601. (M.) John Murray proceedingsdefend was indicted for stealing a green worsted purse, value 6 d. and a guinea, the property of John Poole < no role > , privately from his person , August 12th . ++

John Poole proceedingsvictim . I am an out-pensioner of Chelsea college ; the prisoner belongs to the college. I lodged at the White Horse at Hammersmith ; the prisoner was with me in the evening, and as I am lame in my arm, and can't pull my coat off myself, he assisted me to undress myself. I had the purse in my hand not an hour before I went to bed; after I was undress'd, I let him out, and fastned the door; when I got up in the morning, I missed my purse, and the guinea that was in it, out of my waistcoat pocket.

Q. Was you in liquor?

Poole. I had been drinking, but I was quite sensible of what I was doing.

Q. How came the prisoner to undress you?

Poole. He came with me from Chelsea. I was going into Somersetshire; I saved the guinea to carry me home next morning.

Q. Did you miss your money before you unlock'd your door in the morning?

Poole. Yes.

Q. Did you pull your waistcoat off before he went away?

Poole. Yes, every thing.

- Franklin. I keep the White House at Hammersmith. The prosecutor and the prisoner came into my house a little after four in the afternoon; the prisoner wanted a dram, but he said he had no money, and the prosecutor treated him; when he went to bed, I ordered my girl to go and put him to bed, but the prisoner was very officious, and said, he would; he staid some time with him; when he came down stairs, he said to me, call up the old pensioner early, he wants to go on his journey; he said he was obliged to be at Chelsea by nine that night, or he should get ill will. I saw him the next morning about six o'clock, very much in liquor; his face was bruised; I thought he had fell down. When the prosecutor came down in the morning, he said, have you seen any thing of the man that was with me last night? I said, I had; he told me that he had picked his pocket; a man gave us information where the prisoner was, and we took him at the Rose and Crown about nine in the morning; the constable search'd him, and found a quarter of a guinea, and silver, and half pence, to the amount of 16 shillings and two-pence farthing; the prisoner said before the Justice, that he had the money sent him from Yorkshire, and afterwards, that it was sent him from Carlisle.

- Meredith. Upon the application of Mr. Franklin to me, I told him it would be proper to make an enquiry where the prisoner lay that night; we found that he lay at one Mrs. Waites, a mantua maker, along with one Barnard, an old fellow soldier. I had this purse from Mrs. Barnard, (producing a green worsted purse.)

Elizabeth Barnard < no role > . The prisoner lay that night with my husband and me, and he made me a present of that purse, and my husband said, that he had made such things in North-America. We met him upon the road at Hammersmith, about half an hour after five in the afternoon; we had a shillings worth of rum and water, and two shillings worth of brandy and water; the prisoner paid for it; he paid a shilling for the first, and changed two 5 s. 3 d. to pay for the last two shillings worth.

Q. Did not you think he was very rich?

Barnard. I did not know what way he was in; he told us he had received his pension money.

The prosecutor. There is no particular mark to the purse, but it is just such a one as I lost.

Prisoner's Defence.

I never robbed him. I came from Yorkshire the 29th of May. I had a family there. I was so bad I could not work; the master I work'd with sent me to Hull. I got five guineas paid me for my half year's service, then I got a passage from Hull. I was at Chelsea from the 29th of May to the 22d of June, before I got into the house; I had two guineas and eight shillings in silver when I went into the house. I told my comrade I would put this money by; I sewed up a guinea and a half in the waistband of my breeches, and a 5 s. 3 d. I never saw a farthing of what this man had, except what he had in a little leather purse.

Guilty of stealing, but not privately from the person . T .