Old Bailey New Court, Wed...
The Times, 1824-09-23T00:00:00

wseyorOe ItC ItECORDER. Joseph Rice, a boy about 14 years of age, was convicted of picking the pocket of a constable, namcl John Vesy, of a hanldkerchler, on the 12th of September, in Parliainent-street. e/fore the CosAt aoN SEn OEANT. Charles .Sleveos was indicte(d for stealinq 1,800 vards of Irish linen, value 18l01., th,e ploperty of hIes:irs. Ricliardsona nd Richalrd- son, linen-drapers, in Oxford-street ; aId Pilliamr Bowen an(i CGha els $illitoe were charged wiLh receiving the stolen property. The circumstances of this case were recently very fully stated in our police report. John iM7alcot Richardson deposed, that he carried on the tralc of a linen-draper, in partnership with his brother, Charles Richardlsoni. The business was carried on in the name of Alalcot and Richardson. On thc 3d of Jmnuary last, the prisoner Stevens was engaged by the prosecutors as their shiopmail. Thc pri- soner was allowed to send out any of the stock in the shop to dispose of anmong his orwn connexions; ancl upon those occasions he entered in the account-books the names of the perions to whom he had sold them. On the 29th of Jilv, the prisoner sent ount the property mentioned in the indictmcnt, wihich lie entered in the books as sold to customers of the name of Watkins and Thomp- son. Circumstances occurred to induce the prosecutors to suspect that the prisoner was not conducting himsielf honestly ; and lie was accordingly interrogated, when he confessed that lie disposed of goods to the amiount of several thousands pounds, whichie lie had entered n tile books as sold to various customers, to the prisonei Bowen, for his own adlvantage. In consequcice of this information, the witness proceceded with an officer to the house of Bowen, who is a sadd(ler, in Jermyn street, and found several pieces of linen, which lie knew to be his property; and also some account-books, whicih the officer seized. -Bowen made no objection to the seizure of the goods, and said that he had no secrets to keep. Nhllen Bowen was asked what he hatd done withi some Irish linen, lie said tiiat a person named Shillitoe had taken it out in a cart to sell. He added, that he had employed Shillitoe to sell goods for him for 10 yeari, buthe did not know where helived. He also said that lie ad purchased the goods of Stevens, supposinig them to be his property, and that lie had paid what lie considered to be a fair price For them. Ile did not know where Stevens lived. Wthen lie first began tclalings with Stevens, the latter referred Ihim to a person of the same name in Itegent-street, but Ile admitted that he had never made any inquiries respecting his character. The witness and the officer waited at Bowen's until Mlr. Shillitoe made his appearance. Ilpon being questioned, Shillitoe said that lie hall soldihe linen which hc hrad taken away that morning to MlessrF.White and Green- weil, linendrapers, in Blackfriars-road. The witness asked Bowen how lie first becaule acquainited with Stevens, aiid h'e replied that he first saw Stevens pledging linen at a pawnbroker's,and from that timc he commenced doing business with him. In the accountbooks whichi were foundl at Bowen's, goods were entered as purchased by Bowen of Stevens, for Is. 6.1 per yard, for which the prosecutorsl had paid 2s. 6d. The account-books referred to were produced. Cross-examined.-He never said that he hoped Shillitoc would| come to some arrangement, rather than be tried at the Old 1Bailey. - Balland, a police officer, confirmed the evidence of the above ! witness, with respect to the seizurc of tlw goods at Bowen's shop. Bowen upon that occasion appeared to conduct himself fairly. Villiam White, a partner in the house of White andi Green well deposed, that on the 31st of July he purchased goods to the amount of 1.i01. of Shillitoe. He paid a fair price for the goods. Shillitoc represcnied hinself as a jobbing tradesman. Thc porter of the prosecutors deposed, that on many occasions, when he was directed by his maIsters to take goods to particular persons, Stevens followed him out of' the shop and directed hin to carr" them to Bowen's, which he did. Tue property seize(d at Boweis's was prodticed, and identifiedl by the prosecutor as his. lie hail paid for it 2s. od. a yard on the average. This was the case for the prosecution. Bowen read a long statement in which lie denicel his knowledge of the property being stolen at the time he purchased it. The other prisoners said nothing in their defence. Stevens, an uncle of the prisoner's, and a kootniaker. residing in Regent-street, was examined; but he merely proved that Bowen on some occasions called at his house anct asked whether his ne. phew had left any letter for him, but made no other inquiry. Several witnesses who had known the defendant for upwards of 12 years, gave him an excellent character; and some of them stated that they had known him to deal in other articles than those con- nected with his trade of a saddler. (;eorge, a linen-draper, residing in Marchmont-street, dc- posed, that after the apprehension of the prisoners, Mr. .Malcot Richardson said to him in his (Richardson's) shop. that he knew Shillitoc to be wvorth 3001. a year, antI that he hoped that lie would compromise the affair. rather titan be triel at the Old Bailey. Cross-exarrmined.-.He had purchased goods of Shillitoe which had been given up to the prosecutors. Previously to the conversation re- specting the cotnpronise, he had told Mlr. gichardson that he was a particular frienrd of Shillitoc. Sevctal witnesses gave Shillitocapgooi charactev. The CoMestON-SEIGEANT summcd up the evidence with grcat ability. Thejury then, after deliberating for about a quarter of an hour, returned a verdict ofguilty against Stevens and Bowen, and acquiitted Shiillitne. In the course of the day the grand jiry ignored a bill which hail bern preferred by a person named Dunn agaiast the ctitor of the Sundny Times, for libel. We were given to understan(l that thc allegedlibel consisted in having confounded the coniplainanit with a M1 r. Dunnv whose name was recently introduced in a crint. cort. case ir, which a Geiirral Dyott was concered. OLD BAILEY NEW COURT, VErDNESDAY, S'rT. 22.