QSR1857/1/5/15

Depositions of Hannah, wife of William Smith a tailor of Leagrave. George Young, labourer of Luton, George Groom, labourer of Luton, Mary Fletcher, bonnet sewer of Luton, George Glenister, labourer of Luton, Frederick Knight, police constable of Luton and Thomas Chandler, tailor of Barton. In the case of Elijah Edmunds accused of stealing a pair of cord breeches and a cotton handkerchief.

16 December 1856

From: 1856 To: 1857

Hannah Smith: wife of William Smith. The handkerchief produced was her husband’s property. On 15 December he husband left the house with the handkerchief to tie a pair of breeches in. She told him she would not take the dirty things. Since the prisoner was taken into custody her husband had become insane and was confined in the Luton Union Workhouse. George Young: on 8 December he was in the Crown & Anchor public house at Luton. William Tarboy, a soldier was there. He had a bundle tied up in a reddish coloured handkerchief. He believed the handkerchief now produced to be the same. When Smith asked for his bundle he could not find either it or the soldier. George Groom: on 8 December he was at the Crown & Anchor at Luton. He heard William Smith ask Tarboy to hold a bundle for him. Smith said there was a pair of breeches in it which belonged to a man at Barton. It was tied up in a handkerchief. He believed the handkerchief produced to be the same. Mary Fletcher: she was in the Crown & Anchor at Luton on 8 December. She saw Tarboy and the prisoner Edmunds there. She saw Edmunds take a bundle tied up in a handkerchief. She saw him thrown it over to his little brother. The following day she told george Glenister what she had seen. She then heard Tarboy had been taken into custody for stealing it. She did not see Tarboy with the bundle. She saw Edmunds brother take it out of the Crown & Anchor. George Glenister: on 9 December he advised the police of what he had been told by Mary Fletcher. He went with PC Knight to the Wheel Plough and then went and found Edmunds and took him there. Knight asked Edmunds if he had been at the Crown & Anchor the previous night and he said he had. Knight asked if the prisoner had seen a bundle and the prisoner said a soldier gave it to him to take care of. Knight told Edmunds he must go with him to fetch the bundle. Edmunds said he would rather Glenister went with him as his wife was ill and it would frightened her. Edmunds fetched the bundle and gave it to him. He gave the bundle to PC Knight. PC Frederick Knight: on 9 December he took William Tarboy into custody. Tarboy said he did not take the bundle and had left it on the table. Tarboy said the breeches were of no use to him. William Smith identified Tarbot as the man he had asked to look after the bundle. He later received the bundle from Glenister and took Edmunds into custody. Edmunds was charged and he said the soldier had given him the bundle. Edmunds said he did not know what was in the bundle and did not know William Smith. He took Edmunds to the police station and asked him in the presence of Tarboy if he was the man who gave him the bundle. Edmunds said he was. Tarboy said he did not give Edmunds the bundle. Inside the bundle was a pair of cord breeches. Thomas Chandler: a tailor at Barton and employer of William Smith. He gave Smith a pair of cord breeches to make after he had cut them. The breeches produced were what he had given Smith to make. The value of the breeches was 12 shillings. Statement of the accused: he was not guilty and had nothing to say.

item

Smith, Hannah,
Smith, William,
Young, George,
Groom, George,
Fletcher, Mary,
Glenister, George,
Knight, Frederick,
Chandler, Thomas,
Edmunds, Elijah

LUTON, LEAGRAVE, Barton, tailor, stealing, bonnet sewer, breeches, handkerchief, Luton Crown & Anchor