Eustace Jones

116

Tony Beale on 19th March 2021

Old Bailey Online 1750. JOHN WADE and EUSTACE JONES were indicted for feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Jane Green, at the parish of St. Luke, Middlesex, on the 31st of July, and stealing therein I tea-urn, value 4l. her property. RICHARD PUGH . I am a servant to Miss Jane Green, at Whiteland House, King's-road, Chelsea. On the 31st of July, between six and seven o'clock in the evening, I was in the garden, and saw Wade handing an urn out of the window to Jones—Wade was in the house, on the store-room window on the ground floor—Jones was standing outside—I had seen that window shut about an hour before, close, but do not know whether it was fastened—I had been in the store-room, and am certain it was shut down—it is part of the dwelling-house—there was third man standing in the road, who appeared to belong to them—Wade got out of the window, and Jones gave him back the run—they went out of the front garden into the road—the third man whistled and said, "All is right"—that was before Wade got out of the garden—they went down Turk's-row, by the Asylum wall, and up Sloane-street—Wade walked by himself, and Jones and the other man behind—Wade went up Sloane-street into the New-road—I went and asked a boy for a policeman, and I followed Wade and seized him—the policeman was close to me at the time—Wade said the two whom I saw with him gave it him to carry to Knightsbridge, and were to pay him for it. Cross-examined by MR. PHILLIPS. Q. Had you known Wade before? A. No—it was about half-past six o'clock in the evening—I am certain wade was one of them—I should know the other two also—I saw them for about ten minutes; I was close to them—I do not think they saw me—the third man saw me—there was nothing to prevent their seeing me—I dare say they all saw me; but they did it before they saw me—Wade had the urn under his arm when he was taken. JANE GREEN . I am single. This is my urn—I keep the house at Whitelands. Cross-examined. Q. Is the parish St. Luke, Chelsea? A. Yes—the urn is plated—it is my own—I pay the rates—it is the parish of St. Luke, Chelsea. DAVID M'CANN . I am a policeman. The parish is called St. Luke in Chelsea—I saw the prisoner, about fifteen minutes before the robbery, come down King's-road from a public-house—I assisted in taking Wade with the urn under his arm. Cross-examined. Q. You say you have heard the parish called St. Luke, Chelsea? A. Yes; I have always heard it called so, but I cannot be certain that is the name. (Jones put in written defence, stating that he could prove he was elsewhere at the time of the robbery, for which purpose he called the following witnesses.) JAMES TYLER . I have been a clerk in a merchant's office. I am out of a situation now—I was a clerk in Hamburgh last, in the house of Mr. Fisher—I left there last April—I was born at Hull—I live on an allowance from my father—I have known Jones about two months—he came to lodge in the same house as I did, and on Friday, the 31st of July, the day the robbery is said to be committed—I was with him from about half-past ten till a quarter past seven o'clock in the evening, when he left the lodging-house together with another young man to go to the rendezvous of the East India Company—he left the lodging-house No. 3, Church-lane, Saint Giles, with M'Gee, (who has since left the house—he knew last Friday that the prisoner was taken up—I cannot say why he does not attend)—he was no longer out of my sight than during the time he was in the office of the East India recruiting depôt—I took him there myself to enlist—he entered into the office, and came out again—the circumstance of his not appearing next day, makes me recollect this was the 31st of July—we remarked it—we expected to see him there as he owed something to the landlord—he was taken to the doctor of the East Inida Company next morning down at Chelsea—I do not know what has become of the man who has gone away—the prisoner had a dark blue frock coat on on the 31st of July, very much torn—as to the rest of his dress, I cannot say—he was not dressed in a drab coat—the man who was with him had a black-body coat and black trowsers—he left with him at a quarter past seven o'clock—we had been strolling about the street from ten o'clock that morning till a quarter past seven, and in a public-house, and from about five o'clock I was in the lodging-house with him—I was not at Chelsea, and did not go with hims there next day. MORRIS MITCHELL . I rent two houses. The prisoner Jones lodged with me for a year and a half by the name of Jones—on the 31st of July, he was at my premises—he came in between five and six o'clock—the other man was with him—I cannot recollect his name—my house is No. 3, Church-lane, Saint Giles—the last witness lodged with me, his name is Tuney—the man in the black body-coat lodged with me—he left two or three days after, as he could not pay his lodging—he slept in the house the same night as Jones was committed—he knew he was charged with the robbery—he was with him when he went to the office in Soho-square, on the 31st of July—I did not go with them, but they left my place at a quarter past seven o'clock to go there—I have a clock in my premises, and I noticed the time—I generally take notice of everything that comes in and goes out—he eat and drank before he went out—he had bread and butter, and tea or coffee—I do not recollect which—there was a fire in the room—he made tea himself—I saw him make tea and sit down—I was not out of the house while he was there—there are not many lodgers in the house at the present time, but there was one of them who is here—I cannot tell what time the prisoner took tea on the 30th of July; there are so many coming in and out—I recollect the 31st Well; as he told me as soon as he came in that he had enlisted in the East Inida Company—he said. "I am not to stop here to-night; but I will pay you accordingly, and I will have a cup of tea;" and with that he had a cup of tea, and stopped till a quarter after seven o'clock, till he went to Soho-square. JOSEPH TAYLOR . I live at No. 28, Soho-square, and am a sergeant in the East India recruiting staff. The prisoner Jones came to the depot in Soho-square at half-past eleven o'clock on the 31st of July, and enlisted into the servant, and after that left the premises—I saw no more of him till ten minutes past eight o'clock in the evening—I do not know Church-lane, Saint Giles—you may go to Saint Giles in three minutes from Soho-square, or to any part of it in ten minutes—a person at Chelsea at half-past six o'clock could get to Soho-square about eight o'clock, and have half an hour to spare—he slept at Soho-square that night, to go down in the morning to pass the doctor at Chelsea—he entered in the name of James William Jones. RICHARD PUGH re-examined. I had no acquaintance with the prisoner before that evening—Jones's back was to me when the urn was handed out of the window—I saw his face when he was coming out of the gate—I did not see him all the time; mu attention was more directed to the man carrying the urn—they separated—I am not mistaken in Jones's person—I am sure he is the man—he did not speak at all—the third man was dressed in a dirty light jacket and blue trowsers—Jones had a dirty blue coat and a pair of dirty white trowsers. DAVID M'CANN re-examined. I have not the slightest doubt of Jones—I had seen him the day the King dined at Lord Mansfield's—I saw him with the other prisoner and the third man, at Hampstead—I am sure he is the man I saw with Wade, about fifteen minutes before the robbery—he was dressed in a dark blue frock-coat, and whitish trowsers; dirty—I apprehended him in the Phœnix public-house, Chelsea. JOSEPH TAYLOR . The doctor lives at the bottom of Smith-street, Chelsea. DAVID M'CANN . That is not many yards from the public-house; I apprehended Jones, having seen him with Wade, and suspecting his—I had seen him go into the public-house—he was in company with a sergeant of the East Inida Company when I took him—I have not the slightest doubt of him. (William Sellis, green-grocer, of College-street, Chelsea; John Georgel, Brompton-crescent; and Robert Everard, Oxford-street, gave the prisoner wade a good charactor.) WADE— GUILTY .† Aged 21. JONES— GUILTY .† Aged 23. of stealing only. Transported for Seven Years.