The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

769.   JOHN YOUNG was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 21st of June last, one wicker basket, value 2 s. and eight quartern loaves of bread, value 5 s. the property of   James Fisher .

  JOHN THOMAS sworn.

At twelve o'clock I went into Marybone-street, and pitched my basket at the end of  Berner's-street .

Had you left it in charge of anybody? - No.

How long was you gone? - About ten minutes, or not a quarter of a hour, and the basket was gone; there were eight quartern loaves in it, and in a little time after a gentleman came with the prisoner and the bread which I left in the basket; our shop is in Berner's-street; I can pick my own loaves out from five hundred, I work it; every man can know his own workmanship.

Court. What in a quartern loaf? - Yes, I think so, we put a W upon it.

Do not other bakers do so? - I cannot inform you, there is no particular mark further, but I can swear to my own workmanship.

- WINTER sworn.

I detected the prisoner with a basket of bread on his back, containing eight quartern loaves, in New Ormond-street, about a quarter past twelve; I suspected him to be a thief from the over hurry, and he seemed to be very much flurried; we stopped him, and he said he lived with Mr. Smith, in Baldwin's-gardens, I immediately replied, my lad, the very worst man you can pitch upon, he is a near neighbour of mine, I am sure you are not his man, nor it is not his basket, I am a baker and we will take you there; he consented to go till we came to John-street, then he objected to going, observing he had married a niece of Mr. Smith's, and it would ruin him; I took him there, and Mr. Smith said he knew nothing of him; Mr. Smith said

I have heard of a baker that did marry a niece of mine, but whether this is the man or no I cannot tell; he consented to go to the top of Berner's-street, where he declared he took this property from, I told him the best way for him would be to tell where he stole it, and he said -

Court. Then stop a little; you went there? - Yes, we went there with some of the bread, and took him to Mr. Fisher's, and he owned the basket and bread, and the foreman likewise.

Can you tell a loaf of your own making from another loaf? - Yes, I hope so.

Does not it change in the oven? - No doubt.

If you were to see them at another place how could you know them? - I could tell my own bread from one hundred, I do not imagine you understand it.

If there is nothing but a W how can you know your own baking? - From the mode of working it.

ANOTHER WITNESS sworn.

I saw him carrying it down Ormond-street, and stopped him with the basket and eight quartern loaves, we took the basket to Mr. Smith's, in Baldwin's-gardens, the basket and bread were fetched away to Mr. Fisher's, and left there, the basket is here at the door; the account was as he has told you; I am a baker, and work for Mr. Simpson, in New North-street; every baker has a different way of working his bread.

Do you suppose every baker could tell his own bread if he saw it twenty miles off? - I could tell my own workmanship, I should think it very hard if I could not.

One of the London Jury. My Lord, every man can tell his own workmanship.

PRISONER's DEFENCE.

A man offered to give me sixpence to carry this basket, I went over the fields and down this street, and they stopped me, he told me he lived at Mr. Smith's, in Baldwin's-gardens, and when they went there, they found it was not the place, and I told them where I got it: they could only swear to one loaf.

GUILTY .

To be publickly whipped , and confined to hard labour six months in the House of Correction .

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury before Mr. RECORDER.