Offence: Theft > grand larceny
Verdict: Guilty
Punishment: Transportation
109. WILLIAM GLASSBY , ROBERT WHITMORE , and WILLIAM PENDALL , were indicted for feloniously
stealing, on the 4th day of February , thirty fathom of twelve-inch cable, value 50 s. the goods and chattels of Thomas Todd .(The case was opened by Mr. Schoen.)
(The witnesses examined separate.)
I was ship-keeper on board the Nelly ; I missed a cable on the 4th day of February; at six o'clock at night I saw it; at eleven it was gone; I saw the cable the next day; I swear to it by a piece of canvas, by way of service, that I put on it; I know it is my owners property; it was made fast with spun-yarn; the cable we found next day was of the same length and quality as that which we lost; I never saw any of the prisoners before.
I was on the water on the evening of the 4th of February, about half past eight or nine; I saw some boats coming up; I said to my people, shoot up to these boats, they seem to come up very heavy; as soon as they saw me, young Mr. Neal took off a slip-rope, and the cable went down; the other boat did the same; Whitmore and Pendall were in the last boat; after they had so done, they rowed round and round, and Glassby and Neal went ashore at King's-stairs; the other two went away; Glassby and Neal were in one boat, and Pendall and Whitmore in the other; the cable is thirty fathom long; they were about the length of the Old-Bailey from the ship when I saw them; I went ashore with Neal and Glassby, and took their boat and graplings; we used their graplings, and recovered this said cable; I took it to my house; I went and found out the Nelly on Sunday morning; Maxwell and Young were in the boat with me; it was a moon-light night; I know all the people; Whitmore sailed in a vessel of mine; I have no doubt about them.
I am a waterman; I can only say as Mr. Climber has said.
(This witness corroborated Climber's testimony in every particular.)
I was in the boat with Mr. Climber; I saw Neal let go a slip-rope, and they went up the river.
(This evidence the same as the last.)
WILLIAM NEAL (an Accomplice) sworn.
On Saturday night, the 4th of February, I was in company with the three prisoners, and we all agreed to go down the river, to see what we could get: we rowed to the ship Nelly's bows; we cut the cable with a knife; we then under-run it as close as we could to the anchor, and then we cut it, and made it fast to a boat's stern, and carried it forward to her head, then back to her stern; then we towed it away; I hired the boat; Glassby was with me in the boat; in the other boat were Whitmore and Pendall; they towed us up, and we gave what help we could: on seeing Mr. Climber, we let it go; I let go the slip-rope; then we rowed up a little way, and down again; then Mr. Climber rowed up to us, and told us he would seize the boat; he told us to get out of the boat; we did so, and I went home.
(The ends of the cable produced, and deposed to by Palmer.)
Prisoner Glassby. Neal hired me to go a dredging, for a groat in the shilling.
Whitmore and Pendall both said that they did not go to do any robbery.
ALL THREE GUILTY .
All three transported for seven years .
Tried by the first Middlesex Jury before Mr. Justice GROSE.