Elizabeth Phillips

343

Maureen Withey on 29th August 2019

Elizabeth was tried at the Old Bailey. ELIZABETH PHILLIPS, Theft - grand larceny, 28th October 1801. 819. ELIZABETH PHILLIPS was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 26th of October, a silver watch, value 5l. the property of Robert Hunter. ROBERT HUNTER sworn. - I am a shipwright : Last Monday was a week, the 26th of October, I lost my watch. Q. Are you a married or a single man? - A. A single man. Q. Were you groggy? - A. Yes; I met with the prisoner, and went to a public-house in East-Smithfield; she asked me to go home with her, and accordingly I did; there was a woman there, who keeps the house, and I gave her money to get some liquor, and then we both went to bed. Q. Did you both undress? - A. Yes, entirely; I laid my clothes down upon the chair, and put my watch under the pillow; after we had laid awhile, we got up, and drest ourselves; she drest herself quicker than I did, and the old woman came up into the room, and kept me in talk while she went away with the watch; I saw the watch in her hand; it was a silver watch; I got up, and went after her as quick as I could, but she was gone in an instant; I could not find her till the next day. Q. Did you know the prisoner before? - A. Not till the night before I slept with the whole night; the officer has got the watch; the seal is a naked woman. GEORGE TOULMIN sworn. - I am a publican in East-Smithfield; the prisoner, in company with two other women and a sailor, came into my house on Monday, the 26th of October, about nine o'clock in the evening; each of them had a glass of rum at the bar; after they had drank their rum, they had no money to pay for it; the sailor presented me a watch, and said, you must buy this watch, for I mean to rig out this girl, and pay for her room; I told him I never bought any thing on the kind, he had better go and pawn it; he said, no, he would be d-d if he would pawn it; he wanted to rig his girl out, and he would fell it; I asked him if it was his own watch; he said, yes, it was; and the prisoner confirmed it as well as the two other women in company; I asked him what he asked for it; he said, four guineas; I looked at the watch, and told him, I would give him three for it, provided he would fetch it away another day; he said, he would come and give me the money for it again, and bring his brother with him; I then gave him a two-pound note, a one-pound note, and three shillings; one of the three shillings they paid for the liquor they had; the prisoner then asked him what he was going to give her to rig herself out; he then gave her one of the notes, and told her to go and buy herself some things; she went out, and he instantly followed her; I then saw no more of them till about ten o'clock the next morning; the sailor came in with the prisoner; he said, good mornning to you, I hope you will stick to your word, and let me have the watch again,as you promised last night; he made me renew my promise, and desired me to shake hands with him to bind it; he then had a glass of rum, and pulled out some halfpence, saying, that was all he had got left out of the three guineas, for he had spent it; he was to come again in the afternoon with his brother, and pay me three guineas and a half; immediately after they were gone, the police-officer came in, and asked for the watch, which I delivered to him. THOMAS GRIFFITHS sworn. - I am an officer belonging to Whitechapel: On Tuesday morning, the 27th of October, about ten o'clock, in consequence of information,I went with John Nowlan to a house in Henderson's-court, East-Smithfield, where we found the prosecutor keeping in the prisoner and another woman, who keeps the house, whom he charged with having robbed him of his watch; I asked the prisoner what she had done with the man's watch; she said, she knew nothing of it, she had not seen it; the prisoner said, it is of no use to deny it, I took the watch from the man, and I gave it to you, and you gave it to a sailor, and you went with me and the sailor to the Bunch of Grapes, where the sailor sold the watch; I then went to Toulmin's, and demanded the watch, which he gave me; I shewed it to the prosecutor, and he claimed it.(The watch produced, and identified by Hunter.) Prisoner's defence. The prosecutor came to metwice yesterday, and treated me, and told me he would not hurt me. GUILTY, aged 30. Transported for seven years. Second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Recorder. Source: Old Bailey online.