QSR1888/1/5/12

Depositions of Charles Burrows, labourer of Henlow, Rebecca Perry, singlewoman of Henlow and John Olden, police constable of Henlow. In the case of Thomas Perry accused of stealing 4 live fowls and a live duck.

28 December 1887

From: 1887 To: 1888

Charles Burrows: a resident of Henlow and in the employ of Messrs Ell & Sons, millers. He kept fowls and ducks and on 24 December he had 15 hens, a cockerel, 3 ducks and a drake safe in his henhouse. On the morning of 25 December he went to then hen house and found the door unlocked and missed a cockerel, 3 hens and a drake. He advised PC Olden. About an hour afterwards PC Olden showed him the drake, which he identified as his property. He was also showed a fowl and a quantity of feathers, which he had no doubt belonged to his cockerel and one of his white hens. He afterwards identified the head and legs of a fowl showed to him by PC Olden. Rebecca Perry: a single woman living with her mother in Henlow. On 24 December she and her mother were alone in the house and went to bed about 11pm. At that time there was no fowl in the house or any ducks in the bedroom. Soon after she went to bed her brother Thomas came home and went upstairs for some matches. About 2am she called and asked him if he was not coming to bed. He said he was and came up about 3am. She heard voices other than his, but it was a low voice. She got up about 7.30am on Christmas morning and on going to the pantry she saw a fowl hanging there. It was picked and the head gone. She asked her brother where he had the fowl from and he relied that the fellow he worked for at Hitchin had got 2 and had let him have one. John Olden: on 25 December from information received he examined the prosecutor’s henhouse and found it unlocked. He found feathers leading from the henhouse to the prisoner’s house, which was about 20 yards from the henhouse. In the house, under the bed he found the drake and in the kitchen he found the fowl and took them to the prosecutor who identified them. He then went in search of the prisoner and met him in the street. The prisoner claimed to know nothing of the fowl and drake. He said he had bought the fowl from a man in a public house in Hitchin but did not know his name. He charged him with stealing the drake and the 4 fowls. The prisoner said he was innocent. On searching the prisoner at the police station he found 3 keys, one which would open the lock to the henhouse. He also found white feather down the prisoner’s closet. Whilst at the police station the prisoner said he bought the drake from a Henlow man but would not say his name as he didn’t want to get him into trouble. On further searching the closet he found the head and legs of the white hen. Statement of the accused: nothing to say.

item

Perry, Thomas,
Burrows, Charles,
Perry, Rebecca,
Olden, John

HENLOW, stealing, fowls, ducks, millers, Christmas