William Starkey

116

Tony Beale on 10th December 2020

Old Bailey Online 508. WILLIAM STARKEY, otherwise JOSEPH SIMMONS , was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 11th of September , a trunk, value 4s. five shirts, value 5l. five pair of stockings, value 1l. a pair of breeches, value 15s. two waistcoats, value 30s. five neck-handkerchiefs, value 10s. four handkerchiefs, value 10s. a wooden box, value 1s. a hat, value 1l. a cloak, value 2l. 12s. a wooden case, value 6d. and forty yards of leather, value 1l. the property of Thomas Andrews . THOMAS ANDREWS sworn. - On Wednesday, the 11th of September, about ten minutes before eight in the evening, I had taken a place to go down in the Bristol mail; I called a coach at the London coffee-house, into which I put my luggage; when we got to Milk-street, opposite the Swan with Two Necks, in Lad lane , the coach stopped, and the door was opened, I cannot say whether it was by the prisoner or not; the door was opened and this man appeared at the door of the coach without a hat; he asked me for my luggage, which I very readily handed out to him, conceiving him to be a porter belonging to the inn; he asked me what mail I was going by, and I told him to carry it to the Bristol mail; he took the luggage, and turned round the corner, as I supposed to go to the coach-office; I stopped, intending to pay the coachman; but upon recollection, I did not like to lose sight of my luggage, I desired the gentleman who was with me in the coach to pay the fare for me; I immediately went round the corner of Milk-street, I saw the prisoner with my luggage, considerably from the office-door, leading to Wood-street; I went after him, I seized him by the collar, and brought him to the coach-office. I then delivered him into the hands of the constable; I did not deliver the trunk to the constable, I took it down with me directly to Bristol. The articles mentioned in the indictment were contained in the trunk and box. I did not see the boxes packed, but found those articles in the boxes which were taken from the prisoner. Q. How far might he have got beyond the coach-office? - A. I suppose thirty feet from the door, and ten feet beyond the long window; he was between a run and a walk. DAVID PARRY sworn. - I am clerk to Mr. Wilson, at the Swan with Two Necks. Q. Was the prisoner a porter of your's? - A. No. Q. Did you ever give him authority to take parcels for your house? - A. Never, he was quite a stranger to me. On the 11th of September, Mr. Andrews brought the prisoner into our office, with the luggage in his hand. We having frequently lost property in that way, I sent for the constable and gave charge of him. DANIEL CARTWRIGHT sworn. - I took charge of the prisoner, for stealing Mr. Andrews's luggage. When I came into the office, he said if he had done any thing wrong, he begged the gentleman's pardon. I took him to the Compter. Prisoner's defence. I was standing talking with my sister, in Milk-street; Mr. Andrews came down in a coach, the door opened, and he asked me to carry the boxes for him, which I did till I got to the door of the Swan with Two Necks in Lad-lane, and then he charged me with wanting to embezzle his property: the clerk of the office swore, before my Lord-Mayor, that I was one of their porters, and had been in the office ten days. Parry. I had been informed by some people that he had formerly been in our service as horse-keeper ; but he had never any thing to do in the office: we have four porters on purpose for that business solely. GUILTY (Aged 28.) Transported for seven years . Tried by the London Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.