Ann Kelly

343

Maureen Withey on 11th March 2024

Tried at the Old Bailey, 15 Feb 1809. 235 ANN KELLY and MARY MURRAY were indicted for feloniously stealing on the 28th of January , eight lambs wool socks, value 2 s. 6 d. and a pair of lamb's wool gloves, value 1 s. the property of Robert Kenyon . ROBERT KENYON . Q. Are you a shop keeper - A. Yes, I live in Little Newport street . On a Saturday last month, between three and four o'clock in the afternoon, both of the prisoners came into my shop to look at some ribbons, lying in a basket on the counter; they asked me the price of one of them; I told her ninepence a yard; there was a yard and a half of it; she asked me to cut her off a yard, and bid me less than the yard came to; I could not take it; they both walked out of the shop; there were a quantity of lambs wool gloves and socks laying at the end of the counter, close by both of them, they stood together; Murray, when she got out of the shop she was running along the window, and the other after her; seeing a deficiency of socks on the counter, I ran after them; when they saw me following of them, Kelly dropped a single sock on the ground. Q. Did they look back to see you - A. Yes; I came up to Kelly and told her I wished to search her; Murray walked into a door place, that led up to a billiard room; it was in Earles court that I stopped them; Murray had a milk pail in her hand, she cried out milk there; when she returned out I saw a sock laying on the ground from where she came from: I then took them both back to my own house; before I searched them one of them flung three odd socks on the ground. Q. Had you counted the socks and the gloves before they came into the shop - A. No, not to know how man there were; I found nothing upon either of them. MR. FITZPATRICK. I am a milliner and straw manufacturer; I live in Earles' court. On the 28th of January, I found a quantity of socks and gloves behind my street door, when I came to shut it at night. I delivered them to Mr. Kenyon. Q. to prosecutor. You received them socks of the last witness - A. Yes; I can swear to these being mine, a pair of lambs wool socks and gloves; there is a ticket to the socks. Q. Do you know where Fitzpatrick lives - A. Yes. That is where Murray went to cry out milk. Kelly's Defence. Not being accustomed to speak in a court like this, I have taken the liberty to state a few lines in writing. It is truly unfortunate in me, not having it in my power to employ a counsel; I was never out of the prosecutor's sight from the time I went out of the shop till he laid fast hold of me; he conducted me where I was searched and nothing was found on me; all this time I was either under his hands or his eye, so it was impossible for me to drop any thing without his seeing it; I was searched and nothing was found on me. I trust this will perfectly convince you of my innocence. Murray's Defence. I was going about my own business. I met this person, we went into the shop to buy a bit of ribbon; she did not purchase it; they searched us and found-nothing on us; there were a great many people in the shop besides us. KELLY, GUILTY , aged 37. MURRAY, GUILTY , aged 26. Transported for Seven Years . First Middlesex jury, before Mr. justice Heath.