QSR1854/3/5/28

Depositions of Thomas Shepheard of Luton, William Turney, police constable of Luton and William Shepheard of Luton. In the case of George Shane accused of feloniously receiving 6 sovereigns and 3 half sovereigns.

19 June 1854

From: 1854 To: 1854

Thomas Shepheard: a stiffening maker living at Duke Street, Luton. He had some money locked up in a drawer in his sleeping room. There was eighty pounds in gold and 2 bank notes of £5 each. It was safe in the drawer on 10 June. His wife and family could get into the room. He had no lodgers. On the 13 June he found the drawers unlocked and the drawer had been pushed back so that a person could get their finger in and press the bolt down. He counted the money and missed £7 10s 0d in gold. He went after his son William and found him down the Bedford Road along with Shane and his father. He asked his son for the money and he said he did not have it. He insisted upon knowing where it was and William then said Shane had it. Shane said he had not got it but his son insisted he did and that Shane had it in his pocket. His son said he would not have taken it if it had not been for Shane persuading him. He said that Shane had told him to give the drawer a good sharp push back and then he get his finger in as a knife. He asked Shane for his money. Shane pulled out a leather purse which had 16 shillings in silver in it. He told Shane he wanted £7 10s 0d but Shane said he had no more. Shane pulled a tin box out of his pocket with 3 sovereigns in it. Shane’s father told him to give him the money. Shane went a little way away and then threw at him a brass box. The box flew open; he picked up a 5 shillings piece, 7 shillings and the box. He put it all in his pocket and afterwards showed it to PC Turney. He gave him the purse, boxes and their contents. PC William Turney: on Tuesday he took Shane into custody, Shane said he had the money but not the amount Shepheard said he had. On the way to the station Shane said he had £5 10s 0d and no more. Shane said he had the money from William Shepheard. He received the purse, boxes and money from Thomas Shepheard. William Shepheard: was 13 years old and lived with his father in Luton. He knew Shane and had been in his company several times. About 3 weeks previous he had told Shepheard to get all the money he could from his father’s drawer. Shane told him to push the drawers back and put his finger on the top of the bolt and then it would go down. He gave Shane half a sovereign a fortnight previous and told him he had got it from his fathers drawers. Shane said “what the devil use is this why don’t you get ten or a dozen pounds and then we would go off to London”. On 13 June he gave Shane £7 10s in gold. There were 6 sovereigns and 3 halves. He told Shane he had got it from his father’s drawer. Shane said “that’s right get as much more as you can”. The drawer was in his fathers sleeping room. He went and got the second money because after he gave Shane the first half sovereign he said if he did not get him some more he would tell his father. Statement of the accused: Mr Shepheard said that his father told him to give the money up which he did not. The boy said he gave him the money altogether which he did not. Shepheard gave him £2 10s 0d the previous Tuesday afternoon. They went down the road to his father where he was at work. They went up a hedge by the side of the road and gave him the £2 more. That was all he received. Shepheard told him to hold it for him until he wanted it again. They spent 2 shillings out of the £4 10s 0d and he gave the rest to Mr Shepheard. He asked Mr Shepheard to search him and gave Mr Shepheaed the box and purse. The brass box he had forgotten and he gave him that afterwards.

item

Shane, George,
Shepheard, Thomas,
Shepheard, William,
Turney, William

LUTON, receiving stolen goods, money, box, coins