The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

342.   MARY HALLCROW was indicted for stealing, on the 25th of March last, one black sattin cloak, value 8 s. a linen apron, value 6 d. a check shirt, and two linen shirts , the goods of   Christopher Holder

  Christopher Holder . I live in  St. Paul's, Shadwell , I am a carpenter and joiner , on the 25th of March I left my house with only a child in it, was gone three quarters of an hour; when I came home the child said a woman had been there and taken something away, my wife knows the circumstances.

Mrs. Holder. I missed two shirts off the press, and a cloak, I found one shirt upon the prisoner, I found it under her head, she was in bed, and she owned the next day to the rest; she owned where she pawned them.

Mr. Forrester produced the things, said he went with the prosecutrix to the prisoner's house, and found the things under her head, she was examined at the Justice's; the cloak was at Mrs.  Mordaunt's, a pawnbroker, she sent it up by a girl, and said the prisoner had 18 d. upon it.

Mrs.   Margaret  Mordaunt . I had the cloak, coming here to the gate one of the Sheriff's servants opened the door of the coach I came in, but was frightened and left the cloak in the coach, did not know the number of it, and the handkerchief it was in, that nobody was in the coach with her, it was an old cloak, I had it of the prisoner the 25th of March last, between six and seven in the afternoon, she called for eighteen pennyworth of beer, I keep a public-house, she was going away without paying for it, she left the cloak as security, it was hard I should loose eighteen pence, by a person I knew nothing of, I brought the cloak up before the justice, the 26th Mrs. Holdar saw it and claimed it, since then it is lost, she called for a gallon of beer, there were people in the tap-room drank it, I keep the sign of the Ship in Spring-street, Shadwell.

  ALICE SOLE sworn.

I am a lodger of Mrs. Holder's, I saw the prisoner come into Mrs. Holder's, and ask for her, I left the prisoner talking with the child, and went up stairs.

Mrs. DOBNEY sworn.

I have got two shirts, the woman at the bar brought to pledge with me on the 25th of March, about eight at night, (she produced them).

Mrs. HOLDER sworn.

I take in washing, they are not mine, but other people's linen I take in, the captain brought in one shirt that laid under my counter, I can swear to the ironing the shirt myself, it was my own cloak she took, it was a man's sattin, the lining was tore, I knew it by that, and the lace being shattered at the edges.

PRISONER's DEFENCE.

She told me if I would tell where the cloak was, she would not come here against me, and the officer said the same, they would not hurt a hair of my head, if I would tell where it was, there was some music playing in this public-house, and one person came and pawned it for liquor.

Mrs.  Mordaunt. That is a lie.

Prisoner. One of her lodgers took it out of my apron.

Court. With regard to horses, and things that cannot be brought into court, we receive an account of the property, and thought the cloak was not produced here

now, it was once produced and claimed before the magistrate.

GUILTY .

To be confined to hard labour in the House of Correction twelve months .

Tried by the Second Middlesex Jury before Mr.   Baron EYRE .