The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

795.   HANNAH TAYLOR was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 17th of October , from the person of   Thomas Niven , a bank-note, value 100 l. and two bank-notes, value 50 l. each .

  THOMAS NIVEN . I live at Deptford, in Loving Edward's lane. I am a general merchant ; I have been much at sea lately. On the 16th of September, I came to London about noon, at two o'clock; I went to the Half-moon tavern, Grace-church-street. I left the tavern, probably, between ten and eleven; I had drank too much wine with my sea acquaintance. I saw the prisoner in Leadenhall-street, she urged me to accompany her, she said, to a respectable home.

Q. Do you know at all that you had any property about you when you left the tavern - A. I do know it, because one of these gentlemen, an East India officer, requested to see what money I had about me, I being far advanced in liquor; I told him two hundred pound. I had two hundred pound and three pound; there was one hundred pound note, two fiftys, they were in my pocket book; and three ones I had loose in my pocket. I went with the prisoner to Mary Hill's house,  Still Alley, Houndsditch .

Q. Did you stay there that night - A. I did.

Q. Was there and person in the room with you in which you staid - A. None whatever; until she went away the prisoner any myself were the only people.

Q. Were you in any company with females in the house - A. None, but the old woman of the house. When we asked for a bed-room the old woman was out; she came in; I told her I had two hundred pound about me; as a matter of precaution, I took out my pocket book and counted the notes over before the old woman; she saw me put up the notes again in the interior of my pocket book, and return it into the same pocket. After that the girl sat down on the left hand, I sat down in a chair; I felt myself sick; I was in a dozing state; I requested her to send for some oysters; and as I was dozing, I felt the prisoner feeling about me, she was sitting on my left hand, and my pocket book was in my left hand pocket. I felt myself very sick. The girl expressed a desire to go down stairs, for necessity, as I understood, for a minute, I supposed she would return again, and her remaining so long created suspicion; she did not come back to me at all. felt in my pocket, the two hundred pound

in notes were gone, and the loose notes were remaining. The old woman came in about two minutes afterwards, and asked where the girl was; I told her she was gone and the property also.

Q. Have you ever found the notes again - A. One of them for one hundred pound; I saw it in the hands of the Lord Mayor. It corresponded with the number of the note. I went to Down, Thornton, and Co. and got the number. I had them by a check of Mr. Gill.

Q. How long was it after this you saw the prisoner - A. In two or three days, I saw her at the Mansion-house.

  MARY HILL . I live at No. 1, Still-alley, Houndsditch. I have known the young woman at the bar seven years, in the same way of life as described. On the 6th of October, between ten and eleven at night, I was out; when I came home, the last witness and prisoner were at my house, he appeared drunk when he spoke to me; he said, he wished for a bed for the night, but that bed, was not clean enough for him; the woman made answer, Mrs. Hill will put all on clean for you, if you wish to stop for the night. He said the young woman smelled of onions; he desired me to fetch any thing she liked to take the smell of the onions off; she chused brandy; he pulled out his pocket-book, the prisoner said, give me leave to open it, she pulled out silver to the amount of eleven shillings and sixpence; he ordered me to take the money and to get something the lady chused; she said, why was he to give me all the money, and she to have nothing for her trouble; he then said he had plenty of money; he had two hundred pound about him. The woman made an agreement with the gentleman for a pound note, she said so, and he too; she requested the money, he did not give the money, he said he despised the idea of being asked for the money on the over night. She then asked me whether I thought the gentleman would pay her in the morning, if she slept with him; he then pulled his pocket book out, I saw some money, they were all new notes; he turned up the notes; he said, old woman, there is an hundred pound note, one fifty, and I said three ones; I told him I could not read writing. The black part of the note, in which the sum is engraved, appeared to extend a good way in the note. He then ordered the bed to be made; I made it, they seemed to be comfortable together; he ordered her to take any thing she thought proper for supper; she ordered oysters and some porter I brought them in together; I had got the brandy and left them together, and went for the oysters, and I drank some brandy with them. When I returned with the oysters the prisoner was gone, she did not return all night. The prosecutor sat in the chair, he said, the prisoner had used him very well, she had got all; I insisted upon his shewing me the pocket-book, he did, the notes were all gone. The prosecutor staid in my house all night. I did not see the prisoner till she was before the Lord mayor.

  JOHN BROWN . I am one of the city officers. From information I apprehended the prisoner in Mile-end-road, I searched her, between her habit-shirt and the bosom of her gown, I found two one pound notes; this was on Wednesday about half past six in the evening. I then desired her to unpin her habit shirt, I brought up an hundred pounds note; I found no fifty pound note at all; the prisoner said she knew nothing of them, nor how they came there.

Prisoner's Defence. I am innocent of taking a sixpence from that gentleman; I never robbed him, indeed.

Q. to Prosecutor. You did not know the number of the note - A. No, only from what they told me at Downs, Thornton, and Co.

GUILTY .

Transported for Seven Years .

London jury, before Mr. Common Serjeant.