John Dare

110

Ron Garbutt on 23rd September 2022

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 23 September 2022), April 1830, trial of JOHN DARE (t18300415-242). JOHN DARE, Theft > pocketpicking, 15th April 1830. 908 JOHN DARE was indicted for stealing, on the 11th of March , 1 purse, value 6d.; 23 sovereigns, 8 half-crowns, 20 shillings, 9 sixpences, three 10l. and one 5l. Bank notes, the property of Thomas Stanger , from his person . THOMAS STANGER . I am a corporal in the 32nd regiment of foot . On the 11th of March I went into the City at half-past nine o'clock in the morning - I returned in the omnibus, and stopped at the Yorkshire Stingo about ten minutes; I came out and met two soldiers of the 1st regiment of Life Guards - I turned in with them to the tap next door, and remained there eight or ten minutes; I drank with them, and left the Stingo a little after eleven o'clock at night - I had been drinking a little, but not to deprive me of my senses; I was on furlough - my regiment is in Dublin; I had taken my purse out at the Stingo - any one might have seen it was bulky; I had three 10l. notes in it, one 5l. note, and twenty-three sovereigns; and the silver I had paid out of the purse for what I drank; I had received the money of my brother, who had had the keeping of it till I returned to my regiment - it was a legacy I had left me by an aunt; I had taken it out of the Bank before that - as I came out of the Stingo I saw the prisoner at the door; he asked where I lived, and being a respectable looking man I told him - he said he would show me where it was; I said I did not want him to show me, I knew it as well as he did - he said he would go as far for a walk, and when we got to where I lived, while my hands were engaged in opening the gate, he put his hand into my pocket and took the purse out; he ran up Lisson-street, and I followed him - he crossed to go down Chapel-street; I saw a Police-officer, and called out Stop thief! - I heard something fall, and I ran on to where the Policeman had got the prisoner; I said he had robbed me, and I took him back - we found the purse and all the money, within a yard of where I heard him throw it down. Cross-examined by MR. ADOLPHUS. Q. Where had you been? A. To Limehouse, but I returned through the City. I got to the Stingo just at eleven o'clock, as they were closing the doors; I was quite sensible - the landlord did not refuse to draw me any more liquor; I got a quart of ale - I had nothing else; I do not recollect putting my cap on the table - I cannot swear it was not there; there were several persons there - I recollect a coachman being there; I do not recollect his taking my cap and paying half a gallon of ale for it - I do not recollect charging any one with stealing my handkerchief; I will not swear I did not - I went out between eleven and twelve o'clock; I was in the Stingo about ten minutes, and then went to the tap, but was not there above eight minutes - I do not recollect seeing the prisoner all that time: there were six or seven persons there - I have not charged any other person with this felony. JOSEPH HAINSWORTH . I was on duty near the Yorkshire Stingo; I heard the rattle and sprang across the road - I caught the prisoner running from the prosecutor, and about eight yards in front of him; the prosecutor accused him of robbing him of his purse, but did not say what the contents of it were - he said, "I think he has flung it away," and pointed about eight yards from the place; I went there, looked, and picked up this purse - the prisoner said, "What do you catch hold of me for? I have done nothing;" I said, "What did you run for?" this is the purse.(Purse produced and sworn to.) Prisoner's Defence. I beg to state that I had been to look at some goods at Mr. Flint's, being a broker and appraiser - on my return down the New-road I met a female and stood talking with her; I heard a cry of Stop him! but before that the female had told me she was the wife of a soldier, and seeing a soldier running I thought she was his wife - I ran down Chapel-street, and the Policeman crossed and took me into custody, but he never saw the soldier till he took me down Lisson-street; the soldier said, "Is that him?" - Yes, said the Policeman; the soldier was groping about and said,"Here is a purse he robbed me of" - I believe it never was out of his possession; I did not know where the Stingo was, and have not been near it - I was taken to the watch-house; the soldier was reeling about - I said,"That soldier is quite drunk, he can't charge me withrobbing him;" he said he had only had a little drop - before the Magistrate he said I had been at the Stingo and had taken him home; I should not have had a witness on my behalf had not the Magistrate issued a warrant. COURT to HAINSWORTH. Q. Did you see any other person running? A. No, only the soldier and the prisoner; the soldier could not run as well as I could, but he dropped his cap in Lisson-street. JURY. Q. Did you see any woman? A. No, no other person. MR. ADOLPHUS. Q. If a person ran up Lisson-street, could you see him? A. Yes, it is a very open street, nearly as wide as Oxford-street; I was in Lisson-street, and in Chapel-street I caught him. THOMAS DAVEY . I am a coachman in the employ of Mr. Waterhouse - I superintend his business at the Yorkshire Stingo, and drive occasionally. I was in the parlour, smoking a pipe with two or three coachmen, when the corporal came in with two soldiers of another regiment; it was near eleven o'clock at night - the parlour door was pushed open, and they came in and had two pots of ale; they had something at the bar, but I do not know what - I heard them say so; the corporal was very much intoxicated, and one of the other soldiers was drunk - the other was sober; the corporal had his purse out throwing about the table - the landlord advised him to put it into his pocket; he threw it about and wanted change for a 10l. note - the landlord said he had better not have change; I took up his cap which was on the table, and put it on - one of the soldiers said that was a fine of half a gallon of ale; I said I would stand a quartern of gin - the corporal then said he had lost a handkerchief; the landlord said, "How can that be when you have it in your hand?" - the prisoner was not there at all; the landlord advised the corporal not to have any more - there was a stranger there, taller than the prisoner. COURT. Q. Did you see that he could hardly walk? A. He was beastly drunk; he could not walk steady - one of the other soldiers went out before he did, the other staid with him; the corporal then went, and the other went after him - the sober one went out first; the stranger came in as near eleven o'clock as could be, and he went out directly the soldiers did, and left his gin and water on the table - he did not return; I do not know whether he had any motive for going - we were remarking that he did not return; and I had the pleasure of drinking some of his gin and water. JOHN NEWBANK . I keep the Yorkshire Stingo tap. I was shutting the door when the prosecutor came - he was tipsy, but he asked for pen, ink and paper: I thought it was some communication he had to make - I got a pen and ink, but he could not write at all; I said, "You had better let me write it;" he then said, "We will have a drop of rum a piece" - I gave the others a drop of rum, and then they wanted to go away, but the prosecutor took hold of them, and pushed them into the parlour, and there they had some ale; I saw the last witness put on the soldier's cap - he was to be fined half a gallon of ale, but he paid a quartern of gin; each of the soldiers took some of that, except the drunken one with the shoe on his arm, he did not drink any - the prisoner was not in the room that evening; there was a stranger there, who followed directly after the prosecutor - he was taller than the prisoner, but not so stout; I heard the prosecutor charge the last witness with stealing his handkerchief - I put my back against the door to prevent any body going out; I looked round, and said, "How can that be, when you have it in your right hand?" he then had to pay a quartern of gin for it; and he had his purse in his hand throwing it about - I said, "Put it into your pocket;" he then wanted change for a 10l. note, and I would not let him have it - he was very drunk; he could not stand still: I went to the Magistrate the day afterwards - that was the first I knew of this; the stranger went out just after the soldiers were gone - he paid me for his gin and water; I told the Magistrate I had never seen the prisoner before. COURT. Q. The stranger had seen the bulky purse as well as you? A. Yes: the prosecutor was very drunk; he had very near knocked a person down - he might make a stumbling run; from the careless manner in which he acted in my parlour I do not think he knew what he was about: the last I saw of his purse was in his hand - he pulled it out of one of his pockets at the bar, but I cannot say what pocket; the bar is narrow: I and the soldiers persuaded him to put it away, but he knocked the soldiers about; I believe they were glad to get away: I had never seen the stranger before; there were four persons besides the soldiers. JAMES TYDIE . I am a coachman, and was in the Yorkshire Stingo on the night in question; I saw the prosecutor and two other soldiers, but I suppose by their dress they were not of the same regiment: a friend and I were sitting smoking; the door burst open, and they all came in - nothing but the table prevented them all going down; the corporal was drunk - he sat down on the table, and took off his cap; Davey put it on, and one of the soldiers said, "It is a rule among us soldiers, that that is a fine of half a gallon of ale;" he said, "I can't stand half a gallon of ale, I will give a quartern of gin;" he gave the cap back, and then the corporal said he had lost his handkerchief out of it; the landlord said, "You have it in your hand;" the other soldier then said he should fine him a quartern of gin for accusing him of it: the prosecutor had his purse in his hand, got a fork, and opened it, and wanted change for a 10l. note, which the landlord would not give him; there was a person came in, and called for a glass of gin and water, who sat at the next table to them - he drank part of it, went out, and did not return; I did not see the prisoner in the house at all- there was but one person besides the soldiers, who were strangers to me. COURT. Q. The corporal was very drunk? A. I considered him so - if I were so drunk I should expect to be taken off my box - I drive the Paddington omnibus; I had not driven the prosecutor - we began drinking the strangers' gin and water directly after; the house was ordered to be shut up, about a quarter of an hour or ten minutes after we drank it, and we went out immediately: I did not hear any alarm of Stop thief! I did not hear of this till the next day. THOMAS WILSON . I live in the Harrow-road, and deal in ginger-beer. On the night of the 11th of March I was in Lisson-grove, going home, and turned down Chapel-street; I saw a tall man in a dark coat run by me, and shortly afterwards a soldier followed him - he ran up Lisson-street; I saw a man in Lisson-street talking to a woman, and pulling her about - he then let her go, and she came into the New-road; I could have stopped the man I saw running very easily, but I thought it was a frolic -I turned, and went home; I did not hear of the robbery till Friday, when I saw Tydie, and in consequence of what he said I am here to-day. COURT. Q. Where was this man running? A. In Lisson-street; the man who was talking to the woman was on the right-hand side - he left the woman and ran; the soldier was shuffling, I could not call it a run - the man who was with the woman ran; he ran from the soldier - I could not give any reason for that; I do not know who the man with the woman was - I heard the soldier say Stop him! and I could have stopped the man who ran past me, but I thought it was a drunken frolic, and I went home; the man who ran past me was a tall man I should say - the soldier was pursuing him, then he crossed the road, and pursued the other; I did not see any Policeman. STEPHEN COOPER . I am a coachman, and live at Paddington. On Thursday last I saw the prosecutor, as I was standing against the door of the Stingo, smoking a pipe; he accused me of being one of the prisoner's accomplices in the theft - I was at the Yorkshire Stingo on the night in question; I am well known there - it was between seven and eight o'clock last Thursday evening when the prosecutor came to me with the Policeman; the prosecutor appeared to me as drunk as any person could be, and so was the Policeman - they were not fit to walk; the Policeman had a sealing-wax pipe in his mouth, and I said it was fine times for a Policeman to have a sealingwax pipe - I said if he was not quiet I would give charge of him to another officer. COURT. Q. What coach do you drive? A. I was driving a coach, but am out of work - I now wash coaches for a gentleman who has an omnibus; it is six or seven months since I drove a coach - I was in service seven years ago, but my master is in France; I did drive for a Mr. Trivett six or seven months ago - I used to drive odd journies: coachmen would not get so drunk as the prosecutor and the Policeman were - I was at the Stingo that very night; the prosecutor was very drunk - I did not help him home: it is the worst thing in the world to help people home who are in liquor - he could not run; he could shuffle along. Prisoner. The Policeman who took me to the soldier was full fifty yards off me. JOSEPH HAINSWORTH. The prosecutor was about eight yards behind him. GUILTY. The indictment further stated that the prisoner had previously been convicted of felony. JOSEPH STONE . I am one of the City night-patrol. I produce the copy of the conviction of the prisoner - I was a witness on the trial and know he is the man - (read.) Prisoner. Q. Since I have been convicted has it not been clearly understood who the persons were who committed the robbery? A. No, not by me, I certainly never had an idea that you were not the person, and never said any thing of the kind. Prisoner. I have been unjustly convicted in one instance and am sacrificed in another - he has been with the people every day. Witness. I merely waited expecting the cause to be called. GUILTY . Aged 40. - Transported for Life . https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/print.jsp?div=t18300415-242

Wife and four children came out to Australia too

also known as William John Dyer