QSR1898/1/5/12

Depositions of Charles Wood, Joseph Howe and John Garner. In the case of Charles Westley, accused of stealing four live fowls.

14 January 1898

From: 1898 To: 1898

Charles Wood: a carpenter of Souldrop. He keeps fowls. On Saturday last about 5.30pm he went up to the fowls in the fowl house in his yard. There were then 28 fowls. On Sunday morning about 8.30am he went to let the fowls out and saw blood and feathers outside the house. He saw that the fowl house had been broken into and the garden fence had been broken down. He saw several plain footprints in the field leading to Rushden Road. There were also feather on the broken parts of the fences. He then counted his fowls and found that four black pullets were missing. He then gave information to the police. Joseph Howe: a police constable stationed at Sharnbrook. On Sunday morning from information received from Charles Wood, he went to Mr. Wood’s house in Souldrop and examined the hen roost. He saw that someone had entered by pulling the wire off the end of the hen roost. He saw several spots of blood and feathers outside of the roost and footprints of some man getting inside. He examined the footprints and paced them towards a field towards Rushden. He then made enquiries at Souldrop and as a result he went to Rushden to make further enquiries there. He then went to the prisoner’s house and found him in bed. He examined his clothes and found one of his trouser’s legs was covered with blood which appeared to have gone through to his pants underneath. He then examined the prisoner’s boots and found that they matched the footprints outside the fowl house. He then questioned the prisoner and asked him for his whereabouts the previous night. The prisoner replied that he had been in the “Compass” Inn in Rushden. He asked the prisoner if he was in Souldrop that night and at first the prisoner denied being there. The prisoner then said that he was with his brother and a man in Souldrop on Saturday night. He then asked the prisoner what time he got home and the prisoner replied that he could not remember as he was too drunk. He then asked the prisoner if he went home with the other men and the prisoner replied that he had gone home by himself. He charged the prisoner with stealing four live fowls from Souldrop the previous night. He took the prisoner to Sharnbrook police station and searched him in the presence of inspector, Daniels, and found feathers in his coat pocket. On the following day he and police sergeant, Garner, took the prisoner’s boots to Souldrop and on comparing them with the footprints outside the fowl house, found that they fitted. John Garner: a police sergeant stationed at Riseley. On Sunday last he went to Souldrop and met police constable, Joseph Howe, at Charles Wood’s house. Mr. Howe had the prisoner’s boots and he examined the footprints outside of the hen house. One set of tracks where produced by nailed boots, the other set of tracks had been made by boots without nails. He compared the prisoner’s boots with the first set of tracks and found that they fitted exactly. This set of footprints pointed in the direction of Rushden. Charles Westley: He went to Souldrop last Saturday. He also went to Knotting village and to the Hounds and from there to Melchbourne. He went from Knotting Wood, where he had stopped for a couple of hours, to Souldrop. He had several quarts of ale and stopped in Souldrop until about an hour after they had lit the candles. He felt alright when he left the inn but soon after felt giddy and asked a man named Turner to hold his hand. The man took hold of his hand and took him up a footpath about 30 yards from the inn. He told the man that he could not walk home and that he had better stop. He had a sleep for an hour or an hour and a half. When he woke he went straight down the footpath, through two grass fields and on to a lane with a hedgerow on both sides. He went onto Bedford Road and went straight down the road to Rushden. he saw two travelling wagons drawn on the road side. He met some man on the other side of the hedge. The man said it was about 9pm. He was told on Sunday that it was about 9.30pm when he went to the “Compass” Inn, where he stopped until 11pm. He then went home. Police constable, Howe, said that he had found feathers in his coat pocket but he didn’t. Police constable, Godman picked the feathers off the floor.

item

Wood, Charles,
Howe, Joseph,
Garner, John,
Westley, Charles

RISELEY, SOULDROP, Rushden, SHARNBROOK, police constable, police sergeant, carpenter, stealing, fowls