John Ware

135

C H on 16th February 2024

Old Bailey Online JOHN BRADLEY. JOHN WARE. Theft; theft from a specified place. 28th May 1800. Text type Trial account Defendants JOHN BRADLEY, JOHN WARE Offences Theft > Theft from place Session Date 28th May 1800 Reference Number t18000528-62 Verdicts Guilty > Theft under 40s, Guilty > Theft under 40s Punishments Transportation 401. JOHN BRADLEY and JOHN WARE were indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 24th of May , a bag, value 1s. and one hundred and sixty-nine pounds weight of cotton, value 12l. the property of Matthew Pickford and Thomas Pickford , upon a wharf adjacent to the river Thames . WILLIAM CLARKE sworn. - I am clerk to Messrs. Matthew and Thomas Pickford, carriers ; they do business at the Grand Junction wharf ; it is a public wharf belonging to the Grand Junction Company: On Saturday, the 24th of May, our porter mentioned to me that a quantity of loose cotton had been found upon a dung-heap in the yard, in consequence of which suspicions arose, and we watched all that day and till Sunday morning, imagining that it would be fetched away; but nobody coming near, we removed it to our warehouse again; and on the following morning Alderman Hamerton's son gave us information that two soldier s had been taken up with some cotton in their possession; I enquired who the officer was, and went to him; I saw the cotton in Sermon-lane, St. Paul's, at the officer's house; I saw cotton in two bundles, one of them marked 240, and the other 274, which 1s, I presume, the planter's mark; I presumed they had been originally cut in two, and that the part we found upon the dungheap was the part that was taken out of the middle; I returned home and looked over our notes, and found that the bag had been sent to the wharf originally by the Robert Speare and Company, in Abchurch-lane; here is the note that we received with it. (Produces it.) Q. Are Messrs. Pickfords liable to pay for this property? - A. Certainly. JOHN WOOD sworn. - I am clerk to Messrs. Robert Spear and Company, of Abchurch-lane: I forwarded the cotton myself to Mr. Pickford's wharf, and marked that bag; it was on Friday, the 23d of May, in the afternoon; the bag was marked R S 240; there were nine other bags sent with it in the same cart. ROBERT PARTRIDGE sworn. - I am a carman: I delivered ten bags from Mr. Speare's, between nine and ten in the morning; I delivered them at Mr. Pickford's wharf, I left them upon the wharf. Q. Should you know one of the bags if you were to see it? - A. There were so many alike that I cannot say; but the number I know, it was 240. Wood. I am mistaken in the time; I thought it had been in the afternoon. - DONOLLY sworn. - I am porter to Mr. Pickford: On Friday, the 23d of May, I received ten bags of cotton, at the Grand Junction wharf, White-stairs; we are responsible, as carriers, for any thing that is lost. Q. When they are delivered upon that wharf, they are delivered into your charge, I suppose? - A. Yes; they were left upon the wharf, and the numbers all answered; there were ten of them, from 230 to 240; the one that was lost was No. 240; I received them between nine and ten o'clock in the morning; we missed it on the Saturday, it was taken off the wharf; they were never put into the warehouse. Q. So that whoever stole it must have taken it from the wharf? - A. Certainly. CHARLES DONOHOUGH sworn. - I am a watchman in Castle-Baynard-Ward: On Saturday, the 24th, I was upon my duty at the West-end of St. Paul's Church-yard; about half after one o'clock in the morning, I met the prisoner, Bradley, with a bag upon his head, he walked up to me; I let him pass by where I stood about five or six yards, then I followed and walked up to him; I asked him what he had got there; he told me it was a bale going to the Bell-Savage; I told him he had left the Bell-Savage a great way behind him; then he said he was ordered to take it to some place, and he had forgot the name of the place; as I was going towards the watch-house with him, he told me he found the bale in the Strand; I took him before the officer of the night, and made him take the bale with him himself into the watch-house; I observed another man at the same time going down the south side of the church-yard; I suspected he was one; when I had got Bradley in the watch-house, I got more assistance, and we went in pursuit; I took two out of the watch-house, and was joined by another in the way; before we got to Watling-street, I heard the springing of a rattle at the south side of St. Paul's; when I got there I found a watchman there with a bale of cotton at his feet; his name is Andrews; the bale is here; we took it to the watch-house. EBENEZER ANDREWS sworn. - I am a watchman in Castle-Baynard ward: On Saturday, the 24th, between one and two in the morning, I stopped the prisoner Ware at the corner of St. Paul's church-yard, by Warling-street; I asked him what he had got; he told me, a bed; then he put it down from his back on to the kirb-stone, and begged of me to let him pass; I told him I could not; and as I was going to lay hold of him he gave a spring from me, and ran; I immediately sprung my rattle; I lost sight of him; I made enquiry, but could not find him; I then returned to where the bag had been dropped, and took it to Castle-Baynard watch-house; I then returned to my beat; I heard that the man was in the watch-house in Cordwainers'-ward; I went there and saw the prisoner Ware, he is the man that I stopped with the bale; I had seen his face; I held up my lanthorn to his face before he left me, and likewise I know the number of the bale. RICHARD HATRED sworn. - I am a patrole belonging to Castle-Baynard ward: On the Saturday morning, between one and two o'clock, Donahough came into the watch-house and desired me to come out, for he had got one man with a bale, and there was another; I reached him a cutlass, and got one myself; they said he was gone towards Watling-street; I met my partner by the way, and told him to follow us, for there were thieves about; we pursued past Paul's-chain to King's-head-court, and there I heard the springing of a rattle; I pursued on along Watling-street as hard as I could go; I met another watchman, he told me he had lost the man, and I went in pursuit till I heard that he was lodged in Cordwainers' watch-house, and I went to see him; that was the prisoner Ware; the hales were both carried to Castle-Baynard watch-house; the constable of the night asked him where he got it, and he said he had found it on the other side of St. Paul's Church-yard; he was asked then, why he ran away; and he said he was afriad of being taken to the watch-house; then we took him to Castle-Baynard watch-house. WILLIAM PARRY sworn. - I am constable of Cordwainers' ward: About a quarter before two on the Saturday morning, I took a walk with our patrole; when we got to Well-court, I heard a noise, I lisened to it, and immediately heard the springing of raules; I then turned out of Well-court into Queen-street; On the left hand side of Queen-street I caught the prisoner Ware; he begged I would let him go, but he first resisted and gave me a blow in the face; I up with my stick and gave him a blow on the head; immediately the patrole that was with me caught hold of him; his name is James Wright; we took him to the watch-house; after that the officer of Castle-Baynard ward came to look at the prisoner; I took the prisoner up to Castle-Baynard watch-house, there I saw the prisoner Bradley sitting; they were both taken to Gilispur-street Compter; the bales were left in the hands of Mr. Bunyard, the constable of Castle-Baynard, that night. - FITZGERALD sworn. - I joined Parry in the pursuit of the prisoner Ware; I heard the rattle spring, I met Andrews; I asked him if he had lost him, and he said, yes; I turned back to secure the bale, which lay at the corner of Watling-street; I put it upon one of our watchmen's back, and took it to Cordwainers' watch-house; as soon as Andrews came in, he said that was the man; I asked Ware where he found his bale; he said, in St. Paul's church-yard; the other said he had found his in the Strand; I begged of the officer to let us have both at one watch-house, and we took him there. ROBERT BUNYARD sworn. - I am constable of Castle-Baynard ward: On Saturday, about half past one, Bradley was brought in by Donahough, with a bag of cotton upon his back; in about a quarter of an hour another watchman of the name of Minsey brought in another bale, and a little while after the other prisoner Ware was brought in; I have had the cotton ever since; (produces the parcel which was brought in by the prisoner Bradley;) the number upon it is 274; the other is marked R S 240. JAMES WRIGHT sworn. - About a quarter before three on Saturday morning I was along with our constable; we met with the prisoner Ware in Queen-street, near the Three Cranes; the constable laid hold of him first, he had no bundle at that time, and he was secured. Clarke. This was originally one bag; it is one bag cut in two; the number corresponds with the numbers in our notes that we received with the goods. Wood. This is one of the bags; it is same kind of cotton as the rest that I sent along with it. - MERRITT sworn. - I am horse-keeper to Mr. Bottomley, upon the same whars: About half past four o'clock on Saturday morning I found a quantity of loose cotton upon the dunghill; I acquainted Mr. Pickford of it; I watched all Satur day night till Sunday morning, and nobody came to fetch it; and then I put it into a sack, and put it into the warehouse. Q. (To Clarke.) What is the value of this cotton? - A. The whole would fell for about twelve pounds; this wool that is here is worth about seven pounds. Q. How far is it from the wharf to the place where the men were found? - A. A quarter of a mile or more, perhaps half a mile. Prisoner Bradley. Q. Were not your men at work upon the wharf all night? - A. They were at work upon the wharf till near one o'clock. Bradley defence. My comrade and I were coming along the Strand, by the New Church we saw a bale lay, we thought it had fell out of some cart to waggon, and we took it up. Ware's defence. I have nothing to say but what Bradley has said. The prisoner Bradley called his serjeant, and Ware the publican upon whom he was quartered, who gave them both a good character. Bradley, GUILTY (Aged 25.) Ware, GUILTY (Aged 27.) Of stealing goods, value 39s. Transported for seven years . Tried by the London Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.