QSR1869/3/5/10b

Depositions of 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

Thomas Wright: he was under hostler at the Bedford Arms and lived in the yard. He knew nothing of the prisoner. On the afternoon of 25 May, about 3pm, he hung up his stable jacket in the harness room in the Bedford Arms yard. It was safe at 8pm. The harness room was fastened between 9pm and 10pm and at 11pm he and other went in to look for a coat which was missing and belonged to john Brown. He did not know if his jacket was there then. The harness room was fastened again and he missed his jacket he next morning. The stable jacket produced was like the one he lost and was worth 15 shillings. He had lent the prisoner the jacket in the afternoon and he had returned it to the harness room. He saw it there afterwards. He had lent the prisoner the jacket as his own was not good enough to drive out in. He had lent him a coat and hat as well, which were returned. He would have lent the prisoner the jacket again if he had wanted it. John White: he 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. Statement of the accused: he did not wish to say anything.

item

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

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