QSR1844/4/5/35

Depositions and examination - George Vines charged with stealing money

12 October 1844

From: 1844 To: 1844

Emma Harris of Sandy – yesterday morning she was in the service of Mr Baron Bunting of Sandy who keeps the post office there. She had received 3s 1d for her master which she put on the table in the house a little before 9am. She went upstairs. When she came down about 10.30am she saw the money still there. She then went into the shop and returned immediately into the room where the money lay and found it was gone. The boy George Vines had been in the room where she left the money when she went into the shop. No other person entered the room between the time when she put the money on the table and the time she missed it. She called after the boy when she missed the money but could not see him. Only 2s was taken away – the rest of the money was still safe. Martha Reed of Sandy, widow – she heard Emma Harris say she thought the boy Vines must have taken the money. She went after him to his home and accused him. At first Vines denied it. She then told him he had better confess. Vines then said he would bring it to her and brought one shilling and two sixpences as the money he had taken. Vines was absent when he went for the money about 5 minutes. He said he had borrowed it from George Dunton to given her and must pay it again. She said she did not want that money, but the money he had really taken. Vines said he had given the money he had taken to George Dunton and had borrowed the other to give to her instead. Vines was not at home when she first went to his house. She saw his mother who came with her in search of him. The mother was not present when the boy said he had taken the money. William Blakewell, police constable – he was sent for by Mr Baron Bunting to take George Vines into custody and did so, cautioning him that anything he said would be repeated before the magistrate. After walking a little way Vines began to cry. Vines said he took the money off the table and gave it to George Dunton, the man now in his custody, and that he had taken him to the public house and gave him some beer. George Vines – he took the money and gave it to George Dunton, who took him to Mr Sutton’s at the Red Lion and gave him some beer.

item

Vines, George,
Harris, Emma,
Bunting, Baron,
Reed, Martha,
Dunton, George,
Blakewell, William,
Sutton

SANDY, stealing, money, domestic servant, postmaster, police constable, Sandy Red Lion