QSR1863/4/5/17

Depositions of Emma Pepper, single woman of Leighton Buzzard. John Martin, journeyman baker of Leighton Buzzard. John Drage, baker of Leighton Buzzard. William Mellor, manager of the gas works, of Leighton Buzzard. George Smith, police constable of Leighton Buzzard. In the case of Charlotte Elizabeth Hopcroft accused of obtaining 6 half quatern loaves and 2 quarterns of flour.

20 October 1863

From: 1863 To: 1863

Emma Pepper: on 14 October the prisoner came into Mr Drage’s shop and asked if he would supply Mr Mellor with bread and flour once a week. She went and asked Mr Drage and told the prisoner that he would. She said the goods were for Mr Mellor at the Gas House and asked for 4 quartern loaves. She told the prisoner they had no quartern loaves and asked her if half quarterns would do as well. The prisoner said she would take 6 half quarterns and 2 quarterns of flour. The prisoner took them and the goods were booked to Mr Mellor. The prisoner was not a customer of her master’s shop. She knew Mr Mellor by name because he had come to their house about gas. She knew the prisoner to be the same young woman who came to the shop. John Martin: a journeyman baker employed by Mr Drage. On the morning of 14 Octoner he had been in his master’s shop when the prisoner came in and asked for 4 quartern loaves and 2 quartern of flour. The prisoner said they were for Mr Mellor who had no bread for breakfast and he had sent her. She said it was for Mr Mellor at the Gas House. There were not quartern loaves so the prisoner took 6 half quartern loaves and 2 quarterns of flour. He delivered the goods to her. He would not have done so if she had not made the representations that they were for Mr Mellor. He knew a Mr Mellor lived at the Gas House but did not know the prisoner. The bread produced by PC Smith is a portion of the bread delivered to the prisoner that morning. He had made the bread himself. He heard the prisoner say that Mr Drage was to call every Wednesday at Mr Mellor’s with bread and flour. He was sure the prisoner was the same young woman. John Drage: on 14 October, Pepper came to him and asked if he would supply Mr Mellor was bread and flour once a week. He said he would and instructed Martin to call at Mellor’s to know if he wanted more bread, as the prisoner had not had the quantity she asked for that morning. The value of the loaves and flour was 2s 3d ½. William Mellor: he was manager of the Gas Works at Leighton. The prisoner had lived with him as a servant. He had discharged her and had not seen her for 6 or 7 weeks. He had not authorised her to fetch bread and flour from Mr Drage. There was no other person by the name of ‘Mellor’ or ‘Miller’ at the Gas House and he had been there for upwards of 24 years. PC George Smith: he apprehended the prisoner and told her the charge. She replied that it could not have been her as she had not been out of doors that day. He showed the prisoner to the witness Pepper, who believed her to be the same young woman but she had worn a shawl rather than a cloak when she came to the shop. He searched the cupboard in the prisoner’s house and found 2 pieces of bread which he showed to the witness Martin. He identified them as the prosecutor’s property. The prisoner repeated she had not fetched the bread and had not been out of the house that day. Statement of the accused: “I did not go out”

item

Hopcroft, Charlotte Elizabeth,
Pepper, Emma,
Martin, John,
Drage, John,
Mellor, William,
Smith, George

LEIGHTON BUZZARD, false pretences, bread, gas works, Journeyman, baker, servant