Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1846/4/5/18
  • Title
    Depositions and examination - Charles Dibble charged with embezzlement from his master William Randle
  • Date free text
    2 September 1846
  • Production date
    From: 1846 To: 1846
  • Scope and Content
    William Randle of Husborne Crawley – he is the agent of Thomas Jackson, a contractor for the works on the Bedford and Bletchley Railway. It is a rule on all railway works for the workmen to pay certain sums out of their wages to support their fellow labourers during sickness or accident. On this railway it has been his duty to collect that money. He has done so for the last 3 months and has applied that money to assist sick and disabled workmen. He is head superintendant of all the works between Lidlington and Bletchley and collects the money in that capacity. He sometimes has to depute one of the workmen to collect the money which should be given into his hands immediately. He considers himself responsible to the workmen for all the money so collected. He applies what he thinks necessary for the disabled workmen and if there is any surplus it is given with the workmen’s consent to Bedford Infirmary where several of the disabled workmen are. On Saturday 29 August he was paying the workmen in Brogborugh Hill and directed Dibble (one of the workmen) to collect 6d from each man and to give the money to him. Dibble knew exactly what the collection was for. He was an old workman and had paid 6d a week or more for that purpose for some time. That evening Dibble took part in a conversation respecting one Stanton who had absconded with some money collected for the same purpose and he heard the timekeeper at his [Randle’s] direction say he [Randle] considered himself answerable for it and would make it good. He saw Dibble collecting the money on Saturday night. The timekeeper knows the amount. He missed Dibble on Monday and had not seen him since. On Monday evening he wrote a note in pencil to Dibble directing him to send the sick money to him, and sent the note by Idle, a timekeeper. Dibble did not send the money. Several cases of this kind have occurred with him, and he has always made good the money as he considers the person who actually collects the money is acting as his agent or servant. Dibble was a ganger or foreman of a gang of men. If he had not kept Dibble on Saturday to collect the money Dibble would have gone to Bedford with his gang for bricks. He considers the collection to have been on his account. William Merryweather – he is a foreman of the workmen under Mr Randle on the Brogborough Hill Cutting on the Bedford and Bletchley Railway. Dibble was working on the Hill before he went to it 3 months ago. He has been a workman on railways for 10 years or more. It has always been a rule for the workmen to pay some of their wages to support the disabled. He has paid this wherever he has been at work. Randle is the person who says who will collect this money on this railway. He considers Randle bound to them for all that is collected. A man called Stanton has recently absconded with some of this money and Randle told the timekeeper he [Randle] was responsible for it and the timekeeper proclaimed it to the men. He saw Dibble present at the time. He saw Dibble collecting the sick money that night. Dibble got on slowly and he helped him at Mr Randle’s order. Dibble gave him 11s to give change. He missed Dibble directly afterwards and did not see him again until Monday night. Dibble came to the works then an hour too late. He found fault with him. He did not turn Dibble away, but saw him go off towards his lodgings. He did not see Dibble yesterday morning. He was suspicious and went to Leighton Railway Station. He caught Dibble about 50 yards from the station and asked him for the sick money, £1 5s 5d. Dibble said he only had his own money. He said he would have Dibble or the money. He put his horse in a stable and was out again in a minute or two and missed Dibble from the door. He followed Dibble across some fields and saw him by the side of a hedge, then lost sight of him. He found Dibble in a ditch where he had tried to hide under some briars and nettles. He took Dibble with him until they met a constable and he gave him in charge. Dibble then said he had got £1 1s 4d belonging to the sick which he would give him. Dibble later said he would give him the £1 5s 5d and some beer for himself. Including the 11s he had from Dibble he took £2 18s 1d on Saturday which he gave to Mr Randle the same evening. William Ross – he is employed as a timekeeper on the Brogborough Hill cutting. His master is Mr Randle. Dibble has worked there for some time. He knew the principle on which money was collected for the sick. Mr Randle fixes the amount each workman is to pay, and he is responsible for whatever is collected. He heard Randle tell Dibble to collect the money on Saturday evening. He kept an account of what Randle collected and saw him collect £1 16s 5d. He saw him give some money to Merryweathers when he came to help. Before the pay began that evening he heard a conversation about Stanton absconding with the money. Dibble was forward about it. He heard Mr Randle say he was answerable for it. Randle told him to tell the men so, which he did. On Monday Dibble said he had £1 1s 4d of £1 1s 10s of the sick money. He told Dibble it was £1 5s 5d. He had said to Dibble that he had left on Saturday without paying it. Dibble said he had it and would pay when he was asked for it. Joseph Stringer – he is a labourer and lives at Maulden. He has worked for 20 weeks on the Bedford Railway. He has regularly paid sick money. On Saturday he paid 6d to Charles Dibble. George Horn – he is a labourer on the railway and lives at Ridgmont. He has worked on the railway for 6 months or so. He has paid whatever sum was fixed for the sick every fortnight. He paid 6d last Saturday. He has been ill during the last 9 days. He is 6s 11d short of his wages and is entitled to that out of the sick money. He understands Mr Randle is answerable to him for that and has said he will pay it. James Parrott of Leighton, police constable – yesterday he was fetched by Merryweathers to take charge of Dibble. Dibble said he had not received £1 5s 5d but £1 1s 4d which he would pay to Merryweathers. Merryweathers refused to have anything to do with it. He searched Dibble and found on him £2 3s 5½d. He also found the note produced saying “Charles Dibble. Send by Idle the sick money you collected on Saturday £1 5s 5d. Wm Randle.” Charles Dibble – he has nothing to say except that he offered to pay Merryweathers the £1 1s 4d. He would not send the money by Idle. He would not trust the money with him. He would have paid it to Mr Randle if he had seen him. He was obliged to pawn two coats to make up the money.
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