James Newcombe

Level 347

Maureen Withey on 20th December 2022

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 20 December 2022), February 1843, trial of GEORGE COWARD JAMES NEWCOMBE (t18430227-1047). GEORGE COWARD, JAMES NEWCOMBE, Theft > stealing from master, Theft > receiving, 27th February 1843. 1047. GEORGE COWARD was indicted for stealing, on the 6 Oct., 30 1/2 yards of waistcoating, value 8l.; the goods of John Smith and another, his masters and JAMES NEWCOMBE , for feloniously receiving the same, well knowing it to have been stolen; against the Statute, &c. MR. CLARKSON conducted the Prosecution. SYDNEY SMITH . I am in partnership with John Smith—we are woollen and Manchester warehousemen, and live in King-street, Cheapside. Coward was our porter—on the 6th of Oct., he was desired to take two trusses of silk and wollen which were to be returned to Mr. Norton—they were called waistcoatings, and I believe Coward went away as though to take them—I do not remember his returning—I should think about five or six days afterwards, I questioned him about this parcel delivery book—I asked him how it was the two trusses had not gone back—he said they had—I said, "It appears they have not, and beside that there is only one in your entry for them"—I had asked for the book when I heard the trusses had not gone back—this figure which is now a 2 in this book was then a 1, and the word "One" is written under it as being received by Pickford—the prisoner said, "I tied the two trusses together"—that satisfied me that it might be so, and that they had been taken as one by Pickford—on the 8th of Feb., the officer showed me these goods which are here—I than looked at Coward's book again, and found the figure I had been altered to a 2, but the word "One, Pickford and Company," remained—I have examined these two pieces of waistcoating which are here, and they correspond in pattern and quality with the goods I expected to receive from Mr. Norton—I do not know whether the trusses had been opened or not, but I received the invoice, and I said, "Let them go bank"—these are precisely the description of goods which I had ordered, and which I desired might go back—they amounted to 8l. 0s. 7d., at 5s. 3d. a yard—Coward had access to the warehouse—his wife and him slept there. Cross-examined by MR. DOANE. Q. Are we to understand that you saw the contents of either of these trusses, or that on the 6th of Oct, you saw either one or two delivered to Coward? A. I did not—I was as that time very busy about my own private affairs—I did not send a vast quantity of goods back—I had very few—I do not recollect tending any others back, but these on the 6th of Oct.—I did not see these trusses—I ordered them to go back—I can only tell the contents of them from the invoice—these are called waistcoating—they are known in the trade by that name. JOHN AYRES . I am porter to Messrs. Pickford and Co., of Wood-street. On the 6th of Oct. Coward came to the wharf, and brought one truss, not two tied together, but one single truss, directed to Norton Clayton West—he produced this book (looking at it) for me to check it with the figure 1, and I put my initial A on it, and the figure 6—I then handed it to him to take to Mr. Edwin—I recollect at the time there was but one truss—if there had been two tied together, I should have noticed it. Cross-examined by MR. DOANE. Q. Did you see the truss? A. I did not—it is not usual to weigh the goods, unless they are carriage-paid—those that are not paid are weighed at the station at Camden-town—small parcels might be sent without weighing, but this was a truss, and would be weighed at Camden-town. THOMAS EDWIN . I am clerk to Messrs. Pickford and Co. I was in their employ on the 6th of Oct.—I have examined this entry in this parcel-book—this is not the way in which it left our office, it has been altered from a 1 to a 2—this word "One" and "T E" is my writing—I should not have written "One" if there had been a 2—I did not see the truss myself. Cross-examined by MR. DOANE. Q. Do you know any thing about the bales? A. I did not see them—you can see where the I has been; and, to the best of my belief, it has been changed to a 2—I can see the remains of the 1. GEORGE GELDER . I am clerk and traveller to Mr. Norton, of Clayton West, near Huddersfield. About the 21st of Sept. I received an order from Mr. Smith for waistcoating—amongst others, these two pieces were forwarded to him; and a third piece, corresponding with this small pattern—they were sent on the 4th of Oct.—I expected to receive these back—we received as piece, but not these—Mr. Norton then went to London—these were invoiced at 5s. 3d. a yard. Cross-examined by MR. DOANE. Q. you had things of this kind? A. Yes—I did not take them to the carrier or the railway. Cross-examined by MR. WYLDE. Q. There was some order sent to your master about the 20th or 21st of Sept.? A. Yes—this was not the only Order we had for waistcoating—we had a variety of orders. SAMUEL WOOD . I am a fancy weaver, and live at Malthorp, near Hudden-field. I am employed by Mr. George Norton—I wove the piece of waistcoating from which this little pattern has been taken between the 20th and 30th of Sept. last—I also wove one of these two pieces, but not the other—this is the one I wove—each piece was ten yards and a half long—I never saw a piece of exactly the same pattern as this is—I never made one of the same figure before—I delivered them to the person who takes in work for Mr. Norton—this other piece I saw on the 16th of Feb.—it is the same description as mine, hut I did not weave it. GEORGE GELDER re-examined. This other piece was woven for us by one of our weavers, and it is one of the pieces that was forwarded to London. HENRY SMITH (police-constable G 148.) In consequence of direction, I placed myself as a lodger at the Admiral Carter—I saw Newcombe there, and Coward was there almost everyday—I have seen them in conversation together, and they have dined together there. Cross-examined by MR. DOANE. Q. When did you first set them? A. About the 27th of Dec.—I found out the house on the 23rd, and on the 24th I took lodgings there—I do not know whether it is a house of call for porters—there is a cobler's stall outside the house, but not-a pitching-block. MR. CLARKSON. Q. Did you see a great many linen drapers' men and porters there? A. Yes. JAMES DEADMAN . I keep the Admiral Carter, in Bartholomew-close. I know both the prisoners—Coward frequented my house for about five weeks, from Dec. to Jan., and Newcombe was in the habit of coming for about three months—I cannot say whether he came before Dec. or not—I have seen the prisoners together two or three times a week at my house—they might have dined there, but never dined with me. Cross-examined by MR. DOANE. Q. I suppose you have seen many other people at your house? A. I may have seen twenty more—Newcombe went by the name of Roberta, I think—there is a block for porters to pitch their loads at the door. SAMUEL SPARROW WLLIS . I bought these two pieces of waistcoating of Newcombe, on the 6th of Oct., at 3s. 9d. a yard, and another piece of which this small piece is a pattern—there were 10 1/2 yards in each of those pieces that are entire, and 10 3/4 yards in the other piece—I sold the piece that, this is the patten of for 50s., not quite 5s. a yard. Cross-examined by MR. DOANE. Q. What day do you venture to say you purchased these? A. On the 6th of Oct—I recollect the day by this-entry, "6th 0ct, Newcombe, 24l. 11s. 6d."—this includes other things as well as these—my attention was called to this in Feb. last, after I had been to Bow-street—I will swear these goods were not bought in Aug, last—when I was examined before, I spoke from memory—I was in the country in Sept., and these goods were not purchased till I returned—I have an entry in my day book that I sold this piece for 2l. 10s. Cross-examined by MR. WYLDE. Q. you do not mean that there is anything particular about the goods themselves? A. No—I swear I had them in my possession, and that 1 bought them of Newcombe—I have never expressed a doubt as to who I bought them of—I did speak with hesitation, but I corrected myself afterward, and recollected it perfectly well directly after. SAMUEL RUST . My wife bought a piece of waistcoating at Mr. Wallis's, at 5s. a yard, and I paid for it. NICHOLAS PEARCE . I am inspector of police. I went on the 7th of Feb. to Mr. Wallis, and found these pieces. JONATHAN WHITCHER (police-constable A 27.) I took Coward on the 7th of Feb.—I asked if he knew a man named Newcombe—he said he did not. (Henry Cockrell, an upholsterer; Benjamin Turner, parish-clerk of St. Sepulchre's; Richard Hutchinson, a grocer; and Benjamin Dowling, a meat-salesman in Newgate-market; gave Coward a good character.) COWARD— GUILTY . Aged 35.— Transported for Seven Years. NEWCOMBE— GUILTY . Aged 39.— Transported for Fourteen Years. (There was another indictment against Newcombe.) --------------------------------------------------- George Coward was sent to the new prison at Pentonville, and was later sent to Port Phillip, Victoria, as an "Exile", on the Sir George Seymour.