Joseph Chafe

221

D Wong on 8th May 2021

Old Bailey: WILLIAM BERGEN, JOSEPH CHAFE. Theft: burglary. 31st May 1797 Reference Number t17970531-17 Verdict Guilty Sentence Death WILLIAM BERGEN and JOSEPH CHAFE were indicted for breaking and entering the dwelling-house of William Higginbotham, about the hour of two in the night of the 23d of April, and burglariously stealing twenty pair of silk and cotton stockings, value 5l. thirty pair of cotton stockings, value 4l. 10s. five pair of silk and worsted stockings, value 20s. and three silk and cotton purses, value 1s. 6d. the property of the said William Higginbotham. WILLIAM HIGGINBOTHAM sworn. - I keep a hosier’s shop , No. 103, Ratcliffe-highway : I was alarmed, on Monday morning the 24th of April, by the watchman, that my house was broke open about three o’clock; I threw up my sash, and the watchman said, here is a bad misfortune, one of your shutters is down; I asked him if the window was broke, he said it was. I had myself bolted the door, and the shutters were fastened by a bar; we all went to bed about half past nine o’clock, when I was alarmed by the watchman; I opened the street door, and found the shutter was gone, a pane of glass broke, and the stockings that laid in the window gone; I got a light to see what mischief was done; I missed about twenty pair of silk and cotton stocking, five pair of silk and worsted, five pair of cotton and worsted, and about thirty pair all cotton; and two or three purses made of silk and cotton. Q. What were the value of those articles? - A. They cost me about sixteen pounds, they are worth about thirteen pounds; I never had any part of them back again; I saw one of the prisoners the same morning go by my door, in company with another man in custody; in consequence of the information I had given, I attended the Justice. Q. Was any of your property found in their possession? - A. Not to my knowledge; there is one that was concerned in the robbery, turned evidence; I had never seen any of them before. THOMAS DEW sworn. - On the 23d of April, Sunday evening, I saw these three persons hanging about all the evening; I saw them a little way from this house at two o’clock in the morning, and about three o’clock on the Monday morning, the 24th of April, I heard a rattling, as if a shutter fell; when I saw them they had nothing at all, it was a very dark morning; I saw the shutter gone, and the window broke, my walk and stand is just by the prosecutor’s house; there was a whole pane of glass broke, and only one shutter down; I called Mr. Higginbotham up, he came down in his shirt, with only his breeches on; he got a light, and went into the shop, and said the shop was robbed; the shutter was taken about fifty yards from the shop; I took particular notice of them, they had aprons on like gardeners, I am certain they are the same persons I saw at two o’clock in the morning; they were all three together. Q. What is the accomplice’s name? - A. Thomas Booth , he is the same man I saw in company with the prisoners. ALICE NEGUS sworn. - I had been to a christening on the Sunday: I was coming by the house on the Monday morning, the 24th of April, and I saw the prisoners in the act of trying to slide the shutters; I am sure they are the same persons, one was taking the bar from the shutters, the other receiving it, and the third sliding the shutter. I gave an account of them at the Justice’s, at Shadwell; it was upon my information they were taken into custody; I knew nothing of them before: one of them had a dark brown coat with a black collar on; the other man had the same coat on that he has now; and the accomplice had a green coat on and red waistcoat. JOHN COOK sworn. - I am a constable belonging to the Public-office, Shadwell: On the 24th of April, I apprehended Burgen and Booth, on suspicion of being concerned in robbing Mr. Higginbotham’s house; I did not apprehend Chase, another officer apprehended him, in consequence of an information given by the prosecutor, and the last witness; they were carried before the Magistrate, and committed for further examination. THOMAS BOOTH sworn. - I was an accomplice with the prisoners: On the 23d of April, Sunday night, Chase and myself went along Ratcliffe-highway, to look for a place convenient to break open against it got later; we went to the further end of Shadwell, and we could not see a place convenient there; on our return back, in Ratcliffe-highway, we observed the shutter of the prosecutor’s shop rather loose, this was about ten o’clock at night; Chase and myself agreed to come about one o’clock to break it open, and then we went home to Chase’s house; William Bergen came in a little before twelve, and a little after twelve we all went out together; it was near one o’clock when we came to the prosecutor’s house, but we could not conveniently move the shutter till near two, when we got the shutter down from the window, and at three o’clock we took the shutter quite away; Bergen broke a pane of glass, and took out a great quantity of silk and cotton stockings, and two purses; we neither of us got into the shop, we took the stockings from the window; we delivered the stockings to Chase, Bergen left Chase and me, and went up to the house of Levy; I and Chase told Bergen we would leave the stockings in an old house; we sold the stockings to Levy, and he agreed to give us six pounds one shilling; he gave Chase one shilling, and after I was taken to prison he brought me one shilling, and afterwards a dollar; we had not the whole money, for the same morning as we were going for the money the officers took us; I cannot say whether Bergen had any of the money. JOHN REILY sworn. - I am a constable belonging to the Police-office, Shadwell: On the 26th of April, I apprehended the prisoner, Chase, in company with two of my brother officers. ROBERT BLUNT sworn. - I assisted in apprehending Chase. Bergen’s defence. On Sunday night, when I came home, I went to bed about half past eleven o’clock, there was Chase, and his brother and sister there; I laid till nine o’clock the next morning, when I met Booth. Chase’s defence. I know nothing of the matter; Booth is a notorious thief. ELIZABETH COLE sworn. - I have known William Bergen these eight or nine years, I never knew any harm of him till this; I am a laundress, I have trusted him to carry home my linen, I never missed any thing; he has been in my house almost every day of his life. JOSEPH WHITEHOUSE sworn. - I have known the prisoner, Chase, five or six years; he got his livelihood by lamp-lighting, he worked for me about a twelvemonth ago, and he used to come through my premises at different times, I never knew that I lost any thing by him. Bergen, GUILTY Death . (Aged 21.) Chase, GUILTY Death. (Aged 32.) Tried by the second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Baron PERRYN. **William Bergen was also onboard the Hilsborough. CHAFE Joseph Convict Indents (Digitised) Index 1788-1801 Ship: Hillsborough | Place of Trial: Middlesex | Sentence: Life | County: Middlesex CHAFE Joseph Index Name: Convict Indents (Digitised) Index 1788-1801 Name: Joseph Surname: CHAFE Ship: Hillsborough County: Middlesex Date of Trial: 31/05/1797 Place of Trial: Middlesex Sentence: Life Remarks: Died at Sydney. C723. Occupation: Lamp lighter. Have not found death record.