The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-06-21 00:00:00

THE EXTENSIVE RAILWAY ROBBERY
AT HALESOWEN.

At the Halesewen Police Cou:t on Tuesday.
before Messrs. F. D. L. Smith, Edward Gem, H. T
Hickman, and H. Howard (magistrates), Henry
Field (29), landlord of the Nelson Inn, Hagley
Road ; Benjamin Robinson (29), drayinan ; Henry
Withers (37), foreman potter ; Joseph Paynter (35)
drayrnan ; David Hall (26), porter ; and Giles
Bloomer (27), porter, were charged on remand
with stealing fifty-three bundl,s of best Swedish
charcoal iron, the property of the Great Western
Railway Company. Field was further charged
with feloniously receiving the iron. Mr. J. B.
bhepiterd, of Stourbridge, prosecuted; Mr. Shake-
speare defended FieN and Withers, and Mr.
Waldron the remainder of the prisoners.
Mr. Shepherd said he had considered the evi-
dence which would be offercd from a legal point of
view and also as a matter of law, and he had come
to the conclusion that he should not be able to get
a conviction against Paynter, Bloomer, and Hall,
and he therefore applied for their discharge. The
other prisoners would, he had been informed, plead
guilty, and he would ask the magistrates to deal
with them summarily.
Mr. Smith, after consulting with his colleagues
for some time, said the magistrates would discharge.
Punter, Bloomer, and Hall, and would deal with
the other prisoners summarily.
Formal evideace was afterwards given, which was
to the effect that on February 20th 800 bundles of
Swedish charcoal iron were dispatched from the
Fyne Docks to Messrs. Guest and Co., nail and
chain mauufacturers, Halesowen. When the iron
was delivered it was noticed th it a good number of
the bundles were missing. Information was given
to the poliei, and P.S. Raybould visited Field's
premises and found a large nulabar of mis,ing
bundles. He took Field into custody and charged
him with stealing fifty-two bundles of iron, to
which he replied, "All right." The offic,.er after-
wards went td the Great Western Railway and
arrested Robinson. At the plice station he put
both prisoners together, both of whom volunte:.red
to make statements, and lifter being cautioned the
men confessed their guilt.
_ .

In reply to Mr. P.S. Raybould stated
that Robinson had hither() borne a good chara;ter,
and had a wife and six children to maintain.

Mr. Shakespeare stated that Withers had been
sixteen years in the employ of the South-Western
Railway Company, and had always home an irre-
,,ruaehahle charActer.

In reply to ths_ Ma4qrates Mr. E. 11111 stal the
value of the iro-1 Eto!ua WOB upwar.ls of cll, or ss.
6.1 per bundle.
Mr. Shakespe ire and ;Ir. Wddr n a hiresstd the
BoDch on behalf of their respective clients.
Mr. Smith said a mere Nipfat ease —had- n •ver-
been brought un ler his notice during the til:rty
years he had bemi a magistrate. The whole of the
facts connected with the case had been well c..m-
sidered by the magistrates, and as Rkinson ha i in
a measure assisted the prosecution, he would only
be sentenced to three months' imprisonment with
hard labour. Field au.d Wir hers w ,ul.l each b.t
sentenced to six in nithi. imp: is ,um tilt with hard
labour,