Thomas Brucas

135

C H on 25th March 2024

Old Bailey Online THOMAS BRUCAS. Theft; simple larceny (from 1827). 14th February 1833 Text type Trial account Defendants THOMAS BRUCAS Offences Theft > Simple larceny Session Date 14th February 1833 Reference Number t18330214-203 Verdicts Guilty Punishments Transportation 631. THOMAS BRUCAS was indicted for stealing, on the 2nd of December , 18 bushels of barley, value 2l. 5s., and 6 sacks, value 12s., the goods of William Booth and another . MR. ADOLPHUS conducted the prosecution. JOHN MOLES . I am a waterman, and live on Messrs, Booth's premises at Brentford . On Sunday, the 2nd of December, I was on the water, looking after my barge; I saw a person on Messrs. Booth's premises, and hallooed to him - he ran away; he was dressed in a rough light coloured coat - I came up directly, and saw a boat close to the shore, with two sacks in it; I opened one, and it had barley in it - there was some mark on them, but I cannot read, and do not know what it was; it was then about half-past six o'clock in the evening - I observed that the person ran towards a saw-pit; I went to the pit, and found four more sacks, with barley in them, but the man was gone - I went and told Mr. Ward. MARIA MOLES . I am the daughter of the witness - our house is about one hundred and fifty yards from Mr. Booth's granary On the evening of the 2nd of December, at five o'clock, I saw the prisoner about one hundred yards from the granary - he was coming from the gates, and going up the yard; he had a blue jacket and a hat on. INGRAM WARD . I am in the employ of Messrs. Felix and William Booth - they are in partner ship - I know no other partner; I have the care of their granaries. On the evening in question, I was called out of the chapel at Brentford, and on going to Messrs. Booth's wharf, I found two snacks partly filled with barley, in the boat, and four in the saw-pit - the sacks were Messrs. Booth's, and the barley was theirs, I believe - from the appearance of the bulk, I believe some had been taken from it; I noticed an alteration in the bulk the moment I went into the granary - I have kept the barley separate which was in the six sacks, and I have no doubt it was the same as that in the granary; the sacks were worth 2s. each, and the barley 2l. 5s. - I suppose the granary had been entered by a window about two feet from the ground, two bars of which had been taken out, and then the doors were unbolted; the hole in the window was quite large enough for a man to get through. JOHN NEWMAN . I am owner of the boat the sacks were found in - I live at Brentford. About a fortnight before this robbery, I lent my boat to the prisoner's father, who lives at Union-court, and I believe the prisoner lived with him; the boat had my name on it. JOSEPH FINNEY . I know the prisoner. On the Friday night before the robbery, I met him against the hotel - he said to me, "Joe, will you go down to Mr. Booth's, and get some barley;" I understood him to mean, "Will you go and assist in stealing it" - I made answer, "No; we are both out of work, and if we are catched, nobody will employ us any more" - he showed me some pick lock-keys, and told me they would let him in; I did not see him any more till the Sunday afternoon; about three o'clock, he was then against the Drum public-house - he did not say any thing to me then; I saw him again at seven the same evening - he had then a white great coat on, and a cap which they call a south-wester; he was then coming towards his father's; he went in at the door, and slipped on blue jacket and a hat, and came out directly; I never saw any more of him till the Monday morning, when the officer was taking him to Mr. Booth's - I met him again about four o'clock on the Monday afternoon; I said to him,"Could not you do it better than that?" he said, "I wanted somebody to help me, if I had had any body else, I should have got it away altogether;" he said he had done the gates up secure, and thrown away the keys. Prisoner. What he states to you he said to me, and he sent word to my mother, that if she would give him 40l. he would not appear. Witness. No, I did not - I heard of a reward a day or two after the robbery. JOHN ROLSTON (Police-constable T 40.) Mr. Ward came to the station on the night of the robbery, and I went and took the boat, and the next day I took the prisoner to the office - the Magistrate heard him, but he was discharged, on his father giving bail for him; the prisoner afterwards told me he was at the robbery, but Finney was with him, and he had no right to split, for he was as bad as he was, and that they had robbed it once before, but he did not know whether it was found out or not. Prisoner's Defence (written). I was at home on the day mentioned in my commitment, and I was not from home any part of the day that the robbery was commited - on the Monday morning two Police-officers came and took me before a Magistrate at Brentford; I was discharged, and about a month afterwards I was taken again into custody; and as there was a reward of 50l. for the apprehension of the offender then, the witness Joseph Finney came forward and stated, for the sake of the reward, that I was the person that committed the robbery GUILTY . Aged 18. - Transported for Seven Years .