The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-03-11 00:00:00

CLENT.

TUE LATI SREIP STZALINO CASE.—At the Pollee
,
Court, at Btourbridge, on Saturday last, before Mr. B.
L. Freer, William Brook, painter, was brought up on
remand, charged with stealing seven sheep and three
1 iambs, the property of Mr. Henry Grszebrook of Cleat.
' —Mr. Barbary appeared for the defence—Henry Pear-
' nisn, farmer and cattle dealer, of Cleat, said he we. at
Birmingham Cattle Market, on Thursday, the 2nd inst.,
where he saw the prisoner at about • quarter to ten o'clock
with seven sheep and three lambs. He inquired to wh,.m
they belonged, and was told Mr. Weaver, of 13ronagnive.
{Vatican then asked him the prise, when pi isoner said he
wanted .1:20. Having assisted him to put them in the
market, he offered the prisoner fl 18s each for the seven
and 1:1 each for the lambs, Ida he declined to tthe less
than £l6 10s. He, however, agreed to let him have them
for 116, when they made the bargain. Witness then
ordered his man to mark them. He further questioned
the prisoner as to whether they were the property of
; Mr. Weaver, when he was answered in the affirmative.
He told his man to stand by the sheep whilst he went to
sell two cattle, after which he would return and pay the
prisoner. He afterwards went and inquired of several
Bromsgrove people whether they knew the prisoner, but
none could recognise him. In eross-examination, wit-
ness said he thought the sheep were very cheap at the
price he agreed to pay. He concluded that prisoner had
stolen the sheep because he had previously informed him
(wane.) that he was the son-imlaw of Mr. Weaver, which
he did not believe, from information obtained from some
Bromsgrove people. Several of the sheep were marked
" J. P.," which looked very much like the mark of his
brother. John Pt arman. Two of the lambs were marked
with " It. F.," and the ether with • round ring. Some
of the sheep were also marked with the letter "
these he thought were Mr. eirszebrook's, and the lambs
he thought belonged to Mr. Firmstone.—Patrick Kelly,
inspector of police at Birmingham, stated that the super-
intendent of the cattle market requested him on the lad
inst to accompany him thither. Upon arriving there he
found the prisoner in the office. The superintendent
said the Prisoner had been offering to .11 ten sheep, and
it was believed that he had stolen them. The prisoner
said the account which he had given of them was correct,
and that he was the somin.law of Mr. Weaver, at Browns.
grove. Witness told Lim if he liked he would telegraph
to Bromsgrose for him. Ha then took him into cust sty
and charged him upon suspicion of stealing ten sheep
found in his possession of which he was unable to give
a satisfactory account, The prisoner then gave his name
and said he lived at Cleat. lie was handed over to Po-
lice-constable Hall on Friday morning, the 3rd instant.
In cross-examination, witness said he had not taken any
steps to ascertain whether the sheep had come from
Bromegrove.—Joseph Cos, gardener for the prosecutor,
stated he saw his employees sheep at ten o'clock on the
night of the let inst. At seven o'clock the next morning
he missed fourteen from the dock, but four shortly after-
wards returned. The gate of the field from where they
had been taken had been removed off its hinges and
thrown wide open. He had since seen some sheep at
Birmingham, which he identified as those which were
missing. He could tell them from the general appear-
ance ; besides which several were marked with the letter
" O." on the hip. Police-constable Hall stated that be
received information from the last witness on the morn-
ing of the 2.nd inst that ten sheep had been stolen from
Mr. 11. Grazebrook. Having been communicated with
from Birmingham, be proceeded there, and the prisoner
was handed over to him.—Mr. Barbary then addressed
the Bench for the defence, after which the prisoner was
committed to take his trial at the N'oreestee Assizes.—
The prisoner was brought up before Lord Chief Justice
Bovill, at Worcester, on Thursday, when the above evi•
dance was again given.—Mr. Belie prosecuted, and Mr.
Godson defended the prisoner.—No witnesses were called
on behalf of the prisoner, and Mr. Godson briefly ad.
dressed the jury on his behalf, contending that the evi-
dence for the prosecution was not sufficient to show that
the sheep belonged to the prosecutor.-1 he jury found
the prisoner guilty, and he was sentenced to live years
penal servitude.