William Stringer

221

D Wong on 28th December 2020

Old Bailey: WILLIAM STRINGER, THOMAS HEAD. Theft: burglary. 3rd July 1834 Verdict Guilty; Guilty Sentence Transportation WILLIAM STRINGER and THOMAS HEAD were indicted for feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Thomas Harrison, on the 27th of May, at Paddington, and stealing therein 10 shillings, 7 sixpences, 38 pence, 67 half-pence, and 49 farthings, his monies. THOMAS HARRISON. I keep the Dudley Arms public-house, in the parish of St. Mary, Paddington. The prisoner, Stringer, lived with me as pot-boy, and had left me these two years, I should think - on the night in question I was not the last that went to bed, but my servant is here - on the Tuesday morning, when I came down, (I do not know the day of the month,) I observed my bar window up, and my kitchen window up, and wide open - it opens into the yard - I missed a quantity of copper off the back bar chimney-piece - it was a quantity of penny-pieces - I went to examine the till, and found the till itself was taken away - it had contained some silver, half-pence, penny-pieces, and farthings, about 36s. or 38s. together - there were a great many farthings - one farthing in particular was marked - I had taken a quantity of a person who came to me, and as I counted them over, I put this one out in particular, it being what I termed a dyke farthing - one penny-piece had a hole in it - I saw that again at High-street Office - the officer has it - I found my wash-house window broken, which looks into the yard - they must have got over the wall to get to the wash-house - the sash of the kitchen window was pulled up, and the shutter thrown open - they had got out that way - the door from the wash-house to the kitchen was open. WILLIAM WEBB. I live at Mr. Harrison's, at the Dudley Arms. I do not sleep there - I left the house on Monday night about a quarter after eleven o'clock - my mistress was up at that time, and nobody else - she shut the door after we were all out - she fastened the front door - she is since dead - I had been in the wash-house the last thing that might, and fastened the window which opens into the yard - it was not broken at all - I then locked the wash-house door, and bolted it at the top and bottom -the kitchen window was all secure, and the glass was all whole - I fastened the window myself - Mrs. Harrison let me out at the door, and fastened it after me - I went up there at seven o'clock next morning - my master had got up at five o'clock. JOHN LOADER . I manage a shop for Mr. Dalton, in Chapel-street, Paddington, about half a mile from the Dudley Arms. I am a shoemaker - I know the prisoner Stringer - he came to me about half-past seven o'clock on the Tuesday morning, the 27th of May, the day before I was at the police office - he wanted a pair of boots, and chose a pair which came to 7s. - he said he would have them, if that was the lowest - he paid me 5s. in penny-pieces, and 4 sixpences in silver - he laced the boots up, and walked away with them on - I paid away the money which he gave me. THOMAS GRIFFITHS. I am a policeman. I was on duty in the Edgware Road on Tuesday the 27th of May, about half-past eight o'clock in the morning - I stopped both the prisoners at the bottom of Titchbourne-street, Paddington, on suspicion of having stolen some tools - I went up to Stringer - I asked him what he had in his pocket - he said only a few half-pence which were given him by gentleman in Oxford-street - I searched him, and found 10 shillings, 7 sixpences, 38 penny-pieces. 67 halfpence, and 49 farthings - I asked how he came by the money, he said he had picked up a sovereign I found this pair of boots on his feet, and asked what he paid for them - he said 7 s. - while I was searching him, Head ran away - I asked him if he paid for the boots all in silver - he said "Yes:" but at the station-house he said he paid 5s. in pence, and 4 sixpences for them - I have the money here. HENRY EARLE. I am a policeman. On Tuesday morning, the 27th of May, I saw both the prisoners together at three o'clock, in the New North Road, Paddington - I went up to them, and asked what they did there - they said they had returned the night before from the tread-mill - I did not know them before - they said they had slept in an omnibus, in consequence of Head's father turning them out, when they returned home form the tread-mill - they promised, if I would not again take them to the station-house, they would go home in the morning and never be seen in that parish again, and I let them go - I did not observe whether they had any thing about them - they went away together - I saw them about ten minutes after near the same spot, and drove them away - they were about one hundred and fifty yards from Harrison's - Head said Hancock, my brother officer, had sent them to the tread-mill for a month for stealing locks - he was the principal spokesman RICHARD HANCOCK. I am a policeman. I apprehended Head on Thursday, the 29th of May, in the Edgware-road, at his father's house. I knew him before, and the other also - they had been at the tread-mill - when I took Head I searched him, but found nothing on him - he cried, and said he would not go with me at first - I said "If you do not, I shall carry you; I want you for being concerned with Stringer in breaking into the Dudley Arms public-house, and stealing a quantity of money" - he said "I had none of the money, Scotchy has got it" - that is the nickname Stringer goes by - I knew that for twelve months before - I was taking him to the station-house, and said to him, "You were with him, and you were concerned with him" - he said, "We went there to sleep - I had none of the money, Stringer had got it all." THOMAS HARRISON re-examined. Here is a penny-piece with two holes in it which I know, and this farthing I know - I recollect having such a penny-piece, but I have seen some since with two holes in them: but as to the farthing I can speak to better, for I had an altercation about it. Head's defence. I knew nothing about it - they took me up on suspicion. WILLIAM HEAD. I am the prisoner Head's father - there never was a better boy till within the last nine months - since that he has got acquainted with a parcel of bad boys, who, I am satisfied have led him astray - previous to this he had been in the House of Correction for a month with the same boy - I endeavoured to get him into the Refuge for the Destitute, and understood he was to be detained until Wednesday, for me to take him, instead of which he was let out in the middle of the day - Stringer, who was let out at nine o'clock in the morning, enticed him away - he did not come home on Monday, but on Tuesday he slept at home - I did not turn him out. J. LOADER re-examined. These are the boots which I sold to Stringer. (Ann Milton and John Daniels, butcher, gave the prisoner Head a good character.) STRINGER - GUILTY. Aged 13. HEAD - GUILTY. Aged 13. Transported for Life. ____________________________________ (Thomas Head arrived NSW per 'Mary Ann' 1835). William Stringer was listed as 14 years old on arrival. Place of Birth: Paddington. Occupation: Pot boy. William was 4'6¾" tall, brown complexion, light brown hair, brown eyes, rather deaf. 1835 Muster: Transported to Port Arthur. End of 1838 was still at Port Arthur. 22/9/1843: TOL 5/10/1847: CP approved. 25/1/1855: May have married Ann McGee (Midlothian) {age matches}.