William Bean

343

Maureen Withey on 15th February 2023

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 15 February 2023), February 1802, trial of WILLIAM BEAN (t18020217-70). WILLIAM BEAN, Theft > burglary, 17th February 1802. 243. WILLIAM BEAN was indicted for burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of John Troughton and Edward Troughton , about the hour of twelve in the night of the 9th of February , and stealing one sextant, value 8l. 8s. a pair of eliptical compasses, value 3l. 3s. one turn bench, value 4l. and the brass work of a reflecting telescope, value 3l. the property of the said John and Edward. EDWARD TROUGHTON sworn. - I am a mathematical-instrument-maker , No. 136, Fleet-street; my brother John and I sleep and live there, but we have another house in Peterborough-court , which is only for work-shops and ware-rooms, and an errand-boy only sleeps there for the purpose of letting the men in; it was broke open on Tuesday, the 9th of this month, between twelve and one; my niece being wakeful, told me there were men walking about the rooms with a light, and that the street door was open; I put on my coat, took a bayonet in my hand, and went down; I then called a watchman, and we went up the court to the door; one of the men rushed out, and I believe that is the man, but am not certain, as the man sheweda disposition to hide his face; I told him he must not pass till he gave me an account of what he had been doing; he struck me in the face, and I returned it by a push with the bayonet, but do notthink that I wounded him; he pushed past me, and made to the gate at the end of the court, and at that instant two other men came rushing down the court, in a direction from the house, but I did not see them come out of it; the first man got out of the gate, and drew it after him, in consequence of which the other two and myself were shut in; they were on the opening side of the gate, and had the power of opening it, which, I endeavoured to prevent, but could not; I stabbed at them, as I did at the first, with the bayonet, but I am afraid with as little effect; the watchman then sprung his rattle, and the men were pursued by the watchmen; I went back to the house, and found a pair of eliptical compasses at the door, the box open, and the instruments scattered about on the inside of the door; we then picked up one of the men's coats, and a large turn bench, an Hadley's sextant, and upon the stairs was the brass work of a reflecting telescope. In the shop there is but one drawer kept locked, in which I generally keep small valuable articles, and which had been wrenched from the bench; about this time they brought the prisoner to ask if I knew him; I found the watchman pushing up his face forcibly for me to see it; I called him inadvertently by a wrong name, but finding I knew him, he went down upon his knees, and begged I would forgive him; I would not hear him, but ordered them to carry him to the watch-house; he had been in my service five or six months, and had quitted it about a month or five weeks; he knew the house near as well as I did; I cannot swear positively he is the man that first passed me, but I believe he is; the boy, who slept there, will stare how the house was shut up; they must have got in at an aperture to the cellar, to which there is only a slap; we placed our confidence in a strong door at the top of the cellar stairs, which they had opened with a crow, of which I saw the marks; and the strong staples fixed in the wood were drawn out; that door gave them the power of the whole house; I searched the the prisoner's lodgings the next day, but found nothing of our's; his wife attended us, and shewed us every part of the rooms with the greatest readiness, and I believe knew nothing of the matter. JOHN BUFFLER sworn. - I was errand-boy to Mr. Troughton, and slept in the house in Peterborough-court, which was broke open on Tuesday night; I went to bed a little after ten, and when all the men went at nine o'clock, I shut up the house, and fastened all the doors and windows; I fastened the door at the top of the cellar stairs with two bolts and a catch; the cellar window was put down, the fastening of which was broke off; I was not disturbed that night till my master disturbed me, therefore I know nothing about the robbery or the men; I saw the property safe the night before, and when I went into the shop in the mornning, I found the things displaced, and some gone. JOSIAH RUSHWORTH sworn. - I am a watchman: About a quarter before one, a gentleman came to me with a drawn bayonet, and told me his house was broke open, and wished me to go along with him; we went up the court towards his cellar window, where there stood a lusty man in a light-coloured great coat; the gentleman stopped, and asked him where he had been; he said, up the court; he asked him what he had been doing; he said, it was nothing to him. Mr. Troughton desired him to stop, and was going to take hold of him, but he rushed from him, and struck him in the face; I made a blow at him, but missed him, and then I sprung my rattle; the prisoner is not the man who first came down the court; I pursued the first man, and as we went down to the gate, two other men came upon the back of us, but I did not see where they came from; they must have been in the court before us, as it is no thoroughfare; those men and Mr. Troughton had a sort of skirmish together by the gate, but they forced it open, and run away; I pursued them, and was told one of them had run up Wine-Office-court; we went up, and, after looking about some time, a gentleman got up, and looked over a gate into a garden or yard, and there was the prisoner stuck up in a corner close to the wall. I laid hold of him, but cannot say whether he is one of the three; I am sure he is not the first man; when we took him, he desired us to let him stop to look for one of his stockings that he had lost; I then observed he was without a shoe and stocking; I found one of his shoes in Wine-Office-court; we then took him to Mr. Troughton, who said, how came you to use me so? and the prisoner directly put his hands together, and asked for pardon, saying, he would never be guilty of the like again; then he was taken to the watch-house. WILLIAM CHANDLER sworn. - I am a watchman, and hearing the rattle, I ran into Fleet-street, where I saw the prisoner turn up Wine-office-court; we pursued him, and he got into a gentleman's yard, where we took him. Q. Whether the man you took in the court, was the man you saw run up the court? - A. I cannot swear it is, but I believe it is; we took him to Mr. Troughton, who knew him. JOHN NASH sworn. - I am a tailor and constable: Going along Fleet-street, I saw the watchmen with the prisoner in custody; Mr. Troughton said he was his man, and then the prisoner dropped on his knees, and begged pardon, and hoped he would forgive him. (The sextant and compasses produced and identified by Mr. Troughton). Prisoner's defence. I had been out to spend the evening, and as I was returning home, a man accosted me, and charged me with the robbery; Itold him I knew nothing of it, but would go with him any where; they took me to Mr. Troughton's, a master I had worked with, and I asked him if I had done any thing, whether he would forgive me, upon which he told them to take me down to the watch-house. Q. (To Nash.) Was any promise made the prisoner? - A. No; there was no priviso at all; he was very much agitated; I heard him say, he hoped he would forgive him. Rushworth. He asked directly for forgiveness, and said he would never do so any more. GUILTY, Death , aged 28. Recommended to mercy by the prosecutor . London Jury, before Mr. Recorder.