Star.
London, England, 1811-11-07 00:00:00

OLD BAILEr.

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Yesterday Edward Heath, a wretched, diminutive,
`r-kenbacked boy, about twelve years old, and a
pauper of Clerkenwell workhouse, stood capitally
in-
de led for a hit Katy in the said workhouse, on the
night of the 26th of October, and stealing therein
240 copper penny the property of Mr. Bowen;
mesterei tGc said work house. The indictment contain-
ed four counts : one, stating the place wherein the rob-
bery was committed as the dwelling house of the in-
habitants of the said parish ; another, stating it as the
dwelling house of the minister and churchwardens ;
another; as the dwelling honse of the overseers of the
poor of the said parish ; and a fourth, as the dwel-
ling house of Mr. Bowen, the mister of the said
Workhouse.
The case for the prosecution was stated by Mr.
KNAPP.—Mr. Bowen, being sworn, deposed, that in '
the nigh: stated in the indictment, the coins alledged, '
together with fifteen shillings mare in half-pence,
were stolen from a cupboard in the counting,-house,
situated in that putt of the workhonse where he dwelt;
and that on missing the money next morning, he sus-
pected
and interregated another boy, upon whom he
found some penny pieces ; and that this boy, on being
promised that he should not be hurt if he discovered
the robbers, immediately impeached the prisoner, with
whdm he said he was concerned, and who, on being
taxed with the fact, acknowledged it, and pointed out
a hole under the stone staircase wall, where the money
was hidden, and where he found a quantity of copper
coin, but which lie would not undertake to swear was
the same he had lost. He paid neither rent nor taxes
for the house. No evidence was given of the fact of
burglary, nor was there any other witness adduced.
't he boy being called on for his defence, did not
deny the fact of stealing the money ; but said he
should not have done so, but that he hadfnot enough to
eat, and had been obliged for some time to purchase
victuals every day ; and that he had taken the money
for that purpose.
Mr. Bowen was again called, and asked if this
statement was true ? He answered, that the boy was
well fed—for he had three quarters of a pound of
bread per day ; and that on meat days, he was al-
lowed five ounces of meat, and one ounce of cheese per
diem, for dinner ; and on banyan-days, three pounds
of rice milk ; and that lie was in a state of prepara-
tion to be apprenticed to a tailor.
The RIWORDCR, in summing up the evidence for the
Jury, expressed some surprize, that this indictment
should have come forward so heavily loaded with
counts and assignments, and so fraught with the ab-
lurdities of stating the mere lodging of the parish
officer, as the dwelling house, first, of all the inhabi-
tants ; secondly, as tl.at of the minister and church-
wardens ; and next, as that of the overseers of the
poor ; none of whom lived there. It also appeared,
that the master of the workhouse, whose dwelling it
WAS also stated to be, paid neither rent nor taxes for
it; nor was there any proof offered of the fact of bur-
glary ; so that the capital part of the charge was en-
tirely obviated. But, as to the'mere theft, it was cer-
tainly proved from the acknowledgment of the posit
net, and therefore the most the charge-could amount
to was larceny. Of this the Jury found him Guilty.
William Ragan and Francis Wilier were next tried
on an indictment, charging them with sealing- a bale
of goods, containing 17..-yards of bed ticking and
six pieces of cotton fringe, the property of Messrs.
Norris and Co. from a waggon belonging to Mr.
Pickford, of Paddington. The bale in question, it
appeared, was sent by the Grand Junction Canal
boats from Messrs. Norris and Co. at Manchester, di-
rected for Mr. Daniel, of Princes-street, Soho, to Mr.
Pickford's wharf at Paddington, from whence, on its
arrival, it was sent by a waggon, along with other
parcels, to Mr. Daniel. The v)aggoner, however,
having occasion to stop to deliver a parcel in Oxford-
street, the prisoners took that opportunity of running
off with that charged to be stolen in the indictment.
They were fortunately observed by some passengers,
and were pursued and taken into custody with the
bale in their possession.—Guilty.
The following were convicted of felony, viz.—G.
Fisher and J. Leath, for steeling three waistcoats, a
coat, &c. ; Mary Ashby, for stealing several articles
• of apparel ; Mary Anne. Ta'ylor, for stealing £S in
bank-notes ;M. Hagan, for I:e:ding a shirt, a hand-
kerchief, &c. ; G. Martin, for stealing a copper sauce-
pan ; J. Attlebury, for stealing ss. in halfpence ; T.
Hughes, for stealing a leather bridle ; J. Mills, for
stealing Sibs. of pewter ; Isabella Richardson, for
stealing a quartern measure : H. M.Farlane, for
stealing a box of soap ; and J. Martin, for stealing
a bed.
James Lowe, of Radcliffe Highway, hat-seller, was
indicted for buying thirteen hats from Robert George,
apprentice to Mr. Hanks, hat-manufacturer, the pro-
perty of Messrs. Vaughan and Co. Kent-road, at 9s.
each, while they were even in an unfinished state,
being just dyed, worth above 13s. eacheat pr inie cost,
and saleable at 16s. per hat, allowing a deduction of
5 per cent. discount on ready m iney payments. The
foreman of the firm, Stephen Reid, lately convicted
- at Horsemonger-lane, on the evidence of George the
apprentice, for the offence of embezzling the hats
frem his employers, had given the hats four at a time
to George, to carry them to the prisoner's shop, and i
sell them for Ws. each, or for what he could get, and
only received 9s. each for them, from which Reid
had allowed. ss. each time to the apprentice for going
with and selling the hats. The record of Reid's con-
viction was read in evidence, and many eminent per-
sons in the trade, from the Borough of Southwark,
testified their opinion of the under price here given
by 'the prisoner, who was a good judge of the value
of the articles, he being himself in the business of hat
selling. The prisoner, who had been admitted to
' bail in the first instance, and came in to surrender
- tirnsslt for trial, in discharge of his bail, made a cool
and collected statement in his defence, denying any
• idea of the goods being stolen, but as the apprentice
stated to him at the time, supposing them the pro-,
perty of distressed tradesmen out of employment ' '
and as, to the articles being in an unusual state for
sale, the apprentice acquainted him with divers rea•
sons for that, and all other suspicious circumstances
attending the transactions, and pressed upon him so
much the sole, that he had fully credited his state-
ments ; having no knowledge of Reid till he saw him
et custody at Union Hall, for the offence.
Two gentlemen* and eminent tradesmen were sworn

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