QSR1855/1/5/12,12a/a

Depositions of Joseph Thompson, fruiterer of Olney and Ephraim Aldridge, police constable of Turvey. In the case of Charles West accused of stealing 2000 walnuts.

3 January 1855

From: 1855 To: 1855

Joseph Thompson: a fruiterer of Buckinghamshire. On 18 November he was going home from Bedford market and had to call at Turvey. He left his van in the street about 6.30pm and went into a shop. He had some walnuts in the van and when he went back to the van the walnuts were gone. They had been in a bag. He had been away about 10 minutes. He told PC Aldridge about the loss. PC Ephraim Aldridge: on 18 November he called at the Kings Arms public house and saw Crawley, West and Crawley’s wife whispering in the yard. About 3 hours later he went to Crawley cottage and stopped against the door. He heard Crawley’s wife say that he better go to bed and get up early and put those things out of the way, as she was sure the house would be searched. Aldridge went for assistance before returning and searching the house. He found a bag of walnuts. He took the prisoner into custody and told him the charge. The prisoner, Crawley, said that if he got out of the scrap he would never get in another. The prisoner, West, escaped and was afterwards apprehended on 28 December at Northampton. West said that he and John Sanders had been walking up the village of Turvey and they went up to Thompson’s van. Sanders said there were walnuts and they would have them. Sanders gave him his knife and he cut a hole in the bag and they both put some in their pockets. He took the bag and carried it. They did not know what to do with them and Sanders suggested they take them to John Crawley. He took them to Crawley’s and then spoke to Crawley at the Kings Arms and told him they had taken them there.

item

Crawley, John,
West, Charles,
Thompson, Joseph,
Aldridge, Ephraim,
Sanders, John

TURVEY, stealing, walnuts, fruiterer