QSR1869/3/5/10a

Depositions of John Brown, a pensioner of Woburn. Thomas Wright, under hostler of Woburn. John White, groom of Woburn. William Whinnett, police constable stationed at Woburn. In the case of Sidney Floyd accused of stealing a whitney blue cloth over coat.

11 June 1869

From: 1869 To: 1869

John Brown: a pensioner living in Woburn and he occasionally assisted in the yard of the Bedford Hotel. On Tuesday 25 May about 7pm he placed a whiney blue cloth over coat on the saddle horse in the harness room and left it there. About 10pm he missed the coat and had not seen it since. It was worth at least 40 shillings and was almost new. He had paid 50 shillings for it. About the time he placed his coat in the harness room he saw the prisoner in the yard of the Bedford Arms. The prisoner was assisting the hostler. He had seen him there the same morning but the prisoner was a stranger to him. He saw no one in the harness room. He did not see the prisoner there. There were several people in the yard about the same time. Thomas Wright: he was under hostler at the Bedford Arms and lived in the yard. On the morning of 26 May there were several articles of wearing apparel missing from the harness room in the yard. He lost a jacket which had been safe at 8pm the previous evening. The hardness room door was open until 9pm on 25 May and was fastened between 9pm and 10pm. He went to look for the coat belonging to John Brown about 10.30pm. The door was refastened until morning. John White: he was a groom and was presently in out of employment. He lived at Woburn. On Tuesday 25 May he saw the prisoner several times in the course of the day as he was assisting the hostler in the yard of the Bedford Arm at Woburn. Between 9pm and 9.30pm he saw the prisoner in the harness room. The prisoner struck a light there. He left the prisoner in the harness room and returned shortly after and found him still there. He heard the hostler ask him what he had done in the harness room and the prisoner said he had been looking for something. The same night between 11pm and 12am he heard that a great coat had been missed from the harness room and the next morning that a stable jacket and wrapper had been stolen. PC William Whinnett: on 26 May he received information that some articles of clothing had been stolen from the Bedford Arms yard at Woburn. Upon enquiring he found that a top coat, stable jacket and neck wrapper had been stolen from the harness room. He suspected the prisoner who he heard had been employed to assist the hostler. He found the prisoner at Husborne Crawley and asked him if his name was Sidney Floyd. The prisoner said he was and that he had been assisting at the Bedford Arms the previous day. The prisoner had on a stable jacket which answered the description of one of the stolen items. He took the prisoner into custody and told him the charge. The prisoner said he knew nothing of the great coat and the neck wrapper and the jacket had been lent to him and he was to return it on Thursday morning. He noticed a wrapper around the prisoner’s neck and asked where it was from. The prisoner said he had it for a long time and had paid for it. He noticed there was only part of the wrap. He produced the other parts which appeared to belong to the same wrapper. The pieces fitted exactly. The prisoner said afterwards that he did not take the wrapper and meant to take it back on Thursday with the jacket. He heard no tidings of the top coat. The prisoner’s house was searched and the coat was not found there. Statement of the accused: he did not wish to say anything.

item

Floyd, Sidney,
Brown, John,
Wright, Thomas,
White, John,
Whinnett, William

stealing, coat, WOBURN, HUSBORNE CRAWLEY, groom, pensioner, hostler, Woburn Bedford Arms