QSR1860/3/5/1

Depositions of William Goodman, farmer and corn dealer of Cranfield and Henry Bailey, police constable stationed at Cranfield. In the case of William Hudson accused of stealing 20 pounds weight of hay.

12 January 1860

From: 1860 To: 1860

William Goodman: the prisoner was a labourer at Cranfield. He kept a farm yard close to the prisoner’s house. On Saturday morning he was shown some hay by PC Bailey and where it had been taken from in his yard. It was evident some hay had been taken from a stack in the yard. He patterned the hay and knew it to be his. It was the same sort of hay. There was approximately 20lbs. PC Henry Bailey: he had been on duty on Cranfield about 1am on 7 March and had watched the prisoner’s house. He saw a light there and the prisoner came out and looked around cautiously. The prisoner had an empty sack and went over a fence into the prosecutor’s rick yard to a rick of hay there. The prisoner filled the sack with hay. He met the prisoner and took him into custody and asked him what he was doing there. The prisoner said “I came for a little hay for my horse”. When he took the prisoner into custody he saw something in the stack of hay and returned there with the prisoner. The prisoner picked up a candlestick and bag from the ground and said they belonged to him. He took the hay from the prisoner and the same morning informed the prosecutor that he had the prisoner in custody. The prosecutor identified the hay. Statement of the accused: he hoped he wouldn’t be sent to gaol and it would be settled.

file

Hudson, William,
Goodman, William,
Bailey, Henry

CRANFIELD, stealing, hay, farmer, corn dealer