The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-07-25 00:00:00

The KIDDERMINSTER ELOPEMENT

CASE

At the Kiddermintter Polico Cnnrt, on Wednesday
hat. before Mere. C. E. Joffries, W. It'alen, Trirton,
O. Fawcett, H. Trilbot, S. Broorn, and T. llanka this ex.
tranrdioary case was heard. During the hearing of the
case the Guildhall was csowiled to excess.
The pristners, litcalieek Cook and Elizabeth Wellings,
were charged with stealing upwards of £2OO and sundry
artieles, the property of Ilarrjrunin Welliagi. Mr. H.
Saunders , twoseentc.l, and Mr. Corbet defended.
. . . .

Mr. Soon.lers, in opening the Vase, ssid that so far
as Mrs \Yelling's was corceened, the ease aviost her
would at once end, aild the Would have to be diseharged.
The prisoner Cook must, however, nndoehtedly go for
trio nit Mr. ('orbel's request, Mrs. Weßiagi. stlin was
rather " overcome, '' at once left the do,k). Mr. Salm-
dors then briefly stat-al the poi bailers of the case, nr d
s:ad that it would he satisfactorily proved that promentor
hoe in his possession £5OO , and that the whole of it was
g ine, as well as a considerable quantity of linen and
clothing. Prisoner, no doubt with the connivance of
Mrs. Wellies's, was eLabled to get possession of the pro-
perty, and fortunately, for the ends 01 justice, the offence
would he clearly established against him. Prisoner,
when apprehended, had in a box of his own, not only a
considerable number of articles whieh wonld be identi-
fied, by Mr. Wellings, as his property, bur actually had
possession of Mr. Wellings's will. The ease has created
some excitement, but the charge against the prisoner
was simply one of feloil, and on that eharete he should
ask the Bench to commit the primner for trial. With
reaps-et to the money, only £53. 61. bad recovered.
I but there reasons for beiiving that other persons Wgrid
be implicated before the ease came on for trial.
Superintendent Beard, of Durham. said: In ennse-
(prelim; of a telegram I received from Kidderminster on
i'nesiay week, I apprehended the prisoner at the bar,
and is person narmet Weliings, at about 7.30 on the
morning of the 16th. I apprehended them at the house
of Shadiack Cook, a weaver working fir Messrs. Hen-
derson. I read to them the message you (Mr. Saunders)
sent to me. and asked them if they were the parties.
Prisoner said "we are. " I then toll him I hml infor-
mation of a serious charge of felony against them at
Kiddermiuster, and that, in consequence of that, they
would have to go with me to the police station. I then
asked them what property they bad. Cook said "I have
1:11. and some silver in toy pocket ; '• and Mrs. Wellings
said she had £33. odd. I took them to the police sta-
tion, where they wends' arched. The money was banded
to we. Mrs. Waling.; had £33. lOs ,and Cook EIS. 16s.
3d. I asked Cook how lie accounted for having so many
sovereigns in his pocket. Mrs. Wellinga said, " He's
an honest man and whatever he has I have given him."
The key produced was handed to Inc by Cook. Shortly
afterwards an officer named Brown returned to the sta-
tion with some boxes. He asked Cook whether any of
the boxes belonged to him. He said, " Yes ; that's my
my box. " The label on it was "Mr. Welling:, passem
ger to Dnrham. " I afterwards opened it with the key
Cook gave flee. I first asked him if there was any prm
petty in the box that did not belong to him. He said,
"Yes, there is, but I did not put it there; Mrs. Wel-
lings did. I was called away at the time, and left the
box in charge of Brown, who searched it.—Cross-exam-
ined : Prisoner gave me an account of everythiug I
saked him. He seemed a very innocent man. He acted
as a man who did not believe ha had done wrong. Mrs.
Wellinos said if any wrong had been done, she had
done it

Sarjeant Brown, detective in the Durham police force,
said on the ltith of this month he received the two hones
produced from the railway officials at Durham. He
opened the large box. He found a lot of ladies wearing
apparel, a will, and some clothing belonging, the pri-
soner said, to him. The will (produced), endorsed as
the will of Benjamin Wettings. and dated March 17,
1867,, was found in the box. When be pulled the will
out Mrs. Wettings said, "My husband. Benjamin Wel-
Hags, told me to give it to some one to take care of, for
if my son gets bold of it he will destroy it." He re-
ceived the other box produced, labelled "To Dothan. "
Originally the box was labelled "Mr. Wellings." the
"Mr." in ink, and the "u' was pencil. The second
box contained ladies' wearing apparel. He found sheets,
flannel., and articles for domestic purposes in the first
box. Mrs. Weliings said the things in the second Lox
belonged to her. He delivered Mrs. Wettings, Cook,
and all the property he found to Police-constable Hanby
on Friday. Cross-examined Prisoner did not aet like
an ordinary criminal. He appeared very " tame." Mr..
IVellings said she had lost the keys belonging to her
box.

Ih-dice-constable Danby, of Kidderminiter, said he
went to Durham last week. and on Friday morning re-
ceived front Set grant Brown the I. xiss produced. There
were two wooden ones and three hat boxes. He had, in
conjunction with Mr. Wellings, examined the boxes, lie
found in the long hoe a paper parcel purporting to con-
tain the will of Mr. two blankets, a ptlluw, pil-
low rase, one lard quilt, one linen table cover, and several
other &Hides- He received from Superintendent Beard
at Durham £53. las. 3.1. Cross-examined: Mrs. Wa-
llop did not tell me it was all her fault.

...a.
Prosecutor himself WAR then called and worn. He
said prisoner had been in the habit of visiting his house
for years. On May 14th, he wanted to pay Mr. Broom,
maltster, £63 lfia. He kept his money in an old stock-
ing. After this sum was paid there was left in the stock-
ing about £223 in gold, and notes enough to make up a
total of about .£5OO. He noticed it at the time because
the gold did not seem no " lumpy' as it ought to be.
He went to the Weavers' Picnic on the 13th instant, and
got home rather late. At half-past five on the following
morning his wife gave him a drop of whisky—perhaps to
make him sleep. He got up at eight and his wife Was
gone, as WAS also his money and a Tiontity of things be-
longing ty him He identified the will produced, and
also other articles found in Cook's box. He did not give
his wife or Cook permission to take the thing".
Cross-examined: Had be, n married 31 years. Had
known Cook about twenty yearn. Before be kept a pub-
lie-house he was a gardener, and she was a laundress.
Conk became a customer after he took the publiclionse,
and they had bnen intimate friends. Cook went with
him to the Exhibition in 1862. Others also went with
them. They did not treat Cook to the Exhibition. Since
thou his wife and Cook had been out together, but not
more than once that he knew of. He had not been in
the habit of going out and making himself jolly, any
more than Mr. Col het had—(laughterl. His wife gene-
rally looked after his matters. 'lke box in which the
cash was kept was not always locked. On the morning
of the picnic there Was a disturbance between his wife
and his son. Prisoner acid he would show them who waa
master there, and tried to pnt his son out. His WWI gave
Cook one for his 'nob "—llaughter). There was not
the slightest ground for say:ng that he allowed Cook to
be intimate with his wife.

...s.
Mr. Corbet, for the defence, alleged that the fact of
Mrs. Wellings starting for Durham with Cook was
brought shalt in this wAy!—She 1,0 h., rosy mOO%
ihreated by !F us tiso 10-roto,;
she resolved t leave home for a time in the hope that
thereby a better relationship in her home affairs might
be established. She learnt that Cook was shunt to go
to Durham, and resolved to go with him. His box of
clothes was not full, and asked, his permission to place
some of her own things in his box. Host fiat refused,

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Sett/Nay, July o, leen.