Martha Davis

341

Maureen Withey on 30th January 2023

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 30 January 2023), January 1808, trial of MARTHA DAVIS (t18080113-30). MARTHA DAVIS, Violent Theft > highway robbery, 13th January 1808. 99. MARTHA DAVIS was indicted for feloniously making an assault upon Charles Titswell , in the King's highway on the 11th of January , putting him in fear, and feloniously taking from his person and against his will, a hat, value 10 s. a silver band, value 8 s. and a half crown piece , the property of Charles Titswell. Second count for like offence, a hat value 10 s. and a silver band, value 8 s. the property of William Thomas Lewis . CHARLES TITSWELL . Q. How old are you. - A. I am fifteen years old. I live at No. 19, Hart-street, Bloomsbury-square. Q. Were you employed to go on any errand on the 11th of this month. - A. Yes My mistress, about half after six in the evening, sent me into Gower-street, Bedford-square; from Bedford-square I was to go intoBroad-court, Bow-street, before I went home. Q. What way did you go from thence. - A. I was to go down Plumtree-street, and to go down Drury-lane; instead of that I missed my turning and went down Dyot-street instead of Plumtree-street. Q. What happened when you were going down Dyot-street. - A. As I was going down Dyot-street the prisoner took hold of my arm, and pulled me through a passage into a room. Q. What time of the evening might it be then. - A. It was about seven o'clock then. Q. Where was the prisoner standing. - A. Inside of a passage door. Q. You did not go in the passage, did you, before she laid hold of you. - A. No; as I was going by the door she laid hold of my arm and dragged me in. Q. Did you resist. - A. I could not get out, she laid hold of my arm, and when she got me in she locked the door. Q. Did you go willingly in. - A. No, I pulled back as much as I could. Q.When she got you in the room what then. - A. She called to her daughter to lock the room door outside. Q. How do you know she was her daughter. - A. She called her her daughter. Q. Do you mean the door of the house or the door of the room. - A. The door of the room. Q. When she locked the room door on the outside what followed. - A. Then after that she searched my coat pocket, the prisoner did. Q. Did you consent to her searching your pockets. - A. No, she would search me; she knocked me down several times with her flats. Q. Where did you receive the blows. - A. On my breast. Then after she bent me, she said if I made a noise she would murder me; she searched my coat pocket, then my waistcoat pocket; she could find nothing there; then she unbuttoned my left hand breeches pocket, and took out half a crown; after that she took my hat away. Q. Was it the hat that you have in your hand. - A. Yes. Q. Was the band on them as it is now. - A. Yes. Q. What did she do with the hat when she had taken it. - A. She throwed it under the bed; after that she called to her daughter to unlock the door, when she found I had no more. Q. Her daughter did unlock the door did she. - A. Yes. She said if I made any noise when I went out she would murder me. She told me I might go when she had got my money; while she was calling the daughter to open the room door I got my hat. Q. Where was the prisoner at that time. - A. She was at the room door, she locked it inside too. Q. Did she see you when you got your hat, or was her back towards you. - A. She did not see me take it; while she was opening the door I put it behind my back; when the door was opened I come away with it; then afterwards she went into the room and missed the hat; she followed me again after that. Q. How soon after that. - A. Just as soon as she missed it. Q. That is what you suppose; I want to know how short a time after you came out of the room was it that she came after you. - A. She came directly after me Q.When she came out of the door did she take the same course as you had done. - A. Yes. I was almost at the bottom of the street; she ran after me and laid hold of my hat; as soon as she laid hold of my hat these was a man come up to me that knew her, that belonged to her, he took me up in his arms, he said he would take me to the watchhouse. Q. You do not know that he belonged to her. - A. I suspected that he belonged to her. Q. But you do not know it. - A. No. When he said he would take me to the watchhouse some people came up, knocked the man down, and then he run away. When the man knocked the man down there was a mob, and the watchman came, he told me to go up the other side of the way, and he would follow me to the house to take the woman; he put his coat over the lanthorn, and when we came up we see her in the passage, she was talking to a man; as soon as we went in the man ran out. Q. Do you know the person of the man she was talking with. - A. No, I should not know him again. When the watchman went in she said she never saw me; when she got to the watchhouse then she said she would give me the half crown. Q. Did she take out the money to give to you. - A. She took two shillings, and wanted her daughter to lend her sixpence. Q. What became of the half crown that she took from you. - A. She gave it to her daughter in the house before I came away. Q. Before you first come away. - A. Yes. When she got to the watchhouse she struck at me, and said she would murder me; that was when she was going to be locked up. Q. You refused to take the money, did you. - A. Yes. Q. Are you sure that you did not go of your own accord into this house. - A. Yes; I should not have gone down the street if I had known it at all. Q. Had you been taking any liquor that afternoon. - A. I never drink any kind of liquor. Prisoner. I can contradict him in his saying I knocked him down. TIMOTHY DONNOVAN . Q. You are the watchman that came up to this party. - A. Yes; there was a woman that went up the street as I stood opposite my box, she told me there was a boy crying up the street; with that I went up, there was a mob about the boy, he was crying, he told me he had been robbed; I asked him if he should know the person that robbed him if he saw them; he told me yes; I dispersed the mob, and told him to go before me to the house where he was robbed; I clapped my lanthorn under my coat; he went before me and I followed him; as we came up to the door the prisoner stood at the door in the entry, he gave charge of her; I went in and took the prisoner, and took her to the watchhouse. She wanted to make it up with him at the watchhouse; she had no half crown to give him, only two shillings, she wanted to give him the half crown. Q. You heard her. - A. Yes. Q. Did you see any violence used by her towards the boy at the watchhouse. - A. Yes, she made an offer to strike him. Q. Was that after she offered the half crown or before. - A. I do not know positively whether it was after or before. Q. Did you observe any marks of violence on the boy. - A. No. JAMES PERRY . I am watchhouse keeper. Q. Were you at the watchhouse when the prisoner was brought down that evening. - A. I was. Q. Did you see and hear what past on the occasion. A. I did; I took the charge of her, and locked her up; previous to that she wanted to make it up with the prosecutor, she offered him two shillings, and called to her girl, who she stiled her daughter, to lend her sixpence, that was to make up the half crown; I would not suffer it, she was very violent against him when I would not suffer the boy to make it up; she swore and damned his eyes, if she would not murder him; she offered to strike him, and the watchman got in between them. Q. When she offered the half crown, did she say what it was for. - A. No, only in general, that it was to make it up with him; he had charged her with taking a half crown from him, and using him ill, and endeavouring to take his hat from him; the next morning we took her to Marlborough-street; there before Mr. Conant she set up a plea, that he wanted to take liberties with her. Q. Did she say any thing of that sort the night before. - A. No. Prisoner's Defence. Please you my lord, yesterday was a week in the morning, I went out with twelfth-cakes, I got more liquor than did me good; in returning home a parcel of boys throwed mud at me, that lad came after me, he took the liberty of pulling me about; when I got in he charged the watch with me; I never saw him in my life before that night. COURT. - GENTLEMEN. The circumstances are proved by the witness necessary make it a stealing; all this is done by force in the manner the boy has described; the case rests solely upon the evidence of the boy. If you see any improbability in his relation, I must confess I do not, if you believe what he has told you, you will find her guilty; if you do not believe the story he has told you, you will then acquit her. GUILTY - DEATH , aged 48. First Middlesex jury, before Mr. justice Chambre.