167. (M.) Andrew King proceedingsdefend was indicted for stealing 34 lb. weight of iron, val. 4 s. the property of Thomas Rawstone proceedingsvictim , March 20 . ++

Thomas Rawstone < no role > . I am a smith , and live in Long-Acre ; the prisoner was a servant of mine: the watchman stopt him with this iron; I did not hear of it till 15 days after it had been in the constable's hands; I have sworn to two of the pieces, which are 30 lb. weight and upwards. (produced in court) One was made for a supporter to one end of my grinding stone center, but I have since fixed it in a different manner, the other is a piece of a crank that I made for a gentleman's brew-house, where there since has been a fire, and I had it again as old iron.

Laurence Abel < no role > . I am a watchman in St. Giles's, about 20 minutes after 4 in the morning, of last Sunday was three weeks, I met the prisoner at the bar in Buckle-street, with this iron here produced. I asked him where he was going with it, he said from Mr. Buttall's at the Gridiron, and was going to one Mr. Watkins's in White-cross-street. I said, I do not think you came honestly by it; he said, if you think so we will go to a night-house and have a pot of beer, and lodge it there till I bring proof where I had it; but instead of that, I carried him to the constable; the constable said he must go to the round-house; he ran away as fast as he could; and got quite off. On Monday morning I went to Mr. Buttall to enquire if he had lost such iron? he sent a man to see it, the man said it did not belong to him. It lay in the constable's hands about a fortnight till the prosecutor saw it. The prisoner was apprehended again in about 17 days.

Prosecutor. Mr. Buttall let me know of this iron being stopt; I took the prisoner in White-cross-street, the constable brought him justice Welch's in Long-Acre, I sent for twenty my workmen, and desired the watchman to pick him out from the rest; he pitched upon him directly. I have been robbed within these 9 months of about fifty 100 wt. of iron.

Prisoner's Defence.

He sent for his men to be sure, but when the man came in he saw the constable along with me, and looked at me and nobody else.

He called John West < no role > , Ann Ballard < no role > , and Mary Matthews < no role > , who gave him a good character.

Guilty . T .