The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

292.   JOHN MORRIS ,   SAMUEL COKER ,   ELI-ZABETH HENLEY , and   ANN MOORE were indicted, for burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling house of   Emannel Moses , about the hour of three in the night, of the 11th of March , with intent to steal, and for burglariously stealing therein, five handkerchiefs, value 28s. four shawls, value 4l. nine yards of silk, value 2l. and eleven yards of sarcenet, value 30s. the property of the said Emanuel Moses.

EMANUEL MOSES. I live at  No. 6 and 7, Bunhillrow, in the parish of St. Luke's . On Tuesday morning, the 11th of March; I was called up, I got up; I found my shop had been broken into. I got up and I found the window broken, and one of the panes of glass was broken, and a square piece cut out of one of the shutters. It was between three and four in the morning when I got up. I examined to see if any thing was gone out of the shop, and I missed two pieces of sarcenet, five silk handkerchiefs, four silk shawls of various patterns. We found some more articles in the area which had been taken out. I shut up the shop myself on the night of the 11th; I shut it up about eight in the evening; nothing was broken; I went to bed about eleven o'clock. The value of the things was ten pounds, or there abouts; I I have seen some of them again at the office. I had seen the prisoner Coker before; he was in my shop on the Thursday before; he came in and asked me to sell him a waistcoat and a coat; I sold him a waistcoat for ten shillings; he bid me pat it by, and he would call again, but he never called again after that. I had seen these things in my shop on the day before; I then put my shop to rights and set these things all smooth.

  DANIEL MOSES merely proved Coker's coming to the shop.

  WILLIAM KINNERSLEY . I am a constable; I saw some of the prisoners on Tuesday the 12th of March, about twelve o'clock. As I was coming down Houndsditch, I met the four prisoners in company together; the two men were walking first, and the two women were close behind them. Knowing them, I turned round to look at them. I saw Elizabeth Henley nudge   Ann Moore ; she then turned round to look at me, and then began to shove her patterns on. They then went up Aldgate, High-sreet; they then went across the High-street, and into the Minories. I then followed them down the Minories into the New Square, to a pawnbrober's shop, and Coker went on the opposite side of the way.   Elizabeth Henley and   John Morris went to the corner of America-square. There I passed them, and went into America-square, I went back again and went into the pawnbroker's shop; I asked the pawnbroker what that young woman had brought; it was   Ann Moore who had gone in; I told the pawnbroker to detain her for five or six minutes, and I would be back again. I then went to America-square, and there I apprehended   John Morris and Elizabeth Henley. I asked her what she had got under her shawl; and she said she had got a shawl which she was going to pawn, it was her own. There was a gentleman coming by of the name of Davis, and I asked him to be so good as to take them to the watch-house for me. He was Davis, the ward beadle. I told him I had another person run down Honndsditch whom I wanted to follow. That was Coker; I followed him and apprehended him in Swan-street, pretty near the bottom. I brought him back again into the Minories, and there I met Ann Moore running down the Minories as fast as she could. She did not see me, and ran

into my arms; I told her she must go along with me, and she exclaimed, for God's sake, let me go. I took her then to the pawnbroker's shop with Coker. I asked the pawnbroker if he had given her any money, and he said no. I saw a shawl lying on the counter, and asked for it. The pawnbroker said that that was the shawl that she came to pledge. I told him, I knew it was; she heard that, and did not deny it. I then took and tied Coker and her together, and took them to the watch-house where the other two were, and after I had been there about a minute, I opened the door and saw my partner, John Ray, and called him in. He came in, and I asked him to search the two women, and I searched the two men. I asked them a great many questions, where they lodged; and both of them said they lodged where they could; one night with one girl, and another night with another, and so on. In searching Coker, I found the key of his apartment, as it afterwards turned out to be, in his pocket. In searching the other man, I found a key in his possession, which unlocks his sister's door, but not his own. I should state to you that I found this silk handkerchief, (producing it) not hemed, round Coker's neck, which is the property of the prosecutor, I likewise found another silk handkerchief in his hat. I am not sure whether there was one or more in his hat. I found on   Elizabeth Henley this little shawl, (producing it) with the private mark on it. I also took the shawl that Ann Moore was pawning. I handcuffed them all then, and took them all to Giltspur-street Compter.   Elizabeth Henley had a dog with her; just before they went to the Compter, in Newgate-street, she said she would not know what to do with the dog, without the turnkey would let her take it into the prison. The turnkey refused; then I said I would take the dog to White-chapel, or that way, and lose it. We then took it to Whitechapel, and in Wingfield-street he stopped at some old bones; we waited there a little time, and then we ordered him to go home, and he did so, and we followed him. He went into a little court off Wentworth-street, he went up one pair of stairs, and into the first room, and when we went into the room, there was Henley's sister. Her name is Mary, she seemed very much frightened. I searched the premises and found two silk handkerchiefs, and one silk shawl. In a box just by, I found two pieces of silk. (producing them) There are three pieces now, because they had cut a piece off from one of them. I then asked the girl if she knew where Coker lived, and she went and shewed us Coker's lodging. She took us up one pair of stairs in a house, a little way up Wingfield-street. I put my hand in my pocket and pulled out the key I got from Coker and unlocked the door. There I found between the bed and the sacking, two silk handkerchiefs, and one silk shawl, and this tea-pot; but there is no owner for the tea-pot. I found nothing else. Morris and Henley live together; and Coker and Moore lived together.

JONATHAN RAY. I am a constable. I accompanied the last witness Kinnersley; I searched the lodgings of the prisoners; in a closet in Morris's room, I found a parcel of pick-lock-keys; he lodged in George-yard, Wentworth-street. We know it was his lodging, because he owned something which Kinnersley took out of that room. The keys were all I found there. Kinnersley found the other things.

Kinnersly, Re-examined. Morris and Elizabeth Henley lived together, and Moore and Coker lived together. I found in the room in which Morris lived three pieces of silk, one silk shawl, and two silk handkerchiefs.

  Jonathan Ray , Re-examined. It was there I found the pick-lock keys. Then I went to Coker's with Kinnersley, and there I found a large crow, a centrebit, and a number of other pick-lock keys; there were matches in each of the lodgings; a carpenter had been at work at the shutters of the prosecutor house, and there was a bit of theshutter that matched to this centre-bit; the iron crow exactly fitted with the marks on the shutter, where they had tried to take the shutter down; I also found with the bit and brace in Coker's lodging, this piece of wood, on which they had been trying the bit and brace.

Emanuel Moses, Re-examined. The shutter had not been taken down; the hole in it measured about six by seven inches; it had been cut away. Nobody had been in the shop. I suppose the things were drawn out of through this hole.

(Property sworn to.)

JURY. To Moses. Have you had those things in your possession since they have been stolen?

(Kinnersley, Re-examined.) No. I have kept them in my possession ever since we took them.

  MARY HENLEY . (Sister to the prisoner of that name.) I lodge at the Baker and Basket, in Middlesex-street; Elizabeth Henley lodged in a court in George-yard;   John Morris lodged there. I went to my sisters on the 12th of March, I went on the Tuesday to see her; the prisoner Morris was there; he was lying down on the bed; he had his clothes on; it was between ten and eleven in the morning; Coker came there with Ann Moore; they had came together to my sister's room. I saw them go out all together; they took something with them; they took a shawl with them, I believe; I believe they also took some handkerchiefs; but I am not sure. I remember the officers coming and searching the room; that was my sister's room they searched; they found part of the things which they have produced. I was in my sister's room when they came.

Morris's Defence. I am guilty of having these things; but know nothing of their being stolen. I worked in the West India Docks, and I was going down George-street, and I saw a bag which contained those articles, and I took them up into Coker's room, and the pick-lock key and the iron crow were in it.

Coker's Defence. About half past six, as near as I can guess, this man came up with a bag, and said he had just picked it up, and it had these things in it, with the crow bar and pick-lock keys, and being short of money, I asked   Ann Moore to pledge the shawl; but the women are innocent.

Henley's Defence. There was nothing covered up

at all in my room, because I did not know they were stolen.

Moore's Defence. This young man, Coker, asked to pledge this shawl, and I thought it no harm, and I went. I did not know but they were honestly come by.

MORRIS, GUILTY - DEATH , aged 26.

COKER, GUILTY - DEATH , aged 20.

HENLEY, NOT GUILTY .

MOORE, NOT GUILTY .

Second Middlesex Jury, before Mr.   Baron Wood .