QSR1890/1/5/1

Depositions of Alice Tott, daughter of Thomas, a labourer of Everton. Mary Garland, school mistress of Everton. James Blott, a labourer of Everton and Amos Glenister, sergeant of police at Potton. In the case of Joseph Harrison accused of breaking and entering a dwelling house and therein stealing a piece of salt beef.

13 October 1890

From: 1889 To: 1890

Alice Tott: 12 years of age and daughter of Thomas Tott of Everton. She was at work in a field cutting carrot tops off about noon on 26 October. She saw the prisoner come along the road towards Everton. She knew there was no-one at their house besides her sister Ellen, aged 9 years and Herbert, aged 7 years. She went home and watched the prisoner. She saw him go to several houses and he appeared to be begging. After a time he knocked on their front door twice and then went round the back and knocked. He tried the door but she had previously locked the front and back doors and the windows were fastened by 2 nails with string tied from one nail to another. There were 4 glass bottles standing on the window sill outside and she heard the bottles fall and a noise in the house. She opened the upstairs window and looked down and saw the window open. She called for James Blott who was in a field. There were 4 men in the field and they all came up. The prisoner got out and ran away with the men running after him. She missed a slice of salt beef which was worth 2d. James Blott: on Saturday 26 October he was going in a field with 3 other men near Tott's cottage. He saw the prisoner running from the direction of the cottage ran after him and caught him. He asked the prisoner was he was doing. The prisoner replied he had seen some bread in the house through the window and rapped 3 times, he thought there was no-one at home and so he got in through the window. The accused said he then heard children screaming and thought they were next door and got out. Blott and 2 others took the man to Potton. Police Sergeant Amos Glenister: he took the prisoner into custody at Potton. The prisoner said he had got into the house but hadn’t taken anything as when he climbed in the window knives had been knocked off the table and the children had screamed. Harrison said he had left as quickly as possible and had been chased by some men who caught him. The prisoner said if the children had not made noise then he would have taken something as he had seen some bread in the house. Glenister examined he window and found the nail from the outside sash had been pulled out and was hanging by a piece of string to another nail. At the police station on 29 October, the prisoner said to him that he had taken the meal and it had been a slice of corned beef. Mary Garland: wife of James Garland and a school mistress in Everton. On 26 October she had been at her bedroom window and saw a tramp go to the front door of Thomas Tott’s. He knocked twice and then walked very stealthily in his toes to the back door. He rapped the back door and no one came. He then took 4 bottles off the window sill and got into the window. She watched and saw him getting out of the window and ran into the road and gave an alarm. She heard screaming and saw several men run after him and arrest him. Statement of the accused: he had been hungry and knocked at the door but no-one had been in.

item

Tott, Thomas,
Tott, Alice,
Blott, James,
Glenister, Amos,
Harrison, Joseph

POTTON, EVERTON, breaking & entering, stealing, beef, school mistresses