Thomas Feeney

338

Penny-Lyn Beale on 29th July 2024

1882 - Trial; Hobart. Assaulting the Police- 1-month hard labour

218

Dianne Jones on 22nd July 2022

IN VDL: 26 May, 1853: On arrival in VDL, THOMAS FEENEY was listed as convict #27902, a labourer, 27 years old, 5’7” tall with dark red hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He was single, Protestant, and semi-literate. Native place: Marylebone. Of his offence, he said he had been transported for uttering counterfeit sixpences. He had a previous conviction for same (12 months) and one for assault (6 months). Family: Mother Bridget; brother Edward; and sister Bridget; and "lived with a woman named Herd, was never married" (http://foundersandsurvivors.org/pubsearch/convict/chain/ai22899). For further details see his VDL Conduct record at https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON33-1-115$init=CON33-1-115p57 and his Indent record at https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON14-1-47$init=CON14-1-47_00154_L. --0--

218

Dianne Jones on 22nd July 2022

TRIAL TRANSCRIPT: “716. THOMAS FEENEY, feloniously uttering counterfeit coin. MESSRS. BODKIN and COCKLE conducted the Prosecution. JOHN CHARLES REYNOLDS. I produce an examined copy of the record of the prisoner's conviction—I have examined it with the original in Mr. Clark's office—(read—Convicted Nov., 1848, and confined one year.) BENJAMIN SWAINSON (policeman.) I was present at the prisoner's conviction in Nov. 1848—I took him into custody—he is the same person. LOUISA CATHERINE HAYS. My father keeps a baker's shop at Whitehall-row, St. Pancras. On 11th March the prisoner came to the shop and asked for a penny loaf, he gave me 6d., I gave him 5d. change, and he went away—I laid the sixpence on a ledge on the till, where I am sure there were no others—directly he was gone a constable came in, and my sister gave him the sixpence from the same place—there were no other sixpences near—my sister and I marked the sixpence, and I gave it to the constable—no one had been to the till after the prisoner went out and before the constable came in. Prisoner. Q. Was there not a man went in before me with a sixpence? A. Yes—I laid that on the ledge, and when you came in I put that in the till—I did not put yours in the till with that one—the ledge is on the side of the till—we always put the last money on the ledge, so that we should know what change to give, if there is any dispute—I gave the other man 5d. change—the policeman did not tell me before the Magistrate" If you say what I told you before we came here you will make a case of it; but if you do not, the man will get remanded"—he did not tell me what to say—he did not say a word to me. ISABELLA HAYES. I am sister of the last witness, and was in the shop when the prisoner came in for the penny loaf, and when the man came before—if we receive any coin, our practice is to lay it on the ledge inside the till until we give change, and it remains there till another customer comes in—my sister served the first man—I did not see her place the sixpence on the ledge—she served the prisoner, and laid the sixpence she took from him on the ledge—when the constable came, in consequence of what he said I looked at the ledge, and the same sixpence my sister had taken was there—I marked it, and gave it to the officer—this is it (produced.) Prisoner. Q. What were you doing when I went into the shop? A. Scrubbing the counter—I saw your face—I did not say you were not the man, or that I did not notice you—I marked the sixpence before I let the policeman have it—I said it was bad before I took it off the ledge—I could not see it was bad when you laid it on the counter—I could see it was a sixpence. MARY HARRISON. I am the wife of George Harrison. My sister, Jane Martin, keeps a tobacconist's shop—I do not serve there, but I went there on Thursday, 11th March, and served in the shop—the prisoner came in, and asked for a quarter of an ounce of tobacco—I served him—he gave me a sixpence, and I gave him 5d. change—he went away, and directly afterwards the officer came in—I put the sixpence into a cup in the till, where there was no other sixpence—I afterwards gave it to Botman. EDWARD TOTHMAN (policeman, 373). On 11th March, about twenty minutes to eleven o'clock, I was on duty at St. Pancras, and saw the prisoner in company with a man and woman—I saw him go to Mr. Hayes', take a penny loaf, and tender a sixpence on the counter—he came out, went and joined the man and woman, and passed something to the man—they then went on together towards Mrs. Martin's shop, and I observed the woman give the prisoner something, and he went to Mrs. Martin's shop, and purchased some tobacco—I saw him pay a sixpence for it—when he came out, I followed him to the corner of Battle-bridge, where they all three ran away as fast as they could—the others got away, and I secured the prisoner, and said, "Feeny, I want you, for passing two bad sixpences"—he said, "Me pass two had sixpences! I have not passed any to-day"—I took him to the station, searched him, and found on him a penny loaf, but no money—there was time enough for him to get rid of the money when he joined the man and woman—he walked some distance with them—I produce the two sixpences, one from Hayes, and the other from Miss Harrison—they were both marked before I had them. Prisoner. Q. You saw the three of us run away? A. Yes; directly I came up, you made a start, and I caught you by the collar, when you had run about half a dozen steps—when I told you it was for passing two bad sixpences, you said you had not a tanner that day—I took you to one of the shops, and you said you had not been there all day—I did not take you when you came out of the second shop, because I was following you with a view of getting a third piece, but I came upon you accidentally round a corner, and directly you saw me you bolted off—I saw you give a sixpence for the penny loaf—I was seven or eight yards from the shop at the time—I did not take you when you came out of the first shop, because I could not get any assistance—I asked some persons to run after the man and woman, but they would not. WILLIAM WEBSTER. I am inspector of coin to the Mint. These two sixpences are counterfeit—they appear to have come from the same mould, but one is so much worse an impression than the other that I cannot positively say. GUILTY. Aged 21.— Transported for Seven Years. Before Mr. Justice Erle." (https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/) --00--

218

Dianne Jones on 22nd July 2022

TRIAL: 8 April, 1850: Thomas Feeney was convicted at the Old Bailey and sentenced by Mr Justice Erle to 7 years’ transportation; his two previous convictions for felonies – one for uttering coin (12 months’ jail) and one for assault (6 months) – were taken into account (https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON33-1-115$init=CON33-1-115p57). --0--