QSR1862/3/5/1/b

Depositions of John Dawson, carrier of Luton. Sam Petty, carrier of Luton. Sarah Sawyer, widow of Maulden. Isaac Roberts, shoemaker of Ampthill. Edmund Herbert, shoemaker of Ampthill. John Smith, carrier of Maulden. James Bates, superintendent of police of the Ampthill division. William Hillyard, police constable stationed at Ampthill. In the case of George Claridge accused of stealing half of an undressed horse hide, 4 crop butts and a quantity of crop leather.

3 April 1862

From: 1862 To: 1862

John Dawson: in January he lost a quantity of leather. He lost 4 crop butts and half a horse hide part dressed and intended for patent leather. The pieces of the horse hide produced were identified by him as his own. The pieces put together would make about half a horse hide. He had seen the prisoner in his shop twice. He also swore to the crop butts. He valued the leather he had lost in January as £11. Sam Petty: he lived at Luton and worked for the prosecutor. He remembered that he was robbed of some leather in January. Among the rest was half a horse hide in an unfinished state. The pieces of leather produced were the property of the prosecutor and put together would make about half a horse hide. Sarah Sawyer: she knew the prisoner. Soon after Christmas he came to her house. It was dark at the time and he had a hamper with him. He asked her to let it remain until morning. He took the hamper upstairs and put it under the bed in her room. It was large hamper and appeared very heavy. The prisoner begged her not to touch it. The prisoner did not come for it and she looked into the hamper and found it contained leather of a similar kind to that now produced. After that the prisoners wife cam e frequently to her house and fetched leather away a few pieces at a time. The whole of it was removed. The last piece being about 7 weeks ago. John Smith: he was a carrier between Luton and Ampthill. About 7 weeks ago he was employed to bring 2 boxes from Luton to Maulden and was directed to leave them until they were called for. He took them to his house. About 12 days later he met the prisoner, a stranger to him, in Maulden and he asked if he had any boxes. The prisoner enquired how to get to Marston station. The boxes remained at his house for a fortnight and the prisoner returned to enquire about lodgings. The prisoner said he was a shoemaker. He agreed to let Claridge a room in his house and he continued to work there until taken into custody. During the time the prisoner lodged at the house there were no other boxes brought to him. The boxes were taken into the possession of the police. When the prisoner had come home from Ampthill he had a quantity of leather in his pocket. Claridge took it into Mrs Cooper’s house at Ampthill where Isaac Roberts lodged. He saw the prisoner and Roberts at the door together. Isaac Roberts: on 3 April the prisoner came to his lodgings. He met him at the door. The prisoner had some leather which he had subsequently given to Superintendent Bates. He purchased 12lb of leather from the prisoner. He had previously purchased a parcel of leather weighing 11lbs from the prisoner which he had sold to his master Edmund Herbert. Edmund Herbert: on 2 April he purchased 11lb of soleing leather from his employee Roberts. Superintendent James Bates: on 3 April he received a quantity of soleing leather from Edmund Herbert and more from Isaac Roberts. Roberts said he had bought the leather from the prisoner. He afterwards showed the leather to the prosecutor who swore to it as his. When in custody the prisoner said he had purchased the whole of the property. PC William Hillyard: on the night of 3 April he went to the prisoner’s lodging at the home of John Smith of Maulden. There were 2 boxes in the prisoner’s room and he searched them. He found a quantity of buff leather with some soleing leather. The leather was identified by John Dawson. Statement of the accused: he did not steal it. He had bought some of it at 3 different places. Some from Mr Mardin at Northampton who lives on the green. Some from Mr Newman of Chapel Street, Luton and young Sawyer brought some leather to his house along with another fellow. Sawyer asked him to buy it but he told him he had no money. Sawyer left it in the house and said he was going to get a pint of beer. The men left together and Claridge picked up the leather and put it in a skip. He took it to Sawyer’s mothers and told her it was her sons. She told him to take it upstairs. Sawyer returned to his house about half an hour later saying he had taken a pint of beer. Sawyer, a bonnet sewer, came back to his house a few days later and sat working with him. Sawyer asked him to buy the leather and he told Sawyer he would buy it in a weeks time, which he did. He gave Sawyer a sovereign for 16lb of leather and was to make Sawyer and his mother a pair of shoes. He had not made the shoes. The leather was not bought to the house. It was packed up and sent to Maulden by John Smith, the carrier. He told him he did not want the leather. When he got to Ampthill it was in the box.

item

Claridge, George,
Dawson, John,
Petty, Sam,
Roberts, Isaac,
Herbert, Edmund,
Smith, John,
Bates, James,
Hillyard, William,
Sawyer

MAULDEN, AMPTHILL, stealing, leather, shoemakers, carriers