QSR1868/1/5/21-24

Depositions of William Covington, no.5 Canning Street, St Pauls, Bedford. William Flaherty. Ezra Childs, labourer of St Pauls, Bedford. William Henry Sheppen, surgeon of St Marys, Bedford. George Robinson, labourer fo Eastcotts. Ellen Flaherty, labourer of the parish of St Paul, Bedford. Mahanaim Childs, labourer of St Pauls, Bedford. In the case of James Lofts, William Redman, William Keep & John Collins accused of the assault of Ezra Childs.

27 December 1867

From: 1867 To: 1868

William Covington: he lived at no. 5 Canning Street, St Paul, Bedford and on 23 December he was in charge of the Anchor Inn at Fenlake. He was alone in the house and the 4 prisoners came in about 5pm. One of the men asked for a quart of ale. He drew it and gave it to them. One of the men asked if he had his money and he replied “not yet”. The men tried to leave without paying for the ale and so he put his back against the door and said “pay for the beer before you go out”. One of the men took hold of him by the collar and swung him away from the door. The men went out and he followed them. One of the men said “pay for the beer”. Another of the men put a half penny in his hand and told him to give him change. He told the man to take the half penny back. The man hollered to the others that he had given Covington a shilling and Covington was refusing to give him his change. One man stood before him and another behind. He was shoved and given a black eye. One of them gave him a 2 shilling piece and he gave him the change which the man said was all right. The man stopped to pick something up. A man and woman came in and picked something up. It was not a penny. The woman threw it down again. The men said the woman had a penny and if she did not then the man did. He said he was satisfied neither the man nor the woman did have the penny. He went out and came back in. One of the men asked if he had “been to fetch him”. One of the men struck Childs and Childs took up a brush to keep them off. Childs struck one of them and they all aimed to strike Childs. Childs bled and called out “they have murdered me”. One of the men took a lamp out of the house and he followed him. 2 men were left in the house. He tried to get hold of the lamp and he was hit and knocked down. He went back inside and barred the door. The men came back and kicked it violently. He saw them outside. William Flaherty: he went to the Anchor to have a pint of beer. The 4 prisoners were outside the door and one of them said there was no one to draw the beer. His daughter had paid Covington for a pint of beer and the men all followed him in. Redman had a half penny in his hand and said that was all the change he had out of a shilling. Keep called for a quart of ale and gave a 2 shilling piece to Covington. Keep was given his change and said it was all right but then dropped a penny. They all scrambled for it. They blamed his girl for having it and Redman said the girl had given it to her father. Keep put his back to the door and said to no man, woman or child should go out until he had his penny. Covington came in. The girl was crying and Covington asked what the matter was. The girl said she was accused of taking a penny but she had not seen it. Covington said no one should hurt her and then Lofts hit Covington and staggered [?] him in a corner. All 4 men punched, kicked and beat Covington. Ezra Childs: he lived in Rose Yard, Saint Paul, Bedford and was a labourer. He went to the Anchor on 23 December between 5pm and 6pm. All the prisoners were there, Mr Covington was in the house and an old travelling man, a young women were all there. When he went into the house Redman asked him if he was the landlord of the house and he replied he should not interfere with the old gentleman and that if he wanted a pint or 2 of beer he should do so peacefully. Before he had done speaking he was down and all but Collins struck him. His blood shot eye came from that night. He did not know where he was and was bleeding from the eye and mouth. He had 3 wounds on his head and could not say for how long he lay on the floor. When he came to, James Lofts was in the house. He did not remember what was said after that. Mr Covington had sent for him and in consequence he had gone to the Anchor. A man by the name of Robertson had come. Henry Sheppen: he was a member of the Royal College of Surgeon. On 23 December he was acting at the Bedford Infirmary for Mr Johnson. Ezra Childs was brought in suffering from severe bruising to the left side of the face, a bruise and slight cut to the top of the head and a bruise on the right buttock. Childs was in a state of excitement. The blow to the head might have come by a stick or another blunt instrument. Childs had a cut beneath his left eye brow and on top of the nose. He would say the excitement was caused by the blow to the head and he could not say what the result might be. George Robinson: he lived at Fenlake and was a labourer. He was sent for by Covington and went to the Anchor at Fenlake on 23 December at about 5.20pm. When he got there the 4 accused, Covington, Childs, a man and a woman were in the house. They were wrangling about a penny. Childs took the lamp and said he would keep looking for the penny. Redman asked Childs if he was the landlord several times and then struck Childs several times with his fist about the head and knocked him into the corner. After Redman struck him several time Childs went out of the house. Keep struck Childs whilst Redman was striking him and Keep and Redman left together. He went outside the house and Keep came back and asked if he had interfering with his mates. He did not reply and walked across to his house. When he go0t to his door, he saw Covington was out of the Anchor with Loft behind him with a lamp. Redman came to Covington and said if he did not give him his change he would give him [?] and then he struck Covington and knock him down in the road. Ellen Flaherty: she went with her father to the Anchor at dusk on 23 December. The 4 accused were outside the house when they got there and they followed them in. Covington was in the house and she gave him 2d for a pint of beer. After she gave her 2d, Keep came in with a halfpenny in his hand and asked her father if it was right as he had given a shilling to the old gentleman for a pot of beer and only had halfpenny change. Her father said he had nothing to do with it. One of the 4 men gave a 2 shilling piece to pay for the beer. He gave the money to Covington who gave him the change. Covington asked if the change was right and the man replied it was. The man said he dropped some money. The 4 men all looked for it and accused her of having picked it up. She had not stooped to pick it up any money. She made [?] boxes and had stooped to pick one up. She was crying in the house. Childs came in with 2 little boys and asked why she was crying. She said it was because she was accused of picking up a penny. Childs said he would see her into Bedford and no one was to hurt her. Redman then asked Childs if he was the landlord and struck him and knocked him to the ground. They all struck Childs when he was on the ground. After he had been on the ground a few minutes Childs got himself up and they knocked him over a settle. She could not see who struck him as all the men were round him. She went out with her father and ran into Bedford. Joseph Childs: he lived with his father Ezra. He went with his father to the Anchor at Fenlake. The 4 accused, Flaherty, his daughter and Covington were there. Redman asked his father if he was the landlord and they went on to him. After Redman struck him, Keep struck him and when his father was down Loft and Colling struck him. He was close to them. Keep kicked his father on the head whilst he was on the ground and the others kicked him too. His father tried to get up but he could not as they kept kicking him. He helped his father up. Keep fetched a brush from against the stairs and struck him across the head. His fathers had hold of the brush when he was knocked down and tired to assist himself with the brush. His father did not strike anyone with it. The brush was taken away from his father.

item

Lofts, James,
Redman, William,
Keep, William,
Collins, John,
Covington, William,
Flaherty, William,
Flaherty, Ellen,
Childs, Ezra,
Childs, Mahanaim,
Childs, Joseph,
Sheppen, William Henry,
Robinson, George

St. Paul Bedford, St. Mary Bedford, EASTCOTTS, assault, surgeon, Fenlake Anchor