John Gates

342

Maureen Withey on 8th April 2024

Digitised Indent of ship Atlantic John Gates, tried at Justice Hall, Old Bailey, 9 Sep 1789, seven years. -------------------------------------------------------------- Trial at the Old Bailey, 9 Sep 1789. 637. JOHN GATES was indicted for stealing, on the 15th of August last, 112 lb. of whale-bone, value 4 l. 10 s. the property of Thomas Archer Simpkins . THOMAS ARCHER SIMPKINS sworn. I am a lighterman , I live in Seething-lane, Tower-street; the prisoner is my apprentice ; I sent him in the morning of the 15th of August, to fetch five bundles of whale-bone from Greenland-dock, to go on board a vessel, at the Yarmouth pier, off the Custom-house; the whale-bone belonged to James Casenneuve and Co. who employed me to carry this whale-bone, from Greenland-dock to the ship, I sent nobody with him. THOMAS STRICKLAND sworn. I am wharfinger at Greenland-dock, I saw five bundles of whale-bone put into the boat by my people, on the 15th of August before dinner; but I am not positive to the time; my orders were to deliver five bundles of whalebone; Messrs. Lucas and Spence were the original proprietors; but Messrs. Casenneuve and Co gave me orders to deliver it to the lighterman; he went afloat from the dock; I am positive to him. JOHN TAYLOR sworn. I am a waiting waterman at Tower-wharf; about six weeks ago, I was rowing from pickle herring-stairs, a-stern on the second tier; and one William Rankin bid me get an old boat and follow him, and in a luggage boat, where this William Rankin was, there was some matted luggage; in Rogers's road; I thought it was stock-fish; I asked him to let me have a good one; I walked inside the craft, and he on the outside; I carried the boat to him, I first met with the lug astern, across the second tier; I walked across the craft, and he called me, and gave me some whalebone into the boat, and he says, row ashore at Crows-nest wharf; he takes a porter and puts this into a sack; he says to me, if you will go up to Steele's I will come to you; I said, no, I will go to Browne's; he came in and gave me 3 s. 6 d. I thanked him: Rankin was in the luggage boat, when he first called to me; and there was also, apparently to me, Mr. Simpkins's servant; that is the young man at the bar, and I am very sorry to see him here; it was about an hour and a half, I thought myself greatly paid, the lad went away with the luggage boat, after this was taken out of her; I do not know how many pieces there were; on last Saturday was three weeks, I was standing at Tower-wharf-place; and William Rankin came to me and asked me when the tide would ebb, says he I will ensure you 4 s. or 5 s. I rowed him down to Deptford, I made the boat fast; we had two or three pots of porter and some bread and cheese, this was about twelve or one in the day, he came out, and said follow me up the reach; he went up in the luggage boat, I followed him in twenty minutes, I boarded him twice, and he said not yet, I will call you when I want you; he rowed this luggage boat to Mr. Saunders's road, Wapping; I went along side of him, and he gave me some bone in the boat, and bid me row up to St. Catherine's; the prisoner was in the luggage boat with Rankin; we landed the bone, and he called two porters to take it away, he says to me you go with the porter, and this Will Rankin and a stout lusty man was wrangling about some money; then I came to my own boat; I do not know what became of the prisoner; I parted with him at Wapping; when Rankin took the whalebone out of the luggage boat, I only saw the long matted parcels. MICHAEL FOREMAN sworn. At five, the 15th of August, I was coming up facing the King's mill, from Ratcliff-cross, and I saw this lug boat coming up, the prisoner was rowing the boat up, and he had another person, whose name I do not know; I saw the other person, in the stern of the boat, the prisoner was forward; I saw the other person draw out a quantity of bone; I rowed up on board of a ship at Cherry-gardens, and then I was rowing home, and at the head of Union-stairs tier, I saw the lug boat shoot in; the person in the stern, whose name I do not know, lifted the bone out into the wherry, whose wherry it was I cannot say, there I saw the lug-boat and nobody in it but the prisoner; I went to the custom-house, and left information to a Mr. Simpkins, and he came, and I told him the whole. Court to Strickland. What quantity of whalebone did you put into this boat? - About fifty-hundred. Court to Foreman. Could the man who was in the stern of the boat, have taken these things out without the other knowing it? - I saw the prisoner go aft to the other man. SAMUEL HODGSON sworn. On the twenty-ninth of June, I attended at Greenland-dock; and saw weighed 51 cwt. 2 qrs. and 17 lb. of whale fins, which were sold to Cassenneuve and Co. WILLIAM WHITWORTH sworn. I weighed these five bales of whale-bone, and set them down 50 cwt. 2 qrs. 15 lb. Court to Foreman. Could you tell any thing of the worth of this whalebone? - No, I could not, but I think it was a hundred weight. What is an hundred weight of whalebone worth? - About 4 l. PRISONER's DEFENCE. I was asleep, and knew nothing of it. GUILTY . (Aged sixteen.) Transported for seven years . Tried by the second Middlesex Jury before Mr. Justice WILSON.