John Woollett

Level 135

C H on 11th March 2024

Old Bailey Online JOHN WOOLLETT. Theft; stealing from master. 4th December 1828. Text type Trial account Defendants JOHN WOOLLETT Offences Theft > Stealing from master Session Date 4th December 1828 Reference Number t18281204-12 Verdicts Guilty Punishments Transportation 12. JOHN WOOLLETT was indicted for stealing, on the 17th of November , 3 bladders, value 1d.; 24 lbs. of lard, value 16s.; 80lbs. of soap, value 3l.; 5 glass bottles, value 1s. 5d.; 1 gallon of fish-sauce, value 12s.; 4lbs. of honey, value 2s. 8d.; 4lbs. of treacle, value 1s. 4d.; 2 lbs. of tamarinds, value 1s. 6d.; 2lbs. of arrow-root, value 4s.; 12 ozs. of other soap, value 1s.; 1 pint of soy, value 1s. 6d.; 1 quart of essence of anchovies, value 4s.; 1 jar, value 6d., and 1 jug, value 1s. , the goods of John Gale and others, his masters. MR. AMBROSE WARD . I am a druggist, in partnership with John Gale and another; our warehouse is in Bonverie-street, Fleet-street - the prisoner has been about six years in our employ. On the 4th of November our warehouse was entered by thieves, and a large quantity of property taken away; in consequence of this we employed our porters as private watchman - they took their turns, and on Saturday, the 15th of November, it was the prisoner's turn, with another man, to guard the premises; nobody sleeps there; I left about eight o'clock- on Monday, the 17th, the moment I went there, information was given me; I found marks of violence on the laboratory sky-light, and from what I heard I had the prisoner apprehended on the premises, when he was at work - he lived at No. 42, Primrose-hill, and occupied two lower rooms, the kitchen, wash-house, and two bedrooms on the first-floor; we have too many articles to miss them. Cross-examined by MR. CLARKSON. Q. You would not have kept him six years unless you had a good opinion of him? A. It was owing to the character we had of him that we kept him, but I believe it was a false one - he did nothing to deserve a bad character with us before. MR. WILLIAM WADHAM COPE . I am one of the City marshals. I was sent for to search the house No. 42, Primrose-hill, Salisbury-square where the prisoner resided; I found his wife at home, but not him - I found some spices, soap, and other articles in the lower rooms; in the bed-rooms I found the articles stated in the indictment; the prisoner was present part of the time I was searching, and saw me find the things; some he said were his own, but all they brought away he said were Mr. Ward's - he said so voluntarily. Cross-examined. Q. He was not at home when you first searched? A. No; he was sent for, and came in five or ten minutes - Mr. Ward was at the house then; nothing was said to him by Mr. Ward in my hearing - but on my finding different property, he said, I suppose a dozen times, that such and such things were Mr. Wards's - some of them were found before he was with Mr. Ward. MR. WARD. I held out no threat or promise to him; these articles are such as we deal in, and he had access to them. JOHN GILL . I am a surgical-instrument maker. I have known the prisoner in the prosecutor's service some years; on the 17th of November, I was at their warehouse in Bonverie-street, and heard an attempt had been made to enter the premises on the previous night; I advised Mr. Ward to give information at the Mansion-house - very shortly after that he, Mr. Cope, and I, attended at the prisoner's apartment in Primrose-hill; I saw all the property found -I did not threaten or promise him any thing; on finding about three - quarters of a hundred-weight of soap under the stairs, I said "Woollett, this is a very bad job, the further we go the more we discover;" he held up his hands in despair, and said "I hope the gentlemen will not deal hard with me." EDMUND SHEPHERD . I am in the prosecutor's employ. I was sent for to look at the property found, and knew it to be master's; I knew the large quantity of soap, and a small quantity of other soap. Cross-examined. Q. Was it Castile soap? A. It is called so - it is a particular kind of soap; Gale and Co. are the only persons who sell soap of that nature - I have never seen any like it elsewhere; I do not swear masters are the only persons that sell it, but I believe so - and here is a quantity of soap of my marking and perfuming - here is one piece I can swear to, it was cut into bars, and here is where I cut out some dirt, it is then cut in pieces and stamped, but this is not stamped - one piece has the stamp on it, which we use; I swear to this piece marked "Old Brown Windsor Soap," we never sell that in London: it is damaged, and damaged soap is never sent out of our premises, but melted again - the damage was discovered after I stamped it, there is n white speak in it, it was locked up with others to'be melted; here is another piece, I can swear to, having cut a white speak out of it about six months ago- I cannot particularly say when I cut it out. MR. WARD. The value of all the articles found is about three guineas. Prisoner's Defence. Living on the premises for four or five years, I had the privilege of having soap and other things for the use of the house; my wife being in the habit of cooking, we had sauce and other things. MR. WARD. We dined there now and then, and he used to cook for us, but was not allowed soap or sauce, or any thing of the sort; he lived on premises belonging to the firm. GUILTY . Aged 37. Transported for Fourteen Years .