George Williams

Level 135

C H on 29th February 2024

Old Bailey Online WILLIAM JOHNSON. THOMAS PHIPPS. GEORGE WILLIAMS. Theft; housebreaking. 12th May 1831. Text type Trial account Defendants WILLIAM JOHNSON, THOMAS PHIPPS, GEORGE WILLIAMS Offences Theft > Housebreaking Session Date 12th May 1831 Reference Number t18310512-131 Verdicts Guilty > Lesser offence, Guilty > Lesser offence, Guilty > Lesser offence Punishments Transportation 1120. WILLIAM JOHNSON, alias RUMSEY , THOMAS PHIPPS , and GEORGE WILLIAMS , alias WALL , were indicted for feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Robert Maynard , on the 10th of April , and stealing, 114 yards of silk, value 10l.; 12 yards of lawn, value 24s.; 36 yards of cambric, value 2l.; 2 pincushions, value 3s.; 2 silk-winders, value 8s.; 1 seal, value 5s.; 2 boxes of puzzles, value 1l.; 2 sets of whist-markers and boxes, value 1l., and 1 cash-box, value 1s., his property . SECOND COUNT, stating it to be the dwelling-house of James Toplis and another. MR. BODKIN Conducted the prosecution. ROBERT MAYNARD. I am proprietor of an out-fitting warehouse . I did live on Ludgate-hill, but about a fortnight previous to this transaction, I had removed to St. Paul's church-yard , to a house which has been parted off from the premises of Mr. Toplis, for the purpose of separate occupation - I occupied the first and second floors; the ground floor was under repair, and was to be occupied by Messrs. Toplis and Son - I enter by the front door, from which there is no direct communication with Mr. Toplis' premises; there is by a back stair case - I believe Mr. Toplis, Sen., Mr. Toplis, Jun., and their families reside there; I have seen them, and had communication with them. COURT. Q. Do you know whether the Messrs. Toplis sleep there, or any of their family? A. I believe they do, but I do not know it certainly - I have been repeatedly in their premises; I had not seen any part of the premises fitted up as a dwelling-house - I had a servant slept in my part of the premises. On Saturday evening, the 9th of April, between seven and eight o'clock, I went abruptly out of the premises, and saw two persons looking up and watching the premises attentively - on seeing me they instantly turned, and walked away; that circumstance induced me to give some directions - I believe one of those persons was Phipps, the prisoner. Cross-examined by MR. ADOLPHUS. Q. Do I understand you rightly, that you hire part of a house of Messrs. Toplis? A. Yes, the house is theirs; what I hire is a lodging, for the convenience of business - I pay no taxes, nor am I recognized as holder of the house at all; it is a private-contract between Messrs. Toplis and me; there is a communication from my premises to theirs. Cross-examined by MR. PHILLIPS. Q. You saw two persons, as you thought, looking attentively up at the house? A. Yes - they instantly walked away; one of them is not here, and I might be mistaken in the person of Phipps, having so superficial a sight of them. JOHN OLIVE CHARLESWORTH. I am in the service of Mr. Maynard, and had charge of his warehouse in St. Paul's church-yard. On Saturday night, the 9th of April, I slept there, and left between ten and eleven o'clock on Sunday morning; I left the outer door on a catch-lock, and took the key with me - another young man had slept there, but left early in the morning; I left no one there when I went out - I left all secure; I returned about half-past one o'clock, and opened the door with the key; I heard a noise, which appeared to proceed from the first floor - I went and got assistance at the next house; I just pulled the door too - the other door joins it within a quarter of a yard; I got the assistance of James Gunnis and Hamnett Hill' - we returned to the house, opened the door, and went in; I met johnson, the prisoner, coming towards me, within perhaps a yards of the door; he asked me if Mr. Williams lived there - I gave him no answer, but seized him by the collar as he attempted to go out, and so did Hill; he struggled desperately, but I did not leave his collar till Speechley and Rawlinson, the officers, came, which, I think, was near a quarter of an hour - I accompanied them in taking him to the Compter, leaving Smith, and subsequently Willmott, to mind the premises; Gunnis stood by the door -Hill had hold of Johnson at first, but when others came up he went for an officer: after I had been to the Compter I went on the premises - I found a number of articles strewed on the first floor, a crow-bar on the middle of the floor, and this black bag, with this one hundred and fourteen yards of silk, this cambric, this lawn, and these Indian trinkets, which are the property of Mr. Maynard - they are worth 16l., and had before been safely placed among Mr. Maynard's property; this bag is not Mr. Maynard's - the door of the first floor had been forced open, and there was a cash-box on the floor, which had been broken open; the premises are in the parish of St. Gregory, by St. Paul's. Cross-examined by MR. HEATON. Q. Had you made any noise before you saw Johnson? A. No other than opening the door - not more than a minute had elapsed before I went back to the house; I know no person of the name of Williams lived there, because Mr. Maynard had the entire of that house, and Mr. Toplis had the premises adjoining - there is a communication between them; I had seen part of this property safe immediately before I went out - I am quite sure this same silk was on a table; I was out from between ten and eleven o'clock till half-past one. MR. BODKIN. Q. What was found on Johnson? A. Two skeleton-keys and a phosphorus-box. HAMNETT HILL. I am an apprentice to Mr. Hurlock, in St. Paul's church-yard. I went with Gunnis to the house, and saw Johnson coming down stairs - he asked if Mr. Williams lived there, and made a rush to the door: I laid hold of one said of his collar, and Charlesworth the other - he dragged us out, and got us twenty or thirty yards to the west, and while he did that I believe the other prisoners got down; he did not strike us, but strugglad very much. Cross-examined by MR. ADOLPHUS. Q. He offered no violence? A. No, he merely struggled to get away. THOMAS RAWLINSON I am a City-officer. On Sunday, the 10th of April, I was called to St. Paul's church-yard - several persons had hold of Johnson, and he was given to my care - seeing I was an officer, he said he would go with me; Speechley came up to my assistance; as we were going along Warwick-lane to the Compter, Johnson said, "It is no difference to you, I will give you a sovereign a piece to let me go;" I said, "We don't do business in that way;" he then said, as we went past the Three Jolly Butchers, "Let me have some beer;" I said he should have some at the Compter - he seemed to know what beer he should have there, and he made a rush, but we took him to the Compter; I found on him three skeleton-keys, two centre-pieces, and a phosphorus-box. JOHN SPEECHILEY. I came up to the assistance of Rawlinson, and took Johnson - what he has stated is correct; he offered us two sovereigns to let him go - we took him to the Compter. WILLIAM SMITH. I am in the employ of Mr. Benjamin Munday , a tea-dealer, in Old Broad-street. I was in St. Paul's Church-yard on the 10th of April, about twenty minutes to two o'clock - I was desired to look to Mr. Maynard's premises, but I did not see any persons come out. Cross-examined by MR. PHILLIPS. Q. Did you watch closely? A. Yes, for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes - then the witnesses and the officers returned, and I went into the premises with them - I had seen no one come out, and when I went in no one was there. THOMAS WALTERS. I live at No. 96. Watling-street. I was going up towards St. Paul's church-yard; I heard a hue and cry, and went forward - I saw Phipps, and he was taken at the corner of St. Paul's church-yard; I followed Williams, and saw him brought out of Paternoster-row by a gentleman, who said, "I have brought the prisoner;" the gentleman then let him go - I followed him, and saw him taken by Pocklington; when I first saw Phipps he ran past the end of Watling-street, into St. Paul's church-yard; Williams was with him - they were both running; I saw they were pursued, but there was no person running before them - I was going towards them, and if I had been soon enough I should have met them. Cross-examined by MR. PHILLIPS. Q.Did one of the prisoners appear to be pursuing the other? A. They were so near that I could not tell; they were not on the same side of the street - I only noticed one person pursuing them, and he ran nearly in the centre of the street; he was some distance behind them, crying Stop thief! he was after those two persons - it is rather a populous place, but there were not persons about at that time; it was about half-past one o'clock - I have sometimes walked along there, and not met more than two persons; the moment Phipps was taken I ran on with the intention of pursuing Williams - a strange gentleman brought him back as far as Butler's, the chemist, and then let him go; I did not lose sight of him after he was taken - I walked behind him; any person might have taken hold of him. MR. BODKIN. Q. How far did he walk? A.From Butler's to St. Paul's school, and then he was taken - I walked behind to prevent his escaping; I saw Phipps taken. COURT. Q. Was Phipps one of the persons you saw? A. Yes; he came in a direction from Mr. Maynard's, about seventy or eighty yards from it - Williams and him were both running. JAMES GUNNIS. I am in the employ of Mr. Hurlock. I was fetched by Mr. Charlesworth - I stood at Mr. Maynard's private door, and saw Williams and Phipps come out; I had not been there a minute scarcely when they came - I think Williams came out first; they went towards Watling-street, and one of them was going down Watling-street, but a gentleman held up his umbrella, and he turned towards Cheapside - I saw Phipps taken; I never lost sight of him; they both ran, and I pursued about five yards behind them - after Phipps was stopped I followed Williams, and was about three yards behind him when he was stopped in Paternoster-row - I had only lost sight of him for a moment, as he turned the corner; a gentleman stopped him, brought him back, and then went away - I followed him as far as Mr. Newberry's door, where he was taken. Cross-examined by MR. PHILLIPS. Q.Where was Phipps taken? A. By Mr. Butler's door; I kept on after Williams - I saw no one pursuing them but myself; I was in the middle of the road - I saw Phipps taken, but I kept my eyes on Williams at the same time; Phipps did not turn any corner, but Williams did - I had not seen either of them before; I stood watching at Mr. Maynard's door, and I did not see any other person watching; I saw Johnson taken in the passage - he struggled outside, and then Phipps and Williams came down when he had got a yard or two from the door; the struggling was taking place when Phipps and Williams came out, but those persons, who had hold of Johnson, might not have seen them as he was struggling with them. ROBERT POCKLINGTON . I am a butcher. On the 10th of April I was in Old Change - I heard a cry of Stop thief! and ran into St. Paul's church-yard; I saw Phipps coming into Watling-street - he turned, and went as far as Butler's door, where he was taken; Williams went on, and was brought back by a gentleman - he went as far as Mr. Newberry's door, and I took him; Gunnis said he had robbed a house - I said, "Why don't you take him?" he said, "I dare not;" I said, "Then I will" - I never let him go till I got him to the Compter; in going along the street, I saw him put his hand into his pocket and take out a centre-bit - as we passed the Old Bailey, he stopped down, and wanted to put it into a grating, and shoved me on the pavement, that I should not perceive it - I turned him on the pavement, gave it a kick, and a young man took it up; I went on to the Compter with him. Cross-examined by MR. PHILLIPS. Q. Was Johnson going to the Compter then? A. Yes. but he was ten or twelve yards before him - I had fast hold of him; I saw him searched - nothing of a suspicions nature was found on him. JOHN LASSETTER. I am ware house man to Mr. Stubbs. I saw Mr. Pocklington with Williams in custody - he dropped this centre-bit, and I took it up. THOMAS SNELLING. I took Phipps on the 10th of April, at Mr. Butler's, in St. Paul's church-yard - I had not seen him more than a second before - he was running towards Paternoster-row; there was a person pursuing him, and raising an outcry - I took him to the Compter; the officer searched him in my presence - the stock of a centre-bit was found on him, and this cutter; this centre-bit, which Mr. Pocklington found, fits this stock. JOHNSON - GUILTY . Aged 26. PHIPPS - GUILTY . Aged 20. WILLIAMS - GUILTY . Aged 21. Of stealing only. - Transported for Seven Years .