Samuel Jones

Level 135

C H on 7th April 2024

Old Bailey Online SAMUEL JONES. Theft; simple larceny (from 1827). 12th May 1845. Text type Trial account Defendants SAMUEL JONES Offences Theft > Simple larceny Session Date 12th May 1845 Reference Number t18450512-1167 Verdicts Guilty Punishments Transportation 1167. SAMUEL JONES was indicted for stealing 1 watch, value 3l. 10s.; 1 guard, 16s.; and 1 key, 6d.; the goods of James Thomas Matthews; and that he had been before convicted of felony. JAMES THOMAS MATTHEWS . I am a traveller, and live at the Mazeppa Coffee-house, in Whitechapel. On Friday, the 2nd of May, I went to bed between twelve and one o'clock in the morning—I wound my watch up, and put it under my pillow—the prisoner and another person slept in the same room, each in separate beds—I got up between eight and nine o'clock in the morning—the prisoner was then gone, and my watch was missing from under the pillow—it had a silver guard to it and a key—this is it—I can swear to the whole of it. BENJAMIN JAMES RICKETTS . I keep the Mazeppa coffee-house. On the morning of the 2nd of May, about five o'clock, I let the prisoner out of my house—he does not regularly lodge there, but had slept there that night—I heard a noise a little before five—I went up, and he was going into my room—he had the handle of the door in his hand—he said he had made a mistake, and could not find his way down stairs—I said this was the way—he turned and went down, wished me good morning, and told me to keep the bed for him that night, but he did not return. GEORGE COOPER . I live in Little Carlisle-street, Marylebone. On Saturday morning, the 3rd of May, I went to the Charter coffee-house, kept by Clark, in the Edgware-road—I was looking at the paper there, between ten and eleven o'clock—the prisoner came in, and asked if I would buy the duplicate of a watch—he asked 5s. for it—I gave him 4s. 6d.—I took the duplicate to the pawnbroker's, and I was stopped there. ALFRED JOHN MILLS . I am assistant to Mr. Burgess, a pawnbroker, in Longacre. This watch was pawned with me on the 2nd of May, by the prisoner. JOSEPH THOMPSON (police-constable F 62.) I took the prisoner—I asked him if the watch was his own—he said, "No," his partner pawned it. (The prisoner put in a written defence, Hating that a man named Redman, with whom he had been in prison, had given him the watch to pledge, and gave him the duplicate for his trouble.) JOHN CHAPPELL WARD (police-constable S 122.) I produce a certificate of the prisoner's former conviction, which I got at the Sessions-house, Cletkenwell—(Read—Convicted 28th May, 1845, and confined three months)—I was present at the trial—the prisoner is the person. GUILTY . Aged 31.— Transported for Seven Years.