The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-08-17 00:00:00

CHARGE OF PERJURY AGAINST A

POLICE-CONSTABLE.

Policnnonstable Joseph Freeman (241), stationed at
Brettell Lane, was charged with baying, on the sth of
August, committed perjury upon the hearing of an info,
mation laid by Mr. Superintendent Milli against Samuel
Grainger. Mr. Perry appeared for the prosecution, and
Mr. Stokes for the defeueo.

James Edwin Southall said : I am clerk for Mr. King,
the Magistrates' Clerk I was present on the sth that, at
Brierley Hill Police Court. I took notes from the eels
deuce in the charge by Mr. Mills against Samuel Gras..
gee for having, on the 18:h ult had his house open for the
sale of beer before the hour of five o'clock in the morn.
tog. On looking at those notes, Freemna said the vari-
ous things indicated in the notes. They were copied
down. Preeiou• to making those statements, Freeman
was sworn. He said he saw Grainger and the boy at
Grainger's back door.
Samuel Grainger mid: I keeps beerhouse at Andnam,
in the parish of Kingswinford. I received both sum-
monses produced, and attended before the Magistrates.
On the evening of the 17th of July last a men named
Thomas Hinton came to my house and ordered of MI. 3
pints of ale and • pint of porter. He conic about half
pact six o'clock. In consequence of whet he said to me
I had soroe ale filled that night before eleven o'clock.
The ale Was put in a stone bottle, and the porter was put
into a glass bottle. In consequence of what he told me
I placed the two bottles in a hedge belonging to Mr.
Orseebrook—a hedge between my garden and • piece
celled the siding.piece. Both of the bottles were corked
before I put them there. If either of those battles were
found the next morning sailboat • cork I cannot give any
account of it. That same night I saw William Hinton.
I requested him to call me up at four o'clock. He
brought a couple of bottles to my house that night. The
next morning I heard n rap at the aide of my house next
to the siding piece, and presently I heard a noise at the
back door. My back door opens into an enclosed yard.
Between the occupation road and the yard t ,ere is a wall
with is gate in it. The wall is sft. 6¢in. high by the
bout and at the end re is six feet high. No one could
ace the back door unless they were standing by the gate.
The house lies a little Laek from the turnpike road. I
did not heir a rap at tie, fi out door. I did not gobo the
front window. As soon as I heard the rapping at the
back door I go: up awl came down nein. I was not
above three or four Wlll:utes comnig down. I went to the
back door End opened it. When 1 opened the back door
there was no one there. I then went out of the yard
gate. At that time I had not seen the boy Hintou. Wh-n
I went oat of the gate I saw the boy between the torn.
pike road and the gate. He was about ten yards Uom
the gate. Be was goine towards the turnpike road. I
had not that morning elven him two bottles. I had not
supplied him with any ale or porter at my back door,
or anywhere else. As the boy was going across the turn-
pike road I saw Police. constable Freeman run across the
horse-road from the direction of the glasssrmase towards
the bey Hintern. I saw Freeman conic up to the boy and
stop him, and he then came up to me. He said, "I have
been watching for you some time, and I have caught
you
at last." He said, " Grainger, what bringa you up? "and
I said I have got up to brew. He asked the boy where
begot the ale from, and the boy would not say. At the
time Freeman wait asking me the questions, I was stands
leg about ten yards from my gate, in the aiding-piece. It
is not poseuble for the policeman to have been standing
by my yard gate when I came out, because I now him run
across the road. It is not true that Freeman ammo and
the boy as I was going out of she back gate. I did not
brew that day. On the afternoon of that day I saw the
defendant go to the Bose and Crown Inn, oppoeite my
house, about half.past four. He was there about twenty.
five minutes. When he came out! went onto! my house.
As he was coming oat I Paid, "Freeman, if you would
look after that property and mine better would become
of you than smooching after me." Defendant was stands
jug against a well, a portion of which was broken down.
A wall of mine had been knocked down. He said, You
mind your own business, or I will come and lock you up."
I said am on my own premises, Freeman," and he road
"I question whether you are or eat; I question where you
got the money from." When he said be would lock me
up, I said "Come on and take me up then." I was sober
at the time. I had not had anything to drink that day
except water and tea. I will swear that. I was not
pulled into the house that afternoon. Freeman said lad I
week, I was pulled into the house. I was not riotous. I
There waa not a crowd gathered in the road. There were
not three people that I saw. Freeman said last week I
was madly drunk, and caused • crowd of scores of
people.
Cross-examined: I had been previormly convicted. It
was for keeping the house open for the sale of shrink dur-
ing prohibited hour.. That has been about two years
ago. I was convicted before then. It was for a similar
offence. It is my own property where I live. I placed
the bottles in the hedge myself. The hedge ie about 30
yards from my door. It in as near 30 yards as I can any.
That road leads to Cookson's foundry, and to the junction.
Men go backwards and forward, to their work down there.
Hinton works at Stuart and Mills' glass works. That
might be about a quarter of a mile away. I should have
some difficulty in getting over my gate. It is an ordinary
field gate. There is a wall each side of the gate in some
places the wall is 4ft. thin, high. Any one could get over
the wall. I have a stable and pigstye in the yard. I have
not any brewhouse outside the house. Ido not keep a
horse.. I put coal in the stable. 1 keep the stable locked
at night. The hedge is pretty thick. It is about sor 6
feet high. The field adjoining the hedge is a rough piece
of ground. One of the bottles was • large gallon stone
bottle. I pat that bottle in the hedge, and the pint por-
ter bottle. They would be close to the end of the wr`l.
The latter was perfectly obscured from the eight of the
people. I put some hay rotted it. The hay could be
seen by the passers by. I pat the bottles upright in the
hedge. Sometimes I get up at three o'clock to brew ;
sometimes at four, I brew about five bushels at • time,
I generally get some of the things ready in the brews
house. I get the boiler filled, and get the fire under. I
did not get • fire in that morning. I did not put the
water In the booer myself. There was some malt. I did
intend to brew that night when I went to bed. I told
the Mrs. to get ready for brewing. I did not tell any one
to put a fire under. I found tha next morning that all
the things were not ready. I did not go to see if there
were any officers about. I spoke to the boy Hinton in
the night, and told him to call me up. The lad brought
a bottle to our house that night, but I could not say
whose bottle it was. The first! saw of the lad was that
he was nearer the horse-road than the gate. He had got
the bottles then. I did not examine the bottles, nor see
that any froth came out. The defendant was running
woes the horse-road. The boy would not say where be
bad the drink from. I did not say where it had come
from. I did not tell the oflieer that it had been fetched
out of the hedge. If Freeman had been a gentles= I