The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

560, 561, 562, 563. (M.)   James Chilcot ,   John Beale ,   Margaret Anne Worral , spinster , and   Anne Harvey , spinster , were indicted (together with   Thomas Anderson * not taken) for stealing five yards of printed linen cloth, twelve handkerchiefs made of silk and cotton, eleven yards of callico, forty-seven yards of linen cloth, and fifty-seven pair of worsted hose , the property of persons unknown, October 11 . +

* See Anderson tried, No 260 in this Mayoralty, with   John Mitchell .

  John Noaks . This day three weeks, between 11 and 12 at night, I was at St. Margaret's watch-house; a watchman brought a woman there who said, she had been knocked down in great George-street by two men and a woman; she said, she lodged at the house of one Brown in the Almonry; I asked the watchman why he did not bring the people as well as the woman; he said, they were got off; I applied to Sir   John Fielding for a warrant, and asked the woman; if she would appear against the people if taken; she said if she did, she should get knocked on the head; she told me my best way would be to come and enter the house between 6 and 7 in the morning, the time they generally come in; I went with assistance; when I came there, Anderson as described, got out at the window and got off; we ran up stairs; Chilcot was in bed with the girl Harvey; we found the tools they made use of; it was an old ruinated place; we found all these things mentioned in the indictment, in the room (produced in court.) Sir   John Fielding had them advertised three times; there are fifty-seven pair of men and women's stockings, three red caps, five remnants of Irish, three remnants of sheeting, three remnants of callico wrapper, twelve handkerchiefs, and other things: they say the room belongs to   Margaret Anne Worrat , they were all found in her room; the other witnesses can tell better how they were found than I, who were in the room, because of Anderson's making his escape; I ran up into the other room to see who else I could find; I was by when the tools were found; these are they, (producing a stock and center bit, and two forks, the ends bent into berks, to put into windows to draw things through windows to them, and a pocket pistol.

  Joseph Stevenson . I am a constable, I was with Mr. Noaks; I was at the finding all these goods and tools in that room; the girl Harvey was in bed, and some of the things were found under the bed, in little bundles; the rest were in drawers, and the pistol upon the drawers, the stock and bit in the closet; they had been trying the center-bit against the closet-door, till the door was almost torn to pieces with it; Chilcot, as Mr. Noaks has mentioned, was not in bed; (in that he made a mistake,) he was upon the bed, and he got to the window, and was getting out, till I laid hold of his shoulder.

  John Heley . I belong to Sir   John Fielding ; I went with Noaks, Stevenson, Hartley, and Bond; when they got into the room, Chilcot was getting out at the window; I up with my stick and said, if you come out, you may depend upon it I shall knock you down; I was then on the outside, they within called help; then I ran up stairs, and we secured the four prisoners, who were all then in the room; Harvey was in bed; they began to search the room, and found many of the things under her, betwixt the bed and the sacking; the two men at the bar, had two pair of new stockings on of the same sort of some of these here produced; we took and brought them all four before the Justice.

  David Hartley . I was there at the time of the taking the four prisoners; I found Beale in bed with another young man, in another room; that young man said Beale had not been in bed above a minute; that young man was not committed.

  Richard Bond . I was there at the time the prisoners was taken; the two men had each a pair of new stockings on, the same as some of these found in the room.

Chilcot's defence.

I came out of the country; this being a lodging-house, I went and paid 3 d. a night for my

lodging; I went to bed in another room, and was just got up as these men came up stairs; I have been at work at the Duke of Northumberland's at Brentford; I bought the stockings I had on there, of a pedlar, one Saturday night; I was born in the Strand.

To his character.

  James Rushton . I belong to the Princes Dowager, I am in the stables; I have known Chilcot above 8 years; I never heard nothing ill of him before this; he has came often to us, and we have employed him in the stables.

Beale's defence.

I came from Kingston upon Thames, my mother lives there; I worked at Brentford; I have been a footman to Justice Lamb four years, and two years to Mr. Higgs; since that I have been in the Middlesex militia.

Worral's defence.

I lodged in that house, there are no locks to the doors; I was putting on my things, and they came up and stopt me; I told them I knew nothing of the matter; they would not let me go, they took me into the next room, where the other girl Harvey was in bed; they made her get up, and took us to Tothill-fields Bridewell; when we came there, we did not know what to do; from there they took us before Sir   John Fielding ; they asked us what we had done; we said, we had done nothing at all; my sister keeps a mussin and corn-shop; I used to be there, to help her, and having no conveniency to lie there, she gave me 3d. a night to pay for my lodging in that house; I never was in any service since I came from Watford in Hertforshire, my mother lives there; I have been come away twelve months; I know nothing of this cloth and things.

Harvey's defence.

I knew this was a lodging-house; Worral went into one room, and I into another; I did not know there was any things in the room; I went to bed, and never turned the bed down to see what was there; I never lay there but that night; I know nothing of the things; I was bred and born at Sunderland; I had been but two days from my mother that lives at Rotherhithe; my father belongs to the sea, and my mother takes in plain work.

Q. to Noaks. How many people did you see in the house?

Noaks. It is a very small room; there was only a little boy that had been a hopping, besides An derson, that made his escape; besides the four prisoners, there were only two sick woman below.

Stevenson. I only saw the little boy and these four people.

Heley. I saw no more but these four people and the little boy.

Bond. I saw two sick women on the ground floor and the little boy that lay in another room, and the man that jumped out of the window.

All four Guilty . T .