| Reference Number | t18420404-1250 |
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| Verdicts | Guilty > pleaded guilty; Guilty > unknown; Guilty > unknown |
| Sentences | Imprisonment; Transportation |
| Related Material |  |
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| Actions | Cite this text Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 26 September 2023), April 1842, trial of WILLIAM HAWES JOHN PEARCE MARIA DAVIS (t18420404-1250). | Print-friendly version | Report an error |
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1250. WILLIAM HAWES was indicted for burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Frederick Edwards, on the 3rd of March, at St. Mary, Matfelon, alias Whitechapel, about the hour of one in the night, with intent to steal, and stealing therein, 8 spoons, value 2l.; 1 pair of sugar-tongs, value 10s.; 2 candlesticks, value 10s. 1 cruet-stand, value 10s,; 1 coat, value 1l.; and 1 handkerchief, value 4s.; the goods of the said Frederick Edwards: and JOHN PEARCE and MARIA DAVIS , for feloniously receiving the said goods, well knowing them to have been stolen; against the Statute, &c.; to which
WILLIAM HAWES pleaded GUILTY. Aged 12.—Recommended to mercy by the Prosecutor, believing him to have been seduced.
Confined One Year.
MARY ANN EDWARDS . I am the wife of Frederick Edwards, of No 56, Leman-street, in the parish of St. Mary, Whitechapel, my husband occupies the whole house. On the night of the 2nd of March, at half-past eleven o'clock, I fastened the back-parlour door which leads into the passage—the panes of glass in the window were perfect at that time, and the window quite secure—the screw of the window was in—I placed the key of the back parlour door on a drawer in the sitting-room, locked that door and took the key up into the bed-room with me—my husband came home at twelve o'clock—there is a yard door at the back of the house inside the passage, on the ground-floor—I believe that was not fastened but it was shut, and latched—we never bolt it—we generally bar it at night, but it was omitted, I believe, that night.
MATILDA FEARN . I am servant to Mr. Edwards. On Thursday
morning, (I do not know the day of the month, it was about five weeks ago,) I got op at seven o'clock, and about half-past eight I noticed the yard door, and there was a pane of glass cut out of the back parlour window—it bad been quite safe when I west to bed—I went up stairs immediately and told master—the back-parlour door was quite fast—I got the key from the front sitting room and missed some candlesticks from the window ledge, and some tea spoons out of a cupboard in the back parlour, which the glass was cut from—my master came home.
FREDERICK EDWARDS . My house is in the parish of St. Mary, Matfelon, alias Whitechapel. On Wednesday night, the 2nd of March I came home about twelve o'clock—I did not go into the back parlour or sitting room that night—Matilda Fearn called me in the morning—I found a pane of glass out of the back parlour window, and missed seven silver tea spoons, a table-spoon, sugar-tongs, a pair of plated candlesticks, a coat, some salt-spoons, a cruet-stand and frame, all from the back parlour—I have seen some of them in the possession of Partis, and some with Argent the constable—they are part of the property I lost—the prisoner Hawes's father and mother lodged in our house at this time—I found the prisoner Pearce coming out of a coffee-shop door in Church-lane on the same morning, between nine and ten o'clock—he walked to Whitechapel church land there I lost him—I went over with Mason into Essex-street, land while I was walking along Wentworth-street, Mason fetched me—I returned into Essex-street, and Pearce ran up a court and up stairs into a home—I called to him to come down, and said, "If you go up to the top I will follow you"—I went up and brought him down—the policeman who was with me took him to the station, but they said there was not enough to detain him, and discharged him—I west again on the Monday or Tuesday to the same house, and found Pearce and Hawes in bed together in the top room—I saw three spoons on the shelf, and said they looked very I munch like my salt spoons—I took them down, and the policeman put them into his pocket—I found nothing else—I have since examined them more, and should say they are mine—they are German silver salt spoons.
PEEREND PHILLIPSON . I am a cheesemonger, and live at No. 55, Leman-street, next door to Mr. Edwards. I know Hawes, his father and mother lodged at Edwards's, and I always understood he lodged with them. On the night before the robbery, Hawes knocked at my door at a little after twelve o'clock—I opened it—I said he was very late—he could get through my premises to the back of the prosecutor's house, over the fence—he used often to go that way, and I suppose he did that night, for I let him for the purpose, and he went out at the back—the prosecutor's back-parlour looks into that yard.
JOSEPH MASON . I am going on for fourteen years old, and live with my mother, at No. 39, Lambeth-street. On Thursday morning, the 3rd of march, Edwards came to me in Church-walk—I went with him to Church-lane, and saw Pearce by the door of a coffee-shop—I said to him, "Have you seen Greeny", meaning Hawes—it is a nick name they gave him—he said, "I saw him down the Commercial road"—I afterwards saw Pearce in a house in Elgar-square—he was brought out by Mr. Edwards, and taken to the station—he was discharged by the Magistrate—I afterwards went with him into the Tenter-ground on the Thursday, and went to look for Hawes—Pearce told me he had taken some silver spoons out Edwards, and a coat and two candlesticks—he said, "If you will
come with me I will give you more than half the money"—I went with him down to the canal bridge, where we saw Hawes—Pearce gave me a piece of bread to carry—Pearce said to Hawes, "For the Lord Almighty's sake keep out of the way, for there is somebody after you"—I gave Hawes the bread—when we got to Limehouse Fields, Pearce said to Hawes, "You stop here till we come back, we shan't be long"—Pearce went to the coffee-shop and got a girl, who was the prisoner Davis—she came out of the coffee-shop—he said, "We have got something for you to pawn"—he told her what he had, and asked her to come round to Limehouse Fields with him—he said there was seven silver spoon three mustard-spoons, a table-spoon, and sugar-tongs—she asked where they were—he said at Limehouse Fields, and that he had a coat at his lodgings—she said, "Why don't you go and get it?"—he went and came out and told me his lodger was going to pawn it for him—we went to the coffee-shop in Church-lane—Pearce whistled there to bring Davis out, and we all went down to Limehouse—Pearce dug the spoons up out of the ground, and Davis wiped them—Pearce said to her,"Pick them up and wipe them, and put them into your lap"—there was seven tea spoons, one table-spoon, sugar-tongs, two mustard spoons, and one salt-spoon, and two tops of candlesticks, but he left them there—Davis wiped the spoons with her apron—she took the things, and pawned half a dozen silver tea spoons in Ratcliffe-highway, close to Limehouse—I do not know the name of the street—I stood a little way off while she went in—Pearce stood a little way from the door—I stood further off, and Hawes stood close to me—when Davis came out she said, "I got 8s. on them"—she walked on—Pearce kept by her, and Hawes kept by the side—Davis gave Pearce some money, and said to me, "Look at the ticket and see if it is right, Joe"—I looked at it and said, "Yes"—Davis wanted the ticket—I said, "No", I will mind that," and I kept it—the pawnbroker had it, for on the Friday night Davis took the sugar-tongs, and had the duplicates made into one—I had returned it to her—they did not give me any money—we all went to Wentworth-street together, and got a lodging there with Hawes—Davis and Pearce went away together, they did not sleep where we went-next day I and Hawes went down to Limehouse—we got there about two o'clock, and on Friday night Davis, Pearce, and me went to the pawnbroker's—Davis gave me the table-spoon—Pearce said, "Wipe the table-spoon and give it to her, and wrap it up in this cloth"—Davis went and pawned the table-spoon and sugar-tongs—I and Pearce waited outside—she said, "You must give me that ticket, because I told him mistress was outside, and I would come for it, and I asked him to make it into one:—Pearce tore up the ticket which she brought out—Hawes left us at Lime-house—Pearce gave him 1s. and told him to go to the Victoria—I, Pearce, and Davis went to the cook-shop in Ratcliffe-highway, and had something to eat—we afterwards went to the Victoria theatre, and found Hawes there—when we came out we walked over London-bridge, and there Pearce gave us 6d. to get a lodging, and we lodged in Rosemary-lane then—on Saturday we went to the field again where the things were hid—the sugar-tongs and a table-spoon were pawned by Davis—I had had them in the meantime—this is the first thing of the kind I have been engaged in.
Pearce. Mason tore up the ticket, and he had as much money as any of us had.
Davis. The sugar-tongs were not taken out of the hole; the witness had them in his pocket. Witness. I had them in my pocket when Pearce gave them to me out of the hole.
Pearce. I did not want him to take them at all, but he said, "I will take them." Witness. He said, "Don't let me have them, I may be caught, and you have them, they won't think to touch you."
Davis. I did not know they were stolen property.
GEORGE PARTIS . I am shopman to Mr. Nathan, a pawnbroker, of No 49, Three Colt-street. On the 3rd of March, the prisoner Davis came to oar shop, and pawned six tea-spoons for 8s. in the name of Eliza Kelly—I am sure it was her—next day she pawned a table-spoon and sugar-tongs for 8s.—she said they belonged to her mistress who had sent her to pledge them—she said she wanted them put into one ticket—I asked if she lad brought the ticket—she said "No"—I said she must go home and get it—she went out, and returned in about five minutes with it, and said her mistress was waiting outside, and had it in her pocket—I altered the ticket to 16s—I have the counterpart of the duplicate.
WILLIAM ARGENT (police-constable H 126.) On the 8th of March, about eleven o'clock, I went with Mr. Edwards to No. 9, Elgar-square, and found there a German silver tea-spoon over the mantel-piece—we remained there till between two and three o'clock in the morning—we then went up stairs to the same room, and found Pearce and Hawes in bed in that room—I told them what I wanted them for—they made no reply, but on coming from the station Pearce said, "I am not in it, and that you will find out"—I had charged them with breaking into the house—I found Davis at a coffee-shop in Church-lane—I told her I wanted her for pledging tome spoons—she said, "I did pledge them; I don't deny it; the boys gave them to me"—I went to a field pointed out by Mason, and found the two candlestick-sockets there.
FREDERICK EDWAEDS re-examined. I examined the parlour window—the pane of glass was taken quite out, and laid against the fence—the glass had been fresh put in—either of them could get through, but in my opinion they put an arm through and unfastened the screw, and opened the window, but I found the screw fastened—the pane was large enough for Hawes to get through—he must have come into the yard, and got through the square or taken the screw out, opened the window, and put the screw in again war getting out.
Pearce's Defence. I did not break open the house; I did not know the goods were stolen, but on Thursday morning, about seven o'clock, I got op, and was asked to go down in the field to have a game at ball, and these things were shown to me in the hole.
Davis's Defence. I was sitting in the coffee-shop on Wednesday, and the witness came in to me with this boy; I had only seen them once before; they asked me to have a cup of coffee; I said, "Yes;" I was in great distress; the witness asked me to pledge some things; I said, what are they?" he made no answer, but afterwards said, "Will you go?" I said, "Yes," and outside the shop-door he showed me the sugartongs; he said, "You go in, I will come for you in about a quarter of an hour," and in about ten minutes he came again, and they asked me to Pawn some things—he took me to Limehouse fields, and told me to wait while he got the things—he brought me the spoons, and asked me to go and pawn them—I went to one pawnbroker's—they would not take them in—l took them to another, and pawned them for 8s.—I came out
and gave the ticket to the witness, and 8s. to the boy, and he gave me 1s.—they asked me to take them a lodging—I said I would, but they must say that they were my brothers; I took them to a lodging; I met them next day; they gave me a table-spoon and sugar-tongs to pawn, which I did for 8s.; the pawnbroker said, "You must go and get the other ticket, and leave the things here;" I left them, and came back; the pawnbroker said, "You have beep very quick;" I said, "Yes, mistress is outside;" he gave me the ticket which I gave the witness, who has torn it up; they took me to a cook-shop, and gave me my dinner; I was in great distress at the time; it is the first thing I have ever done.
PEARCE— GUILTY . Aged 16.
DAVIS- GUILTY . Age l7.
Transports for Seven Years.