QSR1890/2/5/2

Depositions of Ann Porter, beerhousekeeper of Stotfold, John Thomas Cox, labourer of Stotfold, John Worboys, police constable of Hitchin and Andrew Pickering, police sergeant of Arlesey. In the case of Henry Bonnett accused of stealing 9 tame fowls.

12 February 1890

From: 1890 To: 1890

Ann Porter: a widow and keeper of the White Horse beerhouse in Stotfold. She kept fowls at the premises and on 7 February she had 20 fowls and saw about 5 of them that afternoon. They were locked up in a fowl house at night. The next day she counted them and missed 8 hens and a cockerel. She reported the matter to the police and the same evening was shown 4 hens and a cockerel by Sergeant Pickering. She identified them by their general appearance as she had had them for some time. John Thomas Cox: a labourer and lodger of Mrs Porter. On 7 February he had locked the fowl house up with a padlock and put the key in the house. The door was still locked at 10pm. About 7.30am on the following morning the lock was broken. He went in and missed 9 fowls. He had not counted the fowls when locking the door that night. John Worboys: a police constable stationed in Hitchin. On 8 February about 6.30am he was on duty near the Railway Junction Inn at Hitchin. On looking through the window he saw a man and went into the house. A carpet bag was on a seat and he asked the man whose bag it was. The prisoner replied it was his. He then told the prisoner he was a police man, as he was in plain clothes at the time, and request to see what was in the bag. He found 4 hens and a cockerel. They were dead but warm. The prisoner gave his name and address and said the fowls were his own and he had killed them overnight. He detained the prisoner and took him to the police station. The same day he passed the fowls to Sergeant Pickering of beds Constabulary. Andrew Pickering: police sergeant stationed at Arlesey. On 8 February he visited Ann Porter and found an entrance had been forced into the fowl house. He found footmarks inside the fowl house and footmarks from the fowl house into the fields at the back of the premises. He traced them to the back of the house occupied by the prisoner. From further information received he went to Hitchin Police station and found the prisoner and charged him. The prisoner replied he did not steal the fowls and had bought them from a man on the road towards Baldock. He did not know the man’s name but thought he came from the hills near Buntingford. The prisoner pointed out he only had 5 fowls in his possession. Mrs Porter identified the fowls as her property. On 10 February, in the company of PC Bushby he took the prisoner’s boots and compared them to the footmarks found at the fowl house and with those leading to the prisoner’s house. They corresponded. The heel tips and nails identified them. Statement of the accused: nothing.

item

Bonnett, Henry,
Porter, Ann,
Cox, John Thomas,
Worboys, John,
Pickering, Andrew

STOTFOLD, Hitchin, ARLESEY, stealing, fowls, Stotfold White Horse, Hitchin Railway Junction