QSR1847/3/5/10

Depositions and examination - Reuben Cox charged with stealing one duck and one drake (value 3s) from Henry Platt at Flitwick on 27 April 1847

28 April 1847

From: 1847 To: 1847

William Hollett, aged 14 – he works for Henry Platt, a farmer at Flitwick. He has to attend to the poultry. Last Monday morning when he let the ducks out he found there were 3 missing. His brother locked them up on Sunday evening (25 April) and told him they were missing then. They were all there on Sunday morning. The two ducks produced are two of the three which were lost. Richard Ashby of Toddington, shoemaker – he was at the Bell public house yesterday afternoon (27 April). Cox was there offering the two ducks produced for sale in the taproom. He left the taproom and went into another room. A man named Terry came in after him. Shortly afterwards Cox came and called Terry out of the room. When Terry came back he saw Terry’s wife and the hostler at the Bell go past the window with a basket. He accused Terry of buying them and said he thought they were stolen. Terry said he had bought them for a shilling each. He later went to Roberts the parish constable and informed him. The ducks are worth at least 1s 6d each. He went with Roberts and found the ducks at the house of Edward Bull, in the possession of Terry’s wife. John Roberts of Toddington, parish constable – he went to Edward Bull’s house at Toddington where Terry lives. He saw Terry’s wife and asked her for the 2 ducks her husband had just bought. She said he might take them. Her did so, and took Cox into custody. William Clough of Toddington, police constable stationed at Hockliffe – he accompanied Roberts to several farmhouses to see if anyone had lost some ducks and at last found that Mr Platt had lost some. Hollett identified the two produced as his master’s property. Cox said they had been in his garden and that he had killed them. Hollett described the ducks before he showed them to him, saying the drake had a blue head and describing the colour of them in general. Reuben Cox – he saw the ducks in his garden. He fetched a stick and knocked them down. He took them up and was going up to the railroad. He thought he would sell them and get something to help him along the road.

item

Cox, Reuben,
Platt, Henry,
Clough, William,
Hollett, William,
Ashby, Richard,
Roberts, John,
Bull, Edward,
Terry

FLITWICK, TODDINGTON, stealing animals, ducks, police constable, farmers, shoemakers, ostler, parish constables, Toddington Bell