Richard Hall

135

C H on 11th March 2024

Old Bailey Online RICHARD HALL. Theft; stealing from master. 11th June 1829. Text type Trial account Defendants RICHARD HALL Offences Theft > Stealing from master Session Date 11th June 1829 Reference Number t18290611-181 Verdicts Guilty Punishments Transportation 1180. RICHARD HALL was indicted for stealing, on the 10th of April , 45 articles of hardware, value 6l. 18s. 5d. , the goods of William Howard and William Quincey , his masters. MESSRS. ADOLPHUS and PHILLIPS conducted the prosecution. JOHN HARCOURT QUINCEY . I am the brother of William Quincey - their firm is William Howard and William Quincey, Jun. The prisoner was employed by that firm as private watchman , and has been so between nine and ten months - he used to attend from seven o'clock in the evening till five in the morning; these were one hundred and fifty persons in their employ - they generally leave work about seven o'clock, and when they left it was his duty to see that nothing improper went away, and to see that the fires were all put out; he had access to the workshops, where there were a number of japanned articles which are taken to the warehouse - the prisoner bad a key of the workshops. On Monday, the 13th of April, in consequence of something we heard, I went to his dwelling-house in Long's-buildings about one o'clock in the day; I found him in bed - I saw a number of japanned and tin wares about, and questioned him about them; he said he had purchased some at stalls in the street, and some of persons who brought them about - Attfield, who was with me, opened a door, where we found a number of articles, and among the rest was a patent kitchen raise; it is a particular kind of dish-cover, which Mr. Howard has got the patent for - I said, "You did not purchase this, this is our manufacture;" he said, "No, Groom gave me that," meaning one of our workmen - a number of these articles were found in a box; he requested several times to see Mr. Howard - I left the officer with him, while I went to see for Mr. Howard; here is an oil bottle, which is marked with the initials of one of our customers, who lives in Lincoln's Inn-fields - we keep it full of oil for them; I know of no order ever being given to Groom to dispose of any of these articles. Cross-examined by MR. CLARKSON. Q.Are you any partner there? A. No. I am only clerk; this oil bottle and raise I can speak more particularly to; two or three persons, of the name of Groom, work in that establishment, and he did not say which it was - there are many articles here which I know, but I cannot point them out as not having been sold. WILLIAM ATTFIELD . I am an officer. I went to the prisoner's lodgings to make the search; I found him in bed - I told him his master suspected he had been robbing him, and asked whether he had any property, and whether he would allow us to search; as we had no warrant - he said he had no objection; I searched the room all over, and found one hundred and five different articles, the greater part of which were in a box on the left-hand side, closely packed up in paper - there were some things hanging about the room, some over the mantel-piece, some in a cupboard, and some in a drawer; I saw his wife go in great haste towards a dresser drawer at the further end of the room, and take hold of something - I said I thought she had something there she should not have; I took hold of her hand, and found several duplicates, which I produce - I found several other duplicates in the drawer, thirteen in all; they all relate to articles of this description - while I was searching, I heard Mr. Quincey say, "He is gone out;" I looked, and missed the prisoner - I ran down stairs, and saw him running up the court; before he got into Whitecross-street I overtook him and brought him back - he said he was only going to Mr. Howard's; I then sent for Garton- I heard the prisoner say he was very sorry for what he had done in taking these things from his master; that at Christmas last there were a number of articles packed up to be sent to a customer, and he took them out of that parcel; when he was before the Magistrate he acknowledged he had taken them, but at different times - when we first went in, his wife said they had bought some of people who sit in the streets, and some of persons who go about hawking them. LEONARD MATTHEWS. I am a pawnbroker, and live in Whitecross-street. I have a tea-pot, pawned by a woman in the name of Ann Hall, on the 16th of January - she has since turned out to be the prisoner's wife; I have also a tea-kettle, a flat iron, and three drinking borns, pawned at different times up to the 31st of March - I gave these duplicates to the person who pawned them. THOMAS CORDWELL . I am a pawnbroker, and live in Exmouth-street. I have a tea-pot and a lantern, for which I gave this duplicate - they were pawned in the name of Elizabeth Ward by the woman I afterwards saw at Worship-street. JOSEPH SLADE . I am foreman to the prosecutors - I have looked at nine of these articles, which I can identify by the letters, which I gave the men on the 17th of February to mark the goods with; I can swear they were made in our manufactory - here are the private marks on them. Cross-examined by MR. CLARKSON. Q. Can you swear that they had not been sold? A. No. SAMUEL WARNER. I am a clerk in the house, and receive money for articles sold - the prisoner paid me 3s. 10d. for goods, and that is all. Cross-examined. Q. Is there any article here which you can swear has not been sold? A. Yes; this raise was made for a house we do business for - it is not finished. Prisoner's Defence. I had these things of a man on the Saturday after Christmas-day; he said he was one of Mr. Howard's customers, and used to attend to the factory; he asked me to let him leave them while he went for some stockings and other things, and I did it innocently. GUILTY . Aged 32. Transported for Fourteen Years .