QSR1869/2/5/3

Depositions of Frederick Randall of Sutton. Radford Papworth, parish constable at Sutton. Joseph Milton, gamekeeper at Sutton. William Taylor, labourer of Sutton. In the case of William Kefford accused of malicious wounding.

22 March 1869

From: 1869 To: 1869

Frederick Randall: he was living with his brother, George Randall, who kept the John of Gaunt public house at Sutton. On the night of Saturday 20 March he was in the house about 9pm. William Kefford came into the house and called for a pint of beer which he drew for him. About a quarter of an hour afterwards William Kefford began to quarrel with his brother John Kefford about some money. He saw William was drunk and he wanted to fight with John and stripped to do so. William stood over John Kefford for almost half an hour, threatened him and used bad language towards him. John Kefford refused to fight and tried all he could to persuade his brother to sit down and by quiet or go home. The more John tired the worse William Kefford was. William Kefford then sat down but continued to use such bad language that he told him to leave off or he would turn him out of the house. William Kefford was quiet for a bit. Shortly after this, 2 other men, John Cocks and John Giddings, had a dispute and Cocks struck Giddings. William Kefford got up and attempted to strike Giddings. He took hold of William Kefford and put him out of the house. William Kefford resisted very much and struck him a blow with his fist in the side of the head. John Kefford assisted him in putting William out. William also struck John Kefford and took a stick from him [John]. Joseph Milton then came out of the house and helped John Kefford to take back his stick. John Kefford, Milton and himself went back into the house and William Kefford was shut out and the door bolted form the inside. William Kefford kicked violently at the door and asked to be let in again but George Randall, who was at the door, refused to open it. He went back out by the back and round towards the front of the house. He saw William Kefford burst the door open with his knee but George Randall prevented him from entering the house. William Kefford remained by the front door using threatening language towards John Kefford and Joseph Milton. He heard William Kefford say several times that he would punch his [Milton’s] head when he came out. About 11.50pm the house was cleared and the men in the tap room left the house. He stood at the door and saw Joseph Milton leave the house. There was no wound on Milton’s face then. As soon as Milton got outside the door he saw William Kefford strike Milton on the right side of his face. It was very dark and he did not see anything in Kefford’s hand. Milton took off his coat and there was a scuffle between Milton and William Kefford and both were on the ground. He believed John Kefford separated them but he was not certain. Joseph Milton went in to Samuel Kefford’s cottage and he heard that Milton had been cut in the face. He went to see Milton and saw a large wound on the right side of his face which was bleeding very much. Radford Papworth: he was the constable of the parish of Sutton. On the night of 20 March he was sent for and informed that there had been a row at the public house and William Kefford had stabbed Joseph Milton in the face. He was told it was a serious wound. He got up and dressed and went to see Milton, who he found cut in the face and bleeding. He went in search of William Kefford and found he was in Amos Breed’s cottage. The door was locked and he was refused admittance. He told Breed that he wanted to take William Kefford into custody and Breed replied he should leave him until morning. He could not get in so went up Sutton Park and reported the case to Sir John Burgoyne. Sir John got up and went with him to Breed’s cottage and assisted in taking William Kefford into custody. Kefford remained in his custody until Sir John took him over to the police station at Biggleswade about half past two. Joseph Milton: he was a gamekeeper but currently had no place and was living with his father at Sutton. He had done so for about 6 weeks. On 20 March he was at the John of Gaunt public house at Sutton. The prisoner was there before him and was drunk. He saw John Cocks hit John Giddings and saw Frederick Randall put the prisoner out of the house. John Kefford helped Randall to do so and the prisoner took hold of John Kefford stick. He tried to prevent the prisoner taking it away from John Kefford and the prisoner struck him with his fist and kicked him. He went back into the house and the prisoner was left outside. The door was locked to prevent the prisoner coming in. The prisoner broke the bolt off but did not come into the house again. The prisoner remained outside kicking the door and making a great noise and he heard the prisoner say several time “that I will wait there for 3months to butcher John Kefford or Joseph Milton”. The house as cleared a little before midnight and he went out of the door. As he was almost out he was struck a violent blow on the right side of his face and saw it was the prisoner who had struck him. He knocked the prisoner down and they struggled on the ground together. There were 7 or 8 yards from the door. He got up and found blood on his face and George Randall went with him to the light and found he had been cut. He went to Samuel Kefford’s cottage where his face was washed and plastered. He had been to Mr Raynes, surgeon of Potton, to have his face dressed and was still under his care. When he was in the public house he saw the prisoner cut his shoe lace with a knife. He had been away from Sutton for almost 9 years and had only returned about 6 weeks previous. There had never been a quarrel between he and the prisoner. [cross examination] he definitely heard the word ‘butcher’. He did not strike the prisoner when he was first put out of the house. He did strike him the second time and had taken off his coat. He had not threatened to ‘dash’ the prisoner’s brains out. He did not strike the prisoner near the school fence and he did not tell Will Taylor to pick up the prisoner so he might hit him again. William Taylor: he was a labourer. On the night of 20 March he was in the John of Gaunt public house and saw the prisoner, William Kefford, come into the house. John Cocks came in about 10 minutes before Kefford and both were very drunk. They both sat in the tap room and after a little while Kefford took a handkerchief out of Robert Secker’s pocket. Secker said “if I can’t sit her pleasantly I will go home”. The prisoner’s brother, John Kefford, told the prisoner he had no business with the mans pocket and asked the prisoner why he could not sit still and behave himself like other people. Frederick Randall, who was next to the prisoner said “Why don’t you be quiet Dick”. Dick was the nickname of the prisoner in the village. William Kefford then began to use very bad language and Frederick Randall told him that if he was not quiet he would put him out of the house. The prisoner was quiet for a short time until John Giddings came into the room and began to quarrel and fight with Cocks. He collared Cocks and Frederick Randall took hold of the prisoner and put him out of the house. Before this the prisoner had taken off his coat and wanted to fight with John Kefford but John Kefford had refused. The prisoner was outside the house and tried to take John Kefford’s stick away from him but Joseph Milton helped prevent him from doing so. There was a scuffle and all three were on the ground together. All of the men except the prisoner and Cocks went back into the house and George Randall, the landlord, bolted the door and stood by it. After about half an hour the door burst open but George Randall did not allow the prisoner in. The window to the tap room looked into the street and he heard the prisoner for some time shouting and using very bad language to his brother. He always heard the prisoner say “when that bloody Milton comes out I will butcher him”. The prisoner kept kicking the door, shouting at Milton and making a disturbance until it was time to shut up. George Randall came into the tap room and told them it was time to shut up and he left the house. Milton left the house a few moments before him and when he got outside he saw the prisoner and Milton struggling on the ground. Milton was on top and he pulled Milton off. The prisoner got up. Milton said that he was smothered in blood and took off his jacket and knocked the prisoner down. Milton went to Samuel Kefford’s cottage and he went there too and saw Milton’s face smothered in blood and he saw the cut. Someone said to fetch a policeman and so he went and fetched Radford Tapworth, the village constable. He heard George Randall tell the prisoner he had done it now. The prisoner replied he did not have a knife in his pocket so he could not have cut Milton. Charles Kefford: he was in the John of Gaunt when the prisoner came in. The prisoner was very drunk and disturbed the company in the room. The prisoner rowed with his brother, John, and he heard fredeick Randall tell the prisoner to be quiet or he would be turned out. After he was turned out of the house the prisoner remained outside the door kicking up a row and trying to burst it open. The prisoner used bad language towards his brother and Joseph Milton. He heard the prisoner say that he would wait months from them to come out and “butcher the first of them”. The prisoner also said he would cut their throats. He remained in the house until it was time to clear the house and when he left Joseph Milton went out of the door in front of him. He saw the prisoner rush into Milton and strike him. Milton turned round and knocked him down. They struggled together on the ground and Milton went to Samuel Kefford’s cottage and he saw he had been cut on the face. When the prisoner was in the tap room he had seen him cut his shoe lace with a knife. It was a wide pointed knife like a razor blade. He could not swear he saw the prisoner put it in his pocket. Henry Raynes: on 21 March he saw Joseph Milton at his surgery suffering from an excised wound about the 2 ½ inch in length. It extended from the corner of his mouth across the right cheek. The wound was not deep. It was clean cut as it done by a sharp instrument, such as a knife, and there was no bruise. Statement of the accused: he did use his knife to cut his boot lace in the public house. He never saw it afterwards. He did not use the word ‘butcher’ and said nothing about cutting anybody’s throat.

item

Kefford, William,
Randall, Frederick,
Kefford, John,
Papworth, Radford,
Taylor, William,
Milton, Joseph,
Randall, George,
Kefford, Charles,
Raynes, Henry,
Cocks, John,
Giddings, John,
Kefford, Samuel,
Breed, Amos,
Burgoyne, John

wounding, assault, SUTTON, Sutton John O'Gaunt, drunkenness, knife