John Holden

343

Maureen Withey on 24th January 2023

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 24 January 2023), December 1804, trial of JOHN HOLDEN (t18041205-52). JOHN HOLDEN, Theft > theft from a specified place, 5th December 1804. 52. JOHN HOLDEN was indicted for feloniously stealing, in the dwelling-house of Ann Appleton , widow , on the 3d of December , a metal watch, value 40 s. a gold ring, value 10 s. a cloth coat, value 40 s. a waistcoat, value 10 s. three pair of breeches, value 24 s. three sheets, value 20 s. two silk handkerchiefs, value 5 s. two cotton handkerchiefs, value 2 s. three pair of stockings, value 5 s. a leather trunk, value 3 s. one dollar, value 5 s. two half-guineas, twelve seven-shilling pieces, two Bank of England notes, value 40 l. two other Bank of England notes, value 20 l. a Bank of England note, value 2 l. and twenty-seven one-pound Bank of England notes , the property of George Edwards . GEORGE EDWARDS sworn - I live in Mrs. Ann Appleton 's house, in Guildford-street ; she is a widow. Q. Did you lose any thing from that house on the 3d of December? - A. Yes. Q. Were you at home at the time? - A. Yes, I was asleep; it was about five o'clock when the box was missing; I got up about half past six, and looked round, after taking the key of my box from under my pillow; the box was gone, and every thing in it. Q. Was every thing safe on the 2d of December? - A. Yes, every thing was safe at half past eleven on the over-night, when I went to-bed. Q. What part of the house did you lodge in? - A. The one pair of stairs back room. Q. Do you enter the house of Mrs. Appleton bya separate door? - A. I always enter at the front door. Q. Does she enter in at the same door? - A. Yes; there is a back door and a front door. Q. Is your door separate from her's? - A. No. Q. Do you sleep with the chamber door locked, or mostly open? - A. It might be open that night, I cannot say. Q. There was no appearance of the lock having been forced? - A. No. Q. Did the prisoner lodge in the same house? - A. He lodged in the same room where I lodged, there were three beds in the room. Q. Was he in bed when you went to-bed? - A. He was in bed when I went to-bed. Q. Did any body sleep in the three beds? - A. Yes, Thomas Cane slept in the same bed with me; there were three young men slept in the other beds besides the prisoner. Q. Then, in all, six people slept in the room - were all the persons in bed when you went to-bed? - A. No. Q. When you got up at half past six, was the prisoner in bed? - A. He was not. Q. Were any others gone? - A. No, they were all in bed. Q. How many persons were in bed when you went to-bed? - A. I cannot exactly say, I believe none but him. Q. Did you make any inquiry after this man, in consequence of the trunk being missing, and he gone? - A. Immediately after I missed my trunk I went to Mrs. Appleton; I asked her if she had moved my trunk; she said, no; she came up stairs, and we looked under all the beds, and she said, where is the painter. Q. That is the trade of the prisoner? - A. Yes, I am a butcher; Mrs. Appleton said, for God's sake Edwards, go and stop the coach; I immediately asked what countryman he was, and they said he was a Bath countryman; I went to the White Horse cellar, and gave a description of the man. Q. How soon after did you see him? - A. I saw him about twelve o'clock on the same day, on Monday, the 3d of December. Q. Where did you see him? - A. At Slough; pursued him on the road. Q. Was he in the Bath coach? - A. He took the Bath coach at the White Horse; he was detained at Slough just as he got out of the coach. Q. Did you find your box at Slough? - A. No; saw the box that morning at seven o'clock, it was directed to be left, till called for, at Bath; I found at the Old White Horse cellar. Q. When you saw the prisoner at Slough, what passed between you and him? - A. I said to Mr. Crocker, that is the man. Q. What passed between the prisoner and you? - A. I asked him how he could do so; he said, he had been persuaded to do it; he then was secured by Crocker. Q. Where is your box? - A. It is here; it has been in the possession of the porter of the Old White Horse Cellar. Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. This poor man you say is a painter? - A. It seems so. Q. You had a good opinion of him, and, till this unfortunate transaction, he was the last man in the world you would have suspected? - A. He was the last man in the world that I should have suspected would have done so. WILLIAM SABINE sworn. - I am porter at the White Horse Cellar. Q. Do you know the prisoner at the bar? - A. I do not. Q. Had you any thing left in your charge on the 3d of December? - A. Yes, about half past five in the morning. Q. What was left in your charge? - A. That box. Q. Is there a direction on it? - A. Yes, George Russell , Bath, to be left till called for. Q. By whom? - A. By the man that left it; I cannot say whether he is the man, I believe he is. Q. You do not know whether he is the man or no? - A. I cannot say, I believe he is, I am not positive. Q. Have you had it in your possession ever since? - A. Yes. Q. Did any body call for it? - A. Yes, Mr. Edwards, the prosecutor, called for it, about seven o'clock in the morning; he gave a description of the man, and asked if any body had left it; I brought the box forward immediately. Q. By what conveyance went the man? - A. He was to go by the afternoon Bath coach, he went towards the New White Horse Cellar, but I did not go out of doors to look after him; I work at the Old White Horse. Q. Did you inform the prosecutor which way he went? - A. Yes; I gave the person that brought the box a receipt to call for it at Bath. EDWARD CROCKER sworn. - Q. In consequence of information from this person, did you go down in the Bath coach in pursuit of the prisoner? - A. I did. Q. You lit of the prisoner? - A. I did. Q. Where did you find him? - A. At the Red Lion, at Slough. Q. Did you charge him with the offence? - A. Yes, because the prosecutor pointed him out to me; I charged him with having stolen the box, he said, he was very sorry, he was over-persuaded by some person in the house. Q. Did he name that person? - A. He did not; I searched him, and found on him that receipt. (Produces it.) Q. Shew it to the porter? - A.(Sabine.) That is the same receipt; it is my own hand-writing. Q. Read it? - (Read in Court.) "London, Dec. 3, 1804. "Received one trunk, directed George Russell , Bath, which I promise to deliver to the bearer, at Bath." - This receipt must be produced as a voucher for the delivery of the goods. I found two twenty-pound notes, two ten-pound notes, one two-pound, and twenty-seven ones; two half guineas, twelve seven-shilling pieces, and a dollar; this silk handkerchief was round his neck, a shirt and waistcoat, and two other handkerchiefs. Q. Where were these? - A. In a bundle which he had, and this silver watch, which he had bought at Brentford, as he told me himself. Q.(To Prosecutor.) After you had recovered the box, did you examine it? - A. The box was examined at Bow-street. Q. What was taken from the box? - A. Not any thing except the money, and these clothes, which are produced by Crocker. Q. Look at these, and tell me whether they are your's? - A. This neck handkerchief is mine; these are all mine, I will take my oath they are mine. Q. Had you any marks on the Bank-notes? - A. No. Q. Do they correspond in sum with what you lost out of the box? - A. I think there were ninety-five pounds in notes in the box; I cannot say exactly, there were about one hundred and five pounds in Bank-notes and cash. Q. How much in Bank-notes? - A. I do not exactly know. Q. Do you know whether you had any of twenty pounds amongst the Bank-notes? - A. Yes, two. Q. Do they correspond with the numbers? - A. They exactly appear the number. Q. No. 3025 and 2035? - A. That is the number of them; I had the numbers from Mr. Drummond's clerk. Q. All the rest were secure in the box tied down, except the notes and the things in the bundle? - A. Yes. Q. That watch is not your's? - A. It is not. Q. Have you examined the things in your box? - A. One new cloth coat, value 2 l. and one waistcoat. Q. There is a metal watch, was it safe in the box? - A. Yes. Q. What was the value of that? - A. About a pound, and a gold ring, value ten shillings; three shirts I value at a pound, and three pair of breeches I value at twenty-four shillings; two silk handkerchiefs, they were in the box, value five shillings; two cotton handkerchiefs, two shillings; three pair of stockings, one of them silk, value five shillings; the leather trunk I value at three shillings; a dollar, two half guineas in the box, and twelve seven-shilling pieces; all the money was tied up in a handkerchief to go to market the next morning. Q. And you seeing them in your box knew them to be your's? - A. Yes. The prisoner left his defence to his Counsel. GUILTY, Death , aged 27. Second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Common Serjeant. -------------------------------------------------- Portsmouth Hulk records. HO 9-8_2. Received 30 prisoners from Newgate, London, 20 Dec 1805. John Holden, age 27, Crime, Felony, Tried at Middlesex, 5 Dec 1804. NSW 7 years, per ship Fortune.