QSR1857/3/5/20

Depositions of Amos Farr, blocker of Luton and Betsy Farr, his wife. In the case of Newman Cook accused of stealing a sovereign.

8 June 1857

From: 1857 To: 1857

Amos Farr: the prisoner was his lodger. On 7 June he gave his wife a sovereign. His child took it from her hand and dropped it on the floor. His wife went out the back door. The prisoner was in the house before she went out and whilst she was sitting at the table. The prisoner came in after the sovereign was dropped and stopped in the house about 2 or 3 minutes. He missed the sovereign immediately after he had gone. He had not picked up the coin as he had been having his breakfast. He went to the prisoner and asked him if he had the sovereign. The prisoner said he had not seen one. He sent for a policeman. He locked his front door and stayed with the prisoner until the policeman came. The prisoner tried to get out of the window but he prevented him. The prisoner then went to the back door but he was stopped. The prisoner’s mother and father came to the house and she turned out his pockets and found nothing but a sixpence and 2 pence. He was present when the prisoner was searched. His children did no move from the table. Betsy Farr: her husband gave her sovereign and her child took it from her hand and dropped it on the floor. The prisoner then came into the house. She went to the back door and when she came back the prisoner had gone. She missed the sovereign and asked her husband where it was. She did not see the sovereign after her child had dropped it. Statement of the accused: he had not seen a sovereign for over 2 months and had not handled one. He have no more to say of it but he was innocent of the crime.

item

Cook, Newman,
Farr, Amos,
Farr, Betsy

LUTON, stealing, coins, blocker