199. (M.) John Plackett proceedingsdefend , was indicted for that he, in a open field near the king's highway, on Jacob Faye proceedingsvictim did make an assault, putting him in corporal fear and danger of his life, and stealing from his person one silver watch, value 3 l. one silver seal, val. 4 s. one silver stock-buckle, val. 4 s. one pair of silver shoe-buckles, val. 15 s. one pair of silver knee-buckles, val. 5 s. one pair of silver sleeve-buttons set with precious stones, val. 15 s. one coat, val. 10 s. one silk waistcoat, val. 30 s. one pair of black velvet breeches, one silver breeches buckle, one shirt and one hat, one 27 shilling piece of gold, one 6 s. and 9 d. piece of gold, and 2 s. and 6 d. in money numbered, his property , June 17 . ||

The Prosecutor not understanding English, an interpreter was sworn.

Jacob Faye < no role > . On the 16th of June at night, between the hours of eight and nine, I went from my lodgings at Shadwell dock, the house of Osmond Osmondson < no role > , to the Danish coffeehouse in Wellclose-square to see for a countryman, but could not find him; returning, I missed my way, and rambled about till near twelve o'clock. I saw some hackney coaches standing; I went to one; the man refused to carry me on account I could not make him understand me. I went to another, and desired him to drive me to Limehouse; the last word he understood; I put my hand in my pocket to pay him before I got into the coach. Then came the prisoner (to the best of my knowledge it was he, by his size and what I could observe of him, it being star-light) he said he would bring me to Limehouse; he spoke English; I cannot say I understood all he said, but I understood him that he lived there; I went along with him through several street till we came to the open fields; when we had walked a little way in the fields, I said, as well as I could I was wrong; as soon as I said so he struck me down by a blow on the back part of my head, and after that I remember he gave me one blow more; what happened after that I do not know. When I recovered my senses I found myself stripped; I was as naked as when I was born, only my stockings: I saw the man that knocked me down standing by me with my pocket book in his hand; I said, My book, my book. I was at that time lying on the ground, not able to rise; he was looking over the papers in it; [he produced three pieces of paper sprinkled with blood] these were some of them: I remained still on the spot till he was gone away; then I got down into a dry ditch, where I remained some time, I do not know how long; after that I got out, and seeing a light I ventured to go to it, which was at the new turnpike in the city road from Moorfields to Islington, where I knocked at the door, and the man came; I could not talk English to him, only let him understand I had been robbed; he took me in, and I lay down on his bed, and he covered me up: in the morning he went and got a surgeon to dress my wounds, name Goodman; he procured a lodging for me, where I lay till I was able to go abroad again, which was in about eight or nine days. Part of my things were found again.

Q. from the prisoner. Can you swear I am the man?

Faye. I am sure the prisoner is the man as much as at that time my senses would allow me to say, and I am sure of it since.

Q. from the prisoner. Did you not say John Day < no role > was the man?

Faye. I saw that man after the prisoner was taken up; he laid it to him; I know nothing of that man; I never saw but one man with me from the coach to the place I was robbed.

Priscilla Ketchin < no role > . I have known the prisoner at the bar six weeks to day; I lodge in the same house where he did in Gray's-inn-lane, at Mr. M'Cullough's: I was in his apartment the Wednesday before he was taken up; I work'd for his wife; I saw a bloody shirt in a tub of water; this was on the Wednesday: he went out and came in about two on the Thursday morning; he had gone out with a sort of a fustian waistcoat without sleeves, without a coat. I saw a mark on the shirt in the tub; it had ruffles, and the wristband stitched to imitate work: [a shirt produced] this is the same shirt; I wash'd it for him on the Friday. He had beat the woman that went for his wife on the Friday night, when they came home from Sadlers Wells, so I wash'd and iron'd that shirt for him. After I had been in his room and seen several things, I came down stairs affrighted. I took the landlady up: she saw that bloody shirt, a pair of velvet breeches, with a silver buckle behind mark'd J G F; they lay in a box, and a pistol by it; some other things of his were in the box; there was his fustian waistcoat which he had on when he went out. On this I gave information to Justice Welch on the Saturday morning; I had heard of a robbery being committed; we got a warrant and a constable, and he was taken up. I had seen a pair of silver sleeve buttons in his sleeves with green stones; and in a socket in the middle were diamonds set; the prisoner said they cost him two guineas and a half, after that two guineas, after that he said his aunt gave them to him, and that he was the first of the family that ever wore diamond buttons.

Q. to the prosecutor. Did you lose such a pair of sleeve buttons as she has described?

Prosecutor. I did.

Jane Melling < no role > . I am the landlady's daughter of that house where the prisoner lodged; I was in his room, the box was opened there; I saw a pair of velvet breeches with a silver buckle, a blue coat, a scarlet waistcoat, his fustian waistcoat which he had on was bloody; he told us he had been fighting. I had one of the sleeve-buttons in my hand as the other witness described, (a pair of velvet breeches, the buckle, a pair of silver shoe buckles, a stock buckle marked J G F, a half-crown piece, a silver seal, a shirt marked H F 4, a silver watch, and a hat produced in court).

Prosecutor. The hat I believe to be mine, but it has been altered; all the other things are mine, and what I had on and about me when I was robbed; the half crown is a Queen Ann's of 1707; I know it by a crack in the silver just over the head.

John Day < no role > . I was in company with the prisoner at the bar on the 16th of June; I left him at half an hour after eleven at the Barley-mow and Magpye in Gray's-inn-lane; when he went out there he said, Jack, I have got no money; I lent him a shilling; we came to the George by Holborn-bars; I went down Holborn; he told me he was going to the Fleet-market; he went towards Holborn-bridge; I parted with him in Holborn, and saw him no more till the next day, at the Bricklayers Arms in St. Ann's, about twelve at noon; he paid me my shilling, and pulled out gold and silver plenty. On the Friday he was saying he had got a pair of buttons that cost him two guineas and a half; they had green stones and a little diamond in the middle; on the Friday evening he came to me at the Black Lion in Jockey's Fields at the end of Bedford row.

Matthew Williams < no role > . I found this pocket-book and papers in the new road on the Thursday morning about four o'clock; they were near the turnpike; I found half a guinea in gold under the pocket book; then I found a pair of shoes, then I found two wigs, The prisoner owned one of the wigs before Justice Welch [producing them].

Prosecutor. The book and wig are my property.

Williams. I found also by them two pieces of wood [ produced in court]; they appeared to be a pale. about three inches broad, broke in two pieces. He said, he had lent that wig to Day that night.

Thomas Willson < no role > . I am a constable: I searched the prisoner's lodgings, and found this shirt and breeches buckle in a waistcoat pocket belonging to the prisoner; I found another bloody shirt and a bloody fustian waistcoat; I found also this pistol [ producing one].

Ann Allen < no role > . I live in Drury-lane at the corner of Newtoner's lane; I am a pawnbroker; I took this watch, here produced, in of the prisoner at the bar, on the 19th of June in the morning; he told me his name was William Price < no role > ; he had pawn'd things with me before.

Thomas Gray < no role > . I lent the prisoner seven shillings on these breeches on the 19th of June in the morning.

John Ferry < no role > . I am a silversmith; the prisoner brought to me a pair of silver shoe-buckles, kneebuckles, silver seal and stock buckle, on Thursday morning the 17th of June; I bought them of him.

Mr. Dawson. I live in Monmouth-street; the prisoner at the bar used to sell butter about in our neighbourhood; on Thursday the 17th of June last the prisoner, in company with two women and a man, brought me a coat to sell; the other man brought it; I gave the man half a guinea, and he was to give me six-pence out of it; the prisoner came and gave me the six-pence, and took the half guinea from the man.

Q. Was that man Day?

Dawson. No, it was not.

Justice Welch deposed. That the prisoner much desired to be admitted an evidence; and said, that Day and he met with the prosecutor by a coach at the Coach and Horses between Leather-lane and Hatton-garden; that a gentleman was desiring the coachman to carry him to Limehouse; that Day, he, and the gentleman went together, and when in Wood's-close they pulled out a pale, and took it with them; when they came to the fields by the city road, he staid at a little distance behind; that Day and the gentleman went on. Immediately after their parting he heard a violent blow, and soon after two other blows, and in a very little time after Day brought to him the several things mentioned; and that Day pawned the breeches in Holborn near the French Horn; after that Day pawned the watch, which, upon inquiring, he found the pawnbroker swore to the prisoner's bringing them, and knew nothing of Day, when he carried Day to them; and it appeared to his worship that Day had a good character.

James Brebrook < no role > This name instance is in set 3582. . I was in Bridewell when the prisoner was; he asked me if he could not be admitted an evidence; he said he was to make a discovery of this robbery; he mentioned John Clark < no role > , Jack Lamb < no role > , and Thomas Haynes < no role > ; he said they had been concerned with him in divers robberies, and that Jack Lamb < no role > and John Clark < no role > were concerned in this: he never mentioned Day till three or four days after this; and after he found that Day was likely to be set at liberty, he said, he would give five guineas to any body that would swear Day brought the cloaths to his house to sell.

Prisoner's Defence.

Over night, when John Day < no role > and I parted from the Barley-mow, he told me he was bald-headed; I lent him my own brown wig; the next morning he came with the things in his hand into my room; said he, Will you do a favour for me? I said, Don't bring me into trouble; said he, Will you pawn me a few things? said I, Cannot you pawn them your-self? said he, Pawn me these breeches and this watch, and get this hat turn'd, and I will pay you for it. I said, Jack, where is my wig? said he, I have lost it last night; said I, I will be paid for it; he gave me half a crown, and two shillings for turning the hat, and six shillings for pawning the things. I saw his shirt was bloody; he said it was by fighting the other day, and for want of a handkerchief he wiped his face with his shirt. I took the things of him and pawned them, that is all I am to suffer for; if I do suffer, that is between God Almighty and myself. The woman that I live with knows what time I came in; it was almost twelve o'clock when I left the Barley-mow, and I went from thence to Wood's Close: if I die for it I will say the same words as I do now.

For the Prisoner.

Jane Parton < no role > . The prisoner came home that morning at past twelve o'clock, but I cannot tell how much past, it may be two or three hours after; in the morning came John Day < no role > with the cloaths, about seven o'clock; I will be hanged if I know what day it was; it was on a Thursday morning; he said, John Plackett < no role > , will you do a favour for me? Do take them things to pawn; he ask'd Day how his shirt came so bloody; he said, He had been fighting with a man. Plackett ask'd, where was his wig? he said, He had lost it, he said, he would give him half a crown for it, and he gave him a Queen Ann's half crown, and gave him six shillings for pawning the things.

Guilty , Death .