George Barnes

Level 135

C H on 9th March 2024

Old Bailey Online GEORGE BARNES. WILLIAM CORNISH. Theft; burglary. 29th November 1841 Text type Trial account Defendants GEORGE BARNES, WILLIAM CORNISH Offences Theft > Burglary Session Date 29th November 1841 Reference Number t18411129-86 Verdicts Guilty, Not guilty Punishments Transportation 86. GEORGE BARNES and WILLIAM CORNISH were indicted for burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Owen Hiles, on the 29th of October, at St. Leonard, Shoreditch, about one in the night, with intent to steal, and stealing therein, 1 coat, value 1l. 10s., his goods. OWEN HILES . I am a baker, and live in Hoxton Old Town, in the parish of St. Leonard, Shoreditch. The prisoner Barnes was in my service about four months, as a baker, and left about the 22nd of September—on the 29th of October I went to bed about five minutes before eleven—I locked the front door, and my boy fastened the back door—I did not see him do it—next morning, about half-past five, I came down into my parlour, at the back of the shop, where I kept a little spaniel bitch—I did not see her there—I went into the shop, and up stairs—I then went to the back door, and found the bar down, the door open, and the cellar door open—I went backwards, and found a square door at the back of the bakehouse, over the oven, open, and a place where they could get over the tiles the back way—there is a cellar-flap in the street, which is kept down by its own weight—the doors I found open I did not see fastened—my boy was directed to fasten them—I missed a frock coat. WILLIAM HOWARD . I am in the prosecutor's service. On the 29th of October I met the prisoner Barnes at the corner of King's-row, Hoxton—He asked me where the dogs were kept—I said, Little Frisky was kept down stairs, and the other up stairs, in the back room—I met him again on the Saturday following—he said, "You have lost Little Frisky,—have you not?"—I said, Yes—he asked me if any of the pups were gone—I said, No. Barnes. I met him on the Friday as the robbery was committed on the Friday night—I said, "Your master has drawn his batch soon to-day"—he said, Yes—I said, "He does not lay in bed so late now as when I was with him"—he said, "No, he gets up sooner," and that was all that passed—on Saturday I met him again—I said, "Your master has lost a spaniel dog, has he not?"—he said, Yes—I asked who had it—he said, "A person in the Land of Promise"—I said, "Did he give a sovereign to have it back again?"—he said, Yes—I said, "I saw bills in the windows about it," and knowing the name, I thought it was his, and that was all that passed. Witness. He did not tell me he had seen bills in the windows—there were bills in the windows—my master had given 1l. to have it back, but Barnes did not say he had heard that—I believe a Mrs. Brown had it, in the Land of Promise—he had received it back before the robbery, and it was stolen again on the night of the robbery—it has not been recovered since. HENRY DELL . I am a baker, and live in Luke-street, Paul-street, Shore-ditch, and work for the prosecutor every Saturday morning. I went to the King's Arms public-house, Craven-buildings, City-road, last Sunday week, and saw Barnes there—I asked if he knew of a situation—he said he did not—he said, "You work at Mr. Hiles's every week, don't you?"—I said, "Yes, I go to hatching"—he said Mr. Hues had had him up to Worship-street, he was remanded for a week, they could not find any thing clear against him, and he was discharged—I asked what he was had up for—he said, "For Mr. Hiles's coat and Little Frisky"—I said, "Were you innocent or guilty?"—he said he had taken the bitch, and he had taken the coat—I asked what he did with it—he said he had sold the little bitch for 12s. to a man named Box behind Shoreditch church, that Box had not got possession of the money at the time, and he gave him 12s. at his house, and he gave him a receipt to sign—he said he did not put his own name, but some one else's—he said another man had pawned the coat for 7s., and sold the duplicate to a man for 5s., who took the coat out of the shop it was pawned at, and put it into another—I asked how he got into the house—he said by the flap under the shop-window, and went out the back way—I do not know how he came to make this statement to me—he knew I was working at the prosecutor's every Saturday morning—I was; never down in the cellar, and do not know where the flap leads to. Barnes. I never told him any thing at all about being guilty—he asked me some questions, and I said anybody could go and break into Mr. Hile' as house at night, the flap was unfastened, and anybody could go and take it away and he not hear them, as he sleeps so sound—I never told him I had done it, but that anybody might do it—I never told him that I sold the bitch for 12s., or any thing about the coat. JOHN WIDDICOMBE . I am a journeyman baker in the service of Mr. Brooks of Hoxton Old Town. On the 7th of November I met the prisoner Cornish in the street—he asked me to buy the ticket of a coat which was in pawn at Mr. Elliott's in Kingsland-road—I went there, tried on the coat, and gave him 5s. for the ticket—a week after I met Barnes—he said, "You bought the ticket of a coat, have you not?"—I said, "I have"—he said, "Don't you take it out, it is stolen; I would rather give you 6s. than you should take it out of pawn"—I had seen Barnes before, but never had any acquaintance with him. Cross-examined. Q. Did you know Cornish? A. Yes—I knew him before—I never knew but he was a very honest lad. BENJAMIN RICHARD MURRAY . I am in the service of John Elliott, a pawnbroker in Kingsland-road. On the 1st of November a coat was pledged at our shop for 7s. in the name of Will I am Harris—I cannot identify either of the prisoners—I have a slight recollection of Cornish, but cannot swear to him—Widdicombe came and looked at the coat next day, he produced the ticket, tried the coat on, paid the interest, and took a new ticket. JAMES CLARK (police-constable N 15.) I apprehended the prisoner Barnes last Wednesday week—I told him what I took him for—he said, "I have been taken once on it, and I know nothing about it"—I afterwards took Cornish. Cross-examined. Q. Nothing transpired between you and Cornish? A. Nothing. OWEN HILES re-examined. This is the coat I lost—I have never seen Frisky since—the Land of Promise is a street adjoining my house—I lost the bitch a week or a fortnight before, and a party there found it—I gave a reward for it—I and the officer went to find the man to whom Barnes sold the dog, but found no traces of him whatever—when they find they are stolen they send them abroad—Barnes was remanded for a week, and then discharged, the coat and dog not being found—the second time I missed my dog was on the morning of the robbery. BARNES— GUILTY . Aged 21.— Transported for Ten Years. CORNISH— NOT GUILTY .