Henry Rogers

110

Ron Garbutt on 21st March 2020

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 21 March 2020), September 1827, trial of HENRY ROGERS (t18270913-371). HENRY ROGERS, Theft > housebreaking, 13th September 1827. 1958. HENRY ROGERS was indicted for feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Richard Meggison Donkin , on the 29th of July , at St. Sepulchre, and stealing, 6 silver tea-spoons, value 2l. 2s.; 2 tablespoons, value 1l. 15s.; 2 salt-spoons, value 10s.; 1 pair of sugar-tongs, value 20s.; 2 muslin dresses, value 3l. 5s.; 1 lace veil, value 15s.; 1 hat, value 10s.; 1 other hat, value 1s. 6d.; 3 coats, value 6l; 1 great coat, value 3l.; 1 pair of trousers, value 2s.; 1 pelisse, value 7l.; 1 pair of boots, value 20s.; 1 shirt, value 10s.; 1 piece of linen cloth, containing 29 yards, value 2l.; 1 wafer seal, value 1s.; 4 shillings, 6 sixpences, 420 pence, and 120 halfpence , his property. MARY DONKIN . I keep the White Hart, public-house, Fleet-market ; my husband's name is Richard Meggison Donkin. On Saturday night, the 29th of July, about a quarter-past twelve o'clock, when we went to bed, these articles (enumerating the articles set out in the indictment) were safe; one dress was in the cupboard, the other hung there; the plate was all in the secretaire, and the other things were about; in the morning they were all gone - I have since seen the seal, which I had used overnight, to seal the lease of a house; both of which I locked up in the secretaire - I have found nothing but the seal. JAMES SIMONS . I live with Mr. Donkin. The prisoner offered me a sovereign to leave my master's door open - I had lived with Mr. Donkin three weeks; the prisoner had used the house about a fortnight; he gave no reason why I was to leave the door open - I did not do it - I went to bed on Saturday night, and at six o'clock next morning, the place had been robbed - I had seen the prisoner there as late as twelve on Saturday night- I am sure it was as late as twelve; the shutters were shut between seven and eight o'clock. Prisoner. Q. Did you tell your master I had offered you a sovereign? A. No. MARY DONKIN re-examined. My husband is not here - he and I have had a little unpleasantness, and he has left me - I hear he is on the Continent. I fastened the door on Saturday night, and took the cash up stairs, and locked it up. In the morning my husband came to me, and said the house was broken into - I then went down nearly as soon as him; the street door was fast, but the upper part of the bar window was down, and there three locks opened; the lock of the parlour door going into the yard was one. Prisoner. Q. Pray what house do you keep over the water? A. It is No. 71, Stamford-street - it is a truly respectable house; we have had but two people in it. GEORGE WADDINGTON . I am a constable. I took up the prisoner on the 10th of August, at the Bull public-house, in St. John-street. I found this seal, this screwdriver, and a fork on him - he was drunk and fell down. I took him up, and took him to the watch-house; when he was sober I told him what I wanted him for; he said he knew nothing about the things. I went to Mr. Donkin's, to see if the screw-driver would match with any marks on the premises, and the top drawer of the secretaire seems to have been opened with it - it has been made out of the blade of an oyster knife: when he was locked up there was a girl there who calls him her husband; the prisoner called to her, "Tell Tom to get out of the way." Prisoner. That could never open a drawer. Witness. Yes, it could, and it fitted exactly; the veneering is broken. MRS. DONKIN re-examined. The inner doors were found open in the morning; there were marks on the outside of the small palour door, into which the bar window looks; that door leads into the yard - I saw the marks on the door before the officer came; there is only a small lock on that door - and when they got in, they had to force the other door to get into the bar. I found a blue pocket handkerchief on the sofa in the bar, and I had seen that or one very like it, in the prisoner's hand, in the tap room, in the evening; here it is. I found it when I came down with only my gown on, when my husband alarmed me. I know this seal by the letter W. on it - it has no other mark; my husband gave it to me, and I said it would do reversed for my name, "Mary." I believe it to be mine - the property lost is worth about 35l. RICE PRICE . I took up Simons on suspicion, and he told me of the affair of the sovereign. JAMES SIMONS re-examined. I was taken on suspicion, and then stated that the prisoner had offered me a sovereign. WILLIAM JORDAN . I saw the prisoner on this Saturday night, between seven and eight o'clock, while I was putting up the shutters; the prisoner was putting up the tap-room shutters at the same time. Prisoner's Defence. I never saw that handkerchief before; if I had it, the boy must have seen it. I have shut up for the boy seven or eight evenings, as he was not tall enough; the person I got the seal from I have sent for, but she was afraid to come up, because she could not say who she bought it of - it was Mrs. Brown, of Portpool-lane; the boy states I was in the house at twelve o'clock, but Mrs. Dunkin says it was between ten and eleven. RICE PRICE. The house is in St. Sepulchre's parish. JURY to MRS. DONKIN. Q. Have you any thing here which you have sealed with this seal? A. No - I saw the prisoner and Simons talking together while I was sealing the lease, and said to my husband, "All is not right," andI took the cash up stairs, as I thought I saw the prisoner looking at me through the window - he never came to my house afterwards - he used it before, and another man named Tom. GEORGE WADDINGTON . There was no appearance of violence on the street door, but there was the mark of a person having got over the wall into a small yard - the parlour door opens into that yard, and on that door was a mark just the width of this oyster-knife - the marks still remain; on the secretaire drawer part of the veneer under the drawer is broken off - there is a small piece of the veneer in the middle, which is not broken off, which makes me think it was done with this, as it is a forked screw-driver. GUILTY - DEATH . Aged 23. https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/print.jsp?div=t18270913-371