688. JOHN EADES proceedingsdefend was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 21st of June last, one feather bed, value 20 s. the property of Francis Willis proceedingsvictim .

FRANCIS WILLIS < no role > sworn.

I live at No. 53 on Saffron-hill , I keep a small house, the prisoner was a lodger of mine, he lodged with me between four and five months, I lost one feather bed, I missed it on the 21st of June between eight and nine in the morning, I found it in two days after at Mrs. Well's, in Portpool-lane (The bed produced and deposed to by a patch very near the middle, and a place that had been darned up) it has been a good many years in use, I turned down a bureau bedstead. I missed it from the room that I let to the prisoner.

Was there any other bed in the room? - No, I cannot say how long it had been gone, I never saw it in the hand of the prisoner.

ELIZABETH WILLIS < no role > sworn.

I am the wife of the prosecutor, we let the prisoner the room, and my husband went up finding he did not come home, and he called to me, and I went up and missed the bed, we got a search warrant and I went with my husband and found it at Mrs. Wells's, I knew it by the patch and darn in the corner that I did myself.

WILLIAM SEASONS < no role > sworn.

I am a constable, I attend the Rotation Office in Clerkenwell-Green, Mr. and Mrs. Willis applied to me, and asked my opinion whether I thought the bed might be in a house in Portpool-lane, which is noted for receiving such things, up two pair of stairs at the house of one Wells a chandler's shop, this was on the 22d of June, which I believe was the day after it was lost, I have had the bed in my possession ever since, I must say when I went into the house, Mrs. Wells said, Mr. Seasons, open every room in my house.

ELIZABETH WELLS < no role > sworn.

I live in Portpool-lane, I know the prisoner, and have known him for a great while.

Do you know any thing about Mr. Willis's bed? - Not about their bed, the constable and Mr. and Mrs. Willis came to my house, and took a bed from my house.

Is that the bed that is in Court? - I cannot say.

Look at it? - I believe it is.

How came you by that bed? - This young man the prisoner came from sea when I lived in Castle-street, I have known him a great while, and he told me he was going to provide a room for himself he had plenty of money, and some time after this, I did not see him for two or three months, I cannot tell which, then he came and asked me to buy a bed.

About what time was that? - I think it is about three months ago, it might be short of that, or it might be full that.

Might it be a month or six weeks? - It must be more than that, Seasons has had it three weeks, I had it two months before he fetched it from me to the nighest of my recollection.

When the prisoner asked you to buy a bed, did he bring you the bed? - Yes, the same afternoon.

Did you purchase it of him, I did, Mrs. Willis saw the bed.

In what situation was it when she first saw it? - It was with other things laying about, and people lived in the room, I told her I had not bought a bed for two months, she said she had lost her's within a month, she then went up stairs and said here is the bed, says she I know it by the outside being my own spinning.

Court to Mrs. Willis. Did you ever say any thing about the spinning? - Nothing but the darning, I said it was what we called in the country a home spun tick.

Did you make use of the expression that that woman mentioned? - Upon my honor I did not.

Did you doubt this being yours when you first went? - My Lord I was terrified, there was many people in the rooms, and they were making their diversion, and I went into one room and they drew < no role > a bit of a bed from under a bedstead, and I looked very hard at it, and I said it is not mine, then there were three rooms that were locked, we could not get in, there was a woman in the room washing as I think, and she said is this it, and I saw a corner of it, then I said that is my bed.

Then they shewed you more beds than one? - We saw all the beds, but only these three rooms we could not see till the keys came up, there was a bed in every room, I cannot tell how many.

PRISONER's DEFENCE.

I got up on Sunday morning, I went out to see for my wife, when I returned the room was stripped, I then found that my wife was taken up, I knew nothing of it.

Prosecutor. His wife lived in the lodgings with him, and she went away on the Saturday morning the 19th, that was the day before him, we sat up for her till two o'clock on the Sunday morning, he came and said she was at a labour, I never saw her afterwards in my house.

GUILTY .

To be confined to hard labour twelve months in the House of Correction .

Tried by the second Middlesex Jury before Mr. ROSE.