QSR1890/2/5/3

Depositions of Thomas Salter and Ellen Salter of Wymington, Thomas Swingler, police constable of Irchester, Thomas Strugess, police constable of Irchester, Thomas Foskett, innkeeper of Wymington and John Letts. shoe manufacturer of Irchester. Includes a sketch of nail marks in defendants shoes. In the case of Eli Stokes accused of stealing 6 live fowls.

15 March 1890

From: 1890 To: 1890

Thomas Salter: a labourer living at Wymington. On 1 March he had 44 fowls which he saw in the henhouse that night. It was locked. The next morning in consequence of hearing the ducks he went to the henhouse and found the door off its hinges. He found blood and feathers outside the door and there was snow on the ground. He saw footmarks in the snow and found clods of snow from the heel and middle of the boot. The followed the footmarks and they lead to the railroad, along the railway and turned off to Irchester. He lost them at Irchester about 50 yards from the prisoner’s house. He communicated with PC Swingler and handed him on of the cakes of snow. He then communicated with PC Sturgess at Poddington. At 1 o’clock on the same day he went to the prisoner’s house with PC Swingler. The PC showed him a pair of boots and he examined them and compared them with the cakes of snow. The impression in the cake matched one of the boots. Ellen Salter: daughter of the prosecutor. She recalled the night of 1 March and she saw her father’s fowls safe in the henhouse at 9.30pm. The next morning she went down to the henhouse and saw the door was off its hinges and there was blood and feathers around the place. She could see the footmarks of 2 men. In one were rather large nails in the sole and very peculiar in the heel. She had not sent he boots produced before but they made marks like those she had seen. PC Thomas Swingler: PC in the Northants Constabulary. In consequence of what the prosecutor told him, he went to the prosecutor’s house and examined the henhouse. He found feathers and blood outside. Inside the roost he found a cake of snow off a person shoe and he found several more outside. He took possession of the 4 pieces. There were impressions in the cakes of snow. The one in the hen roost had distinctive nail marks. He saw the footsteps of 2 persons outside. One left no impression of nails and the other of very large nails. The impressions led to the railway and about 200/300 yards down and then over the corner of a field and down 2 fields by the side of the railway. There were also marks of blood and feathers. He traced them to Irchester and within 50 yards of the prisoner’s house. He went to the prisoner’s house and found him home. He noticed blood on the prisoner’s trousers. He asked the prisoner to account for the blood and the prisoner said that when his hands bled he would put them on his trousers. He saw no marks on the prisoner’s hands. He asked the prisoner where he was the previous night and he replied Wymington. Swingler asked for the boots he had been wearing and the prisoner pointed to a cupboard. He noticed blood on the top of the boots and feathers underneath on the nails. He asked the prisoner to account for this and he said he could give no account. PC Sturgess asked for the prisoner’s coat and it was hanging on a door. The prisoner was asked how he accounted for the feathers on the coat and he said he had got them at Wellinborough. He was charged by PC Sturgess with stealing fowls but claimed to know nothing of the charge. He took one of the cakes of snow and Sturgess had seen them before he had seen the boots. He sent for John Letts the parish constable, and also a shoe manufacturer. Letts examined the cakes of snow and the boots in the presence of the prisoners. It was a mile and half from the prosecutor’s premises to the prisoner’s house. He had know the prisoner for 5 years and believed he had been convicted of drunkenness at Wellingborough, but did not know he was summoned. PC Thomas Sturgess: on 2 March he went to the house of the last witness at Irchester. He saw cakes of snow from a man’s foot and there were 2 heel pieces and 2 from the foot. He made enquiries and went with PC Swingler to the prisoner’s house. PC Swingler asked the prisoner where he had been the previous night and the prisoner replied Wymington. Swingler asked him to account for the blood on his trousers and the prisoner said he had hurt his hand and no doubt rubbed his handed across it. He did not see anything on the prisoner’s hand. Swingler asked for the prisoners boots and was directed to a cupboard. Swingler fetched the boots out. There was blood and feathers on the shoes. The prisoner could not account for this. He asked the prisoner for his coat and the prisoner showed him where it hung. There were feathers on it. The prisoner said he must have got them from Wellingborough. He took the prisoner into custody. The prisoner said he was innocent and knew nothing. He took the prisoner to PC Swingler house and John Letts came. He could not be certain if the prisoner was present when John Letts compared the boots. Thomas Foskett: he was landlord at the New Inn at Wymington. On 1 March there were 4 men from Irchester in his house. The prisoner was one of them and he left at 10pm, shutting up time. When the men left one had 3 quarts of beer in a jar. They all left together. John Letts: a shoe manufacturer and Parish Constable at Irchester. On 2 March he went to PC Swingler’s house and saw the prisoner there. The boots were produced by Swingler and he was asked if he had made them. He had not and he did not think them of Northamptonshire make. Swingler showed him 2 clods of snow and the impressions corresponded with the boots. The prisoner was in the kitchen and they had been close to the kitchen door when the boots were examined. Statement of the accused: no reply.

item

Stokes, Eli,
Salter, Thomas,
Salter, Ellen,
Swingler, Thomas,
Sturgess, Thomas,
Foskett, Thomas,
Letts, John

WYMINGTON, Irchester, stealing, fowls, innkeeper, Wymington New Inn, shoe manufacturer, parish constable