108, 109. John Harman proceedingsdefend , and Mary Shave proceedingsdefend , of St. Bartholomew the Less , were indicted for stealing a black ruffel quilted petticoat, value 40 s. a velvet cloak, value 30 s. 14 yards of ducape, value 3 l. 22 yards of persian, value 22 s. and other mercery goods, amounting in the whole to about 20 l. the goods of John Parks proceedingsvictim , and Benjamin Finch proceedingsvictim , September 15 .

Benjamin Finch < no role > . The prisoners were both my servant s in the house, Harman was as a porter . On the 25th of October I sent him with three bills to the value of two hundred pounds. He not coming home that night made me very uneasy, and I was advised to advertise him, that if he had met with any misfortune, things should be made easy; but he sent me sixty pounds between nine and ten that night in cash, and a letter that he would come to me the next day; upon that I did not advertise him; but he did not come according to his letter. The next day he sent me a letter to meet him the day following at Mr. Green's, and he would inform me of his misfortune: and then he told me he had the misfortune between the bank and my house of having his pocket picked. I took him home to my house, and pressed him as much as possible to know what he had done with the money, but he denied he knew any thing of it. In about half an hour a person came and acquainted me that my man had been trading on his own account, and that he had a cloak made by Mrs. Morris. We kept him from 6 o'clock till 11, and he still kept in the same story, that he did not know any thing of the money. Then he desired to speak with my partner, and he said he would confess every thing, and he confessed where he had lodged the money, and we found part of it; and he owned that there was a box of goods of mine at Mrs. Long's by Oxford Market. I was there and saw several remnants of my goods; Harman confessed the taking them out of my house, and that Mary Shave < no role > was with him at the same time; she had left my service then. I believe the man was as honest a fellow as ever was when he came into my house, but I believe she induced him to do this: there was a courtship between them.

John Parks < no role > . On the Saturday that he surrendered himself to my partner at Mr. Green's, he confessed where part of the money was, and we told it to sixty pounds and a guinea, and he said there was a long box (and gave an account of some of the particulars) with my goods in it, which was carried to Mrs. Long's, in Oxford market, which he had lodged there a day or two before, and owned that the goods were carried from my house by him and Mary Shave < no role > ; and that the rest of the money was in that box. I and some others went with him in a coach, and there was taken out of the box 72 l. in money, and several parcels of goods which were worth about ten pounds. Mary Shave < no role > had left my place about six weeks before, and I heard she was gone to Colchester, there was a quilted petticoat and 16 yards of ducape found in her possession: I took out a warrant and pursued her to Colchester, and found several things upon her, and he confessed he took several things, which he said she had. He said they were sent by him to her. She had told me before there was an intended marriage; she was advised to confess what she had defrauded me of, and she said there was a nine breadth quilted russel coat, and a seven breadth ditto, and she confessed some things that I had an account of, and some that I had not - she did not own she took any thing of mine, but said they were mine, and that she bought them of Harman.

Mr. Richard Green. [A gentleman who recommended Harman to Messieurs Parks and Finch] confirmed the preceeding evidence relating to Harman's acknowledging the fact.

Mr. Story. Confirmed the finding of the afore mentioned box with the prosecutors goods, and that Mr. Finch and he brought another box afterterwards with some velvets, &c. from Oxford Market.

Elizabeth Musgrove < no role > . About two months ago I was in Mr. Parks's and Finch's shop, and saw Mary Shave < no role > go behind the counter where the silks were, take a piece off-the shelf, and go down into the kitchen with it. - I believe there might be about twenty or twenty five yards of it, - I believe this is the piece, - it was a green silk with a pink colour and white selvidge; I did not think she took it with any ill design, till this accident came out, and then I told my master of it.

Parks. This was taken out of the box that was found at Oxford Market.

Sarah Stoddard < no role > . I am a Mantua-maker; I made a blue ducape for Mary Shave < no role > ; I believe this is the gown I made for her, but I can't swear to it.

Parks. I have compar'd this gown with a ducape waistcoat that Shave said was Harman's, and I have compared it with two remnants of my goods, which were found in Oxford Market, and it is the same.

Alice Moody < no role > , Mary Glenn < no role > , Elizabeth Beech < no role > , John Shave < no role > , Job Maddocks, Mary Linsley < no role > , Mrs. Slater, and Mr. Hevingham, have known Mary Shave < no role > , some twelve years, some ten years, and others three of four years, and gave her the character of a sober, honest, industrious person, and that they had never heard of any thing amiss being laid to her charge before.

Mr. Richard Green (being called upon by Harman) said that his character was very good till this thing happened. Harman Guilty , Shave Acquitted .

[Transportation. See summary.]