QSR1897/4/5/6,7/a

Depositions of Herbert Arnold, Ellen Robinson, Lizzie Wilson, Charles Turner, Elizabeth Chandler and Elizabeth Todd. In the case of Edward Aubert and Charles Anstis, accused of stealing the sum of 3 shillings and sixpence.

20 October 1897

From: 1897 To: 1897

Herbert Arnold: a gardener at Wootton House. On 23 September the prisoners came to Wootton House. The prisoner, Aubert, said he had taken a photograph of Wootton House and asked him if he would come to the house and stand with the servants for a photograph. He did so and the photographs were taken. Both prisoners were present at the house. After the photograph was taken, the prisoner, Aubert, asked if he and the servants would wait a while to be shown the negatives of both photographs. The prisoner, Aubert, asked him if he would place an order and he did so, ordering one of each photograph. He paid the prisoner, Anstis, 3 shillings and sixpence and took receipt marked ‘A’. The photographs were not delivered in 10 days and 14 days after the photograph was taken, he communicated with the prisoner. On the 15 October he received a package which contained 2 photographs marked ‘B’ and ‘C’. He did not receive a photograph of the house and the photographs he did receive were not as large as the prisoner, Anstis, had indicated at the time of payment. [Cross-Examined] He took out a warrant for false pretences as he believed that the prisoners had tricked him out of his money. He examined the negatives before placing the order and only placed an order because he was pleased with the photographs taken. Ellen Robinson: a servant at Wootton House. She saw the prisoners at Wootton House on 23 September and formed one of the group which was there photographed. The prisoner, Aubert, too the photographs and the prisoner, Anstis, was also present. She saw the negatives of the house and group and gave an order to the prisoner, Aubert, for one of house and one of the group. She paid 3 shillings and sixpence and at the same time she paid 2 shillings. She saw Ada Motton pay 3 shillings and sixpence. The prisoner, Aubert, gave her a receipt marked ‘A1’. She received from the last witness the 2 photographs marked ‘D’ and ‘E’. [Cross-Examined] The only reason she paid was to obtain a copy of the photographs. Lizzie Wilson: a servant at Wootton House. On 23 September she saw the negative of Wootton House taken by the prisoner, Aubert. She ordered a photograph of the house and the prisoner that the price would be 2 shillings and Ellen Robinson paid the sum on her behalf. On 15 October she received the photograph marked ‘F’ and she has not received any photograph of the house. She did not order a photograph of the group. Charles Turner: head gardener at Cranfield Court. On 23 September the prisoners came to Cranfield Court. The prisoner, Aubert, told him that he had permission from his employer to photograph the greenhouse. The prisoner, Aubert, then proceeded to photograph the whole range of greenhouses with the men in front. He gave the prisoner, Aubert, permission to take a photograph of the inside of the vinery. He saw the negatives and placed an order for 6 copies of the inside. It was later arranged with the prisoner, Aubert, that he should have 1 or 2 copied of the outside instead of that number of the inside. His son ordered 3 photographs and the garden men order 3. He paid for all and took the receipt marked ‘A2’. The photographs were not delivered within 10 days and on 15 October he received in a brown paper marked ‘H’ 13 copies of the outside of the greenhouse. He had to pay 8 pence of the parcel. He did not receive any copies of the photograph of the outside of the greenhouse. [Cross-Examined] The prisoner, Aubert, said that he thought the negatives would be all right. Elizabeth Chandler: a widow living at 86, Cauldwell Street, Bedford. At the beginning of September the prisoner, Anstis, came to lodge in her house. He took 2 rooms which would have been used as a living room and a bedroom. The business of a landscape photographer was not carried on in her house during September or October. The prisoner, Anstis, was a weekly lodger and he left her house on Sunday 3 October. The prisoner, Anstis, did not tell her where he was going to and she had no conversation with him on the Sunday morning he left. Elizabeth Todd: a widow living at 2a, Holme Street, Bedford. She knew the prisoner, Aubert as he took a bedroom and sitting room at her house in September. The other prisoner, Anstis, came with him. The prisoners lodged in her house for a month all but 2 days. The prisoner, Aubert, had his wife with him. The prisoners used to do all their work in the bedroom – the finishing of the photographs. They had no other room. Both prisoners were weekly lodgers and left on Sunday 3 October. The prisoner, Aubert, told her to send all letters on to the post office in Cambridge. [Cross-Examined] She has friends at Cambridge who keep a lodging house. She recommended the prisoners go there to lodge. She said that she did not know whether her friend’s house would be full of gentlemen or not. They were satisfactory as lodgers in every way. While she was there, Mrs. Aubert, was busy all day printing. No one called to have a photograph taken at the house. [Re-Examined] Someone called after the prisoners had left. The prisoners did not go to lodge with her friends in Cambridge. Mrs. Aubert, is staying with her now. The only address she could give people for the prisoners before this point was at the post office at Cambridge. Frederick Edward Apthorpe Webb: a surgeon living in Cambridge. On 7 October he visited Mrs. Aubert at Cambridge and continued to visit her daily until 14 October. Her illness was such that it would have prevented her from printing photographs. Edward Aubert: Nothing to say Charles Anstis: Nothing to say.

item

Anstis, Charles,
Aubert, Edward,
Webb, Frederick Edward Apthorpe,
Todd, Elizabeth,
Chandler, Elizabeth,
Turner, Charles,
Wilson, Lizzie,
Arnold, Herbert,
Robinson, Ellen

BEDFORD, WOOTTON, CRANFIELD, stealing, money, photographs, gardener, surgeon, servant, widow, Photographer