QSR1866/4/5/12-14

Depositions of Henry Scarborough, farmer of Luton. George Ellis, labourer of Luton. Benjamin Clark, farm labourer of Luton. Ebenezer Ruff, police constable of Luton. In the case of William Hill the younger, Charles Shane and William Newberry accused of stealing 12 fowls, a rug and dog skin mat.

4 October 1866

From: 1866 To: 1866

Henry Scarborough: a farmer living at Dallow Farm, Luton. On the morning of Thursday 27 September he missed a gig apron and dog skin mat out of his dog cart which was standing under the cart shed of the farm. They were worth 30 shillings. He had seen them safe the previous evening as he had used them. From information received he went to the shed where the fowls were kept and missed several fowls. he could see a quantity of blood and feather and the head of one fowl in the shed. The same morning, he and PC Ruff compared some shoes with some footmarks in the dirt near the cart shed where the rug and mat had been taken. They compared exactly. The foot marks were quite plain. One of the foot marks had 3 very large nails on the right side of the waist of the foot. They traced the footmarks to the place the fowls had been taken from. He saw PC Ruff pick up a fresh fowls head in the shed and it appeared to have been pulled off. He saw his mat and rug at the police station and identified them. He also saw 12 fowls at the police station. He believed them to be his. One had no head and the head picked up by PC Ruff corresponded with the headless fowl. Some of the fowls were Dorking and other common fowls and they were worth 25 shillings. Newberry had worked for him at harvest and knew where the fowls were kept. George Ellis: a labourer living at Dallow Farm and working for Mr Scarborough. On the night of Wednesday 26 September he took his masters horse out of the dog cart and put the dog cart in the cart shed. There was an apron and a mat in the cart. He left them there. He missed them the next morning. Benjamin Clark: he was foreman to Mr Henry Scarborough at Dallow Farm. On the morning of Thursday 27 September he noticed some blood and fresh feather under the shed where the fowls were kept. He missed some fowls. One of them he could swear to and he saw its head when he got to the police station. He saw 11 fowls at the station and believed them to be Mr Scarborough’s. PC Ebenezer Ruff: about 1am on 27 September he was in duty near the Union Workhouse in Dunstable Road. He heard 3 men coming up from the lane leading form the Dunstable Road to the Dallow Farm. He stopped. They was a gas lamp close to him and it lit down the lane. He saw 2 men coming towards him. They saw him and one dropped a bundle by the side of the road in the hedge. He was about 60 yards off. He went towards the bundle and the men ran away. He examined the bundle and found 12 fowls wrapped in a dog skin mat and a rug. He heard the men go down the lane towards the Dallow Farm and then thought a meadow towards the railway at Dunstable Road. He could not catch them. He went back to the bundle and hid in the hedge close to it. He had been there about 10 minutes when he heard the men coming down the lane from the Dunstable Road. They came to the bundle and Shane took hold of it. He stepped out and took hold of Shane. The other 2 were close by. He said “What’s your game?” and they said they were going about their business. He asked what they had in the bundle and the prisoners replied “What bundle?” and said they knew nothing about it. The prisoners said they could give a good account of themselves. They had all come down the lane gently and gone straight to where the bundle was. The prisoners went with him to the station and were locked up. He noticed Newberry’s hands were covered in fresh blood. Hill had blood stains on his trousers. On the same morning he was informed Mr Scarborough had had some fowls stolen. He took the prisoner’s shoes and compared them with the footmarks against the cart shed and the shed from which the fowls were missed. He found the small shoe, Hill’s, corresponded with several of the footmarks in both shed. The shoe produced with 3 large nails in the right side was Shane’s and he found corresponding footmarks in the shed and going towards the meadow. Newberry’s shoe was very large and he found corresponding prints in the sheds and into the meadow. He examined the shed were the fowls had been taken and found fresh blood and a recently pulled off fowls head. He took the head away and compared it to the headless fowl in the bundle. It corresponded. He charged the prisoners the same day. Shane said he did not know anything about it and could give a good account of himself. Hill said he had met Newberry at 12am in Bute Street and they had gone up the Dunstable Road together. Newsberry said he knew nothing about it and had met the other prisoners in Bute Street. Newberry had helped him carry the fowls part of the way as they were heavy. He had dropped one but he did not know if its head was on or off. One of the others picked it up and put it in the rug. Shane said he could prove where he was up to 12. He knew Hill and Shane but did not know Newberry. He had been in Luton for 11 months. The fowls were warm and fresh in the bundle when he found it. Statements of the accused: William Hill the younger – he knew nothing of it. Charles Shane – he knew nothing of it. William Newberry – nothing.

item

Hill, William,
Shane, Charles,
Newberry, William,
Scarborough, Henry,
Ellis, George,
Clark, Benjamin,
Ruff, Ebenezer

LUTON, Luton Dunstable Road, Luton Dallow Farm, stealing, fowls, farmer