a fowl was found in the water closet. Detective William Chamberlain: on 11 September he received information that a number of fowls had been stolen. He searched the prisoner’s house with PC Burgess and found some feathers on the stairs. They found 2 others against the back door and several in the garden. He found a fowl in the water closet, without a head or legs, and a quantity of feathers. They made a further search of a disused barn about 25 yards from the house and found a bag containing 1 live and 26 dead fowls. The prisoner was charged but claimed no knowledge of the fowls. The following morning he found a hammer. On examining the fowl house, he found marks which he believed may have been made by the hammer. The paint on the hammer was the same as the fowl house was painted. Statement of the accused: nothing to say.

item

Bigg, Robert,
Burgess, George,
Thurnham, John,
Chamberlain, William

LUTON, Luton Old Bedford Road, stealing, fowls, breaking & entering, schoolmaster