James Brown

341

Maureen Withey on 13th November 2019

James was convicted at the Old Bailey. (online) DANIEL MORGAN, JAMES BROWN, Theft > burglary, 19th May 1825. Before Mr. Justice Gazelee. 859. DANIEL MORGAN and JAMES BROWN were indicted for burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Thomas Mitchell , about twelve o'clock in the night of the 20th of April , at St. George, Hanover-square , with intent the goods and chattels therein being feloniously and burglariously to steal . THOMAS MITCHELL. I am a salesman , and live at No. 26, Thomas-street, Grosvenor-square , in the parish of St. George, Hanover-square - the house belongs to Mrs. Short, who does not live in it herself; it is all let out to different people; I rent the shop and parlour. On the 20th ofApril I went to bed a little before ten o'clock - I sleep in the parlour; my shop door was locked and chained. My wife awoke me about eleven o'clock (I have no children;) we laid listening some time, hearing a noise at the door; I got up, and saw Morgan in the shop, in the act of taking off my goods; I pushed him aside: Brown was in the passage. I ran and shut the street door, and shut them both in - my shop door is a side door in the passage; I called the watchman, who came: he searched the house, and found the prisoners up in the cock-loft; they had run up stairs while I was calling the watchman. They had broken the lock off the shop door - I had seen Morgan with both hands lifting my goods up; he was in the act of handing them out at the door - Brown was near enough to take them from him. Cross-examined by MR. PHILLIPS. Q. Does one Spearing lodge in the house? A. There is a little deformed man lodging there - I cannot say that Morgan visited him. I shut the street door before I went to bed, but lodgers come in and out as they like, and I cannot say whether they went out afterwards. Q. Have you any other Christian name? A. My name is Thomas Mitchell. Q. Have you no other name? A. My name is Thomas Reynal Mitchell. COURT. Q. Do you use the name of Reynal? A. No, my Lord. I sign my name T. Mitchell. I have been married nine months, and was married as Thomas Mitchell - I have not signed my name as Thomas Reynal Mitchell for years. MR. PHILLIPS. Q. Will you swear your name is not put down in the parish books as Thomas Reynal Mitchell? A. I never wrote it so. I was married at St. George, Hanover-square; I have not written my name as Thomas Reynal Mitchell for three years. I cannot say when I used that name last, it is so long ago. Q. Why did you hesitate when asked if you had any other name? A. I was confused; I did not think it would get the prisoners off if I had another name. JURY. Q. Had you seen the prisoners before? A. No. I had no light, but a light reflected from a gas lamp into the passage. I was certain when I saw them again that they were the same boys. I ran out to call the watchman, but kept the door in my hand all the while to keep them in; I was about five minutes in the street. MICHAEL RILEY . I am a watchman. Mitchell called me about a quarter past twelve o'clock - I went to the place, searched the house with two more watchmen, and found the prisoners in the cock-loft, at the top of the house; nobody else was there: they were dressed. The house is four stories high. We told them to come down, which they did. I asked where the other two were whom I had seen with them opposite the house, at twelve o'clock - they said they were in the loft, but they were not. I had my lantern when I saw them at twelve o'clock, and there was a gas-light; I know them to be the same men; I knew them before; the parents of one live in Oxford-buildings, and the other in Gees'-court. Cross-examined. Q. Do you know Spearing? A. There is a deformed man there - I do not know whether he is acquainted with Morgan. I have been five years on the beat. JOHN STEWART . I am a watchman of St. George's. On the 20th of April I went with Riley, and searched this house - we found the prisoners in the cock-loft, over the stairs, and took them into custody. Prisoner MORGAN. The prosecutor said it was eleven o'clock, and the watchman says it was twelve when he saw us. MORGAN - GUILTY - DEATH . Aged 18. BROWN - GUILTY - DEATH . Aged 15. Euryalus hulk record. HO-9-2-4 page 1 Twelve from Newgate, 19 June 1825 James Brown, No 279 age 15, Crime, C.R. Burglary, Middlesex, 25 June May 1825, sentence - Life, How disposed of – NSW Albion 16 Sept 1826 The prison hulk, the Euryalus, an ex-frigate of the Trafalgar fleet, was moored at Chatham. Over the twenty years that this hulk serviced juveniles, about 2,500 boys of fourteen and under passed through. There were also considerable numbers of older boys both in the juvenile hulk and distributed among the other hulks. From the Euryalus, boys were transported both to New South Wales and to Van Diemen’s Land.