QSR1897/4/5/2

Depositions of George Pullin of Manor Farm, East Acton, Edwin Gratton of Stoke-upon-Trent, Thomas Healy of Porth, William Tatman of Kempston, Thomas Phelps of Bedford, Charles Lewis Sharratt of Bedford and John Frederick Reeve of Kimbolton. In the case of Charles Manton, accused of obtaining sums of money by false pretences on three accounts.

24 August 1897

From: 1897 To: 1897

George Pullin: resident of Manor Farm, East Acton, Middlesex. In June 1897 he saw the newspaper “A”. In consequence on the advertisement he wrote to the prisoner and asked him if he had any sows for sale. In July he received a letter. He answered the letter and received another. On receipt of the second letter he sent to the prisoner a £5 note and 2 postal orders for 3 shillings and sixpence and 1 shilling and sixpence. He then received a letter on 26th June 1897. He wrote some further letters and then got a reply on 29th June. On 8th July he received the letter dated 7th July. On 13th July he wrote and sent the post card of that date to the prisoner. On 19th July he wrote the post card of that date. On 24th July he wrote the letter of that date. He received a letter dated 24th July. On 28th July he wrote the post card produced of that date. He received the letter produced of the 28th July. On 3rd August he wrote the letter of that date. He got the letter dated 4th August and also 11th August. He has not received either the pigs or the money back. [Cross-Examined] He had not enquired as to whether Kempston was an infected district or not. Edwin Gratton: a gardener living near Stoke-on-Trent. During June 1897 he received a newspaper cutting of an advertisement “B” from the prisoner. In consequence of that advertisement he sent a letter with a postal order for £2 and 16 shillings for 4 Yorkshire pigs. He received a reply in an envelope but has since lost the letter. The prisoner had said that he had received his letter and would send the pigs the following day. He sent the prisoner a telegram and received a letter dated 29th June. He sent the postal order to the prisoner on 21st June and the restrictions did not come out at Stoke until 30th June. He wrote again and did not receive any reply. [Cross-Examined] He did not enquire about any restrictions at his end. Thomas Healy: a collier of Porth, Glamorganshire. During June 1897 he saw the advertisement “C”. In consequence of the advertisement his wife wrote a letter. He received a letter dated 24th June from the prisoner. He then sent a postal order for £5 12 shillings for the pigs. He received a letters dated 2nd July, 7th July and 28th July. He has not received either the pigs or his money back. When he saw the advertisement he believed that the prisoner was an honest pig dealer. [Cross-Examined] He had not enquired about any restrictions at his end. William Tatman: a police sergeant stationed at Kempston. He knew the prisoner as he lived in Kempston. The prisoner’s cottage had 4 rooms and a rent of 4 shillings a week. There was no where to keep a pig at the house. The prisoner had lived at the cottage for 3 months. In July 1897 he called upon the prisoner and asked him if he was the ‘Manton’ who had produced the advertisement for the pigs. The prisoner said that he was and that his name was Charles Manton. He asked the prisoner if he had received money for the pigs advertised from a Mr. Anderson. The prisoner replied that he had sent the pigs to Mr. Anderson last Wednesday. On Monday 16th August he approached the prisoner in Battenberg Street and asked him where the pigs were kept which he was advertising. The prisoner replied that he had plenty of pigs at Woburn Sands and Bletchley. He told the prisoner that he had a warrant for his arrest for obtaining £5 5 shillings from a man near London. When they got in the prisoner’s house the prisoner asked him to read the warrant. He read the warrant and the prisoner replied that he could not send the pigs due to restrictions. He took the prisoner to the police station in Bedford. There the prisoner gave him the advertisement “D” and asked the superintendent if he could get bail. The superintendent refused and the prisoner replied that he could get plenty of pigs off Mr. Sanders or his brother Harry. The prisoner also stated that he sometimes advertised the pigs in his son’s name. [Cross-Examined] Kempton is a suspected zone and no pigs can be sent without a license. He believes that Mr. Saunders lives at Crawley and he knows where the prisoner’s brother, Harry, lives. [Re-Examined] Woburn Sands is the nearest station to Crawley. Pigs can be sent off from Woburn Sands. Thomas Phelps: an inspector of police in the Borough Force. He knew the prisoner well.10 years ago the prisoner was living in Saint John’s Street and rented a cottage for about £10 - £12 a year. The prisoner has some piggeries on Elstow Road. He believed the prisoner then went to live in Saint Leonard’s Street, though he was not aware that the prisoner had any premises capable of carrying on a pig trade. From this address the prisoner went to live in a similar cottage in Ampthill Street. Again the prisoner had no premises for carrying on a pig trade. The prisoner then went to live in New Fenlake and afterwards to a cottage in Picroft Street. From here he believed the prisoner went to live in Kempston. Charles Lewis Sharrat: a station master at the London and North Western Railways station in Bedford. He has known the prisoner for 6-7 years and has sent pigs from the station from time to time. He has seen the consignment notes. He identified the letters received by the previous witnesses as being of the same handwriting as the consignment notes. The prisoner is indebted to his company in the sum of 7 or 8 shillings. He took the prisoner to the County Court and got an order for 1 shilling a month but this is still outstanding. To his knowledge the prisoner has not sent any pigs from his station during the past 12 months. Woburn Sands and Ridgmont are on his line and both these stations and Bletchley are outside of the suspected zone. [Cross-Examined] Middlesex, Staffordshire and Glamorganshire will not admit pigs from Bedford as this is a suspected zone. The prisoner has been sending pigs from his station occasionally for the last 6-7 years. [Re-Examined] The prisoner has not sent pigs from his station in the last year. John Frederick Reeve: an agent from Kimbolton Road, Bedford. He is an agent for some houses in Ampthill Street. No. 21 was occupied by the prisoner from June 1896 to December 1896. The rent was £10 a year. There were no premises capable of being adapted for a pig business. He received no rent from the prisoner and had to distrain and got an ejectment order in January 1897. Charles Manton: I am not guilty

item

Pullin, George,
Gratton, Edwin,
Healy, Thomas,
Tatman, William,
Phelps, Thomas,
Sharratt, Charles Lewis,
Reeve, John Frederick,
Manton, Charles

Middlesex, Stoke on Trent, Glamorgan, KEMPSTON, BEDFORD, Kimbolton, money, false pretences, pigs