Francois Bossee

221

D Wong on 10th May 2019

Old Bailey: FRANCOIS BOSSEE. Breaking Peace: wounding. 24th November 1856 Verdict Guilty > unknown Sentence Transportation FRANCOIS BOSSEE, feloniously stabbing John Francis Flynn, with intent to do him grievous bodily harm. (The prisoner, being an Italian, had the evidence explained to him by an interpreter.) JOHN FRANCIS FLYNN. I am a labourer, living in Cartwright-place, East Smithfield. On 8th Nov. I was at the Three Nuns public house—I had a quarrel there with a person named Matthew Carley—we fought together—while I was struggling with Carley, the prisoner came up to me to interfere—I went to strike him, to shove him back—I did not strike him—he ran back—Carley ran away from me—I ran after him, and, while I was running after him, the prisoner came behind me, and stabbed me—I found that I was losing blood, and was taken to the hospital—I had not known the prisoner before—I never had any quarrel with him. WILLIAM SAYER. I am a brewer, in Wentworth-street. On the night of 10th Nov. I was passing near the Three Nuns public house—I saw the prosecutor and another man fighting—the other one was down on the ground—the prosecutor was standing up, in a fighting position, telling him to get up and fight again—he was not doing anything to the man while he was on the ground—I saw the prisoner come out of the Three Nuns—he first struck the prosecutor a blow in the face with his fist—the prosecutor was in the act of pursuing the man whom he was fighting with, and the prisoner stabbed him in the back with a dagger—he then placed the dagger in his breast, or some part of his person, took the arm of a friend, and deliberately walked down There Nuns-yard—I followed him, and gave information to the police. JAMES WEBB. I am assistant to Messrs. Keeble, drapers, in the Minories. On 10th Nov. I happened to be passing near the Three Nuns-yard, and saw the prisoner struggling with a policeman at the entrance of a coffee-shop in Church-passage—in consequence of what some one told me, I took from him this dagger (produced—I gave it to the officer—I took it from the waistband of his trowsers, or near that. WILLIAM HENRY HALE (City policeman, 625). I apprehended the prisoner, and as I was struggling with him the last witness took this dagger from him. NICOLAS A VENT. I was house surgeon at the London Hospital when the prosecutor was brought there—he had a punctured wound in the back, which penetrated to the blade bone of the shoulder, and went entirely through the bone—he is still a patient in the hospital—it was a dangerous wound; but for the bone, it would have entered the chest. Prisoner. I do not wish to say anything. GUILTY. Aged 35.— Transported for Fourteen Years. Francois Bossee was 35 years old on arrival, he was single, 5'5¾" tall, black hair, dark hazel eyes, swathy complexion, middling stout, literate. 22/3/1860: TOL 29/4/1864: CP Comments: Labourer.