The Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1865-02-18 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

STEALING A WATCH.-011 Tuesday last at the Police Office, Charles Penn was charged by William Price with having stolen a silver watch, his property, on the 26th of January. Price deposed that he was st the house of Mr. Hollier's, on the above day. The prisoner and his father were there. I left the house and went down the street, and three men met me and threw snow on me. Ido not know who they were. They followed me up the town. I then called for assistance. The three men then left. I went Up towards home. As I was going along the prisoner came running to me, and put his arms round my neck to pull me down. He did not pull me down. He next kicked me on the knee. I then cried murder. He then slipped the watch out of my pocket and ran away with it. I cried "stop thief," and ran after him. The prisoner ran down an opening. I afterwards went into Mr. llollier's again ; Penn came in soon afterwards, and I said that is the man who has robbed me. Hollier said he would take his oath Penn had not robbed inn. A man named Thomas Smart corroborated the plaintiff's evidence in respect to that part which had reference to the watch being taken from him. Thomas Bastefleld, deposed: That he met the former witness, as he was going into Halesowen. When he was going up Peckingham-street, he saw the prisoner go into Hollier's ; it was between nine and ten o'clock in the evening. Police-constabie Smith said he met the plaintiff in the street on the 27th. Plaintiff s iid to him," I wish you had been with me last night." When asked why, he said ha had had his watch stolen. Ile took out a warrant for the apprehension of the prisoner, but they could not gethold of him, as he had absconded. For the defence, it was insinuated by Mr. Ilolberton that the plaintiff had during his drunken freak on the above evening, either lost his watch during the snow-balling, or had been throwing it about. Benjamin Price, nailer, of Halesowen, said he saw the plaintiff on t'•is evening of the 27th ; he was quite drunk and resembled a lunatic in his appearance I.nd manner. James Hall also swore that Price was tipsy, and utterly incapable of remem- ! boring anything that took place. Price also charged '1 several with stealing his watch. William Hollier also , swore to the incapability of the plaintiff to remembei anything done on the above night. lie said Price was quite drunk, and threatened to send for the pollee to search all who were in the kitchen. He did not ae• mete Penn of stealing the watch. He did not know where the watch was now, nor had he heard any- , thing about it since the timo it was stolen. The magistrates thought the evidence for the prosecution was not strong enough to warrant them to convict they therefore dismissed the case. SHEEP Sreatirso.— At the Town Hall Dudley, on Monday last, before Captain Fletcher and Mr. Barre, Joseph ['enables, miner, was brought up on a remand charged with having stolen a ewe sheep, the property , of Samuel White, farmer, of the Freezelands' near , this town. Prisoner WA, first charged with the offence on Monday week, when evidence was given of portions of the carcase of a sheep having been found in his house by the police, who went there to search the place upon an information for another offence. The prosecutor stated that on the Ist of the present month, he had a flock of 19 sheep, of a peculiar breed, in a field, near the fftourbridge-road. He missed one on the Bth instant, and he fund the skin of it and the two fore feet an the field, under a beech. He identified the skin produced as being that of the sheep he had lost. Mr. Lucas, butcher, Shaw-roa ' ' deposed that the portions of the sheep's body found in the prisoner's house cm-responded with the fracture of the bones of one of the feet found with the skin. There was a portion of a beech nutshell found upon the trousers discovered in the house of the prisoner. The prisoner, on being called upon to plead, said he was not guilty, and the Bench committed him for trial. Bail was refused.