QSR1869/3/5/6-7

Depositions of Sarah Brown, wife of Charles, labourer of Maulden. Thomas Hine the elder, draper and grocer of Baldock, Hertfordshire. William Hillyard, police sergeant stationed at Ampthill. Henry Bailey, police constable stationed at Clophill. James Bates, superintendent of police at Ampthill. In the case of John Christopher Jelly and Elizabeth Emily Hibbett accused of stealing the sum of £15, 3 pairs of boots, 3 sheets, 2 brushes, 2 toilet covers and other artciles of wearing apparel.

29 May 1869

From: 1869 To: 1869

Sarah Brown: she was the wife of Charles Brown, a labourer at Maulden. She knew the prisoner John Christopher Jelly and the female prisoner who she had supposed to be his wife. The 2 prisoners lived together in a house next door to where she lived in Maulden. Jelly conducted a business for the prosecutor whose name was over the door. It read “Hine and son” and was a grocer and draper’s shop. On the morning of 28 May she assisted the prisoner, Jelly, in removing 2 boxes from the shop and into her house. She had assisted him in packing the boxes. He had seen him put 2 pairs of boots into a box, a sheet, 2 brushes and 5 pairs of stockings, 2 toilet covers and a variety of other articles. When the boxes were removed to her house she assisted the prisoner Hibbett in unpacking the boxes and they were repacked in her presence. After she had repacked the boxes, Hibbett left them in the house and she saw no more of her. Hibbett told her to keep the boxes until she sent for them. She received a letter on the following morning which directed her and was signed by “E Jelly”. It said to send the 2 boxes to the Leicester station to a Miss Hibbett and they were to be left until called for. She did not send the boxes. The next day Sergeant Hillyard came and told her not to send the boxes. She saw him search one of them, which wasn’t locked and he took the possession from them. They had been in the same state as when repacked by Hibbett except for 2 sheets, 3 pillow cases, a table cloth, a round towel and some other articles of wearing apparel which she had been directed by Hibbett to fetch from the washer woman and place in the box. The police sergeant pointed put the initials “T.H.H” on the sheets. On the afternoon of the same day, the prosecutor came to her house with PC bailey. One of the boxes was broken open in her presence at the direction of the prosecutor. The 2 boxes remained in her house until 29 May when Sergeant Hillyard came for them. When she packed the boxes she believed the contents belonged to Hibbett who had been standing by her. Thomas Hine: he was a draper and grocer and carried on business at Baldock. He was in partnership with his son Thomas. He also carried on the same business at Maulden where the prisoner Jelly conducted the business at a weekly wage. He had hired him in March and the other prisoner lived with him at the house there. Jelly had introduced her as his wife. He had since learnt this was not the case and Jelly’s wife was now living at Maulden. On 27 May he went to Maulden and upon entering the shop found that the 2 prisoners had left. There was a strange woman in the house who represented herself as Mrs Jelly. He, at once, went to the cash case and broken it open. There was only 3 shillings in it. Upon examining the books, which he found in the cash case, he found that no entry for the last week’s cash had been entered. There was a deficiency of at last £15. The same day he went into the house of the witness Brown with PC Bailey. He saw 2 boxes, one of which was locked and the other was open. He ordered the locked box to be opened. In the box broken open were all the articles now produced. Several of the items bore his initials “T.H.H” and others his private trade mark. He gave the information at the police station. He examined the other box, which was not locked, and their found 2 sheets marked with his initials, 3 pillow cases, a parasol, a waistcoat and a pair of mans boots. He believed the contents of both boxes to be his property. The total value of the goods was £3. Jelly did not have authority to take the goods from the premises. The boxes were not his. On 27 May he obtained a warrant for the apprehension of both the prisoners. One of the keys produced by Superintendent Bates was the key to his cash case. Sergeant William Hillyard: on 27 May he received information that the 2 prisoners had absconded from Maulden. He went to the shop there and then to the house of Sarah brown. He saw 2 boxes there. One of the boxes was open and the he examined the contents. He found a pair of mens boots, a waistcoat, 2 sheets marked “T.H.H”, a round towel, a table cloth, 2 pillow cases, a parasol and other articles. Brown said that the boxes had been left with her by the prisoners. He ordered the boxes to be removed and took possession of them on 29 May. PC Henry Bailey: on the afternoon of 27 May he went with the prosecutor to the house of Sarah Brown. He searched one of the boxes in the prosecutor’s presence. The prosecutor identified the articles as his property. He took possession of all the articles and took them to the police station. The 2 boxes produced were those he saw at the house. Superintendent James Bates: on 27 May he received a warrant for the apprehension of the 2 prisoners and the next day he went to Leicester. He took both prisoners into custody there. They were together at the time. He took them to the police station at Luton. He told them they were charged with robbing the prosecutor. Jelly said that he had not stolen anything and all he had done was leave Mr Hine’s employment. He found 7 s 7d ½ on Jelly as well as 3 keys and a knife. Hibbett was asked what she had about her and produced a purse containing £7 in gold. Hibbett turned to Jelly and said “you know you gave me that in the morning”. Jelly made no reply. Statement of the accused: Jelly - he denied the charged. The articles [listed in detail] had been paid for. The money was taken from the other prisoner and he had given it to her in the morning. The money belonged to him and not to Hine. Other articles were put into the box by mistake. The reasons articles hadn’t been entered into the book was because that was the request of Mr Hine’s son who told him to pay for groceries and put the money in the till. Hibbett – Jelly told her all the articles were paid for. If she had anything to the amount of a farthing she paid for it. She had not seen the sheets or anything with Hine’s name on them.

item

Jelly, John Christopher,
Hibbett, Elizabeth Emily,
Brown, Sarah,
Brown, Charles,
Hine, Thomas,
Hillyard, William,
Bailey, Henry,
Bates, James

CLOPHILL, MAULDEN, Leicester, Baldock, draper, grocer, stealing, clothing, money, household goods