Daniel Owen

221

D Wong on 18th October 2019

17/3/1838 Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser Lancashire, England: Local Intelligence DARING AND EXTENSIVE ROBBERY.___Three men named Daniel Owen, __ Whitehead, and __ Kenworthy were brought the New Bailey, on Thursday last, on a very serious charge of robbery. It appeared that on Monday morning, about six o'clock, the drug warehouse attached to the dye-house of Mr. Radcliffe, in Moss-lane, Hulme, was broken open, and three chests of indigo of the value of £400 taken away. Immediately on the robbery being discovered, information was given at the Manchester Police Office, and Beswick, the head beadle, set an active inquiry on foot amongst the owners of porters' carts. In a short time he discovered that the only cart which had been out so early as six o'clock, was one belonging to a person named Basan, in Hulme, whose brother was at that time out with the cart. He did not return until late at night, and then it was discovered that he had carted a quantity of indigo from Mr. Radcliffe's warehouse to a place beyond Oldham. Beswick, accompanies by Lomas, Norbury, and the boy Basan, then engaged a coach and proceeded to the place whither the boy said he had taken the goods. When about four miles beyond Oldham they came to a lane. The ground was completely covered with snow, and in various parts of the lane it had drifted to a great depth. They were able to trace the track of the cart wheels a considerable distance until they came to a snow drift. Here the boy stated that he had discharged his load, and left it with the prisoners ; and Whitehead paid him £4. for carting it. Beswick and his party proceeded in the coach about a mile further, when they came to a farm house. The inmates were in bed, and after knocking some time the prisoner Whitehead gave them admission. The boy immediately identified him as the person who had paid him the £4., and Beswick told him of the robbery, of which, however, he denied all knowledge. A search was set on foot, and on the landing of some stairs leading to the bed-room where the prisoner Kenworthy slept, a bag of indigo was found. Their faces, necks, and hands, and Whitehead's coat were stained with indigo. Beswick secured them both, and leaving them in charge of one of his men, proceeded to search the out-houses. In the hay loft, under some of the hay, the remainder of the indigo was found, partly in the original boxes and partly in bags. On returning with his prisoners to Manchester,__Beswick and Phoenix went in search of Owen, whom they found in a tavern in Faulkner-street. He was also marked with indigo ; and three £5, notes, four sovereigns, and thirty shillings in silver were found on his person, which was the money paid him by Whitehead for his share of the plunder. The witness, Basan, stated that between five and six o'clock on the morning in question, he was called out of bed by the prisoner Owen, who told him that he wanted him to cart him some goods from Mulberry-street to Rusholme, and instructed him to go up Moss-lane where he would follow him. He had proceeded a considerable distance up the lane when Owen called after him, and said, he had gone too far. He turned his cart and proceeded to a yard adjacent to Mr. Radcliffe's warehouse, where his cart was loaded, and he was then told that he would be required to go to Oldham. When about four miles beyond that place, they turned up the lane, but the snow was so deep that they could not proceed very far with the cart, and a length, on coming to a deep now drift, the horse could go no further, and they discharged the load. The prisoner Whitehead met them in the land, and when the cart was discharged, he paid witness £4. It was about nine o'clock at night when he was dismissed in the lane and quite dark. They had stopped several times on the road, and when they had arrived a little beyond Oldham, they stopped at a public-house for a full hour and a half ; for Kenworthy said there were so many people who would watch their motions, that he did not like to go up the lane until it was dark. The prisoners were asked whether they wished to say any thing ; but their respective attorneys advised them to be silent, and they were fully committed to the sessions. No ships found for Whitehead or Kenworthy. Daniel Owen was 5'5¾" tall, sallow complexion, brown hair, hazel eyes, mark of a burn on left eyebrow, same eye partly closed, lost some upper front teeth, breast a little hairy, blue spot on back of lower left arm. Native Place: Cheshire. Sick book of the Male Convict Ship John Barry- National Archives. Folio 7: Daniel Owen, aged [not recorded], Convict; disease or hurt, rheumatism. Put on sick list, 5 March 1839. Discharged, 13 March 1839. Daniel Owen is not listed on the NSW Gov. Convict website - also is not on the Convict Death Register.

174

Iris Dunne on 3rd April 2019

Convict Indent: aged 30, Convicted 9 April 1838, Prisoner No.39-388, can read and write, Protestant, Widower, no children, Offence: Stealing Indigo, no previous convictions