QSR1832/1/5/9

Depositions of Simeon Brown, yeoman of Langford. William Edwards, constable and William Brown, a day boy. In the case of Abraham Sale accused of stealing 13 ducks.

11 November 1831

From: 1831 To: 1832

Simeon Brown: on Friday afternoon he missed 13 out of 20 of his ducks. Having made this discovery he applied to William Edwards, the constable, and requested that he follow the wagon of [?] and co. Edwards went off immediately and returned on Saturday evening with 13 ducks which he knew to be his property. The wing produced was one of his ducks and he took the wing off soon after he returned from London on the Sunday afternoon. He always kept his ducks in an outhouse in his yard about 20 yards from the house. William Edwards: about 6pm on Friday the prosecutor came to his house and told him he had lost some ducks. From information received he had reason to believe they had been sent off in the wagon of Clifton [?] and co. Mr Brown required him to go and overtake the wagon. He accordingly went off and overtook the wagon in St John Street, Smithfield and followed them to Newgate market. Upon the wagons arrival 2 persons, who appeared to be the owners of the wagon, began to unload the dray cart which was attached to the wagon and took from it a hamper containing water cress which they set on the pavement. He waited until the wagon and cart were completely unloaded and taken away. The street keeper was present when he searched the hamper and took out a bag containing 13 ducks and 3 fowls. He first saw the hamper when Abraham Sale put it upon the dray cart at Langford. It was the same hamper he found at Newgate. He brought down the hamper and the ducks and showed them to Mr Brown. The hamper and duck skins had been in his possession since. William Brown: he worked for Mr Brown as a day boy. On Thursday 3 November, about 6pm he shut up the ducks. There were more than 20 of them. On Friday morning he let them out and found there was only 7 ducks. He saw the ducks which were brought by William Edwards from London on Sunday morning and knew them to be the property of his master. Statement of the accused: he gathered his cresses between 12 and 1 on Thursday and left them in Mr Ellis’s meadow until Friday when he took them away.

item

Brown, Simeon,
Edwards, William,
Brown, William,
Sale, Abraham,
Sale, Charles,
Ellis

LANGFORD, London Newgate, stealing, ducks, yeoman, watercress