QSR1888/3/5/1c

Depositions of Richard Parish, police superintendent of King Cross Station, London, £20 Joseph Allen, drapers assistant of Biggleswade, £10 George Warner, railway drayman of Biggleswade, £10 Arthur Bidnell, railway porter of Biggleswade, £10 William French, checker of Kings Cross Station, London, £10 Edward Steggall, clerk of London, £10 Henry Chester, detective of Wood Green , London, £10 To prosecute and give evidence in the case of Samuel Bilcock accused of stealing 26 yards of towelling.

18 April 1888

From: 1888 To: 1888

Joseph Allen: an assistant to his father Thomas Allen, a draper of Biggleswade. On 9 March he packed 26 yards of towelling, exactly like the piece later produced by detective Chester. It was in a brown paper parcel addressed to Messrs Spencer Turner & Co, Lisson Grove, London. He gave the parcel to Warner, the Great Northern carman and made out a consignment note, which Warner signed. [cross examination] the towelling was an ordinary pattern and thousands of yards were sold every year. The towelling had been bought from Spencer’s and some was returned as the colours had run. They had bought 40 or 50 yards and sold some at Eaton Socon and Sandy. He had not sold any at Biggleswade and did not sell any to Bilcock or his wife. George Warner: a drayman for the Great Northern Railway at Biggleswade station. On 9 March he received from Thomas Allen’s shop a parcel which was to Spencer Turner, Lisson Grove, London. He conveyed the parcel to the goods shed and initialled the consignment note. [cross examination] they took many parcels from Allen’s but he did not know what they contained. He gave Allen’s a receipt, which was normal practice. Arthur Bidnell: a foreman porter at Great Northern Railway in Biggleswade. On 9 March he found the consignment note on his desk and the parcel was in the shed and in good condition. He weighed the parcel and initialled the consignment note. Samuel Bilcock loaded the parcel into truck no. 4783. It was the only truck in the shed and labelled Biggleswade to Kings Cross. He saw Bilcock load the parcel and he afterwards went to the truck to load other parcels. The truck went by express from Biggleswade to London. William French: a checker employed by the Great Northern railway at Kings Cross. He received an invoice about 3am on 10 March. He unloaded truck 4783 and found an entry on the sheet for a parcel addressed to Spencer Turner & Co. The parcel was not in the truck. He made a remark on the invoice of ‘not received’. Good did occasionally get on the wrong truck but they had only been one truck from Biggleswade that day. Edward Steggall: a clerk employed by Messrs Spencer Turner & Co of Lisson Grove, London. On 12 March he received an advice note by post. It was not his duty to receive parcels but in consequence of the advice note he looked out for the parcel. The towelling produced by detective Chester was the kind of towelling he was expecting to receive. The article was common one and thousands of yards were made, however this one had a particular border. Henry Chester: a detective employed by the Great Northern Railway. On 31 March he saw the prisoner at Biggleswade station and asked him if he knew of the Spencer Turner parcel. Bilcock said he had loaded it into the truck on top of a hamper of meat. The prisoner said he had later helped cover the truck with a sheet. Chester later returned to speak to Bilcock and asked if he had anything at home belonging to the company. He asked the prisoner for permission to search his house and Bilcock agreed. On the dressing table he found a piece of towelling. The prisoner claimed no knowledge of it. The prisoner’s wife said she had bought it 5 or 6 weeks before. He went with the prisoner to Soundy’s drapery counter and saw Mr Wheatley who he asked if he had sold the towelling to the prisoner in the last 6 months. Mr Wheatley said he had not sold any with that border. He had told Bilcock he need not answer any questions unless he liked. The towelling had been concealed with a cloth. The wife had children at home and he did not take her into custody as she would not have been on the premises to steal the parcel. Statement of the accused: not guilty.

12 pages

item

Bilcock, Samuel,
Parish, Richard,
Allen, Joseph,
Warner, George,
Bidnell, Arthur,
French, William,
Steggall, Edward,
Chester, Henry

BIGGLESWADE, Kings Cross, London, stealing, cloth, railway employee, railway porter, detective, clerk, draper's assistant