QSR1865/3/5/20

Depositions of William Bennett, commercial traveller of Bermondsey. John Neil, labourer of Bermondsey. Henry Bean, labourer of Luton. James Reddall, publican of Luton. John Ingram, beerhouse keeper of Kings Cross Road, London. Joseph Wilson, hat presser of Clerkenwell, London. George Smith, police sergeant of Luton. Mary Gough, wife of Robert, labourer of Luton. William Willis, straw hat manufacturer of Luton. In the case of Frederick Cook accused of stealing a harness valued at £2.

15 May 1865

From: 1865 To: 1865

William Bennett: he was a traveller for Mr Jeremiah Lordan, a hair skin and glue merchant of Russell Street, Bermondsey. He knew a man name William Hill as he was formerly employed by Mr Lordan as a carman. Hill was discharged in October 1864. On 3 April 1865 he received information that the premises had been entered and a set of harnesses lost. It was the set of harnesses which he usually drove. He next saw the harness in the hands of the landlord of the Old English Gentleman on 1 May. The harness was the same as that missed from the premises and was worth £2. The hook of the bearing rein had broken and the harness had been mended in several places. John Neil: he was foreman to Mr Lordan of Russell Street, Bermondsey and knew William Hill as he was formerly carman to Mr Lordan. He left Mr Lordan’s employment in October 1864. He had seen Hill about the premises 3 times since he was discharged. He last saw Hill on the premises about a fortnight before the harness was missed. The harness was kept in the stable. On the night of Saturday 1 April he locked the stable door and the harness was then safe. The harness was missed the next morning. He looked around and saw that boards of the fence had been broken and a hole made large enough for a man to get through. He also saw that a ladder, which had been standing a little distance from the stable the day before, had been moved to the loft door over the stable. The loft door was shut but not bolted when he left it the night before. He found it wide open. There was a trap door leading from the loft into the stable and he saw one of the steps was broken. It had not been broken the night before. He informed his master and the police in London. He next saw the harness on 2 May in his master’s office and knew it to be his master’s property. Hill was in the habit of using the same harness when he had been the carman and knew where it was kept. Hill had been in Mr Lordan’s employment for about 11 months. He also missed one of 14 bags he had hung up to dry. Each had been cut down the side to get out the hair they had contained. The bag was worth 4d. Henry Bean: a labourer living at Hill’s father’s house in Guildford Street, Luton. He knew William Hill the younger and the prisoner Frederick Cook. On the morning of Sunday 2 April he was at Hill’s father’s yard in Guildford Street. William Hill the younger called to him and asked him to take a parcel for him to Mr Reddall’s at the Old English Gentleman. He followed Hill to the railway station where he found a bag on the platform. The bag was tied with something hard inside it. Hill helped him put it on his shoulder. He said he would go along the bottom and up Hitchin Road. He did so and Hill went up over the footbridge. When he got near the Old English Gentleman he saw the prisoner and Hill standing near the house. Hill beckoned to him to come to the gate that went into the yard. When he got there Hill shoved the bag from his shoulder and over the gate. Hill gave him 2 ½ d. He went home and left Hill and Cook there. James Reddall: keeper of the Old English Gentleman at Hitchin Road, Luton. He knew William Hill the younger and the prisoner Cook. On the morning of 2 April he was in his stable and heard somebody at the gate next Burr Street. He called out asked who was there and someone asked him to open the gate. As he was going to open the gate a bag was put over and it fell into the yard. He opened the gate and Hill and Cook came in. Cook asked him to lend him 10 shillings. He went and fetched 10 shillings from the bar and gave it to him in silver. Cook told him to put the bag to one side saying it was an old harness. He took the bag upstairs. The bag stayed there until Sergeant Smith came and asked for it about a month later. Smith took the contents away. His wife let Cook and Hill out by the front door. Cook had kept a pony at his place for over 12 months. He lent Cook 7 shilling on the Monday to go to London as Hill had told him he could work with him in London at Mr Wilson’s. John Ingram: he kept the Royal Oak beer house at 73 Kings Cross Road, London. He knew Hill and Cook. They lodged at his house. Cook came to lodge on 6 April. Cook came with Hill and they slept together. They left the house on 15 April and Cook came back the following Tuesday and left again on 1 May. He had not seen Hill since he left on 15 April. Hill used to leave his house on a Saturday night and return on the Monday or Tuesday. Hill had told him he went to Luton. Hill left the house on 1 April and did not return until 6 April when he brought Cook with him. Joseph Wilson: he was a leghorn hat presser and lived at 35 Bowling Green Lane, Clerkenwell, London. He knew William Hill the younger and Cook and they both worked for him. Hill came to work for him about 5 weeks before 1 April and he used to go down to Luton on a Saturday night and return on Mondays. Hill did not do down on Saturday 1 April but said he was not going down until Sunday morning as he was going over the water. Hill returned on 3 April and brought Cook with him. He engaged Cook to work as a blocker. They left him on 15 April and he had only seen Cook once since. Cook said he was ill and could not work but would return in a few days. Sergeant George Smith: on 1 May he went with Mr Bennett to the Old English Gentleman and saw Reddall, the landlord. Reddall showed him a bag and he opened it and found a harness. He showed it to Mr Bennett and he identified it as his master’s property. Hill was in custody on another charge and he showed him the harness on 2 May and charged him with stealing it. Hill made no answer to the charge. He took the harness to London and showed it to John Neil who identified it as Mr Lordan’s property. He took Cook into custody and he replied he had met Hill at the Old English Gentleman when he was going to feed his pony. Cook said Hill had asked him to lend him 10 shilling upon a harness so he borrowed 10 shilling from Mr Reddall and lent it to him. He gave Mr Redall the harness to take care of. Cook said he did not know it was stolen. Statement of the accused: he was not guilty of knowing it was stolen. He certainly did not lend him 10 shilling. He left it in his solicitor’s hands. Witness statements on behalf of the prisoner – Mary Gough: she was the wife of Robert and they lived at the Old English Gentleman. She recalled on 2 April seeing Hill at the Old English Gentleman as she cleaned the back door. She heard Hill say to Cook “you need not be afraid of you money Cook, I’ll leave that until you are paid”. It was a bag which Hill set against the back door. Cook said to Reddall “out that away for me” and Reddall took it upstairs. She saw it many times afterwards. William Willis: he had known Cook for many years and he had employed Cook. He had never heard anything against Cook. He had lost sight of him for about 3 years but had heard nothing against him.

item

Cook, Frederick,
Bennett, William,
Neil, John,
Bean, Henry,
Reddall, James,
Ingram, John,
Wilson, Joseph,
Smith, George,
Gough, Mary,
Gough, Robert,
Willis, William,
Lordan, Jeremiah

Bermondsey, LUTON, stealing, harness, commercial traveller, publican, beer retailer, hat worker, straw hat manufacturer, Luton Old English Gentleman