QSR1854/4/5/15-15a

Depositions of Henry Skipper, coal merchant of Dunstable. David Bowers, labourer of Dunstable. Thomas Pearson Gostelow, coal weigher of Dunstable. Jane Ward of Caddington and Charles Dale, police constable of Dunstable. In the case of Joseph Bell and Samuel Brooks accused of stealing 200 weight of coals.

7 August 1854

From: 1854 To: 1854

Henry Skipper: a coal agent to Derby & Leicester Coal Company. When the coals were delivered to Dunstable they became his property. The prisoner Bell was in his employment and used to convey coals from Dunstable to Luton. Suspecting something was not right and went with PC Dale on 3 August and watched the beer shop at the end of Dunstable called The First and Last occupied by prisoner Brooks. He saw Dale was there with his horse and cart. Brooks came out of the house to him and Dale went into the house taking a small piece of coal with him. Brooks followed him. They came out a short time later and Dell removed a large piece of coal onto the side of the cart and Brooks took another piece into the house. Brooks came out again and took the large piece that Dell had placed on the side of the cart and 2 other pieces. Dale went out and took Brooks into custody. Skipper went to the stable and saw 3 pieces of coal he knew to be his property. The coal was wet when he saw it in the stable. It had rained that morning. There were other dry coals in the stable. He believed no other man in Dunstable sold the same sort of coals. When Dale took Brooks into custody, Dell had gone on with the cart to Luton. He went with PC Dale to the Balloon public house, halfway between Dunstable and Luton. Dale took Dell into custody and took charge of the horse and cart. Skipper went into the garden and saw the coal house door open. At the back of the coal house he found a sack full of coals. They were the same sort as on the cart and so he knew them to be his property and took possession of them. He delivered them to the police station. He took the cart back to Dunstable and had the coals in it weighed. The cart had left the yard that morning with coals weighing a ton and when brought back it weighed only 17 hundred weight and a quarter. The coals were to be delivered to Mr Hough at Luton. David Bowers: he worked for Mr Skipper. On 3 August, a little before 7am, he assisted Dell in loading the master’s cart with coals. Dell drew it on to the weighing machine. There was not quite enough and he fetched some more to make up a ton. He saw Dell leave the yard. Thomas Pearson Gortelow: he weighed for Mr Skipper. He weighed a ton of coals which Dell had drawn onto the machine. He had been cautioned by Mr Skipper to be particular in weighing coals delivered by Dell. The same afternoon Mr Skipper brought a load of coals onto the machine and requested he weigh them. It weighed 17 hundred weight and a quarter. James Ward: he lived in a cottage adjoining the Balloon public house. On the 3 August, Dell came to his door. He knew him to be Mr Skipper’s man. He said he had some coals for John Sapwell and left some coals in a sack in his garden. Mr Skipper came soon afterwards and took them away. They were at the back of the coalhouse. PC Charles Dale: he was watching The First & Last beer shop at Dunstable with Mr Skipper about 7am. The beer shop was kept by Brooks. He saw Dell drive up to the house with a horse and cart loaded with coals. Brooks came out and they stood together and looked about for a short time. They went into the house and Dell had a piece of coal in his hand. They remained about 5 minutes and then Dell went to the cart and moved a large piece of coal to the side of the cart nearest the stable. They went into the house again and Brooks had a piece of coal in his hand. Brooks came out alone and took the large piece placed by the side of the cart into the stable with 2 other pieces. Dell moved on with the cart towards Luton. Dale took Brooks into custody. Brooks said he knew nothing of the coal. He took Brooks to the stable and picked out 3 pieces of coals in the stable which were wet. The others were dry. There had been a great deal of rain that morning. Brooks said they would find no more wet coal only the 3 pieces. Skipper identified it as his property. Brooks said he was very sorry and he would not have had it if it hadn’t been for Dell. He said Dell asked him to take the coal to buy a pint or 2 of beer. Brooks gave Dell a four penny piece and said Dell had left coals there 2 or 3 times before. He followed Dell to the Balloon public house and took him into custody. Dell denied knowing anything about it and if coals had been stolen from the cart he knew nothing about it. Dell was taken to the police station at Luton.# Statement of the accused: Mr Gostelow did not weight the coal. He had stopped at the First and Last and when he got there Mr Brooks came down in his shirt and asked him to open the shutters. He went in and took a piece of bread out of his handkerchief and called for half a pint of beer. Brook bought him a pint and he drank part of it. He went out again and said that he thought he should go as far as the Half Way House to have his breakfast. Brooks said the fire would be alight directly and he could boil himself a bit of meat. As he sat there Brooks came in with a piece of coal in his hand. He put a nosebag on his horse and took the cloth off the cart. When he did so, it moved a large piece of coal so he shifted it so it did not fall off. He went in and finished his breakfast. He came back out and took off the bag off and checked the cloth on the cart and drove to the Half Way house. Before he got there he met John Sapwell and Sapwell chucked a bag out his cart to him. He put a few coals in it and set them behind Mr Ward’s backway. Samuel Brooks: Joseph Dell drove to his door about 7am. He was in bed and came down. He asked Dell to open the shutters. He went upstairs to put on his clothes and when he came back down, Dell said he had brought him a 100 of coal from the wharf. Asked where he had put it, Dell replied he had laid it on the rail of the cart near the barn door. It was a big lump and 2 pieces. Brooks went and put it in the barn. Brooks put his hand in his pocket to pay for it and had only a four penny bit. He gave that to Dell and a pint of beer. He told Dell he would pay him the remainder of the money when he came from Luton.

item

Bell, Joseph,
Brooks, Samuel,
Skipper, Henry,
Bowers, David,
Gostelow, Thomas Pearson,
Ward, Jane,
Dale, Charles,
Sapwell, John

DUNSTABLE, CADDINGTON, coal merchant, stealing, coal, Dunstable First & Last, Dunstable Balloon