QSR1844/1/5/27

Depositions and examination - Levi Brooks charged with stealing 4 turkeys from Anthony Chibnall

9 December 1843

From: 1843 To: 1844

Anthony Chibnall of Bromham, publican and farmer – last night or early that morning (December 6) four turkeys (3 hens and one cock) were stolen from a farm yard he holds at Box End in Kempston. From information received he went to the farm yard at 8.30am and saw the footsteps of one person. He traced the footsteps [described], which were quite fresh and must have been made after his sheep had been put in the yard the preceeding evening, to a gate at the entrance of the yard by the rick yard, then from the other side of the gate along the side of the road towards Wood End in Kempston. They then turned of the road to the prisoner’s house. There were turkey feathers scattered along the footsteps for 1/3 of the distance. He informed PC George Cheney. They traced the footsteps together to Brooks’ house. George Cheney, police constable no.5 – about 9am he went with Mr Chibnall to his farm and saw the footmarks. The impression was clear enough for him to count the rows of nails in the head of the foot mark. He traced the footmark to the passage leading to Brooks’ house. There are other houses adjoining Brooks’ to which the same path leads. There was another particular mark in the impression of the footmark. In the yard there had been some lime mixed up and in the impression outside the yard there was remnants of lime. He saw turkey’s feathers along the side of the road close to the footmarks. He suspected Brooks and went to the place where he was working for Bartlett Brooks, the constable of Kemspton at Kempston Church End. He gave a description of the footmarks and the impressions made to Bartlett Brooks before he saw the prisoner’s shoes. He then went to Levi Brooks and demanded to see his left shoe. He was convinced it was the same shoe that had made the impression he has described. The shoe is now on the prisoner’s foot. [Further statement] On Wednesday after he had obtained Brooks’ shoe from his left foot he matched it against the foot marks which exactly corresponded. He did not find any feathers attached to any part of Brooks’ clothing. Bartlett Brooks, one of the constables of the parish of Kempston – he knows Levi Brooks. On Thursday morning he went to Brooks’ house to carry his basket and on the floor of the work room of his house he saw 3 or 4 dark turkey feathers. Cheney gave him a description of the footmarks before he saw Brooks’ shoe. Brooks’ later showed the shoe to Cheney in his presence. The description given by Cheney corresponded with the nails of the shoe. Joseph Wiggins of Kempston, labourer – he lives at Mr Chibnall’s farm homestead at Box End. At night Mr Chibnall’s turkeys were always shut in the pig sty which is within the same yard as the house. The buildings adjoin the house and go right round. On Tuesday night he saw Mr Chibnall’s boy Joel Lancaster put one turkey in the sty and shut the door. He drove all the turkeys into the yard. There were 5 of them, 4 hens and one cock. He saw Lancaster put the last one in. About 6.10am on Wednesday he saw the ducks which had been shut in with the turkeys out in the yard. He went to the sty which he saw fastened with a woodon button the night before. The door stood open. The cock and 3 of the hens were missing. The 5th turkey was there alone. Brooks lives about 100 yards from where the turkeys were kept. When it got light he went to look over the gate and saw some fresh feetlings of nailed shoes and some turkey feathers. His masters turkeys were dark. He did not trace the feetlings any further. Levi Brooks – he was not in Mr Chibnall’s yard last night or this morning. He went home between 10 and 11pm and went to bed before 11pm. He did not rise from bed until past 6am. He then went to his labour at Bartlett Brooks’ and was there while Mr Cheney came to see him. [Further statement] He goes past Mr Chibnall’s farm at Box Lane on his way home from work but has never been on the premises. The policeman never showed him the feetlings. The policeman took him into the house and demanded his shoes. He gave them to him and the policeman left him, along with another of Mr Chibnall’s men. The policeman had time enough then to count every nail there was in the shoe. He is clear of the job. He is not guilty of the turkeys.

item

Brooks, Levi,
Chibnall, Anthony,
Cheney, George,
Brooks, Bartlett,
Wiggins, Joseph

BROMHAM, KEMPSTON, Kempston Box End, Kempston Church End, stealing, turkeys, publican, farmer, police constable, parish constable