The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

372.   GEORGE TYSON (63) , Unlawfully obtaining, by false pretence from   Edward Cox and another, two rick-cloths, with intent to defraud.

MR. METCALFE conducted the Prosecution; and MR. A. B. KELLEY the Defence.

  EDWARD COX . I am in partnership with Henry Williams, and carry on business as Benjamin Edgington, tarpaulin manufacturers, at 2, Duke Street, London Bridge—in April or May, last year, I saw the prisoner; my partner had seen him twice previously—he spoke about purchasing rick-cloths, and stated that he had a large farm in the neighbourhood of Reigate, and had suffered a good deal in previous years from loss of hay, from not having rick-cloths, and he was determined to have some—he said he was an old friend of the late Mr. Edgington, and had known him—he also stated that he was a member of the Fishmonger's Company—he said his waggons were generally in London every week, and his man should call and fetch the cloths away—he ordered two rick-cloths of the value of 22l. 15s. 6d.—on that occasion I did not hear the name given definitely, it was entered first of all as Tisson or Tissen—on searching the books we could not find any such name, and we wrote to the prisoner and asked him for a reference—I copied the name from the signature to a letter I had received. (This was a letter dated 24th May to Lyson, Mead Vale, Reigate, enclosing an invoice for the two cloths and asking for a cheque for the amount, or a London reference, signed "Bedgington.") The prisoner called after that letter was written, and I then asked him what his name really was—I had the Directory before me, and we had found Mr. George Tyser, a gentleman living at Reigate, in the Directory—I said if so we should not trouble him for a reference, as we knew him to be a respectable man—he said "Yes, I have had dealings with you before"—I think the address of Mr. Tyser was Parkside, Reigate—I said that I knew Mr. Tyser as a customer—he said "Oh, I have had goods of you before; it is quite right" I found that Mead Vale was a district, and so I did not think there was anything wrong with the address—believing that he was Mr. Tyser, of Parkside, Reigate, I sent off the things—they were sent down to Reigate, addressed to Mr. Tyser, by the South Eastern Railway—I gave instructions that the name in the order-book should be altered from Tyssen to Tyser, and it was altered—I have not seen anything of the cloths since nor of the money—I sent my collector down to Reigate, but he is not in London at present—I was afterwards sent for by Mr. Williams, and I saw the prisoner in a cab at London Bridge—that was the 22nd January—I had not seen or heard of him between May and January—I gave him into custody—the constable refused to detain him, because it was only a misdemeanour—he was not detained; but he promised to surrender at the Police Court the next morning—I went there, but he did not make his appearance—I got a warrant, and he was afterwards taken into custody.

Cross-examined. He had had two or three conversations previously with

my partner—I did not address the letter which was written myself—it was copied from the memorandum which the prisoner had written—it appeared to be Tyser or Lysen—it did not look like Tyser—on the last occasion I said that Mr. Tyser was a respectable man, and he did say "I have had things from you before," but he also said that he was Mr. Tyser—he said "I am the same man, and have I had things before"—Mr. Tyler's name was not in our books—it appears that he had been into our place, making inquiries about goods, and I was under the impression that his name was in the books, but on subsequent inquiry, I found I was wrong—I found Mr. Tyser's name in the Directory, and I had my hand on it at the time I spoke to the prisoner—I did not take his address down then, it had been given previously as "Mead Vale, Reigate"—Mr. Tyser's address was Parkside——the prisoner did not mention Parkside—that is the name of Mr. Tyser's house as it appears in the Directory.

Re-examined. I don't think the prisoner could see the address in the Directory from where he stood—I had it before me, and I asked him if he was Mr. George Tyser—I don't know that I mentioned the address—Mead Vale is a district, and Parkside is in that district.

  EDWARD LORIMER . I live at London Road, Reigate—I have a house which belongs to me, at Mead Vale—Mead Vale is a district—I know Parkside—that is about three-quarters of a mile from Mead Vale—I know the prisoner; I let him the lease of my house in Mead Vale, in September, 1870—I have the agreement—there is no farm attached to that house, only a small garden, about half an acre—I am not aware that he had any farm there—there was no room for any carts or waggons, and there was no hay to be protected—I believe he left in November, 1871, but I did not get the release till the end of January—he promised to give up possession in November—I don't think I saw anything of him after November—I know him as George Tyson—that is how the agreement is signed—he signed that in my presence—he promised to go in November and sign a release, but he did not go till the end of January—I gave him 10l. to go, and I lost a year and a half rent—I know Mr. Tyser of Parkside—Mr. Tyser and the prisoner are not the same persons.

Cross-examined. He might have had a farm elsewhere, but I don't believe he had.

  GEORGE URIAH TATE . I am warehouseman at Reigate Town station—on 26th May three packages of rick-cloths came to the station from the London Receiving House, addressed to Tysen, or Tyson—I have copied it in my book as Tysor—the address was Reigate—they remained at the station till 10th June—I know the prisoner by the name of Tyson—he came to the station two or three days after the goods had been lying there—he tore the old labels off; and re-labelled them "To Dorking station, till called for," in the name of Tyson—they were sent to Dorking station on 10th June, with other packages—when he came he walked up to the goods and said "These are my goods here," and he compared the labels with some writing he took from his pocket—he then said he wanted them all sent to Dorking—he paid the carriage that was due from London to Reigate, and I forwarded the charges on them to Dorking—my book shows from what station I received them, but not from whom—I did not get the labels, the prisoner took charge of them—I don't know where they came from, but I know that they were rick-cloths.

Cross-examined. Tysor is the name I have in my book—it was copied as

near as I could make out from the package, and I read it as Tysor—Mr. Tyson signed a receipt for the goods before they were forwarded to Dorking—I had not personally delivered goods to him till that day—I believe there was a box sent to Mr. Tyson at Mead Vale, by his order—I know Mr. Tyser of Parkside—I have not been in the habit of sending packages to him, he collects his own—the prisoner did not state that he had come on behalf of Mr. Tyser of Parkside—I said before the Magistrate that I had delivered goods to the prisoner in each name—there were some goods sent to Redhill which I should have received at Reigate—I wrote to Redhill to know whether they had received any packages in the name of Tyson or Tyser, the goods-clerk sent back word that there were some packages there for Tyson, which were for Mead Vale, and they would deliver—the prisoner never received any goods from me except the cloths—I did not deliver any other goods but those.

Re-examined. Other goods were left at Redhill station—mine is Reigate and the other is Redhill and Reigate, on the main line—on 25th May I should have received two mowers, one garden roller, and one roll of floorcloth, but they went on to Redhill—the stations are only half a mile from each other—the roll of floor-cloths came, and the prisoner signed for that, and it afterwards went to Dorking with the rick-cloths—we applied to Mr. Tyser at Parkside about the rick-cloths, and he refused to take them in.

  WILLIAM LUCY . I am a shipowner, and live at Neptune Villas, Upper Grange Road, Bermondsey—I know the prisoner as Henry Cooper—he took two houses of me—the first was adjoining the present occupancy—it is called Britannia Villas—he took it at Michaelmas up to Christmas, at 10s. per week—he afterwards took the next house, which was larger, and also belonged to me, and for which he was to pay 12l. 10s. a quarter—he represented himself to be twenty years a Magistrate's clerk in Suffolk, and bailiff to the High Sheriff of Surrey, and likewise a farmer at Guildford, and that he had instructed Serjeant Ballantine and the Attorney-General, and I don't know what else—I received this letter from him, and after several interviews I showed it to him, he said it was his, and that his name was Henry Cooper. (This was a letter stating that he had called on several occasions to settle for the rent of the premises, and about one of the larger houses, and asking the witness what time he could see him; it was signed "Henry Cooper.") He was in the first house ten weeks—his wife is in possession of the second house, with savage dogs—I have to pass through his garden to the next house, and the dogs are brought out to intimidate me—the dogs jump through the window after the police.

Cross-examined. The dog has never bitten me, I don't give him a chance—I am afraid to go through his garden.

  JOSEPH HARDY . I live at 314, Walworth Road—I have a house at Camden Grove, North Peckham—I knew the prisoner by the name of Brown—he took that house from me in that name, in January, 1870—he kept it about six weeks—I got about 4s. 6d. from him the first week, and the rent was given to him to go away—he gave me as a reference Mr. Tyson, Upper Camden Grove, Peckham, a large house on the opposite side of the way—I saw some woman there, either his wife or sister.

Cross-examined. She was in a respectable house—he set no savage dogs on me.

  MATTHEW FOX (Police Inspector M). On the afternoon of 22nd March I went with Mr. Lucy to Britannia Villas—I saw the prisoner there, in the

act of removing his furniture from the house—there was a van there—I asked him if his name was Henry Cooper—he said "Yes, what do you want with me?"—I said "I have a warrant for you in the name of George Tyson"—he said "Very well; come this way," pointing to a room down stairs—in that room I heard what appeared to be a savage dog, howling, and trying to get out—I said I would not allow him to go there—he said he would go, whether I wished it or not—we had a struggle in the passage for some time—I dropped a pocket-book and the warrant in the struggle, and his wife picked them up—I had a long struggle to get them away from them—I got him at last to the station—on the way the prisoner pulled out a paper and commenced to tear it up—I recovered it and joined it together—it was an agreement between William Edward Tyson and a Mr. Edwards for a house, where part of his furniture had already been removed—I found on him a key, labelled "7, Park Road"—that was the house where the furniture was being removed to—I found a quantity of property of all descriptions in both houses—it appeared to me new, and some of it was packed, as if having been recently sent.

  URIAH BAKER . I am attached to the Dorking railway station—I received a package of rick-cloths from the Reigate Town station in the name of Tyson—I sent them to Bricklayers' Arms in the name of Cooper—Mr. Tyson told me to do that—I don't think I should know Mr. Tyson again—I sent four parcels to the same place.

Cross-examined. The person who came represented himself as Tyson.

  GEORGE VINCE . I am warehouseman at the Bricklayers' Arms station—I received four packages from Dorking station addressed to Mr. Cooper—I delivered them to the prisoner—he handed me the order in the name of Cooper—I had about twenty packages in the name of Tyson—they were all removed at the same time—he had a conveyance there—some came from Reigate and some from Redhill—there were sixteen from Redhill, and about thirty altogether—they were all taken away at the same time.

Cross-examined. The prisoner fetched them himself.

GUILTY — Five Years' Penal Servitude.

Before Robert Malcolm Kerr, Esq.