The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-17 00:00:00

Police Espionage in Buckinghamshire.

At the Backs petty sessions, held at Wycombe last week,
George Free, publican, Naphill common, was charged by
the police with buying one hare on the 25th of August, he
not being licensed to deal in game.

Police-constable` Thomas Shrimpton deposed--On the
25th of August I was at the Wheel public-house, Naphill-
common, which is kept by defendant. Thomas Nash and
James Tilbury came to the house and brought with them a
sack. They came into the taproom where I was in plain
clothes. Nash said to Tilbury, " Is this the man who
wants a hare ?" Tilbury said " Yes." Nash then
pulled one out of the sack, and held it towards me. I
took it in my hand, and said, "What's the price of this ?"
I gave 3s for it, and gave it to the defendant's wife
to put in the cellar. After that defendant bought
one, and paid 2s 6d for it in threepenny bits. On the
following day I saw the defendant at the Fox, and he said,
"If you keep your counsel nobody can hurt you."
Cross-examined by Mr Voules—l have been a police-
constable for seven years, and a parish constable seven
years before that. Of course I am bound to tell tha whole
truth—l have told the magistrates the whole of the cir •
cumstances. I was dressed in a smock frock and a "billy"
hat. I did a little reaping, and received 15s, in all for my
work. I was receiving my policeman's wages at the
same time. I came from Tring, and had been abut the
Common for a fortnight. I was sent for the purpose of
detecting an offence against the law. I did not think
it my duty to pr„vent the offence in this case. I did
not induce the crime. I saw Tilbury on the previous even-
ing. I did not ask him if he could get a hare for me. Til-
bury said he knew a man that had some hares, and I then
said I should buy one, if there was one to be bought, fur
my sister in London, who was unwell. Tilbury did not say
he had nothing to do with the hares. I tcld him I should
be at breakfast there the next morning, and if one came I
should buy it. I bought two hares, but not at the same
time. Free had the second hare, and I had the third. I
did not give Tilbury any beer to fetch the hare. I do not
know that I stood any beer—l was drinking in c tmPanY
with ,the others. On one of the previous nights a
tramp was there, and wanted to get up a row. He asked,
" Who are you?" and I said, "Garibaldi." (Laughter.) I
did not ask him to fight me. I was sober. I did not try to get
up a row at the house. I recollect Free meeting me at the
Fox the day after. Free asked me if I had said anything
about it, and I said "No." That was not the truth—l'm
not supposed to speak the truth always. I remember work-
ing with a little man named Bristowe. I did not pull out a
straw and twist it up like a snare, and asked him if he knew
anything of that. He said he had done a little. I do not
know that I said I would get some wire from Wycombe and
teach him a little more. I had breakfast and dinner with
him, and paid him for it. I saw one or two guns in his
house. He said to me on one occasion,
"Here's a covey of
of birds lying here; I was very near knocking them over
on Sunday morning." I did not tell him 1 would beat the
barley and he should knock them over, When Nash said,
" Is that the gentleman that wants the hare ?" I said,
" Don't be too high, for I'm a hardworking man like your-
self." I sat down and drank with them. I said I'd only got
4s. and he could have a drink of my beer. I tied the hare
up in my smock. I swear I did not say to the landlord,
" You may as well buy a hare—it's as cheap as butcher's
meat," He said to Nash, How much for that other one, old
boy ?" He offered him 2s 6d. I did not do or say anything
to induce him to buy it. I do not recollect trying to prevail
on Bristowe to go to a publichouse after hours on a Sunday
to get beer. I did say to him,
66 Hew would it be
little wire from Wycombe to make a few snares? "to bring a
By the Bench—l was sent by order of the Chief Constable
to detect crime generally. Some crimes I was particularly
sent for. I lived anywhere.
Mr Voules, for the defence, contended that all the cir-
cumstances showed that the policeman had not tried to pre-
vent the offence, but had positively induced it.
The following witnesses were called for the defence :
James Tilbury said :—I am a bricklayer, living at Nap-
hill-common. On the evening of the 24th August I was at
the defendant's house, and saw the policeman dressed is a
smock frock. I have seen him there several times. He asked
me to di ink more than once. He asked me if I knew anyone
who had got a hare. I said I had heard a man say that he had
got one, He said he had a sister in London who was an in-
valid, and if he could buy ore he would send it to her. He
asked me to get it. I told him I did not dare do it, as I was
on the club. He then said would I tell the man to bring it
down in the morning. He treated me and persuaded me to
get it brought down. He said he'd be there at nine next
morning. At that time I went with Nash, who had brought
the hare. Shrimpton was there in the taproom. When
he went iu Shrimpton said " Here's some beer, come end
drink." I went and drank with him. Nash said, " Is
that the gentleman that wants the hare ?" Shrimpton
replied, " Gentleman bed—d, a poor hard -working
man like yourself," Nash took the hare out of the bag,

and Shrimpton said, " What's the price ?" I said, " It's
nothing to do with me, that's the master" (meaning Nash).
Shrimpton bought one,
.and said he should like to buy
another. He said to the landlord, " Why don't you buy
one ?" He said he couldn't afford it. Shrimpton
said, " Why, it's as cheap as butcher's meat." Fred
then said to Nash, " What do you want for it ?" That
was after he had been urged to buy it by Shrimpton. Free
said it was a great deal of money for a little thing, but after
a good deal of persuasion he bought one. I was there one
night when Shrimpton tried to make a disturbance with a
tramp. They fenced in the house and went out to fight.
By the Bench—l did not go out to see it, because I didn't
want to have a row. I have never killed a head of game.
I have never been before the magistrates about game.
By Superintendent Hodgkinson—l did not tell the land-
lord and the company that Nash and I had been to Braden-
ham, and had caught three hares; nor that we saw Police-
constable Sworder was watching us, and if I had a stick I
should have knocked him down.
George Lacy corroborated the last witness.
John Bristowe, stone-cutter, Naphill, said—l have been
working on Mr Cartwright's premises at Naphill. As we
were sitting down having some beer he took out a straw,
and twisted it in the shape of a snare, and asked me how I
should do it. I said "Not just like that." He then pre-
tended to go to sleep, I went to cut another piece, A covey
of birds came and dropped into the barley. He said, "Get
your gun, and have a broadside at them." He said if he
brought some wire from Wycombe, he would go with me,
and teach me what I did not knew. He went home' with me
and when he saw the guns he asked me to go, and he'd
beat if I'd shoot.
By the Bench—l have beenbefore the bench for trespass-
ing, but that was 1G years ago.
Mr R. Wheeler, the owner of defendant's house, said ha
was a well-conducted and respectable man.
A testimonial to the same effect was produced, signed by
farmers and residents of the neighbourhood.
The magistrates intimated that before deciding they would
hear the case against the parties for selling the hare.
Thomas Nash and James Tilbury were then charged with
unlawfully selling game to one Thomas Shrimpton.
Nash having absconded, the summons could not be served
and the case was heard as against Tilbury.
The evidence was the same as already given.
After some slight consideration, the Chairman said this
case was a most important one to the public as opening the
question as to how far the police are justified in disguising
themselves for the detection of crime. After hearing evi-
dence the magistrates were inclined to lean to the opinion
that the policeman certainly did exceed his duty in holding
cut an inducement to commit the offence. He had been sent
by his superior officer for the purpose of detecting crime,
and though the police were not engaged to act as game-
keepers, yet when cases came under their notice they were
bound to report them—in the present case the officer in his
zeal went beyond the bounds, so as to induce the first de-
fendant to commit the offence, and the origin of the transac-
tion was partly at the suggestion of the police. Free did
not attempt to move in it till at the constable's suggestion,
and although he was indemnified from the consequences,
he first set the example of violating the law, and without
applying to him any severe remarks, the magistrates did not
approve of acts which led parties to commit offences. It
was sometimes necessary for policemen to adopt disguises in
cases whore all other means to detect crime had failed.
Under the circumstances they dismissed both cases, At
the same time the bench hoped it would be a caution to both
defendants not to do such things in future,—Butler's South
Bucks Free Press,