Mary Randall

135

C H on 22nd February 2024

Old Bailey Online MARY RANDALL. MARY BUTLER. ANN CLARKE. ANN WILSON. MARY READING. Violent Theft; robbery. 12th December 1787 Text type Trial account Defendants MARY RANDALL, MARY BUTLER, ANN CLARKE, ANN WILSON, MARY READING Offences Violent Theft > Robbery Session Date 12th December 1787 Reference Number t17871212-17 Verdicts Guilty > Lesser offence, Not guilty Punishments Transportation 21. MARY RANDALL , MARY BUTLER , ANN CLARKE , ANN WILSON , and MARY READING were indicted for feloniously assaulting Joseph Clark , in the dwelling house of Joseph Rider , on the 10th day of November last, and putting him in fear and danger of his life, and feloniously taking from his person, and against his will, a silver watch, value 4 l. a silk handkerchief, value 2 s. a guinea, a half guinea, and eleven shillings, one bank note of 20 l. and one bank note of 15 l. his property. JOSEPH CLARK sworn. I keep a chandler's shop , No. 19, the corner of Angel-gardens, Back-lane, Shadwell; I was robbed the 10th of November last, between the hours of eight and nine in the evening, at No. 45, Cable-street , a private house; it is a house of bad repute; I do not know any further, but I was dragged in by two people; I was go- going home; I had been at the bank to receive some money. Had you been drinking any where? - I had drank one pot of beer with my two brothers in the forenoon. Had you drank any more that day? - No, not to my knowledge; I was in Cable-street when I was first assaulted; that was in my way home from the Bank; I had half a cheese upon my head, I was looking in at the window at No. 45, I had no particular reason for looking in, and the prisoners Ann Clark and Mary Reading came first to the door; I never saw them before in my life, to my knowledge; they came behind me, and took hold of my hand that was upon the cheese, and forced me into the house, No. 45; they both seized me, and forced me in; they said I should go in; I said I would not go in, by any means; I said I wanted to go home. Could not you have disengaged yourself if you had had a mind? - I had property about me, and cheese upon my head. What! they forced you in against your will? - They did. You absolutely refused to go! - I did. Did you call for any assistance? - No, I did not. How came you not to do that; you were not under any great apprehensions what they would do to you? - No, Sir. Did you make all the resistance you could? - I did. What sort of resistance was it? - I tried to keep out as well as I could, with the cheese on my head. Did you struggle with them as hard as you could struggle? - Yes, I did, and they forced me against my will into the front-room, on the ground floor next the street; I could not have got away without leaving my property. There is a good many people passing up and down? - I am quite a stranger to the place; I have not taken a shop there above a week; there were some people passing when they got me into the room; Ann Clark took the cheese off my head; she came behind me, and pushed it into a chest, by the bedside; says she, you shall stay all night; no, says I, I will not; then she shoved me to Mary Butler , who was sitting by the fire, and said I should send for something to drink; and I gave a shilling, and she brought me half a pint of gin. Then you had no objection to all that? - We drank the gin amongst us; Ann Clark came to me, and said I must play two games at cards with her, and I did; we played two games at all-fours; then she persuaded me to send for another half pint of gin, which I did; then as soon as I had drank the gin, I fell very sick; then Mary Randall said, my dear, you seem very sick; I would have you send for something for supper, and something to drink, and to go to bed; I said I only want my cheese and to go home; Mary Randall said, I should not have my property, till I sent for something to drink, and something for supper; well, says I, if I cannot get it without sending for something, here take a guinea, and bring me the change; she said she would; so when I gave her a guinea, she brought me nineteen shillings back; half a guinea in gold, and eight shillings and sixpence in silver; and she said, I should go up stairs, before I had my supper; I told her I would not; says she, you must go up stairs; then Mary Butler took hold of my hand, and Mary Randall shoved me behind, up two pair of stairs. All meer force? - Yes, all against my will. You could not resist at all? - I had a suspicion I was at a bad house, and I thought if I could get away quietly, it would be better, as I had some property about me; then when they forced me up stairs, Mary Randall shoved me on the bed, and she said; my dear, let me undress you, and you shall have your supper in bed; no, says I, pray do not use me ill, for I must go home; then she said, you must go into bed, then you shall have your supper; you shall not have your supper, till you get into bed; she took and forced my coat off, my hat, my shoes, and my handkerchief; she threw me on the bed, and I expected nothing but my life was in danger; and I cried out, for God's sake, do not use me ill; when she took my clothes off, Mary Reading brings up a bit of beef on a plate, without any thing else; says I, come now, here is my supper; if I am to have my supper, let me have it; then Mary Reading went out of the room and returned with the other drink, that Mary Randall persuaded me to send for; that was more gin, and I drank another glass; then this Mary Randall says to me, my dear, you seem to have a deal of property about you, because I had a 20 l. note, and a 15 l. note in a canvas bag in my pocket, and she saw it stick out, and she desired I would let her take care of it for me; says I, what occasion have I to let you take care of my money; I am capable enough of taking care of it; says she, what, you will not let me have it? no, says I, I will not; then says she, I will have it; then Mary Butler took my hands and put them behind me; I was afraid to make any resistance, or else I could have done it; Mary Reading took the 20 l. note, and the 15 l. note out of my left hand breeches pocket, and a guinea and half, and eleven shillings out of my right hand breeches pocket, and a silver watch out of my fob; and as soon as ever Mary Randall had got my property, she run down stairs, and I took my coat in my right hand, and ran after her; I pursued her to the sign of the Green man; I went into the house, and the landlord came and said, you dog, what do you want? I told him; says he, you dog, you do not look to be worth forty farthings, instead of forty pounds; and immediately he shoved me into the kennel; I have nothing more to say; I never saw any thing of the notes; but on Tuesday when Mary Butler , and Ann Clark were taken, I was at the King's Arms, opposite to Guildhall; and I said, I will take my oath to that handkerchief, there is a hole in it, and the man that took her, pointed out the handkerchief, and said, what, a new handkerchief, with a hole in it! BENJAMIN ALLEN sworn. I am a baker; on the 10th of last month, about half after ten at night, I heard a young man speak very low; I lodged in the two-pair of stairs forward, joining the room where the robbery was done, which was the two-pair of stairs backwards; I got out of bed and looked through the key hole of the wainscot, and I saw Mary Randall stripping the prosecutor; I heard him say, do not use me ill; then he got up, and there was some meat brought in on a plate; and I saw Mary Butler take hold of his hands, and put them behind him, and the tall one rifled his breeches pockets, and put the money and the papers together, to take care of for him; and then she rushed out of the room; and then the prosecutor took his coat, and made his way after her; and I heard him cry, murder and thieves; I heard nothing till next morning of what was lost; but the maid came up soon after, which was the prisoner Reading, and she swore by a heavy oath, that they would not have had any of the bit, if it had not been for her; she came up and locked the door, after the robbery was done. How long have you lodged at this house? - About a month. How long had the prisoners lodged there? - All that time, and a long time before, I believe; I lived in the same man's rents, but I did not think the house was so bad till I came to it; a poor man cannot always get a lodging when he will. Prisoner Randall. How could he see through the crack of the door, and if he knew this man was going to be robbed, why did not he come in to his assistance? - I saw it through a hole I could put my thumb through; there are two holes; I should have got knocked on the head if I had gone in. How long did you stay in the house after this supposed robbery? - I lodge in the house now; the women have not been seen there since. JOHN BURGESTON sworn. On the 14th of November I was in the 1 s. gallery at the Royalty Theatre; an information came to me that Mary Randall had robbed a young fellow of some money and a watch; I went immediately to the left hand of the gallery, and there I saw Randall, and Ann Wilson , and Mary Reading ; I went and touched Ann Wilson on the shoulder, and asked her, if her name was not Poll Randall; she said no; that I knew her very well, and her name was not Poll Randall; I had seen Poll Randall before at the counter; I went out of the gallery, and went up again; and she had moved from the left-hand side to the right-hand side; the prisoner Reading got up and went out of the gallery; I touched Mary Randall , and she told me she would not go till the performance was over; I took them into custody; she was then carried before the magistrate, who committed her to the Tower Gaol; on the Friday following I carried them up to Hicks's-hall, and they were committed. WILLIAM FORSYTH sworn. I am Constable; on the 14th of November, Mary Butler and Ann Clark were brought before the Lord Mayor; when the Lord Mayor found the robbery had been committed in the county, he ordered then to be taken to a magistrate in the out-parts; then the prosecutor said, that is my handkerchief on Mary Butler 's neck; he said there was a little hole in it; I took them to Clerkenwell; and they were taken before a magistrate and committed. Did you observe Butler do any thing with the handkerchief? - No; there was a person did, but I did not; it has been in my possession on ever since. (The handkerchief produced and deposed to.) Prosecutor. It was before I claimed the handkerchief she tore the hole in it; it was Samuel Samuels that pointed out the hole after I had mentioned it; says he, what, a new hole in a new handkerchief; my brothers William Clarke and Benjamin Clark were present. Prisoner Butler. Please to ask the gentleman whether he was not in liquor when he first came into the house? - When the landlord threw me in the kennel, I was in liquor, but I was very sensible what I was about. Where had you spent your time from the time you received this money to this time? - I received it between twelve and one as near as I can guess; I went round to every body I had any business with, to order in things for the shop; and, upon account of losing this money, I was obliged to disallow it. Did you pay any money in the course of that time? - No; I did not. WILLIAM CLARKE sworn. I am brother to the prosecutor; I went with him, on the 10th of November, to the bank; he sold out half a hundred in the three per cent consols. Mr. Davis in Bishopgate-street was his broker; he gave him a cheque on a banker in Lombard-street for the money; Messrs. Stone and Co. were the bankers; I saw a person who received it, and who gave him a 20 l. and a 15 l. bank notes, at the King's heal, near Lombard-street. PRISONER RANDALL's DEFENCE. I have nothing to say; I was not at home at the time. PRISONER BUTLER's DEFENCE. He went along with another woman after he left me. PRISONER CLARKE's DEFENCE. I was sitting in this lower room, and this man came in and gave Mary Butler his handkerchief; he said he had no money; then there came in two strange women, and he took a liking to the tallest, and went up stairs with her; I do not know who they were; he came down stairs, and said he was robbed; and he said he would swear to the first he could catch. Prosecutor. I did not say so. Court to Prosecutor. Did you see Wilson there? - No. Court. Then I shall not call on her for her defence. Prisoner Randall. My witnesses are not come yet. Prisoner Butler's witnesses called, but none answered. MARY RANDALL , MARY BUTLER , GUILTY Of stealing the money and notes, but not violently . Transported for seven years . ANN CLARKE , ANN WILSON , MARY READING , NOT GUILTY . Tried by the first Middlesex Jury before Mr. Justice HEATH.