The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-12-18 00:00:00

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THE CHARGES 02 CATTLE STEALTNG,

At the Police Court on Monday, Col Fletcher j
attended to continue the hearing of the above I
cases. At the adjournment on Friday the fourth
case was unfinished, it being one in which William '
Smith Instone, farm bailiff, and Samuel Monk.
fitter, Smethwick, were zharged with stealing four
cattle, the prope,ty f Mr. G. K. H.arris,in, of Hag
ley, Instone 's employer. Mr. Waldron defended
Instone, and Mr. Slarp, (Messrs. Jackson and
Sharpe, Westbromwicb) Monk.
George Hughes, shopman to Mr. Jasper, butcher
Kidderminster, said Inst.ne came to the shop on
! the 23rd of November, about half-past two o'clock,
and asked to see the beast that Mr. Jas; or had
bought out of the market that morning. He (wit-
ness) showed him the beast teat a Mr. Rowley haa
Lought. Instone said it was his beast, and that
km had been stolen from 11k4ley. He also told
thitness he was not to kill it until he had given him
his price (.219 103 0d) for it. He said that a
i butcher at Halesowen had offered him £l9 for it
the night before prisoner then went away.
Joseph RoAley (re-eclled) said that on the 23rd
of November he bought the I.east, about 1 o'clock,
from the market.
Polita constable Wallace (rc-called) in reply to
a question, said that there were moveable hurdles
between Mr. Harrison's and Mr. Smith's farrow
fields.
By. Mr. Waldron: A c)Nv rushing against them
might knock them down.
Nathan Smith, beerhouse keeper and cattle
dealer, lialetowen, said he was at Kidderminster
Stuck Sale on the 23rd November. " He saw Monk
stiLding nat the office door in the sale yard. It
was then about one o'clock. At two o'clock he
saw Insoue at the Half-moon Inn, which is about
20 yards from the sale yard, who told him he had
lot four bea:its. He (witne,a) went with Instone
to Mr.fElgood's office and there saw Mr. Coxon
the clerk, who told them that the man was to go
again for the money in abut a quarter-of-ati-huu”.
He told Instone to step back out of sight and let
' the man go in, and he would go and see if be could
find Monk.

--- ---
Police-constable Smith, st Itioned at Churchill
said that on the evening of the 23rd November he
was present with Instone at Blakeclown. It was
near on six cScleek. Sergeant Griffiths, of the Kid-
derminster Borough Police, was with him. Wit-
ness asked Griffiths if anything was up and he
said that man, meaning Instone, bad lost four
eat is. Witness asked Instone where from and he
said out of a field at Pecimore, and thst he had
traced them out of the field thrcugh Lower Hagley,
in the directioa of Kidderminster. He had inquired
of parties on the way, but could not hear anything
of them till he came to Harbor° Hill. He saw
Mr. M.aden there. who asked him what was the
matter, and he (Instone) told him he had lost four
heifers and he believed they wee stolen. He
further stated that Mathes told him. th it his wife
saw 4 cattle pass that morning about 7 o'clock, a
man driving them, and that no doubt the man had
driven them to Kitldermins'er Stock Sale and sold
them ; and if he (Nlr. Madeu) was him he should
to to Churchill Station, take train and go to Kid-
derminster. Ile went to Kidderminster, looked
through the streets end markets, but could not see
anything of them. He teen went to have a glass.
of beer at a public-house, where he saw Smith and
told him tha it he had lost four heifers, Smith to!cl
him to go along with him and he could put him on
the track. lie then went to Mr. Elgoocl's office
wieh Smi:h Smith then left him and went to see
if at I3ould find the iria.n that had sold the beasts.
He saw Mr. E!goed who tAd him the bsasts were
soli, one to Jones, Ss:surbridge, one to Mr Jespeis
Kidderrni! Cer, and one to Mr. Packwood, Elms-
bridge. He said he had se 'n the one at Mr.
Jssper's and that was one of th 3 beasts Witness
then dessribed a man that he ''saw pass through
Biakedown, and Mr. Smith said "You are right
Smith, that is the man. according to the description
you stave, that sold the beasts." Witness went to
Churchill Station, wi h the prisoner Instone, and
made inquiries. A man wss descrieed to them who
went by the four o'clock train Instone said by
the dessriptisn that was the man who sold the
ca ti sat Kidderminster. They found the man had
b .oked to Bagley. After making inquiries at
Hagley and learning that the man had gst off there
Instone said that it must be a Bellbroughton man.
wan as asked Intone if he had reported the loss
of the csttle to Mr. Harrison. He said "No"
Witness said they would do so ani afterwards go
to Stourblidge. On the way witness said to In-
stone that he would cal at Toiepkins's
.and inquire
there. Instone said he did not think he should go
to .stourbrLVe that night. Witness told him it was
a serious ease and he must go, and prisoner ulti-
mately went.
Sup. rintendent Wheeler (re-called) said that on
23rd November the boy Morriss told Instone, when
h witness, that he had told him on the Sunday
there were three other cattle missing from the
park. Instone said they must have been over-
looked, as he saw them himself on the Monday.
Witness directed the cattle to be searched for.
Police-constable B. Turner said on the 24th
November he recsived a heifer from Geo. Rowley,
at Kidderminster, and took it to Mr. Harrison's
faun, at Ha.gley He asked Instone if that was
Mr. Harris ai's heifer, and he said it was. He said
it was one of the four stolen the previous day. He
asked Instone if he had any suspicion of anyone
' stealing the cattle, and he said "Not the slightest
I h rye no suspicion of anybody." In conversation'
Instene said he had lost five more cattle. He had
lost them since Monday, and had seen them safe
on Monday afternoon.
Instone was further charged with stealing 20
sacks of barley on the 10th November, and 5 sacks
of barley on the 11th November, the property of
Mr. G. K. Harrison.
Is David Moaely said he resided with his father:
who carried on the business of a maltster, at Hales-
owen. On the Bth November he went to se the
prisoner Instone about s ,me barley. Prisoner
took him to the granary at Mr. Harrison's farm,
where he saw tse barley. He asked Instone the
tics and he said 4s 9d. Witness bid him 4s 6d
,
p r bushel. The barley was brought to his father's
nualthouse, in two cat ts of Mr. Harrison's, on the
ioth November, about 5 o'clock in the evening.
The lien said the barley wss not weighed. The
next morning Instene came over with five more
sacks of barley in a tart. Witness assisted in
weighing and measuring the barley, and it proved
to be 25 a:oks and 6 bushels.
Cross-exandn d : He was manager for his father.
He bed boughs barley before from Instons, and
pai bin for it. The .bill was in Mr. Harrison's
name. When he went to buy the barley he thought
it was Mr. Hartison's. Prison, r cold it in the
usual way and at a fair price. There was no con.
ceelment ; the barley cause in the ordinary way.
y were Mr. Harrisoa's cart rs. They generally
paid for oariey in fourteen days. Payment for this
barley woula te duo on the 25th November. The
money for thi, barley ha 1 h)t bean sent to Mr.
litrison, nor hid a request beea msde for pay-
ment.
"l he can era who took the barley were next ex-
amined, and in cro,s-examinstion said there was no
concealment with regard to the removal of t
barley.
Mr. G. K. Harrison said the prisoner had been
in his empley as bailiff. He gave no instructions
to lustone to sell the barley. On the contr.ry, it
was Instone's own suggestion that the barley
should be green up ler feeding the cattle, in con-
sequence of the low price Witness replied ''Very
well, I will not sslt it then."
Cross- exsmined : About the first week in No-
vsechsr he expressely forbid Instone not to sell it.
It was prior to the 10th Nov. He had never given
suthority to Instone to sell barley previ ,usly to
Moscley, nor was there any entry in prisem r's
book, of bailey le leg seld to Mcseley.
Superintendbnt Wheeler said he charged the
ptisener en Dt ceteber 4th with stealing the basley
in question. Prisoner said "I did sell ii; I had
orders to sell it, as peameal would do better for the
cattle."
eel. Fleecher comrhitted Monk for trial on two
charges, and Instone on five, three of which were
cattle robberies. Bail wss refth,ed in both cases.
Mr. Waldron said Instone's friends were pie-
rued to give bail to tie amount of A:500.

WESLEYAN CIRCUIT FUND.—A bazaar and enter
tainra--nt in aid of the above fund took place in the
Corn Exchange on Monday.—Mr. W. J. Turney
opened the bazaar at twelve o'clock, and, in doing
so, stated the Wesleyan circuit included ten places
of worship, several of which wen in the ne:zibour-
jug vklages, and the] e were also ten Sinod.:.:v sohools,
with 2,20 scholars and 2SO teachers. Un';')-rtunately,
during the last two or three years, tha icnie of
the society had hen less than the eencliture,
c,iefly, he pr..,,uniA, on account of bed fra(le ; and
a debt of £167 had accrued.
.The St,our'oridgre
eong, •e a ion reBolved t make an effue.Giguish
the IW,ilty, and this 1,-(1 to he -I.rtrit
whicit he had pie s ,re in declaring cz.-„en. .& Vote of
thanks was pasvd to Mr. Jamey. on t ctin of
Mr. G. Pears(),,, seconded by Mr.
W.'flurnas,ho Ci pnke, snggesteil V.:it the
la,iies slnand uoierake another year,
with avow of- aioing in the erec'zioa.:. of a new •
chap ,l. The business of the baiaar was Caen -o-
ceeded. with. Mrs. Sawtell, Miss Pela:.•,,sn, Mn. G.
Pear,,on, Mrs. Kay, Mrs Wilcock, Miu Nll,
eZa .
Tyrer, Miss Penn. w.cl other ladi,s ar.Li:-.7zefi in the •
csauris
50u,.1 Africa and tho r2oLga.,,
',lands, besides others of consider frteresi
ei,,.sitTietrre from was a very attr%ctive il'it:on of
from paints nearer home. The latter inokided
precious stones found in the neighbourhood of