70. + Sulpice Duclot proceedingsdefend , of St. James, Westminster , was indicted for stealing a silver buckle set with diamonds, value 10 l. a silk coat with a gold lace, value 40 s. two brocaded waistcoats, value 40 s. one silk waistcoat embroidered with silver, value 40 s. six holland shirts, value 3l. a tortoise-shell snuff-box with a gold hinge, value 10 s. a coat trimmed with gold, value 20 s. a velvet coat, value 40 s. and two pair of sheets, value 20 s. the goods of the honourable Samuel Masham proceedingsvictim , Esq ; in his dwelling-house , Nov. the 12th .

Samuel Masham < no role > , Esq; The Prisoner was servant with me as a valet about four years; he is a French-man. I charge him with a diamond buckle, which I took from him when he was taken, which was kept in a box in Mrs. Masham's room. I heard it by the information of Cornelia Augier < no role > , who came and told me she believed the Prisoner had got a diamond buckle of mine; and that he was at her house: I went there with two constables, and he was gone from thence; I went immediately to my own house, and there I found him; I sent for him down stairs, and stood in the hall with two servants and two constables; when he came down I asked him if he had robbed me; he said, no: I told him, I had been informed, that he had robbed me of Mrs. Masham's diamond girdle buckle; at first he said he had not, and desired to speak with me in private, which I refused, and I said, nothing should pass but what was before the people who were there, and I would hear nothing from him in private: I asked him again, whether he had the buckle; he said, yes, and gave it me out of his pocket; he said he broke open the box in Mrs. Masham's dressing room, and took it out. I asked him at that time, what else he had robbed me of; and as fast as he told me, I wrote them down - the buckle is worth ten pounds at least. He said he had robbed me of a fifty pound bank note. Then he told me of the clothes which he had taken and pawned: he said he did not know the peoples names, but he would go with any body, and shew them where they lived. The clothes have been found, and I have received every thing again that I know of, except the fifty pound bank note.

Cornelia Augier < no role > . I lodge at a perriwig-makers in Saville-street - my husband washes white silk stockings: the prisoner used to come twice or thrice a day to our house; he came that week he was taken up, very dull, I asked him what was the matter with him, he said, whatever things were in pledge were his master's, and he was afraid of his lady's coming to town, and he must be obliged to make off. When my husband came home I told him this, and I was advised to go to a Counsellor in the Temple, and I went on step by step by his direction, and he advised me to go to his master.

Q. Why did you go to a Counsellor?

Augier. Because my husband had pawned some things, and the prisoner's saying he was obliged to make off, I was afraid we should come into trouble: I met Mr. Masham at White's Chocolate-house, and I said there were several things in pawn which were his Honour's, according to the Prisoner's declaration to me; on Saturday morning the Prisoner came, and said he believed his Master had a suspicion of it; I desired he would throw himself at his Master's feet, and implore his mercy; he said, I shall be too much dishonoured by that; he shewed me the buckle, and said, where he had that, he might have taken a great many more, but his heart misgave him: so I went to Mr. Masham's house, and acquainted his butler with it.

Samuel Orton < no role > . I am a Pawn-broker; I know very little of the Prisoner; my dealings were with Mr. Augier; those cloaths which I delivered to his Honour, I had a suspicion were not Augier's own, so I sent my servant to his lodging, (as I was told) and there was the Gentleman dressed as a Gentleman of fortune; and as Mr. Augier was a man of character, I took the cloaths to be the Prisoner's own cloaths.

Nicholas Augier < no role > , (by an interpreter). The Prisoner used to bring some cloaths to me to pawn; I remember a grey frock, in particular, with a gold lace [this frock was produced, and proved to be Mr. Masham's.]

There was a black velvet coat, a brocaded waistcoat, and several other rich apparel of Mr. Masham's produced, which the Prisoner had brought to him to pawn; and when he brought them he said they were cloaths his master had left off, and given to him.

Joseph Parker < no role > . In March last Mr. Augier came to Mr. Orton's, and brought a brocaded waistcoat to pawn. My master, knowing it was not Mr. Augier's, he enquired whose it was. Mr. Augier said it was a Gentleman's that lodged at his house; my master sent me to enquire; when I came there, I saw the Prisoner dressed like a Gentleman. I asked Mrs. Augier whether the Prisoner was a Gentleman, and lived upon his fortune; then she talked to him in French, and she told me that he traded from France to England, and that he was a person of a good fortune, [there was one of Mr. Masham's waistcoats produced, which he said he saw the Prisoner wear].

The Gentleman, who was sworn interpreter, informed the Court that the Prisoner said he had no intention to wrong his master, but he had lost some money at gaming, and in order to pay (that which he called) a debt of honour, he took those things of his master's, and pawned them with a design to replace them; he said, there are two houses in Covent-garden, one that goes by the name of My Lord's, and the other, My Lady's, but which it was he lost the money at, he can't tell; that he pawned those things in order to retrieve himself, but could never do it: he said he had served his master honestly and faithfully for a considerable time; and when he came over with his master from France, he had a gold watch, and had saved money in his service: he had no body in England to appear to his reputation but his master. He asked his master's pardon, and assured him he had no intention to rob him.

Mr. Masham. Till this discovery, I had no reason to think him a rogue, or to suspect him to be dishonest; for I have trusted him with things of great value, and I never mistrusted him. Guilty , Death .

Mr. Masham recommended him to the favour of the Court.