The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-07-06 00:00:00

OLD BAILEY, JULY 4.

yvb• Siriderless, a young man, stood capitally
inditied fur feloniously stealing. secreting, selling,
and embezzling. eight pieces of shawls and some
calico pieces. in May last, from the warehouse of
Messrs. Joseph Peel and Co. No. 1% Laurence-
lane, Ciseapside. Lyndon, the goods and property
of his employers, valued at 301.
. .

The Criuniel for the prosecution stated, that
Messrs. Peel, who resided in town, except when at
their country Irons's, were the partneri of a great
and most extensive co scent as a Manchester house,
connefted with houses at Manchester, in Glouces-
tershire, bedfurdshire. Stafordehire, and other
counties in the West of England. to a great ex-
tent ; that they had no idea of a sanguinary nature
in this prosecution. but that there was a duty im-
posed on the Court Impeding the circumstances of
the cue. and the ingratitude of the Prisoner. who
se:lnvest the best treatment. and had his salary
lately raised to tool. per annum.
The first witireas called was Mr. Joseph Peel, of
Laurence-lao.e, CI erpside ; he stated, that the
Prisoner lived ten yews with him as a warehouse-
man ; he w nt t h the house of a Mr. Pearce, a
Pawnbroker. at London-wall, and was shewn two
feces of dia.% Is by William Mills, the clerk of
r. Pearce, ant was afterwards shewn eight pieces
of shawls with ine f xcise marks and names of the
pawners, and the ',lace where manufadtured ; saw
one piece of prime I calico produced by the Officer
who went tf search, ant two printed shawls; he
did not intimida e the Prisoner, nor hold out to hint
any hopes ut impunity, to induce . confession.
The Prisoner c .messed he had taken two pieces ;
but Mr. Peel t :Id him, that such a confession would
do him no good. that a general one would he better
for him ; he received a tearh from the Prison,- ..1
the course of the day no which he was apprehended;
cannot state what parish the warehouse in.
. _

William Mills called. st.tted, he kr.iws the Pri
sone ten moiiins: bringing shawls and calicoes t•
pawn. The .140011 here stated, that the Prosecutor
mast eclat the goods for which he prosecutes. The
Witness stated, that two of the pieces were brought
on the 17th and Idth of May.
William Wichello, another clerk to the' Pawn-
broker, was called, and proved that he took them
in, that the goods were sold nut pawned, and that
• Milts Nought the goods produced. Witness went
to price more pieces at the Prosecutor's warehouse,
was shewn samples of 30 pieces by the Prisoner,
who told him he could have thousands of pounds

worth of them. Here the JUDGI observed, that
Pawnbrokers, when thing properly. are useful
phi. but thing otherwise, very dangerous. Che
Witness said, the Prisoner at first refused .to take
for thirty dozen a price about half-a•crown for each
shawl, the real value being from 4s. to his. each
shawl. Witness stated, that he asked the Poisoner
whether Mr. Peel knew of the selling the Prisoner
'al.! nut. •
Cross-examined—Said be lived ten years in his
place ; that although he fonnd fault with the Pri-
sooner's selling the goods without Mr. Peel's know-
ledge, yet as he knew him to be a smart young
matt a dealer in goods, he took him into the count-
ing-house behind the shop, where decent people are
introdeced ; be did not know that Messrs. Peels'
house was a great Manchester house; said he was
to sell them again in Cheapside, and forgot that he
had told any one they were to be sent into the coun-
try. except a few of them only. The Witness re-
veakd to Mr. Pearce. his master, the crease iron ;
and it was made known to Mr. Peel; on a search at
sS, White Lion.street, Islington, where the
Prisoner had lodgings oaths first floor. more of tile
roe were found.

p

M•. Peel being sgiin called np, preeed the
goods to be bis property: sod in the state goods
told are'usoally in.
On behalf of the Prisoner as to tharatler, Mr.
Noble, ll:niter, of Pall-M:11, terse:lied, and stated.
that the Prisoner': coanezions were regrew& in
thy counlry Le clime from i he badlettle knowledge
of him person:lly.
Mr. Josiah Wilkinson, of Ltd-lane, gave him a
good thvradter ; at did Mr. Joseph Wade, 'llk-
manor tauter.

The Joriot told the Jury, that the felrfursiss part
of apt charge fai!ed, as Mi. Peel did out prove
»hat pads), the house wAs in.
Gurley of stealing, but not in the dwellinphonse.
Mfahnts was capitally inliard for stealing a
pocket-boA, containing two SOl. bank notes, and
two bills of exchange. of 101. each, the property of
Thomas Johnson. The prosecutor lives in Broad-
street, SAillt Giles's, anl th. priwr.er was his ap-
prentice; on a Sat:irday, some weeks back, Mrs.
Johnson deposit. d hsr pocket-bosik in a drawn
-
glass drawer, from whence it was taken away. Its
consequence of suspicion, the prisoner was ararched,
part of the money found in leis pockets, and a silver
watch concealed in the wall near his bed. It else
appeared, that he had trld his fellow apprentice ha
knew where the prosecutor's pocket-Sook was kept,
and promised to give him a silver watch to observe
secrecy. The property was identified, and the
robbery being ckarly proved, the Lary found the
priso:,er GarliM of stealing to the value of Ss.
The capital part of the indiffinent was done away
by an inaccuracy in the specification of the parish
where the offence was commit:ed.