QSR1866/2/5/1

Depositions of Walter Olney, son of Thomas Olney of Dunstable. Frederick Olney, son of Thomas Olney of Dunstable. Daniel Parkins. labourer of Dunstable. William Addington, police constable of Dunstable. Frederick Potton, painter of Dunstable and Thomas Olney, victualler of Dunstable. In the case of William Mobley accused of stealing 6 fowls.

16 March 1866

From: 1866 To: 1866

Walter Olney: he was the son of the prosecutor, Thomas Olney and lived with him at Dunstable. On 14 March he went into the hen house on his father’s premises to fetch an egg. He had a lantern with him and he counted the fowls. He noticed there were 8 hens and a cock. He locked the door and went away. Frederick Olney: he was the son of the prosecutor and lived with him at Dunstable. On the morning of 15 March he went into the yard and noticed the door of the henhouse was open about 3 or 4 inches. The lock was lying on the ground broken to pieces. On going into the hen house he saw the cock lying in the corner quite dead. He could only find 2 of the 8 hens. He went and told his father. His father sent him to the police. Daniel Parkins: on 15 March he was at the Rose and Crown public house about 7am. Whilst he was there the prisoner came in and said “I have got some fowls put by; can you do with them?” He asked the prisoner if they were hens or cocks. The prisoner said they were old hens and said he had come by them honestly. He left and returned later and found the prisoner there. The prisoner said he had no money but had 6 old hens. He told the prisoner he could do with 2 of them. The prisoner took a basket and they went together down Church Street as far as Station Road. The prisoner left him there and went into a field called ‘Great Englands’. There was a dung heap there and he saw the prisoner stoop down there. The prisoner returned and he met him at the bottom of the field. He saw 2 fowls in the basket. The prisoner said “we must have a handful of greens to cover them over” and he went to Parkins allotment and got some greens to put over the fowls. They returned to the Rose and Crown. He immediately went for the police. PC Addington came into the tap room and took the fowls from the basket and charged the prisoner with stealing them. When he had been at Olney’s the first time the prisoner said he had gone to Olney’s the previous night and head not been allowed a glass of beer so he had gone and “done the job”. He asked him what job that was and he prisoner replied “oh I have got some fowls planted”. PC William Addington: on 15 March, from information received, he went to the Rose and Crown about 1pm. He saw the prisoner and the witness Parkins there. The prisoner had a basket on his knees which appeared full of greens. He asked the prisoner if he had greens to sell and the prisoner replied “that makes no odds to me”. He turned the basket over and found 2 dead fowls at the bottom of it. The prisoner said he had picked them from Mr Osborn’s field. He charged the prisoner with stealing them the prosecutor identified the fowls as those he had lost the previous night. Frederick Potton: on 15 March he saw the prisoner at the Rose and Crown about 1pm. The prisoner was carrying a basket. He followed the prisoner into the house and noticed there were greens in the basket and he asked the prisoner what he wanted for them. The prisoner said he did not want to sell them. A few minutes later the policeman came in and turned over the basket. There were fowls lying under the greens and they were dead. From information given he went to a dung heap in a field about have a mile away and found 4 fowls concealed. There were identified by the prosecutor as his. Thomas Olney: on 15 March he received information that the fowls were missing from the hen house. He advised the police. At 1pm the same day the 2 fowls were shown to him by the police constable. He identified them. About half an hour later he was shown 4 more fowls which he identified as his. Statement of the accused: he had nothing to say but he was sorry he had done it. He hoped they would be as lenient as they could.

item

Mobley, William,
Olney, Walter,
Olney, Thomas,
Olney, Frederick,
Parkins, Daniel,
Addington, William,
Potton, Frederick,
Olney, Thomas

DUNSTABLE, stealing, fowls, painter, victualler, Dunstable Rose & Crown