John Williams

135

C H on 13th June 2025

Williams, John Name: Williams, John Record Type: Convicts Additional identifier: 3 Departure date: 24 Apr 1803 Departure port: Portsmouth Ship: Calcutta Index number: 76475 Record ID: NAME_INDEXES:1446627 Tasmanian Library

342

Maureen Withey on 5th March 2020

Tasmanian Record: https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON22-1-2p514 John Williams, Tried at London G.D., 28 May 1800, Life. ---------------------------------------------------- Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 05 March 2020), May 1800, trial of JOHN WILLIAMS JOHN NEWMAN (t18000528-9). JOHN WILLIAMS, JOHN NEWMAN, Theft > burglary, 28th May 1800. 348. JOHN WILLIAMS and JOHN NEWMAN were indicted for breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Robert Williamson , about the hour of two in the night of the 14th of May , with intent the goods, chattels, and monies, of the said Robert, therein being, feloniously to steal . ROBERT WILLIAMSON sworn. - I am a publican ; I keep the Glazier's-arms, in Water-lane, Blackfriars : On Wednesday, the 14th of this month, a little before twelve o'clock at night, when I went to bed, I fastened the shutters, and locked and bolted all the doors, and chained them as usual; and between two and three in the morning of Thursday, I was awaked by a very disagreeable surprize, by springing of rattles, and calling out that I was robbed. Q. Was it light, or dark? - A. It was rather light. Q. Was it light enough to see a man's face? - A. Yes; I could see a man's face very plain, and likewise the watchman. Q. Was that by moon-light? - A. I did not observe whether it was moon-light or not; I unlocked the bed-room door and went into the kitchen, which is up one pair of stairs, and looked out at the window; I saw a man lying upon the ground between two watchmen, that was the prisoner, Williams; I immediately went into the bed-room again, put on my small clothes, and came down into the tap-room; I ran against the bar-door, which I found open, I found the outer door upon the spring-lock; I opened that and went out into the street; I had bolted that door with two bolts, I found the bolts undone, but not the spring-lock. Q. Do you conceive that that door had been opened? - A. I cannot say; I went into the street, and was informed that Williams was one of the thieves; I desired him to be taken to the watch-house, which they did; he said he had lost a shilling, I saw a shilling lay, and some halfpence, and I picked them up and gave them to him myself; I did not go to the watch-house, but went home; there is a door in a gateway under my club-room, I found that door unchained, and unbolted, not even upon the latch, I saw it chined and bolted over night as usual; the door that is at the top of the cellar-stairs had been broke open, the lock was inside. Q. Then that door you think must have been opened from the inside? - A. Yes; (produces the lock); I found the lock forced off, and lying upon the tap-room floor. Q. Then some person or other, by breaking open this door, got into your house? - A. Yes. Q. Was that door locked over night? - A. Yes, it was; and the key in my till in the bed-room; I did not miss any thing; a neighbour brought a light to me, he is a baker, his name is Freeman; there was an iron crow found in the gateway, a dark lantern, and a little bottle, and matches; they were found close upon the spot where the man laid upon his back. JOHN SAUCE sworn. - At half past two o'clock on Thursday, the 14th of May, I left the watch-house to go to bed; as I was coming down Water-lane, past Hughes's-court, I saw a man standing at Mr. Williamson's back-door; when I saw him at that hour in the morning, it led me to a suspicion that he had no right to stand there; I rushed in to see what he wanted, and he ran off immediately; I do not know who the man was, he was twentypanes from me, the first time I saw him; when I came to the back-door of Mr. Williamson's house, I put my hand to the door, and the door went in, by that means I discovered a light at my right-hand, I stood upon the threshold of the door; it was a dark-lantern and had a candle in it; I looked round and saw the two prisoners at the bar, and one more; Newman had his hand upon a drawer in the bar, pulling it out; there were three of them in the bar. Q. Are you sure the two prisoners are the men? - A. I am; I saw Newman take a paper that was tied up, I do not know what it contained; I was looking at them for four or five minutes before I went in, I did not see what he did with the paper; when I saw that, I shut the door in order to keep them in; I asked them what business they had there; Newman told me he would tell me; after he made that reply, he came out of the bar, and when I had an opportunity I struck at him with a stick, I am sure I struck him; and it was but a very short time before he returned the blow, and I received it upon my arm; after I had got the blow, I went back to the door again, and endeavoured to spring the rattle but I could not, they prevented me; they struck at me; at this time we were in the dark, they forcibly opened the door and rushed out; another watchman was coming round upon his beat, and he was pretty near the door when they rushed out, his name is Harrison, he secured the prisoner, Williams; I heard him sing out, I was inside at that time, that he had one of them, and I saw Williams struggling with Harrison; I struck at him with a stick two or three times, to prevent his getting away; as to Newman, I saw no more of him till I saw him a prisoner in Castle-Baynard watch-house, I believe it was about fifteen or twenty minutes afterwards; I was sent for by the constable to see if I knew him, and when I came to the watch-house, as soon as ever I saw him, I told the officer of the night that he was the very man that struck me in the public-house; at that time he was in a gore of blood; I am sure he is the same man that I saw in the bar. Williams. He said, at the watch-house, that the man was a big stout man. Witness. I said no such thing; I said he was a stouter man than Williams. Q. You had only the light of this lantern in the bar, are you sure there was light enough for you to be able to say these were the same persons? - A. Yes; I stood looking at them for some time, and they moved the lantern about round the bar to see what they could find; I saw them very clearly. JOHN HARRISON sworn. - I am a watchman of Blackfriar's parish: I was going past Mr. Williamson's back-door. Q. Was there light enough at that time to see a person's face? - A. Yes, it was quite light; I heard some noise in the house, which made me stop to know what it was, because I knew the family, had been gone to bed some hours; the door was open, and the first man that came out was Williams; we had a long scuffle together, at last I got him down, and there I held him upon his back till I got assistance to take him to the watch-house; in the scuffle he dropped some of his money, which I gave him; I took him to Blackfriars watch-house, and from thence to the Compter. Q. Are you perfectly sure Williams was one of the men that came out? - A. Yes, he came out at the door under the gateway. Q. Was it under the gateway that you laid him upon his back? - A. No, that was in the front of the house, in Water-lane; there were two more came out, but who they were I do not know. JAMES GRAVES sworn. - I am a watchman of Castle-Baynard-ward: Between two and three o'clock in the morning I was upon duty at Puddledock-gate, I heard the rattle spring, and a cry of stop thief; I ran to assist, and passing by a court that leads from Printing-house-yard, I saw the prisoner at the bar come down a court out of the yard, running very fast; it is a court that leads to the end of Bristow-street; he was running in a direction from Williamson's house; I met him and asked him to stop; he refused with great sury; I struggled to stop him; I struck him several times with my stick, but he got away from me; I pursued him to the end of Thames-street; he turned up St. Andrew's-hill, and I followed him through Carter-lane, up Paul's-chain, into St. Paul's-church-yard; there I sprung my rattle, and he was stopped by one of our watchmen; I never lost sight of him the whole time; we took him to Castle-Baynard watch-house; we sent for the watchman of the other ward, Sauce, and he said, that is one of the men that I saw in Williamson's house. Q. What did Newman say to that? - A. I did not near him say a word all the time he was in the watch-house. CHARLES DONAHOUGH sworn. - I am a watchman of Castle-Baynard-ward: On the 15th of May, between two and three in the morning, I was at the West end of St. Paul's Church; I heard the alarm; I pursued the found; I saw the prisoner Newman running with one shoe off and the other shoe on; I judged he must be the cause of the springing the rattles; I jumped across the street and took him by the collar; he wanted to get away; I asked him if he was the cause of all the noise; he said, yes; I asked him what he had been doing; he said it was for knocking down a whore; I looked round and saw Graves appear;he then said, that is the rascal; and one of our housemen came up, and they both assisted; he was taken by force to the watch-house; there were four of us took a limb a-piece. RICHARD FITZGERALD sworn. - I am houseman and extra-constable of Castle-Baynard: I was out between two and three; I heard the rattles go somewhere about Paul's-chain or Great Carter-lane, I cannot tell which; I made on as fast as I could for Paul's-chain; I saw one of our men, Donahough, lay hold of the prisoner Newman; we were obliged to get him along by a limb a-piece, for he would not go; after he had got some distance, he said if we would let him go, he would walk; I desired the men to let go his legs, and he did. ANDREW CHRISTIE sworn. - I was officer of the night on the night of the 14th: Williams was brought in on the 15th in the morning, by two watchmen; they told me they caught him coming out of the prosecutor's house; I searched him, and found upon him a small candle and one shilling and four-pence halfpenny, which I returned to him again; (produces the candle;) then Mr. Williamson came and gave charge of him; this instrument(producing a crow) was given to me by a boy, and a dark lanthorn. (Produces it.) Williamson. I will go and fetch the boy. EMANUEL PETHERELL sworn. - I am a watchman; I heard the alarm of rattles, and the singing, out of stop thief in Water-lane, Blackfriars, and I came up to aid and assist; I saw a watchman with the prisoner Williams upon the ground on his back; facing the tap-room window I picked up this bottle containing some phosphorus and three bits of matches, about a quarter of an hour afterwards, upon the very spot where I saw Williams lie, as near as I can tell. RICHARD HATRED sworn. - I am constable of the night: The prisoner Newman was brought to Castle-Baynard watch-house on the 14th, at nearly three o'clock in the morning; he was very bloody all over his left side; we sent for Sauce, and as soon as ever he came up, he says, that is the man that struck me; the prisoner did not say any thing to it; Sauce gave charge of him for striking him, and for house-breaking. WILLIAM GILES sworn. - I was going past Mr. Williamson's; I picked up a lantern in the kennel, at four o'clock in the morning, as I was going to my work, right opposite Mr. Williamson's back-door; Mrs. Williamson was standing at the door; I gave it to her, she said it was not her's, and I gave it to the watchman, Petherell. Petherell. I received it from Giles. Q. (To Christie.) Look at that dark lantern: was the piece of candle that you found of such a size as could be used in that lantern? - A. Yes. Williams's defence. The man that stands by me is really innocent; it was me and two more men; I never saw this man before till I saw him in prison; one's name was William Jones , and the other John M'Carty ; they both got away. Newman's defence. I was coming over Blackfriars. Bridge, very much in liquor; I heard a noise upon the bridge, and I went on till I came to Paul's Chain, and there a man knocked me down. William, GUILTY Death . (Aged 16.) Newman, GUILTY Death . (Aged 36.) Tried by the London Jury, before Mr. RECORDER.