The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-05-30 00:00:00

THE ROBBERY AT MR. STOCKDALE'S
SOAPERY.

On Thursday, at the Quarter Sessions, before the Re-
corder,
the prisoners were tried who were the week before
committed as parties to the robberies at the premises lately
occupied by Mr. Stockdale.
James Hartley was the first tried. Mr. Brett prose-
cuted, and Mr. James defended. The case against the
prisoner was, that he had taken from the premises in
Blackstock-street, testing apparatus and other articles,
subsequently found in his possession. It was proved
that the prisoner had been, for some time, in the employ
of Mr. John Stockdale, and that he took the articles for
a sum of £7 or £8 which was due to him for wages. He
took them away in the presence of Mr. Powell. and
stated frankly, when asked about the matter by a police-
man, that he had done so. Mr. James argued, and the
Recorder supported the view, that if the goods were taken
away under a supposition of right, however erroneous
that view might be in the eye of the law, the case would
not be one of felony. Several respectable witnesses, to
whom the prisoner had been known for many years, said
he bad borne an irreproachable character all his life time,
and his late employer, Mr. Phillips, of Lord-street, said
that, notwithstanding the present case, he should have no
hesitation in placing the utmost confidence in him. The
jury immediately returned a verdict of not guilty, and he
was at once ordered out of custody.
Abraham Turbott was next placed in the dock. The
case against him was, that he had stolen some chrome,
and attempted to sell it to Messrs. Casey. By the advice
of his counsel (Mr. Simons) he pleaded guilty to the
charge, after the case had been partially gone into.
Abraham Turbott was next indicted with William Pres-
cott, who had been placed on the premises by the Borough
Bank to protect their interests. The charge was, that
they had taken a large box, containing thirty-eight ac-
count books, from the premises, and placed them in the
house of Mrs. Simpson, living opposite Stockdale's yard.
The case was clearly established by Mrs. Simpson, and a
verdict of guilty was returned against both prisoners.
Abraham Turbott was charged a third time with John
Riley, for stealing three cisterns and a wheelbarrow.
These articles were also removed from Stockdale's yard
and placed on the premises of Mrs. Simpson.
The RECORDER said he should disallow the expenses
both of young Simpson and Mrs. Simpson. He thought
it was a case of considerable suspicion that her house so
conveniently situated should be made a receptacle for
stolen property. The answers which the son had given
to questions put by himself (the Recorder) and the jury
were not at all satisfactory. Therefore the expenses of
both must be disallowed. _

The Counsel for the prosecution said every information
had been given by the Simpsons to the officers, but the
learned Recorder repeated it was a case of great suspicion,
and he could not do otherwise than disallow the expenses.
The RECORDER, in passing sentence on the prisoners,
said it was quite clear that much of the property belong-
ing to the bankrupt, had been improperly and dishonestly
dealt with. Prescott was particularly culpable, because
he was placed as a responsible person in charge for the
bank. With regard to Turbott, he must have been well
aware those thingi should not have been removed. It
seemed to him (the Recorder) rather a mysterious trans-
action. Why these account-books were removed, he
could not understand. Both of them (Turbott and Pres-
cott) had received good characters, and it was very sad
that either they, or their own heads, bad done this, or
had lent themselves to other persons. In order that pro-
perty, under such circumstances, might be protected, it
was necessary to punish them, and they must each be
sentenced to four months' imprisonment and hard labour.
Riley was sentenced to one month's imprisonment.