Sophia Neale

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Old Bailey Online JOHN WALLACE. SOPHIA NEAL. Theft; burglary. 5th April 1852 Text type Trial account Defendants JOHN WALLACE, SOPHIA NEAL Offences Theft > Burglary Session Date 5th April 1852 Reference Number t18520405-401 Verdicts Guilty, Guilty > Lesser offence Punishments Transportation, Transportation 401. JOHN WALLACE and SOPHIA NEAL were indicted for a burglary in the dwelling house of James Norton, and stealing 29 waistcoats and other articles, value 35l.; the goods of William Underwood. MR. BIRNIE conducted the Prosecution. GEORGE DUNHAM (policeman, F 57). On 2nd Feb., from information, I went to 45, Charles-street, Drury-lane—the prisoner Neal resides there—I went up to the second floor front room—the door was shut, and secured with a padlock—I came down stairs, and saw Neal in the street talking to a man; she had something under her apron—she then went into the house, and I followed her in—I bad not spoken to her; I was in plain clothes—I followed her-into the second floor front room, the room that I had previously seen locked—I saw in that room a box with the lid off, and in the box I found twenty-two new waistcoats, three old ones, two new coats, a pair of trowsers, a flannel shirt, a nightcap, a towel, a pair of drawers, three cigar eases, a pocket book, and a leather bag—Neal was present, and two other females—I said to Neal, "Whose things are these?"—she said, "They belong to the owner"—I said, "Whose box is this?"—she said, "Mine"—my brother officer searched another box there, and we took Neal into custody and took away the things—here is a portion of the things, the others were given up—I saw Neal again on 9th Feb.—she had been remanded—while we were in the prisoners' waiting room, she asked me if I had found a prosecutor for the things—I said, "Yes"—she said, "I am d—d if I suffer for all; this job was put up by my old man, Joe; you know him?"—I said, "Yes"—she said, "And a boy we call Ted, who is an apprentice to a gentleman in the City, and a young man, Charley; he has a father, a fireman, at Her Majesty's Theatre"—she afterwards said, "You must have seen my old man; he was speaking to me in the street, and I went with him and he stood some port wine"—I had seen her talking to a man in the street—I do not know that man—it was not Wallace; it was an older man than him—when she said, "You must have seen my old man" I said, "No"—I understood, by her old man, Wallace, because I knew she lived with him, and he always went by the name of Joe Wallace—I knew of my own knowledge that Wallace lived with her—I believe she said, "The job was put up by three others as well as me," or, "This job was put up by me and three others"—I believe those were the words—I believe she said, "As well as me"—I believe, "As bad as me," was the word—I took her to the station, and showed her a coat, a knife, and a small lantern—as soon as she saw the knife, she said, "I know that knife, it is my old man's; I have used it frequently, and can swear to it, the lantern belongs to a child, and he must have taken it there"—this knife and lantern were found on the prosecutor's premises. WILLIAM TROUGHTON LANGLEY (police-sergeant, F 42). I went to Neal's house, and searched one box—I found in it four coats, three new waistcoats, one old waistcoat, three new straw hats, a screw driver, saw, hammer, and other carpenter's tools—I know both the prisoners well—they live in the same room, the second floor front room, at 45, Charles-street—on 14th I apprehended Wallace at a public house, called Probin's Stores, in High Holborn—I said to him, "Joe, I want you"—he said, "All right; I heard you war after me"—I said, "I suppose you know what for?"—he said, "All right; but I thought it was my game to keep out of the way"—there were two other females in custody besides the prisoners; they were the two women who were in the room on the morning of 2nd Feb.—I heard Neal say to one of the women, who is her sister, "Don't you fret, I will get you out of it; what a fool I was to let my old man go"—Ellen Powell, who was sitting there, heard it. COURT. Q. Did she say when she let him go? A. When the policemen were coming up stairs; that was after we found the goods—when they were sitting in the waiting room at the office, she said, "I suppose I shall get layged," or, "I suppose I shall get sent away for this." Wallace. Q. You say she said, "What a fool I was to let my old man go;" how do you know she meant me? A. I always knew you lived with her—I have known you about four years—you have been living together at different times, when you had the opportunity. COURT. Q. Has he lived at that place all that time? A. No; he had lived in that room on two different occasions—he has lived there six months the last time. HELEN POWELL . I live at 45, Charles-street. I know both the prisoners—I know that they were living together as man and wife—I lived in the same room—I left it when the constables came and took me—I was in the room when the constables came—I saw them search the boxes, and these things produced taken out; I had not seen them before—I do not know what trade the prisoners follow, or how they get their living—on the afternoon of 1st Feb. I saw Wallace go out about 6 o'clock—on the day the officers came, I saw Wallace about three minutes before the officers came up—I was asleep, and was awoke by the door opening. COURT. Q. Were you not awake before they came up? A. I was awoke by the opening of the door; I saw Wallace at the door, and the constables came up—I saw Wallace go out about 6 o'clock in the evening—I did not get home till about 5 in the morning—I saw Wallace and the woman in bed together—I went to bed at 5 o'clock, and went to sleep—I was awoke by the opening of the door, and I saw Wallace standing at the door—he did not come into the room, he went out—Neal was up, and she remained in the room—the officers came into the room in about three minutes afterwards; they were coming up the stairs at the time. Wallace. Q. How long did you live with me and Neal? A. About a fortnight; I lived with you both about a fortnight previous to my going to Grays-inn-lane Hospital—I lived about a month with you—I went into the hospital about a month before Christmas—I came out in January—I did not pay you any particular sum for my lodging—I gave you my money, what I had given me; I paid you a great deal while I was with you—when the police came up, me, and Neal, and her sister were in the room—the police came about 7 o'clock in the morning—there were three in the room when they came, and one outside. WILLIAM UNDERWOOD . I am a tailor, at 145, Fleet-street—I reside in Frith-street, Soho-square—I left my premises, in Fleet-street, at 10 o'clock on Sunday night, 1st Feb.—I locked them myself, and saw them secure—I occupy the shop and cellar—no one belonging to me sleeps on the premises—there is a dwelling-house up stairs—there is no door from my shop to the other premises—there is no communication between my shop and the top of the premises—the cellar is covered with a grating—I saw the grating fast when I left—the policeman came to my house, in Frith-street, about 2 in the morning—I went to the premises with him—I found the grating had been wrenched up—I missed a great number of articles—the articles produced are mine—they were on the premises on the night in question—I reckoned at the time that the articles I missed were worth about 35l., but I have missed one since—I missed twenty-five waistcoats, eleven coats, three pairs of trowsers, and I found one pair torn to pieces, they were not torn when I left them—I missed seventeen yards of cloth—Mr. Bowman is my landlord—he does not live in the house, but four or five doors off. COURT. Q. Did you take the key away with you on Sunday night? A. Yes, both the keys—the grating was a new one, which I had had put—it was not a moveable one, it was fixed in the stonework—this pair of trowsers have my name on them—this waistcoat has my private mark—they have taken the private marks off some of the articles, but this one button has my name on it—this knife was picked up in my cellar by the officer, in my presence, near the grating. JOHN HINE JOHNSON (City-policeman, 43). On Sunday night, 1st Feb., I went to the prosecutor's premises, between 12 and 1 o'clock—I found the grating wrenched up—it is up the corner of Three Falcon-court, Fleet-street—I went into, the cellar—I found a quantity of coats and other things strewed about—I went up stairs, and found an entrance had been made into the shop by removing a panel, cutting through some green baize, and withdrawing a bolt—I went to Mr. Underwood, in Frith-street—he accompanied me back—we examined, and in the cellar I found these two pairs of trowsers and this coat, and on the counter, in the shop, I found this small lantern. COURT. to MR. UNDERWOOD. Q. Do you know this coat and trowsers found in the cellar? A. No; but by what I have heard since, I suppose they belonged to a discharged errand boy of mine, Edward Horraby. NEWMAN ALLEN (City-policeman, 323). I saw the prosecutor's premises all secure about 9 o'clock at night, and I saw the grating was broken about 12. Wallace. Q. Did you see me that night? A. No. COURT to HELEN POWELL. Q. Do you know this knife? A. Yes, I have seen it before, it belongs to Wallace—I am sure of that—I do not know this lantern. Wallace. I wish to retract my plea, and plead Guilty; Powell was an accessory before and after the fact: she had been kept by me by a system of plunder, knowing the same, for about three months. The prisoner Neal, in her defence, put in a letter from herself to her father and mother, in which she stated that she was out with Powell and her sister till 12 o'clock on Sunday night; that John Wallace took the room of the Deputy, and paid him 2s. 6d. back rent that he owed him, and 1s. deposit for the room; the young men, Ted and Charley, used to come to the plate to see Powell; they came up on Sunday to tea, and Ted said he had some clothes that he wanted to fetch from his master's, and asked Wallace and Charley if they would go with him; they said yes, and went, and John Wallace turned back and got his lantern and knife, and said he wanted them; that Wallace said to the apprentice, "Don't let the females know too much of what you have got to say;" that at 5 o'clock on Monday morning Powell came home, as she was a girl on the streets; John Wallace got out of bed and let her in, and dressed himself, and went out, and came in again at 7 o'clock, and he asked if she would get up to get the breakfast, which she did, and they then went into a public house and had a glass of port wine and water; in going down Charles-street, he said, "You go in first, and I will come after, for I want to see who those two men are watching;" that he came up stairs after her, stood at the room door, and said, "I suppose this is them;" he then made his escape, but she did not know how; before that, she was going to the box, and he told her not to open it; she asked him why, and he said there were some things in it he did not want her to see and which belonged to Ted and Charley, and they would come soon and take them away; and that she did not know what was in them till the officer came. HELEN POWELL re-examined by NEAL. I was in Neat's company on the night before I left her, and her sister about 8 o'clock—I did not see her after that—I heard Neal had been inquiring after me about 12, but I did not see her. The prisoner Neal called SARAH NEAL . I am the mother of Sophia Neal—she was in my company on the Sunday night on which the robbery was committed, till about 9 o'clock—she left me with her sister Betsey—I did not see her after 9. COURT to MR. IMDERWOOD. Q. How long before was your lad sent away? A. Five or six weeks—he was not turned away suddenly—I believe the clothes left in my cellar belonged to him, from what I have heard from his father—they are not like what he wore with me—his father identified these clothes from ray description of them—he said they were the same sort of clothes his boy had worn. WILLIAM WEST (police-sergeant, 7 F). I produce a certificate of Neal's conviction at this Court—(read—convicted, June, 1849, confined one year)—she is the woman. CHARLES PATIENCE (policeman, 399 A). I produce a certificate of Wallace's conviction at Guildhall, Westminster—(read—convicted Nov 1846, confined three months)—I was present—he is the man. GEORGE BASHFIELD . I produce a certificate of Wallace's conviction at Clerkenwell (read—convicted, June, 1847, confined six months)—he is the man—I have known him since I have seen him, when he has not been in prison. WALLACE— GUILTY†of Burglary. Aged 32.— Transported for Ten Years. NEAL— GUILTY of Receiving. Aged 23.— Transported for Seven Years.