QSR1848/3/5/27

Depositions and examination - George Johnson of Northampton

20 June 1848

From: 1848 To: 1848

Richard Ashpole of Pavenham, butcher - on Thursday 15 June he bought a piece of tweed cloth at Odell Fair. When he was going home in the evening he gave it into the care of Mr Mole. The cloth now produced by PC Neale is the same piece. Joseph Mole of Odell, tailor - he received the piece of cloth from Mr Ashpole and took it to Mr Ekins’ at the Bell public house. He asked Mrs Wykes, the sister of the landlady, to take care of it for him for a short time. When he asked her for it, it could not be found. A booth, the only one there, was taken down and packed up before he received the cloth from Mr Ashpole. Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Wykes of Harrold, butcher - on Thursday night she received the piece of cloth now produced from Joseph Mole and laid it on the kitchen table There were no customers sitting in the kitchen which was used as a sitting room that day. About 10 minutes later she went for the cloth and it was gone. The door was left open and opened into a common passage. She saw Johnson in the house several times hawking with a basket, and had seen him within 1/4 hour of the time she missed the cloth. The last time Johnson had a brown great coat on. She does not know whether this was just before or just after she put the cloth in the kitchen. There were several persons in the house so she might not have noticed him. She did not see him after the cloth was gone. Joseph Neale of Harrold, police constable - between 1 and 2am on the night of Monday 15th he was informed that Mr Ashpole had lost a piece of plaid cloth. He and another constable went after some persons who had recently left Odell in a van for Northampton and overtook them. He told them what they were searching for. Johnson said “here’s the bit of stuff - I found it behind the booth”. He took the cloth from him and took Johnson into custody. George Johnson - he can prove he was not in the house for more than an hour before the stuff was lost. He had started to go to Kimbolton with William White, but part of the harness broke and he went back to Odell. He then went for his basket, went behind the show and found the cloth. He took the cloth and went after the van going to Northampton. When he overtook the van he threw the cloth in it without covering it up, and when the constable came he gave it to him.

item

Johnson, George,
Ashpole, Richard,
Mole, Joseph,
Wykes, Elizabeth,
Wykes, Thomas,
Neale, Joseph

PAVENHAM, ODELL, HARROLD, Northampton, stealing, butcher, tailor, hawker, police constable, fairs and markets, cloth, Odell Bell