QSR1837/3/5/8-9

Depositions and examination - James Panter and William Panter charged with stealing a drake from John Pain of Cranfield

1 May 1837

From: 1837 To: 1837

John Ames of Cranfield, baker – about 4pm yesterday afternoon (3- April) he and Thomas Lovell were going for a walk. Passing over a field called Whitehouse Piece in Cranfield he saw Wm Panter in the same field with a gun in his hand coming towards them. When Pater saw them he turned out of the path and went out of the field into Cox’s Close. He seemed to skulk under the hedge. They crossed the lane into Style Furlong and there met James Panter. He saw that Panter was holding up his frock pocket as if he had something heavy in it. They continued about 100 to 150 yards and got through a hedge into one of Mr Pain’s closes. About 10 yards from the part of the hedge where they got through they saw a quantity of duck’s feathers, quite fresh, in the ditch under the hedge, and the head, 2 wings and the feet of a duck. The head and wings were quite warm and the blood was still running from the head. They tok the head and feet to Mr Pain’s and left them with him. He told Mr Pain and Mr Foser his nephew where he found them. Joseph Rawlins of Cranfield, labourer – he looks after John Pain’s poultry. At 4.30 on his return from Church on Mr Pain’s order he went to count the ducks. There were only 6 and should have been 7. A white drake which had its wing put out of joint was missing. That morning he went to look for the wings and feathers and found them in a ditch in one of his master’s closes. One of the wings looks as if it had dragged on the ground as the drake’s wing which was put out used to do. James Goodrid of Cranfield, constable – last night he went with Mr Foster to James Panter’s house. He told Panter he had come for the duck. He saw a little boiler on the fire, took it off and found a drake boiling in it. He took Panter into custody. After that he apprehended William Panter. As they were going along the road they met Panter’s father who asked “what are they going to do with you boy?”. Pater said he did not know. His father then said “you never saw Jem knock it down, did you? You weren’t nowhere nigh, were you?” Wm Panter answered “I suppose I was not far off”. The body of the drake produced is the one he found in the boiler. The near or left wing is put out of joint and corresponds with the wing produced by Rawlins. James Panter – he bought the duck which Goodrid found in the pot from a man a little on the side of Ridgmont and gave him 5d for it. It was brown, not white. He bought it about 3pm, and met these chaps coming out of Mr Pain’s Piece about 4.30. William Panter – “I never meddled with no duck along with my brother. It was his gun I had.”

item

Panter, James,
Panter, William,
Pain, James,
Ames, John,
Rawlins, Joseph,
Goodrid, James,
Lovell, Thomas

CRANFIELD, Cranfield fields, stealing, stealing animals, ducks, baker, constable