QSR1891/2/5/2

Depositions of Walter Edwin McGeorge - Manager of the Liveral Club, Luton; Ernest Titmus - Billiardmarker at the Liberal Club, Luton; Sydney Walter Smith from Luton; Bertha Freeman from Luton; Henry Ernest Higgins - Commission Agent and Secretary at the Liberal Club, Luton; William Jaquest - Police Officer with Luton Borough Police Force; William Chamberlain - Detective with the Luton Borough Police Force - all from the borough of Luton. In the case of William Stratton accused of stealing about £7 in money and a quantity of tobacco and cigars to the value of about 12 shillings, the property of the Trustees of the Luton Liberal Club.

18 March 1891

From: 1891 To: 1891

Walter Edwin McGeorge: said that he lives at 60 Alma Street, Luton. On Tuesday March 11th he left at 11.20pm – he left some money in two glasses on a window sill at the back of the bar – one contained £6 10s 0d chiefly silver some gold, the other contained 6 shillings in silver. The £6 10s 0d was the sale of tickets taken for the Soiree on the 12th and so he had kept it apart. the six shillings was from cash membership tickets. In the till he left £1 as he always did every night for change – there was about 10s or 11s in silver and the rest in copper – the silver was almost entirely in 6d and 3d pieces. The prisoner was there at the Bar from just before eleven till closing time – he sold him a Soiree ticket for which he paid 6d at about 11pm – he was in front of the bar when he bought the ticket. He put 6d in the glass on the shelf – the defendant could distinctly see him put the money in the glass. He counted, booked and locked the days takings in the safe in a cash box. The prisoner left when the club closed at about 11.20 with 2 or 3 others including Facer and Titmus, two of the club servants, and went with them down Bute Street. Mr McGeorge said he took the safe keys with him after turning out all but one of the gas lights. He said that the prisoner was a member of the club and was a very frequent attendant almost daily, he had been employed to cover during illness of any of the assistants – he had been employed the week before as an outdoor messenger – he used to have most of his meals at the club – he had also been employed as a billiard marker and as a window cleaner almost a fortnight previously - he used to come to the lavatory and wash of a morning about 8. He said that after he had been round the building and checked that everything was right and the windows fastened he locked the outer door when he left that night and took the key. Titmus has the only other key to the outer door. All three of the Bar Parlour windows were definitely fastened. The Club opens at 7.30am except Mondays when it opens at 6 - the prisoner has been there as a servant at 7.30am and knows this well. On the day of the 12th he said he went to the club at 7.55am (Wednesday) and saw Facer sweeping out the bar, the other two assistants Hall and Titmus were upstairs, he saw the glasses were empty as soon as he got to the bar. He made some enquiries and examined the till about 10 minutes afterwards. It was not usual for him to leave money in glasses or to leave any of the money about from the takings but he had forgotten to take it to the safe. He examined the premises. He found in the Bar Parlour (next to the Bar) two wet foot marks under the middle window on the linoleum. He found the middle window unfastened but closed. He threw the window open and looked out and saw footprints on the snow-covered roof of the urinal outside the window. From the roof of the urinal to the sill of the window is about four feet. Some of the foot prints were obliterated. There was a mark of snow as if from a boot kicked against the wall under the window. He then went out and examined the outside of the back premises. He found some steps leaning against the Club wall and distinct footprints on the steps, the steps belong to the Club and are kept out there. The footsteps were impressed in the snow on the steps, they showed distinctly brads in the soles of the boots. He said he had been shown a boot by Chamberlain the detective and that the marks of the steps very much corresponded with the brads on the boot, the boot might have produced the impression. Later on with the Detective, he found a mark, as of a knife, on the window catch. At about 9 o’clock he found the Secretary and ultimately communicated with the police. In the evening he went to the Police office about 8, he saw the Prisoner there and the detective who showed him the articles produced – 23 cigars (17 loose and 6 in a case), 4 cigarettes, matches, money, handkerchief and knife. The cigars were of four varieties; he recognised 20 cigars of 3 varieties as similar to those sold by the Club, he couldn’t speak with certainty about the other 3. Afterwards about 8.30pm Chamberlain and he went to the Prisoner’s lodgings at the Engine Public House in Bute Street without the Prisoner, they found in a drawer in a chest in the bedroom 13 cigars (produced), 1 empty cigarette tin and 10 notices which should have been delivered long ago – 12 of the cigars were of 2 varieties sold at the Club, he could not be certain of the other one, the cigarette tin was similar to those sold at the Club. Chamberlain showed him on the floor by the fireplace the following produced 24 cigars of 4 varieties all of similar varieties to those supplied at the Club, (there were altogether in the various cigars found upon the Prisoner and at his lodgings about 6 varieties), 6 tin boxes of cigarettes (4 full and 2 empty) similar to those sold, 3 one ounce packets of Gold Flake Tobacco, 3 one ounce packets of Myrtle Grove , 4 one ounce packets of Westward Ho, 1 one ounce packet of Birdseye – all varieties sold at the Club – one tin and one bottle of loose tobacco – tins and bottles are not kept at the Club and could not say about the loose tobacco. He examined the stock at the Club after all these were found and found cigars and tobacco were missing – the cigars were missing from open boxes in use. He also missed cigarettes – the night before the robbery they had a stock of 20 tin boxes of the Levant Favourite cigarettes, when he examined the stock there were 16 and he had sold none – there were 4 missing – the white cigarette found on the Prisoner bore a the name “Levant Favourite” and was identical to those in the box produced – up to the night of the robbery he had not sold any of this brand. Since the prisoner’s apprehension on the Saturday morning he had found one empty cigarette tin box “Levant Favourite” in the lavatory behind the marble; on Monday morning he found a sovereign under the counter in the Bar lying on the floor standing up at the side of the back boards as if it had rolled there – the sovereign could not have fallen out of the till as he never puts gold in the till at all. Each day he makes up the takings and balances the cash and every week hand it over to the Treasurer – he has never been a sovereign short so the sovereign found could not have been part of the ordinary money. The morning after the robbery when he examined the till he found all the silver had gone which he believed to be about 10 or 11 shillings – he didn’t count the coppers again. He said the money missing was about £6 7s 0d but could not specify how much the cigars and tobacco lost were worth but would say about 10 or 12 shillings. [cross examination] He was sure he missed some tobacco and cigars. There is a stocktake on the first of every month carried out by the Secretary Mr Henry Ernest Higgins with one of the Committee – they had not taken stock since the robbery. The cigars were not counted each night, on the Wednesday he missed a number of cigars – the Committee have not examined the stock. He said there is an iron safe on the premises upstairs in the Secretary’s office of which room and safe he has the keys; his duty as Manager is to put all his monies into that safe every night. When Stratton paid his 6d Facer, his assistant, was present, Messrs S Pratley, C. Brown and F. Scott and perhaps others – Titmus was not there, he had brought his billiard money at 11. He made up his cash at 11.15 Stratton was present then also Facer, Titmus, Hall. He took the money to the safe but forgot the money in the glasses, all the people present could have seen him put the 6d in the glass. He was the last to leave. He said it was Titmus’s duty to open the Club if the was there first, all the assistants have to be there at 7.30; it’s an open bar and the till is not locked up – anyone getting into the room could get at the money and the till. When he missed the money he said to Facer “That money’s gone do you know anything of it?” - He replied “No” and told him that no one had been in in the morning. He went upstairs and found Hall in the lavatory and Titmus coming from the urinal. He asked Titmus if there had been any money in the glasses when he opened the club – he replied that he had not seen any. Facer then helped to search the place and called his attention to the foot marks on the steps, Mr Higgins later on the same day pointed out the brad marks. On the Wednesday Stratton was in the club about 8.30am, he was not alerted to the matter, there was nothing remarkable in his appearance, he was there again at 4 and again at 7, he had his tea there as usual. He said the weekly takings average £30 – Saturday and Monday usually the busiest days – he serves all from the bar putting all the money received in the till from whatever source keeping no separate account except for the billiard money and having nothing to do with the stock taking. Stratton was present when at the Police office the articles were found on him but they didn’t speak to one another. He couldn’t say that all the articles produced were stolen in one night – the cigar boxes had not been emptied, no full boxes were taken. He said that in his absence Facer takes his place. There is a right of way to the back of the Club which is not open at night and a back way in that is not to his knowledge used as an entrance by the members. As far as he knew members did occasionally stand drinks and give cigars to the assistants. Mr Higgins came about 10am – he saw the marks on the steps. [Re examination] He said he didn’t ever remember having sold Stratton any cigars. He had no doubt at all that some cigars were missing from the stock. Stratton went into the lavatory at 8.30 on the Wednesday morning as had been his custom for some weeks. Ernest Titmus said that he at 7 Edward Street, Luton. On Tuesday march 10th he left the Club at 11.20pm with Facer and Stratton. The Manager left at the same time. He turned the lights out and locked the door. They went down Bute Street, Stratton went into his lodgings at the Engine Public House. He said that he had a key to the Club and the Manager another. He went to the Club at 7.30am on the next day, unlocked the door and went in with john Hall, who had been waiting outside for him. He went to the bar to hang his key up as he always did, he did not see the money in the glasses the night before when he got his key about 11.10. He hangs his key close by the glasses and saw no money. There were a good many there on the Tuesday night when he fetched the key. He didn’t notice anything wrong on the Wednesday morning. He noticed nothing wrong with the window. He saw the Manager come in who spoke to him about the money. He did not help examine the premises – the Manager showed him the footsteps on the roof and steps. [cross examined] He said they were together talking as they went down Bute Street on the Tuesday evening and stayed talking outside the Engine. He saw the manager lock up his cash and take it upstairs. He saw a few people buy tickets during the day and he saw the manager put the money in the glasses. He said Stratton came in on the Wednesday morning about 7.55, he generally comes and washes there, they met in the passage but he did not look at Stratton. He saw him again about 10am in the billiard room with others. He had heard of the robbery before Stratton came in, the manager had asked him at 10 minutes to 8. He didn’t mention it to Stratton as the Manager had told him not to say anything. He saw the Prisoner again about dinner time, again between 2 and 3, again about 4 or 5 and again at closing. He noticed nothing particular about his appearance. He said Stratton sometimes marks for him and that he had never known members give him a cigar although he had had a cigar given to him now and then. [re examination] he has been a billiard marker about 12 months. He had only had 2 or 3 cigars given him. Sydney Walter Smith said that he lives in Brook Street, Luton and is a [left blank]. The Police showed him a quantity of cigars on the 13th inst. He said he had for the last 2 months supplied cigars (2 varieties) to the Luton Liberal Club. He recognised some of the cigars produced as the same as those he had supplied Bertha Freeman said that she lives at the Engine Public House Luton with her mother. She knew the Prisoner who has been lodging at their house for about a month. He had first said he was doing odd jobs at the Liberal Club; then he said he worked at Mr Plummer’s. She saw him on Wednesday morning last – she had just come down and he came down at 5 minutes to 7. He was dressed to go out and went out at the front door and came back in about half an hour, she didn’t know through which door but thought it was the front one. He went up to his bedroom and stayed there 10 or 15 minutes, he then went out. She said she knew his room, there was a piece of oil cloth fastened in front of the fireplace, it had been there 4 or 5 years at least, it had never been unnailed since they had been in the house, it covered all the grate. [cross examination] She said her little brother (aged 7) was with her that morning. She didn’t think she had had her breakfast before he came back, she was only cleaning the room up, she had breakfast with her brother. Her mother came down about 8, he had gone out again then – she did not see him. Her brother goes to school about 8.30 to 8.45 – he hadn’t left when Stratton came back but went soon after. She said she thought Stratton came back in about half an hour. [re examination] she said her mother came down about 8 and Stratton was gone for the second time then. Henry Ernest Higgins, a Commission Agent living at 95 Stuart Street and also Secretary at the Liberal Club said that on Wednesday the 11th at about 9.30 he went and saw the footmark on the steps, the brads on the boot (not hobnailed) were very irregular. He was shown a mark made by a boot [note in margin: what boot?] in the snow and it corresponded with the mark he saw on the step some of the brads missing. He said that he supplies cigars to the Club, formerly many brands and recently 2 brands and identified some of the brands, for which he has sole agency, as similar to those he supplies to no other public place except the Luton Club (and one box of 50 to the St Albans Liberal Club) [cross examination] About 9.30 he heard of the robbery. He went to the Club. The Manager and he went out to the back at once. He did not mention at the time any footprints in the bar parlour. He was shown the steps where they had been leant against the urinal. He saw the marks on the top of the urinal. The footprint was about the middle of the steps. The steps were back in their ordinary place. William Jaquest of the Luton Borough Police Force said that he was on duty in George Street from 3 to 6am on Wednesday morning March 11th. It was part of his duty to visit the back of premises fronting to Bute Street. The gates of the right of way were generally closed and were so on that morning. He visited the right of way up till 6 o’clock and no one had been beyond the gateway, the snow was clean undisturbed. Detective William Chamberlain: said that on Wednesday 11th he went about 11.15am to the Club, made an examination and found a distinct cut mark on the catch of the window just over the urinal apparently made by a knife. It could have been made by the ordinary working of the catch. He took the prisoner to the police office about 7.40pm checked that he had heard about the robbery and told him that he was a suspect. He told the prisoner to turn out his pockets – he turned out 9 shillings (in silver 8 x 3d pieces, 10 x 6d pieces, 3s 6d in bronze), 23 cigars, one cigar case, 4 cigarettes etc. He asked him to account for the possession of the items and the prisoner said that his brother had sent him one 200 last xmas. He asked if the prisoner had anything at his lodgings – replied “a few cigars a glass jar of tobacco of Autumn Gold and a tin of Birdseye which my brother also sent me they are in the chest of drawers of Mrs Freeman’s in my bedroom that is all.” He said that he went to the lodgings about 8.30 at the Engine, searched and found in the drawer of the chest 13 cigars, 1 empty cigarette tin and the notices all produced – Mr McGeorge was with him then. He pulled down the oilcloth nailed over the fireplace and found a parcel in the grating up the chimney – it was wrapped in 2 or 3 pieces of newspaper, he opened the parcel which contained 6 cigarette boxes, 3 one ounce packets of Westward Ho, 3 one ounce packets of Golden Flake, 1 one ounce packet of Bristol Birdseye, 24 cigars, 1 tin and 1 bottle of tobacco – he thought the parcel had been placed there recently as there was no dust or soot on it. He charged the prisoner with the theft – he made no reply at all. Next day he searched his room again and found 2 shillings and 5 pence in coppers between the mattress and paliasse. The prisoner had an interview with his father in the Detective’s presence on the 13th – he told his father his brother had sent him 200 cigars – his father said that that was a lot. The prisoner said that he was out early on that morning and seen his father in Bute Street – his father said that he had not seen him. On Friday the Detective said that he produced a boot taken from the prisoner to the Manager and Mr Higgins – the prisoner was wearing it when arrested, it was a bradded boot. He said that he knew the premises and that there is no dwelling house visible from the yard. The distance from the Engine to the rear of the Club premises is about 220 yards. [cross examination] He said that he suspected the prisoner for various reasons especially after finding he had told Mrs Freeman a lie. He said that strangers do lodge at the Engine sometimes. 9s 6d was found on prisoner. A knife. Statement of the accused: I reserve my defence and I call no winesses. [note - pages 48 - 51 are missing from this document]

47 pages

item

McGeorge, Walter Edwin,
Titmus, Ernest,
Smith, Sydney Walter,
Freeman, Bertha,
Higgins, Henry Ernest,
Jaquest, William,
Chamberlain, William,
Stratton, William,
Hall, John

Luton Liberal Club, Luton Bute Street, Luton Alma Street, Luton Edward Street, cigarettes, tobacco, Luton Brook Street, Luton Stuart Street, commission agent, Luton George Street, stealing, money, felony