James Barrett

Level 135

C H on 8th April 2024

Old Bailey Online WILLIAM WARD. JAMES BARRETT. Theft; burglary. 2nd February 1846 Text type Trial account Defendants WILLIAM WARD, JAMES BARRETT Offences Theft > Burglary Session Date 2nd February 1846 Reference Number t18460202-633 Verdicts Guilty, Guilty Punishments Imprisonment, Transportation 633. WILLIAM WARD and JAMES BARRETT were indicted for burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Joseph Cole about the hour of three in the night of the 4th of Jan., at Greenwich, and stealing 1 coat, value 2l.; 1 handkerchief, 1s.; 1 shawl, 1s.; 4 shillings, 2 sixpences, 8 half-pence, and 2 farthings, his property; and that Barrett had been before convicted of felony. JOSEPH COLE . I keep a public-house at Greenwich. On Monday morning, the 5th of Jan., I went down stairs at half-past six or twenty minutes to seven o'clock—I saw a light in the passage—the tap-room door being open, showed a light into the passage—I went to the bar—I found the sash was up but the door was locked—I went in and missed a coat, a shawl, and a handkerchief, and all the money which had been in the till—I do not know how much—I was the last person who went to bed the night before—I shut the shutters and every door was locked—I had shut the window that Lovell found open about seven o'clock in the evening—all the articles stated were gone between seven in the evening and half-past six the next morning. BENJAMIN LOVELL (police-sergeant R 15.) I went to the prosecutor's house a little past eight o'clock in the morning—it is his dwelling-house, and is in the parish of Greenwich—I found the window shutters at the back part of the house open—the window was up and a pane of glass broken—I went into the bar, found the window up—this lock was off the parlour-door, and there had been people eating and drinking in the bar—on the Tuesday following I found Ward in Greenwich—I asked him where he had slept on Sunday night—he said at his uncle's, at the Bull, at Aldgate—he had a new shirt on—I asked where he got that—he said his uncle gave him 7s., and he had bought it—I told him I should take him into custody on suspicion of breaking Mr. Cole's house on Sunday night with Bennett—he said he did not do it, Bennet did it, and he held the light, and that the coat was sold for 10s. to a Jew in Rosemary-lane, Tower-hill—I told him there was a handkerchief and shawl taken and some money—he said there was only 5s., and the shawl and handkerchief he never saw. MARGARET BRENNAN . I keep a public-house. On Sunday evening, the 4th of Jan., the prisoners came to my house about five o'clock—they had a pint of beer, and sat down and went to sleep by my tap-room fire—they were roused up and went away at seven—Ward asked me for a clean pipe as he was going out—he came back and asked for a lucifer match to light his pipe, as they were going on a stroll—on the Monday they came from ten to eleven o'clock—they called for a pint of beer—Ward came in an old sleeve-jacket or waistcoat, and he had gone out on Sunday in a clean white frock, and Bennett's dress was altered. WILLIAM THOMAS ARTHUR (police-constable R 202.) On Monday, the 5th of Jan., I saw the prisoners a few minutes after one o'clock in the morning, standing in Thames-street, Greenwich, about a minute and a half's walk from the prosecutor's—Bennett had a white frock under the fustian coat which he had on at the time. JOHN DRING . On Monday, the 5th of Jan., at five o'clock in the morning, the prisoners came to my stall, at No. 28 Arch, Thames Tunnel—I served them with bread-and-butter, some coffee, and a savaloy each—Bennett had a rough blue coat on. JOHN ROSCOE (police-constable R 9.) I took Bennett on the night of the 6th of Jan.—I found him in bed at the Royal Magazine in East-street, Greenwich—I told him what I was going to take him for—he said, "So help me God I am innocent, I have done nothing that I am either afraid or ashamed of, since I was in trouble last time"—he said he slept on Sunday night in a house in Old Gravel-lane—I said, "Was it at a public or a private house?"—he said, "A private house"—I said, "What time did you leave Greenwich?"—he said, "About nine o'clock"—I said, "Did Ward sleep with you?"—he said, "No." JOSEPH COLE . The coat I lost was a smooth pilot coat, not so rough as some are—it was full sized. JOHN DRING re-examined. The coat I saw Bennett in was a blue rough pilot coat, at a quarter before five o'clock, and they went towards Wapping—it seemed to be rather a full sized coat—Ward had on a white smock frock. DANIEL RIERDON (police-constable R 23.) I produce a certificate of Bennett's former conviction at this Court—(read Convicted 17th Dec., 1838, having been before convicted, and transported for seven years)—he is the man. WARD— GUILTY . Aged 23.— Confined One Year. BENNETT— GUILTY . Aged 28.— Transported for Ten Years.