The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

5, 6. (M.)   John Brannon was indicted, for that he, on the king's high-way, on   Thomas Worley did make an assault, putting him in corporal fear and danger of his life; and stealing from his person one pair of silver shoe-buckles, value 10 s. his property . And   Jane Blake , otherwise Buckley , spinster , for receiving the same, well knowing them to have been stolen , Oct. 17 . *

  Thomas Worley . I am a printer , and live in Whitechapel. On the 17th of October, the prisoner and another man came up to me, about 12 at night, as I was in  Church-lane going home;   John Paget was with me, they bid us stop and deliver what we had we told them we had no money; they began to rissle us; they looked to my shoes, and took one of my buckles out, and held it up to the lamp.

Q. Had they any thing in their hands?

Worley. They had each a pistol, they unbuttoned my breeches, and wanted to see if I had a watch. When my buckle was held up, one of them said, they were Wedges; then they came and took the other; but before that was taken out, there came three more, then they took Paget's buckles out of his shoes; then Esq: Gore's chariot was coming by, they all five quitted us, and ran to take hold of the horses reins, but the coachman would not stop, and they fired two pistols directly: This was just by us, then they made off. I took particular notice of the prisoner, he stood close by me, with a pistol in his hand, while my buckles were taken from me, being one of the first two that came up. It was a man with a scarlet waistcoat, blue coat, and hat stapt all round, that took my buckles. There was a lamp just by us; as I kept looking in the prisoner's face, he said, if I spoke a word, he would blow my brains out. I am very sure he is the man. I seeing an advertisement afterwards, went to Justice Fielding; there I saw my buckles ( produced in court, and deposed to); after that I went to see the prisoner in New Prison; upon seeing him, immediately I said, that was one of the men. I know nothing against the woman.

Q. from Brannon. Did you say the same as now before the Justice?

Worley. Yes, I did.

  John Paget . On the 17th of October, I was with the prosecutor; we were stopt by two men with each a pistol, who demanded our money, we told them we had none, they looked down at my shoe-buckles, and took them out; they searched my pockets and breeches. They felt in Worley's pockets, and took his buckles from his shoes; Sir   Samuel Gore 's chariot coming by, they demanded the coachman to stop, he would not; then they fired pistols at him; they were making off, I said, let us make after them; the prisoner turned back, and took my handkerchief from my neck, and away they both ran. There came five in all.

Q. Was the prisoner one of the two, or of the three last that came?

Paget. I cannot be positive which, but I am positive he was one of the five; he took my handkerchief not above half a dozen yards from where they took our buckles.

Q. Do you know anything against the woman at the bar?

Paget. No; I do not.

  Samuel Spencer . I am a Pawnbroker. The day succeeding the robbery, the prisoner, Blake, came to my shop, with another woman with her; about eight in the morning she brought these buckles to pawn.

Prosecutor. These are the same I lost that night.

Spencer. I asked her how she came by them?

She said, a man gave her them for lying with her upon the ruins in St. Gyles's I sent for a constable, and sent her to the round-house. She said to the other woman that came with her, make haste, and tell them to make their escape: So I stopt that woman. Then I ordered the constable to go and search the prisoner's lodgings, there he took the man at the bar; then we went before Justice Welch, and I advertised the buckles by Justice Welch's order, and the prosecutor came and described the buckles before he saw them; he mentioned a little strain which one of them had on it.

Q. Which of the women brought the buckles?

Spencer. The other woman did; but said they were Blake's property, and Blake said the same, and that she came by them as I mentioned before.

  Terrence M'Gennis. I am a constable, Mr. Spencer sent for me about half an hour after eight, and gave me charge of the woman. I put her in the round-house. I heard her order the other woman to go to her room, and bid the men make their escape, or to come and blow our brains out.

Q. What were her words?

M'Gennis. She said, I am taken and stopt upon the buckles, make all the haste you can; and tell the

men to make all the haste they can out of the lodging. When I came back I went as we had appointed to meet Mr. Spencer at Justice Welch's; the Justice ordered me to go for one of my brother constables, named Langrey, and search the woman's lodgings. The other woman directed us to the house of M'Dearman, Buckridge Street, St. Gyles's, we went there: The woman bid me take care of myself, saying, if there were six of us we should not be able to take them. We took Mr. Scott and Mr. Carlisle with us; we saw the prisoner lying on the bed with his clothes on, through the key-hole. I cried, Jack, open the door; he would not answer; then I forced the door; open, we all four took hold of him; in searching the bed I found a pair of silver buckles; we found a brace of horse pistols loaded in a little closet near the bed, and two silk handkerchiefs lying with them.

Paget. Those buckles and one of those handkerchiefs (produced in court, taking them in his hand) were taken from me the night I was robbed.

M'Gennis. I found a jacket in the room, with some loose gunpowder in the pocket.

  John Longrey confirmed the evidence of the last witness.

Brannon said nothing in his defence.

Blake's Defence.

A man gave me them buckles to lay with me on the old ruins, and afterwards come to my own room.

Brannon Guilty . Death .

Blake Guilty . T.14 .