The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

269, 270, 271. (M.)   Simon Chidley ,   John Holding , and   Charles Legoe , were indicted for that they on the 4th of April , about the hour of two in

the night, the dwelling-house of   Samuel Parnell did break and enter, one wooden till, val. 2 d. one silver tea spoon, val. 12 d. the goods of the Samuel did steal . ++

Mary Parnell I live in  Angel-Alley, Bishopsgate street : last sunday was se'nnight, in the morning about two or three o'clock, a man called, going by, and told me my window was open; I get up and found it so; and missed a wooden till an egg basket, I had taken most of my money out of the till, and left a trifle in it, and a silver tea spoon, which was not my own, but left many cutlery; there was a pane of glass broke in my window: the next day, there came a boy with some men; they said to me, is this the house that the window was found open? my daughter had, it was ; then they said, they had got the thieves. I never found my till again.

  George Gibbons . The three prisoners and I met together on a Saturday night between eight and nine o'clock; we went to an ale-house, the Peacock in Rag-fair, and drank there till it was time to go, which was about a quarter after twelve, then we went directly to the house in Angel-alley, Bishopsgate-street ; I broke two panes of glass and put in my arm at the top of the shutter and undid the window; it was a chandler's shop; one of the prisoners stood on the steps by me, and one on one side, and the other on the other: I gave the window bar to Legoe, and pushed up a little window, then he took the basket of eggs out and gave them to Holding: I put in my arm and took out the till and money, and gave it to Legoe; he gave it to Caldley ; they gave the money to me, I put it in my pocket ; and the next morning I counted and shared it, there were four six-pences, a silver three-pence, a silver-penny, and about two shillings in half-pence, and a silver tea-spoon along with it; I kept the spoon in my pocket all day on Sunday: then we all but Legoe went and sold it for a shilling, in the Back-lane, Rag-fair, at a house where we had lodged two or three nights ; the man who keeps the house his name is   George Balendine , almost right against the sign of the Peacock, beyond the watch-house.

Q. to the prosecutrix. What money did you leave in the drawer?

Prosecutrix. There were some six-pences and some half-pence ; I knew nothing of the silver three-pence or penny, they might be there for ought I know.

William M' Culluck. I live at the house where the spoon was sold; I saw Holding, Chidley, and the evidence, come there on Sunday was a week, about eight at night, they brought it and offered it for twenty-pence to   Jane Baldwin , then they went out together and returned and sold it for a shilling.

Q. Did she ask them any question about it?

M.' Culluck. I did not hear her ask any, it was no affair of mine.

Q. Have you seen the spoon since?

M.' Culluck. I have, before the Alderman ; there is T. E. M. upon it.

Q. When did you first see those letters?

M' Culluck. A little after it was brought.

Q. Did not you suspect it to be stolen ?

M.' Culluck. No.

Q. How long have you lodged there?

M.' Culluck. Almost three years. I have a room to myself.

Q. Do you lodge there still?

M.' Culluck. I do: and have since the people of the house run away.

Q. Have you not seen people bring handkerchiefs there to sell frequently?

M.' Culluck. No, I never did; nor spoons before or since.

Q. What house does Baldwin keep?

M.' Culluck. He keeps a lodging house for men or women, as they come.

Q. Have they no other support but that?

M' Culluck. None, as I know of.

Q. How many lodgers are there?

M.' Culluck. I can't readily tell how many?

Q. Pray how do you live?

M.' Culluck. I received 33 l. 11 s. in Sept last from the Granada Bum.

Q. Have you never seen constables within this three months searching the house?

M.' Culluck. I never saw them take away any goods.

Q. Don't you suspect it to be a very bad house ?

M.' Culluck. I see no badness in it.

Q. Does not this convince you that she is willin to buy stolen goods, by buying that spoon with a name upon it?

M.' Culluck. I know nothing of it.

Q. Have not you seen these boys come in and out there?

M.' Culluck. I have, but never knew them to be thieves.

Q. Did you ever know them to sell the people of the house goods before?

M.' Culluck. No, never.

  John Lecock . I live in Shoreditch parish   George Gibbons came to me this day week, in the morning, and desired me to go with him before a majgistrate ;

I asked him, what for? he said, he and three more had broke a house open in Bishopsgate-street; that there was a hole through the upper part of the shutter, in which he put his hand and broke the glass, &c. I went with him into Rag-fair, he shewed me Chidley and Holding in bed there; I took them; Chidley cried sadly, and said he had known Gibbons a fortnight: all the way they went they blamed the little boy, Legoe, for quarreling with Gibbons, the evidence, the night before. Legoe was found in bed with two women.

Q. How old is he?

Lecock. He is fourteen years of age next January (as he says himself) Holding laughed as he came along; he did not own it at first, nor seemed to mind it; when we came to an alehouse in Old-street we gave them some beer! then they all three owned it, and said that they got the money and basket of eggs.

Q. Did you find any thing upon them?

Lecock. No, my Lord.

Q. Did any of them say, where the spoon was sold?

Lecock. No, they did not.

The three prisoners in their defenc, said they know nothing of the affair.

For Chidley.

  Christopher Vaget had known him ten years;   John Davis , five years;   Simon Yudd , sixteen years;   Thomas Cook , near seven years ;   William Trinder , from a child; and Mr. Cleaver, the same; and all gave him a good character.

All three Guilty of Felony only .

[Transportation. See summary.]