Sarah Yates

Level 345

Maureen Withey on 11th March 2024

Tried at the Old Bailey, 26 June 1809 548. SARAH YATES , and MARY PARKER , were indicted for feloniously stealing on the 26th of June, a purse, value 6 d. a piece of amber, value 5 s. three half guineas, two seven shilling pieces, twenty-nine shillings, and four six-pences, the property of Charles Henry Malpas , from his person . CHARLES HENRY MALPAS . I am clerk to Mr. Cummins, a barrister . Q. When did this happen - A. It was on Monday last, it was near Tuesday, two o'clock in the morning; I was passing down Ludgate-hill , I was accosted by the two women at the bar, by some common place observation; how do you do, or something to that purpose; they were at that time on the side of me, and presently they were in the front of me; it was a late hour, I wished to get away from them; at the same time I was rather anxious for the safety of my watch and purse; I put my hand to the chain and held it. I had on a pair of trowsers which had no pockets except the fob; in consequence of that, I put my pocket book into my inside coat pocket; I put my hand to my coat to ascertain that I had my purse about me, which I know I had, by feeling the bulk of it; the next motion I made was when I put my hand down again I missed it, they were then going away: I said before you go away, be so good as to return me my money; one of them drew me as it were towards her, and then I think it was that my purse was taken away. Mr. Bolland. What do you mean as it were - A. She drew me towards her. COURT. At that moment you think you lost your purse - A. I think I did; because I put my hand down afterwards and missed my purse. Q. Then they wanted to go - A. Yes, I said before you go give me my purse, you have robbed me of my purse, they said we have got no purse; I immediately called the watch, and raised an alarm, the watchman came up, and they were taken in custody; they were not searched on the spot; there was nothing found on them at the watchhouse. Q. Which of them was it that drew you towards her - A. Yates, she pulled me towards her; she stood on my left side, the side that my purse was in. Q. Then she saw you feel your pocket - A. Most undoubtedly she did. Q. You had better told her of it - A. Perhaps I had better made her a present of it. I never saw the purse again. I did not see them searched. Mr. Bolland. Mr. Malpas, where had you been till two o'clock, it was not term time - A. No, it was vocation, as we call it. Q. Vocation as it were, can you tell me in fact, what time it was you left Mr. Cummins's office - A. Half past ten; a young man came to me, and we went to the Castle in Portugal-street. Q. What time did you get in Portugal-street - A. I cannot say, I did not draw my watch; it could not be eleven o'clock, I think. Q. What did you drink when you got there - A. I think we drank three pints of porter between two of us. Q. What did you consume the whole of the time there in the house in Portugal-street, and drink no more than three pints of porter between you - what time did you leave the house - A. More than half past one. Q. Which way were you going to get on Ludgate-hill - A. I walked with the young man down Ludgate-hill, I lived in Serjeant's-inn. Q. Why did not you go to Mr. Cummins's, it was a late hour in the night - A. It was an early hour in the morning. Q. What had you to do on Ludgate-hill at that time in the morning, you should have gone home if you had been my clerk, I should have thought - A. I did ring at Serjeant's-inn gate. Q. If you had rung at the gate the porter who attends the gate would have opened it - what had you to do on Ludgate-hill - A. I walked up there with no intention. Q. You having alarmed Serjeant's-inn by ringing the bell, walked up to Ludgate-hill with no intention - A. I pulled the bell, I will not swear that I made the bell ring; I took a stroll up Ludgate-hill. Q. Had you drank nothing else but the three pints of porter - A. I drank a glass of rum shrub, besides the beer. SAMUEL CLARK . I am a watchman; I saw the women when I called the hour of two o'clock, they were coming down Ludgate-hill; after I had done calling the hour, it was not above five or six minutes before this gentleman called out watchman; when I came down he gave me charge of these two women, he said they had robbed him; I took them in charge; there were three or four men behind the women, as close as possible to them. I looked on the ground with my lanthorn, I could not see any purse; the men pretended to look, after that I took them to the watchhouse, and the men followed us; and on going up Paternoster-row, into the court where our watchhouse is, the men were missing; the constable of the night and the superintendant of the watch searched them, nothing was found. WILLIAM GABLE . I am the officer of the night. I know no more than searching the prisoner. I found nothing. Yates's Defence. When I met this man on Ludgate-hill; he accosted me and this lady; he asked me to go under the first court I came to, which I did; I was not a minute with him before he said he had lost his purse or watch; with that he called watch; the watch came immediately to his assistance, we were taken to the watchhouse and searched, and nothing found. Parker's Defence. This gentlemen accosted us both together: we were not with him five minutes before he said he had lost his purse or his money; he took hold of our four hands and held us together, and called to the watch at the watchhouse; he said he was a seafaring man; he laid upon the table and talked about starboard and larboard. He was intoxicated in liquor. YATES, GUILTY , aged 29. PARKER, GUILTY , aged 33. Transported for Seven Years . London jury, before Mr. Recorder.