QSR1868/3/5/8b

Depositions of Rowland Gadsden, draper of Luton. Samuel Picking, baker's assistant of Luton. Henry Samuel Fisher, police constable of Luton. William Robinson Raban, silversmith of Luton. In the case of Elizabeth Farmer accused of knowingly tendering 7 pieces of counterfeit coin.

15 June 1868

From: 1868 To: 1868

Rowland Gadsden: a draper of Bute Street, Luton. The prisoner came to his shop on 6 June about 10am. She asked for some prints and bought goods which came to 2s 1d. She gave him a 2 shilling piece and a shilling in payment. She looked at the florin and the shilling and found them to both be bad. He told her it was bad money and bent the florin and cut the shilling in her presence. He returned them to her and she gave 3 single shillings. They were all bad. He told her they were bad and asked he come she had so much bad coin about her and she replied she had bought a shirt from a travelling man. She said he had paid with a sovereign and received the bad coin in change. She gave him 2 more bad shillings pieces. He cut some of the shillings with his knife and bent the 2 shilling piece. Samuel Picking: he was 15 years old and worked for Mr Horley the baker of Luton. Mr Horley had a branch shop in Bute Street and he was at the shop on 6 June when the prisoner came in. The shop was the same side of the way as Mr Gadsden’s. The prisoner asked for a half quartern loaf and a pennyworth of currant cake. She gave him a shilling piece and he gave her sixpence change. He put the shilling in the till and the prisoner directly left the shop. PC Fisher came and from what he said he took the shilling from the till and gave it to him. There was no other in the till. It was a bad one and he marked it. PC Henry Samuel Fisher: on 6 June he went after the prisoner and found the bad florin and 3 shilling pieces on her along with some more money. He produced the shilling he received from picking. The florin and 3 shilling pieces were identified by Gadsden. William Robinson Raban: he was a silversmith at Luton. He examined the florin dated 1865 and the 3 shilling pieced and they were all counterfeit. He also examined another shilling and found it to be counterfeit. Statement of the accused: she did not know that the money was bad. She had picked it up and did not know it was bad.

item

Farmer, Elizabeth,
Gadsden, Rowland,
Picking, Samuel,
Fisher, Henry Samuel,
Raban, William Robinson

LUTON, Luton Bute Street, passing counterfeit coin, silversmith, draper, baker