QSR1879/3/5/3-5

Depositions and examinations - Edward Stevens, Edward Denton, and Charles Denton, charged wtih stealing 4 tame pheasants value £3 from Matthew Leno at Dunstable on 6 June 1879

7 June 1879

From: 1879 To: 1879

Matthew Leno of Kensworth (Herts), bird breeder – he is a farmer and pheasant breeder living near Dunstable. On Friday 6 June he missed a cock and 3 hen pheasants from his aviary at Kensworth. He heard of them being gone on his return home. He identifies the four birds produced as those he lost. He knows the birds by private marks which he has explained to the Bench and to the prisoner’s solicitor. [Cross-examined] He keeps about 1100 birds which occupy about 2 acres. Three men besides his son and himself have access to the birds. On 5 June he had about 100 birds imported from Prussia. The four he lost were from there. He originally had about 1000 from there about November or December. He had sold about 100. They were all very young birds when he bought them and marked them all when he received them. The mark made on them would not be obliterated. One of the hens he knows by a white feather in its tail. Except in this way he does not think he could identify them from the other birds marked and sold. The white feather is very unusual. He noticed it when he first received the bird. The last thing at night they collect the eggs and his son takes the key about 8pm. He does not know who locked up that night. The birds were in an aviary about 20 feet square. There was on other bird with them which was left. The aviary is circled with wire. A person cannot enter that particular aviary without crossing about 20 others. There were birds in all the others. He has not before to his knowledge lost any Prussian birds. Since this affair he has lost some pigeons and previous lost one ordinary pheasants. The previous day he noticed the fences were as usual but they were broken on 6th. [Re-examined] He has not sold any of the Prussian birds in the neighbourhood. By breaking through a person might enter the aviary through one fence. Matthew Leno junior of Kensworth (Herts) – he is the son of the last witness and has the general management of his pheasantry. On 5th he collected the eggs and locked up. The birds were safe and there was one other in the same pen. From information received he examined the pen in the afternoon the next day and found that some of the paling was broken to permit a person to enter and four birds were missing. He identifies them by the same private marks as his father. [Cross-examined] He cannot identify them further than his father has done. The boy who told him of the palings is not here. William Goddard of Dunstable, ratcatcher – he received 4 pheasants from one of the prisoners whose name he does not know, who asked if he could sell them. He said he would try. He first saw Edward Stevens near the Red Lion Corner and went with him to the Vine where he saw all three prisoners. He was to make 10 shillings for them and did so. He sold the pheasants to Mr Pitkin. [Cross-examined] He has been into 5 or 6 public houses this morning. He has had some whiskey and water and beer. He has had to pay twice before for poaching. He swears not more often. He should not know the birds again if he saw them. He took no particular notice of them. It was between 10 and 11am when he saw the prisoners. He had not been to any public house before. H had two pennyworth of rum at the Vine. Alfred Joseph Pitkin of Dunstable, butcher – he deals in game. On 6 June Goddard came to his shop about 11 and asked if he would buy four birds. He gave Goddard 11s for them. He sold them the same evening. There were 3 hens and a cock, alive. He sold them to Mr Adams for 14s. He fetched them back in the morning and sent them up to the police. [Cross-examined] Mr Adams had asked him t get him some live birds so he took them straight to him. He did not take money for them then so he supposes the loss will fall to him. Henry Tofield of Dunstable, police constable – about 10pm he apprehended Edward Stevens in the High Street and charged him with stealing 4 live pheasants from Mr Leno. Stevens said he knew nothing about it. He and Sergeant Addington later apprehended the other two prisoners at the Quenns Head. They also said they knew nothing about it. He received the pheasants on the 8th from Fisher in Mr Pitkin’s employ. William Addington of Dunstable, police sergeant – on Friday he and PC Tofield apprehended Stevens and later the other prisoners. They went to Mr Pitkin’s and the next day the birds were sent to the station at 7.45am. At 9 on Saturday Mr Leno and his son identified the birds. Edward Stevens, Edward Denton and Charles Denton – know nothing about it.

item

Stevens, Edward,
Denton, Edward,
Denton, Charles,
Leno, Matthew,
Goddard, William,
Pitkin, Alfred Joseph,
Tofield, Henry,
Addington, William

DUNSTABLE, stealing animals, pheasants, farmer, ratcatcher, butcher, police constable, police sergeant, Dunstable Vine