The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

496.   EDWARD SUMNER (26) , Unlawfully uttering counterfeit coin.

  MARY ANN TIERNEY . I am a widow, of 7, Garbury Road—on 25th April I saw the prisoner selling mackerel in the street; I bought some, and gave him a florin—he gave me the change, among which was a bad shilling—I had no other shilling—I saw him next day, and said, "Are you not the young man I bought mackerel of yesterday?"—he said, "Yes, wasn't it good?"—I said "Yes, very good, but the shilling was bad"—he said, "Come with me, and I will show you where I took it"—I would not go—it rattled on his box—he said he was only a poor man—we agreed to divide the loss, and I gave it back to him—I lost sixpence by it.

  ARTHUR PRAXTON . I lived at 48, Gilbert Road, Poplar—on April 25th I was assistant to Mastin Brothers, bakers, and about two or three o'clock the prisoner asked me to change a shilling for him, which I did—a woman told me it was a bad one—I walked up to him and told him so—he denied that it was bad, and gave me my change back.

  JOHN JAMES WAGSTAFFE . I keep the Royal Albert, Walthamstow—on 25th April I served the prisoner with two half-pints of ale—he gave me a florin and I gave him 1s., a 6d. and 4d., and turned to serve another customer—he called out, "Hi! governor, I cannot take this; this is a bad shilling," giving me a coin—I said, "I never saw it before"—he had a companion with him, who said, "Yes, you did"—he said he was a poor man, and I gave him a good shilling for the bad one, which I kept—about ten minutes afterwards he came back and I said, "You have cheated me; you have rung the changes. I gave you a good shilling for a bad one; you had just offered it previously to a baker outside"—he denied passing it to a baker or giving it to me—he said, "I never had it," but afterwards he said, "I am very sorry, governor; don't lock me up. I took it from a woman up the street. I will show you the woman"—we went to a woman's house and he said, "That is the woman who gave it to me"—she said,

"Yes; you gave it to me first, and you took it back"—I then gave him in charge.

  JOHN SCOTT (115 K). Mr. Wagstaffe called me and said in the prisoner's presence that he had given him a bad shilling—I said I should take him in custody—he said "I gave the woman the shilling yesterday, and I have given her 6d. back to-day, so that we shall each be the loser of 6d."—we went to the station, and the prisoner was charged with knowingly uttering a counterfeit shilling—he made no reply—Mr. Wagstaffe gave me this shilling.

  WILLIAM JOHN WEBSTER , This is a counterfeit shilling.

The prisoner's statement before the Magistrate: "I was not aware it was a bad shilling when I gave it to the woman and I gave her 6d. back."

Prisoner's defence. I work very hard; some lady gave me the shilling. I know where she lives; I sold her three mackerel for 8d.

GUILTY .

The JURY stated that they believed he got the coin accidentally, and did his best to get rid of it.— Discharged on his own recognisances.