Thomas Henry Stevens

135

C H on 23rd February 2024

Old Bailey Online THOMAS HENRY STEVENS. HUGH MORRISON. Theft; burglary. 26th October 1814 Text type Trial account Defendants THOMAS HENRY STEVENS, HUGH MORRISON Offences Theft > Burglary Session Date 26th October 1814 Reference Number t18141026-58 Verdicts Guilty, Guilty Punishments Transportation 926. THOMAS HENRY STEVENS and HUGH MORRISON were indicted for burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling house of Thomas Tramfield , about the hour of one in the night of the 5th of October , with intent to steal, and stealing therein a pipe, value 5 s. a whip, value 2 s. a yard of Irish cloth, value 2 s. a pair of stays, value 3 s. two thimbles, value 1 s. two table cloths, value 6 s. two bottles, value 2 d. a till, value 1 s. ten shillings in monies numbered, and a one pound note , his property. THOMAS TRANFIELD . I keep the Wheatsheaf public house , Dorset-street. in the parish of St. Mary-le-bone . On the night of the 6th of this month, I was up last in the house. I bolted and locked the street door. I left the till in its place; the till was not locked, the key was missing. I got up the next morning some time after five, not quite daylight. I went to take down the shutters, and I discovered a wooden pannel in the window out of one side of the window. The shutter had been taken down and put up again. The pannel had been taken out by some instrument; they must have taken the shutter down, and have put it up again I am certain on the over night it was perfectly secure. They had left my bar door open; they had unbolted my bar door that goes into the street, and they went out that way, that door was fastened the over night perfectly. I found the bar in a confused state; the till was completely gone; there was a one pound note in the till the over night, and upwards of forty shillings in silver, and from ten to twenty shillings in halfpence; all were gone together. There were four packages of halfpence on the counter; they were left; they visible enough if there had been light enough for them to have seen them, whoever they were that had broken into the house; they had forced a lock exactly underneath the place where these halfpence were. They had not got that till open; the key of the other till was in that till, but they did not get that till open. Q. Had you a German pipe there? - A. Yes; I had used it the over night; I missed that, and I had got some cordial bottles; four of them were disturbed and two were taken away. They were common quart bottles; one with Noyeau, and the other with lovage, with gilt labels; they had left a pair of napkeen breeches behind them. They took some articles of linen, and they took a penknife out of my desk. I lost a whip, that hung over the door, and I missed a table cloth and a bank note. I am certain it was in the till. Q. Did you know the prisoners - A. Yes; Morrison was in the habit of using the house before I came into it, and often; I never saw Stevens in the house. JOSEPH BECKITT . I belong to the house of correction. I went with Adkins to Stevens's house; I found this phosphorus in Stevens's waistcoat pocket, a crib, and a dark lantern. I found upon the ledge, outside of the window: this thimble was found on the table in the room. HENRY ADKINS . I am an officer. On the 12th I first received the information, and on the 12th, I, in company with Beckitt, apprehended Stevens. I went to No. 6. Mitchell-street. Lissen Green; I saw Stevens. I told him I came to apprehend him on suspicion of robbing the wheatsheaf public house. I asked him for the duplicate of a german pipe, that he had pledged for two shillings; he said, he had not; he did not know what I meaned; I then proceded to search the room; in a box in the room. I found two table cloths; in the bed I found two old shirts. He said, they were his shirts. I asked whose box it was; Amelia Buckley , was with him. She said, it was her box. In that box, I found a pocket-book. I asked him if he knew Morrison, or William the Baker. After taking Stevens to the office, I went with Beckitt, and apprehended Morrison at the Duke Wellington public house, Crawford Street, I asked him what his name was; he said, William Johnson . I asked him if he knew Henry Stevens ; he said, he did. I told him, I took him for the robbery of the Wheatsheaf public-house. On taking him to the watchhouse, he said. he did not care what became of him, his name was not Johnson, but Hugh Morrison . JAMES GODDARD . I am a journeyman to Mr. Creswell, 38, Whitechapel-road. On the 7th of October, a German pipe was pledged with me, by Hugh Morrison ; another man was with him, of the heigth and size of Stevens. I am not sure it was Stevens, but I am sure of Morrison. GEORGE LANE . I am a pawnbroker, 89, Edgewere-road. I produce two table-cloths, pledged on the 10th of October; they were brought by the daughter of a creditable woman, in our neighbourhood, in the name of Allen. BETTEY ALLEN. Q. Did you take some tableclothes to pawn at Mr. Lane's - A. I did. I had them of Amelia Buckley . AMELIA BUCKLEY . I live at No. 6, Mitchel-street, Lisson Green. I know Stevens; he was in the habit of coming backwards and forwards to me, he did not live with me constant. The Wheatsheaf public-house was broken open last Thursday night three weeks; that was the night he came to me. I had seen both the prisoners that day, between five and six o'clock; I saw the two prisoners in Crown-street, Soho, at an old iron shop; I went there that evening; between five and six, and while I was there Stevens and Morrison came in, and we remained there until between nine and ten o'clock; then we all went home to Mitchell-street, to my place, and they staid there until eleven o'clock; it was a very wet night, it rained very hard. Morrison said, come Stevens let us go, they cannot lock the till, I have got the key; he put his hand into his pocket, and took a key out. They both left my place then, and between one and two Stevens came in, he knocked two or three times at the door, who let him in, I don't know. He brought a bottle with him; he said, here Amelia, here is a bottle, where shall I put it; it is marked Noyeau on it; he pulled out two shirts. I told him to put the bottles on the table; a handkerchief with five shillingsworth of loose halfpence he put on the bed, a silver thimble, two old shirts, two table clothes, a German pipe, and a pen-knife, that is all I found when I got up in the morning. The next morning, the two prisoners came, and took breakfast with me. We all three went to Whitechapel. They took the German pipe with them. I left them between four and five in the afternoon, at the Red Lion public-house. I did not see them again until the next day. I gave these table-cloths to Bettey Allen to pledge for me. These table-cloths were brought into the house by Stevens; they were very dirty; I washed them. Q. Do you recollect the officer coming a few days afterwards - A. Yes. The things that the officer took were the things that were brought in by Stevens and Morrison. This thimble was one of them; I had it by me a few days. When Morrison and and Stevens were together, I said, this thimble fits me. They told me I might have it. That is the way I became possessed of it. I know the table cloths; they were tied up in my pocket-handkerchief, that I sent them in. Q. Did you ever see the house that was broken open - A. Yes. On the Saturday following, I went down with Morrison; Morrison said, he was going to Stevens's father. I waited at a public-house until he came out, and then me and Morrison went home together; in our way back, we went by this house; he said, this is the house that me and Stevens got into; I don't know the street, or the sign; it was almost dark. He asked me to drink there; I said, no, I rather would not have any thing to drink there, Q. to Prosecutor. The till that you lost was not locked, was it - A. No; the key was lost. Q. Look at that German pipe, is that yours - A. It is; I gave half a guinea for the head before it was mounted, the mounting cost me two shillings. I lost this pipe. I had been using it the over night; it is worth thirteen shillings. The pen-knife sixpence; the wooden till a shilling. I lost above ten shillingsworth of halfpence, besides forty shillings in silver. JANE TRANFIELD . I am the wife of the prosecutor. These shirts I was upon that very night, cutting of the wristbands; these are the very same wristbands I cut out; the shirts are worth two shillings; a yard of Irish cloth is mine, worth two shillings, and this iron-holder I bought that very same day, it is worth twopence. The stays are mine; I had unpicked them, worth sixpence; this handkerchief, worth sixpence; the two table cloths they were there that night; they are worth two shillings, and the thimble is mine, it is worth one shilling; I lost it that night. Stevens's Defence. On Saturday morning I met Morrison in the New-road, as I was going into Edgewere-road; he asked me if I wanted to buy any shirts; I said, no, I had got no money. He asked me if I was going to Mitchell-street; I said, yes; I had not been there for two or three months before. He came to Amelia, and brought these things; he asked me twelve shillings for them. I bought them, and gave them to Amelia. I left him with Amelia, as he had been there before. On Thursday I was not at all with Amelia, and when I have been with Amelia, Richardson has come there; I have always got out of bed when he came; he has come there with property. Q. to Amelia Buckley . Have you lived with Richardson - A. I have. Q. He was a notorious house-breaker, was not he - A. He was. Morrison's Defence. I sold the things to Stevens on the Saturday morning. I found them by the side of Dorset-mews. STEVENS, GUILTY , aged 17. MORRISON, GUILTY , aged 19. Transported for Seven Years . Second Middlesex jury, before Mr. Baron Richards