Joseph Young

Level 135

C H on 8th March 2024

Old Bailey Online JOSEPH YOUNG. Theft; housebreaking. 18th June 1838. Text type Trial account Defendants JOSEPH YOUNG Offences Theft > Housebreaking Session Date 18th June 1838 Reference Number t18380618-1596 Verdicts Guilty Punishments Transportation 1596. JOSEPH YOUNG was indicted for feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Joseph Goodman and another, on the 10th June, at Christchurch, and stealing therein, 1 bag, value 2d.; 1 watch, value 4l. 10s.; 40 half-crowns, 20 shillings, 500 pence, and halfpence; the goods and monies of the said Joseph Goodman and other: 1 brooch, value 10s., the goods of the said Joseph Goodman: breast-pins and chain, value 10s.; 1 other breast-pin, value 5s.; 2 sporns, value 10s.: and 1 pencil-case, value 3s.; the goods of Walter Goodman. MESSRS. PRENDERGAST and PAYNE conducted the Prosecution. JOSEPH GOODMAN . I live at No. 4, Henneage-street, in the parish of Chritchurch, Middlesex. On Sunday, the 10th of June, I left home at eleven o'clock in the morning—I went to chapel—I fastened all the doors, and made every thing secure—I put the key into my pocket—my house is is a yard—you go through a wicket in a large gate to get to the yard—I locked the wicket-gate after me—I returned at half-past twelve o'clock, put the key into the smaller gate to unlock it, and found it on the spring—it had been unlocked—on going into the yard, I found the outer door of the house open—I missed 5l. in half-crowns, 1l. in shillings, 2l. in copper, in paper parcels, and 5s. in loose silver, and a silver hunting-watch, which belongs to myself and another—I have found none of the property—I found two rooms had been entered, and a considerable quantity of property removed from them—the boxes had all been safely locked up shortly before—; I do not know the prisoner. Cross-examined by MR. PHILLIPS. Q. Whose house is this? A. Joseph and Walter Goodman's—part of the property is mine; part belongs to us both—I do not know Grey Eagle-street—my street is Henneage-street, nearly opposite Spitalfields. SARAH FARROW . I am the wife of William Farrow, a veterinary surgeon, and live at No. 5, Henneage-street. Mr. Goodman's gate is nearly opposite our house—on Sunday morning, the 10th of June, I was at the door, with my baby in my arms—on opening it, I saw the prisoner, aboat twenty minutes after eleven o'clock, standing at the wicket, with his hand at the key-hole—my child was crying—he appeared to hear that, and looked round, which gave me an opportunity of observing his countenance—I am positive he is the person I saw at the wicket-gate—I knew him first about seven years ago, by his dealing with my father-in-law—I had seen him a number of times—he keeps a green-grocer's shop—my father was a farmer, and he dealt with him at a potato warehouse—when I saw him he was in the attitude of going through the wicket with his body bent—you cannot go through without stooping—I did not know where he was living at that time, nor before—I had merely seen him dealing at the warehouse—I did not know his name, but my husband did. Cross-examined. Q. Was he dressed in dark clothes? A. Yes, he was dressed as he is now—I am positive he saw me—my child was crying very violently—I was never in Grey Eagle-street—I suppose it is five minutes' walk from our house—I know Hare-street—that is about eight minutes' walk from our house. MR. PRENDERGAST. Q. Had you ever seen him in that dress-coat before? A. Yes, on Whit Tuesday. DANIEL HURLEY . I am a policeman. On Monday morning, the llth of June, I received information, in consequence of which I apprehended the prisoner—I searched his premises, and found, in a large trunk under the clothes, this small box, containing sixteen half-crowns and two sovereigns—the prisoner keeps a green-grocer's shep in Hare-street, about seven or eight minutes' walk from Mr. Goodman's house—I have seen him in his shop three or four times, with a flannel jacket—he was then in his shop—I also found on his person six half-crowns, three shillings, and sixpences. Cross-examined. Q. You searched him accurately? A. Yes—Hare-street is a little better than a quarter of a mile from Goodman's house—I do not imagine that it is half a mile—I found no watch nor chain—I found a brooch belonging to himself—I found no breast-pin, nor any thing that the prosecutor claimed. JOSEPH GOODMAN re-examined. I lost forty half-crowns. ALLAN PIPE . I am a policeman. I searched the house in company with Hurley, and under a bed, between the bed and mattress, in that bed-room I found a woman's pocket, with three half-crowns, seven shillings, and five sixpences in it. Cross-examined. Q. Am I to understand that the prosecutor claims that pocket? A. The prisoner said it belonged to his wife—the prosecutor does not claim it. WALTER GOODMAN . A fortnight before this, on Sunday, the 27th of May, somebody rang my bell, about half-past eleven o'clock—I opened the dwelling-house door, and then I opened the wicket-gate—I saw a man twenty paces off, going off from my gate, at a quick pace—I called out, "Heigh," and he came back—it was the prisoner—I asked what he wanted—he said he wanted to hire a van for a master of his, to take some goods from Commercial-road to Lambeth—he appeared confused—I told him we had not a van, we had a spring-cart. Cross-examined. Q. How was he dressed? A. In a dark coat—I attended the examination at the Police office, and tendered myself as a witness to the Magistrate, and was examined—my depositions were not taken down—Mr. Flower attended at the second examination on the prisoner's behalf—I was examined the first time. (Witnessesfor the Defence.) MARY JENNINGS . I am the wife of Charles Jennings, a weaver, living in Grey Eagle-street. I know the prisoner, by dealing at his shop—he is a married man, and has a family—I have been in the habit of occasionally doing needlework for his wife—I remember Sunday morning, the 10th of June—I went to Mr. Young's house that day, about half-past ten o'clock. and staid till full half-past twelve o'clock—I was assisting Mrs. Young in cleaning her children—it is the habit before church-time to serve customers in that neighbourhood—I saw the prisoner—he was serving his customers—he was dressed in a white flannel jacket and dark trowsers—I observed nothing particularly out of the way in him. MR. PEENDEROAST. Q. Are you any relation to him? A. No—I went for greens and potatoes, and stopped assisting Mrs. Young till half-past twelve o'clock—I did not go home to boil my greens till half-past twelve o'clock—I have a family—I had their dinners to dress, and had neat to get for dinner—I got that just beyond Mrs. Young's house, about twenty minutes after twelve o'clock—I left the house, about five minutes before half-past twelve o'clock, and returned—I had left my house about half-past nine o'clock, to buy my greens—after breakfast I took a walk along the road, before I went to Mrs. Young's—I am a married woman, and have four children—I went with the intent to stop three hours—my friends at home did not exactly know how long I was going to stop—I intended. to stop an hour or two when I went out—my youngest child but one it about seven years old—my father-in-law is always at my house on Sunday, and he takes care of them—I have a young child, four months old, that was in bed—after she takes breakfast she sleeps till nearly tea-time—I often leave my children to attend to the prisoner's wife—not exactly on purpose to attend her—I was in a room adjoining the shop, where she lives—the shutters were up, and the doors also—it was not fastened—I do not say that business was going on till half-past twelve o'clock—the door was closed after business was over—the prisoner was not out at all while I was there—I am certain of that. Q. On the Sunday morning week did you happen to be there? A. No, on the Sunday morning fortnight I went for spinage and potatoes—I did not notice whether the prisoner was there then—he was there when I went at eleven o'clock—I stopped about five or ten minutes that morning, not longer—last Sunday fortnight we had a small neck of lamb, and on the in question, when I stopped till half-past twelve o'clock, I had a small leg of lamb—I roasted it—we dined between two and three o'clock, or half-past two o'clock, as near as possible—that was not a late hour—we frequently have it at that time, on account of going out on Sunday morning, as my husband is out all the week, and cannot go out except on Sunday, and we take a walk round the place—my husband was with me this morning—he did nothing—he sat talking to us while I was attending to the prisoner's children—the prisoner was serving in the shop, and my husband sitting down in the room with me all the time—he is not here to-day—he is at work—he is quite well—he stopped all the time, went out with me, stopped with me, and came home with me. MR. PHILLIPS. Q. Your husband is a working man, I suppose? A. Yes, and has to support us all, with what little I can do with my needier—I tendered myself to the Magistrate to give this evidence. SAMUEL HARMER . I am an undertaker, and live at No. 5, Winchester-street, Bethnal-green. I know the prisoner an shopkeeper—he has kept the green-grocer's shop, I should think, from four to five years—I have dealt with him—I remember, on Sunday morning, the 10th of June, passing his shop, from eleven o'clock to five minutes after—I was going on my business to place a pall over a deceased, about half a mile distant, and returned again—on the first occasion, as I was going, I saw the prisoner, he was standing in his shop, dressed in a flannel jacket and dark trowsers, but colour I cannot say, and no hat—I returned past there, as near as possible, at a quarter before twelve o'clock, and saw him again—I said "Good morning"—he returned the compliment—I passed on—he was dressed as he was when I saw him before. Cross-examined. Q. How long would you be walking from Hare-street to Henneage-street? A. I should say a quarter of an hour—a sharp walker might walk it in six minutes, but not at the regular way of walking—I mean to swear that for the last five years I have known the prisoner living and keeping the shop there—in August last he was keeping a shop there and living there, and during September—I cannot say about seeing him—I cannot say about what month I saw him there—I knew him as keeping the shop—I do not say that I saw him during September or October at all—I do not know whether I ever saw him in those months—I migit or might not—I cannot undertake to say that I saw him either in August, September, or October, but he might have been there. MR. PHILLIPS. Q. Was the shop open, whether he was attending or not—did you ever know the shop closed? A. It has not been closed except on the Sabbath-day during the time he has kept it—I do not know when my neighbours are out or at home—I am a married man, and the father of nine children. JAMES GOODWIN . I live within four doors of Mr. Goodman, the prosecutor. I attended the police-office on behalf of the prosecutor—I was at home on Sunday the 10th of June, with my cab—I keep three cabs—about a quarter before twelve o'clock, I saw some nun at Mr. Goodman's gate—he looked at me for about five or ten mi—nutes, and I at him—I turned and was doing my cab, and he went in, and was in there for about a quarter of an hour or more, and then came out—I took no more notice till the afternoon, when I went by Mrs. Farrow's door, and spoke to her—she told me about the robbery—the person who went into the premises is not the prisoner—I should know him from a hundred—he was dressed very genteelly—I think he had a brown coat and light trowsers—I attended the police-office after the communication with Mrs. Farrow—Mr. Goodman sent me a summoni, I think they call it, it was on paper—I attended, and the Magistrate examined me—I was sworn, and my depositions were written down—I never saw the prisoner till I was at the office. MR. PAYNE. Q. Did it strike you as any thing remarkable seeing a person go in there? A. Yes, he looked at me very hard for five or ten minutes—he went through a little wicket—he stooped as he went in—I did not look at any watch or clock—he had on a dark coat—he staid inside about half-an-hour—I did not notice him when he came out—I did not know he was not one of Mr. Goodman's people—I saw Mr. Goodman that Sunday morning, the 10th of June, about one o'clock—I was at home on the Sunday fortnight, all day, about my premises. COURT. Q. Did you see Mr. Goodman at one o'clock? A. It might be about one o'clock he was at his gate—that was the person I saw—(pointing to Mr. Walter Goodman)—I have often seen that gentleman—I was him that Sunday at his own gate at one o'clock—I was at home all day on the Sunday fortnight before—I did not see the prisoner ring at Mr. Goodman's gate on Sunday fortnight, and then, when the door was opened, run away—I did not see him walk quietly away—I saw the person I described go in at the gate—I am speaking of last Sunday fortnight—I did aot see the prisoner go and ring the bell, and then come out and walk away—I was at home on the Sunday fortnight before the 10th of June—the man who went in was a slim-ish person—if I was on my dying bed the prisoner is not the man—I can swear solemnly and seriously that the prisoner is not the man—I saw nobody at the prosecutor's door on that Sunday morning, but the person I name—I saw nobody go to the door at twenty minutes after eleven o'clock, and open the door, and go in—I saw nobody all that morning—I did sot sit in the sight of that wicket all the morning—I cannot lay exactly whether I was in sight of the door at twenty minutes after eleven o'clock—I had some conversation with Mrs. Farrow—the summons was left me, I think, on Tuesday morning—I described the person who went in on the Sunday to Mrs. Farrow, previous to going to the office—I gave no description to any officer—after I was called into the witness's box I said the prisoner was not the person—he is not at all like the person—the person bad lightish hair—I could swear to the person among a hundred—he looked at me very hard, and I looked at him very hard—there was so much difference that I could not mistake the prisoner from the person I saw. MR. PHILLIPS. Q. You mean you could not mistake one for the other? A. No; I never saw the prisoner till he was at the office—I have no interes of any kind in the result of this trial. JURY to SARAH FARROW. Q. Are you quite clear the prisoner is the person you saw enter the door? A. I am positive. GUILTY .* Aged 36.— Transported for Ten years.