The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-02-01 00:00:00

•
WHOM/AM FOWL STEALNO.-Willimm Hine-
alias Duke, Joseph Morris and James Billinghatn
were charged by Edward Bancroft with breaking
into„and entering a fowl pen and stealing 20 fowls
valued £4 on the 11th ult. Mr. Waldron defended
Morris. Prosecutor said he Was a licensed victualler
awl was landlord of the Queen's Head Inn, Level
Street. He had a fowl pen near his house. It
was a brick building, with a tiled roof. The door
as padlocked. On the 11th January he locked
the fowl pen up about 6 o'clock. He saw the pen
at 11 o'clock and it was then fastened. On the
12th nit he went to the pen and called the fowl, and
instead of 31 coming out he only found 9. On ex
amining the pen he found that the staple had
been wrenched out, and he missed one male bird
and about 20 hens. He examined the ground and
in the MOW traced the footmarks of three different
men. He traced the footprints across a field into Level
Street. He positively swoer to two of the fowl
skins produced and also identified several of the
legs and heads of the other fowls.—On cross-ex-
amination of Mr. Waldron, prosecutor said he did
not know the prisoner Morris, and had not seen
him before. David Blakeway, horse driver, said
he lived at 23, Level Street, Brierley Hill. On
• Saturday night the 11th of January, he went home
about half -pat nine o'clock. He then lay down on
the sofa in the house and went to sleep. Between
one and two o'clock in the morning he heard a
noise in the road and got up. On looking through
the window he saw a man named Tolley and
prisoners Duke and Billingham. They were all
carrying fowls. There was a lamp in front of his
house and it :was a moonlight night. He could seo
their features distinctly, They were coming from
the direction of prosecutor's house. On the 12th
nit, he went to the Fens Pool and there saw the
prisoner's Duke and Billingham—Cross-examined :
Morris lives in Level Street, and Duke lodges with
him. When I saw Duke on the Fens Pool on
Sunday he said it was Tolley, Billingham, and him-
self that committed the robbery at prosecutors.
Duke also said that Morris did not know anything
about the robbery.—At this stage the Bench on
the; application of Superintendent Wollaston, dis-
charged Morris as there was no evidence offered
against him.—Police-constable Eden stationed at
Brierley Hill; said from information received he
went to prosecutor's house and traced footmarks
and feathers from, to an entry in Level Street,
where there were some void houses. In one of the
void houses he found twelve fowls on the cellar
steps.lllHe afterwards showed them to prosecutor
, who identified them. On the 13th nit, he searched
Morris's house and found the light feathers pro-
duced on a grid-iron in the pantry covered with
mud.—Polioe-sergeant Smith, stationed at Brierley
Hill, said he examined the fowl pen at prosecutors
house on the 12th nit, and found that the staple
had been drawn out of the door post. On Sunday
the 19th nit, witness arrested prisoner Hinett and
charged him with breaking open and entring the
fowl pen a Edward Bancroft, and stealing 19 hens
and one cock fowl. Prisoner said Tolley and him-
self only had twelve. Witness arrested prisoner
Billingham on the 20th ult, and charged him with
the offence. Billingham said they only had twelve.
The two prisoners were committed to. take their
trial at the next Stafford Sessions. .