QSR1865/3/5/18

Depositions of Thomas Cheshire, labourer of Luton. George Gibbins, grocer of Luton. James Haynes, police constable of Luton. Richard Lambert, police constable of Luton. In the case of William Hill the younger accused of stealing a ham.

1 May 1865

From: 1865 To: 1865

Thomas Cheshire: he lived at 5 Windsor Street, Luton. On 22 April he was in Bute Street, Luton and saw the prisoner and another man against Mr Johnson’s shop door. He stood against the shop window and the 2 men stood against some pails near some hams. He saw the other man takes hold of one of the hams with both hands and the prisoner cut the string which held it. The other man put the ham under his coat and they went off up Bute Street. The prisoner went away just behind him. He told Mr Gibbins someone had taken a ham and they ran after the men. They caught the other man and Gibbins took the ham from him. The other man got away. They called “Stop thief” and the prisoner ran after him and got close to him but did not take hold of him. He saw the prisoners by gaslight. George Gibbins: he managed a grocer’s shop for Mr George Mercer Johnson in Bute Street, Luton. On the night of 22 April he had 11 hams lying at the shop door in bags. The bags had nooses. There was a string passed through the nooses of 5 hams and tied round the other 6. He saw the prisoners come up and look at 3 pieces of ham that were cut. He went away and stooped to pick up some candles and in getting up he saw a man take a ham from the doorway and put it under his coat. The man went away with the ham and he saw the prisoner follow him. They walked away fast. Cheshire said to him that the man had his ham. He ran after them and passed the prisoner a few doors off and caught hold of the other man. When the prisoner saw him take hold of the other man he stopped. He caught the man by the handkerchief and he dropped the ham between his legs. He slipped his handkerchief off and got away. He picked up the ham. It was worth 7 shillings. He gave up the ham to Pc Haynes. After he had taken the ham he hallooed “stop thief”. He took the ham back to the shop and next saw the prisoner with the police constable. He did not ask the prisoner to aid and assist him. He picked the string up a few doors from the shop, in the direction the men had gone. PC James Haynes: on the night of 22 April he took the prisoner into custody. He charged him with stealing a ham in the company of another man. The prisoner said “I saw a man take a ham from the doorway. Mr Gibbins run after him and took it away from him. The man ran away and I ran after him and called out ‘Stop thief stop thief”” Hill said that a man stopped him against the railway bridge and took him on suspicion. The man said he had stopped the prisoner because he saw him running and called ‘stop thief’. He went with the prisoner to Mr Gibbins. The prisoner made a great disturbance and so he told him to go home. From other information he received he afterwards took him into custody. PC Richard Lambert: on the night of 22 April he searched the prisoner his being brought in custody to the police station. He found a knife in his pocket. Statement of the accused: he would leave it to his solicitor.

item

Hill, William,
Cheshire, Thomas,
Gibbins, George,
Haynes, James,
Lambert, Richard

LUTON, Luton Bute Street, stealing, ham, grocer