Old Bailey Proceedings:
Old Bailey Proceedings: Accounts of Criminal Trials
5th December 1750
23, 24. (M.)
Thomas
Bunn
proceedingsdefend
and
James
Harrington
proceedingsdefend
, were indicted for that
they, together with two others not yet taken, did steal one wooden drawer, value 12 d. four silver pocket pieces, value 8 s. and 10 d. in money, number'd
, the goods of
John
Dyer
proceedingsvictim
, Oct. 12
. +
Mary
Dyer
< no role >
. My husband's name is
John
Dyer
< no role >
. I live in East Smithfield
. On the 12th of October there came five boys and knocked at my door just before 12 o'clock at night; I opened it; they came in very civilly, and asked for a quartern of liquor; I keep a brandy shop
; I asked them how I must divide it; they said they did not care how. Hatton, who is here to give his evidence, took the liquor in his hand, and said it was all sludge; then he asked for change for sixpence; I took the drawer out; while I held the drawer and 3 d. in my hand, Harrington held a pistol to my head, and said he'd blow my brains out if I would not deliver all I was worth; they were all in the shop at that time; I said, children, what do you mean by coming in this manner, and ran behind a Vessel and screamed out, thieves and murder; they ran out at the door, and took the drawer away; there were in it four silver pocket pieces and a silver groat; these were pieces that were pledg'd, I don't know the value of them.
William
Hatton
< no role >
. I am about 16 years of age. There were
Richard
Pett
< no role >
,
Randolph
Branch
< no role >
, myself, and the two prisoners met together to go out; we went and knock'd at this woman's door; then Thomas Bunn said he would go home, he would not attempt such a thing, so he went away; she let us four in; we asked for a quartern of gin; she asked how many outs she should make; Harrington said, make four; then he said, let me have a halfpennyworth of anniseed; as soon as he had drank the dram, he pulled out a pistol, and put it to the woman's head, and said, you are a dead woman if you don't deliver all you are worth;
Randolph
Branch
< no role >
went round the computer and took the till; there were in it four outlandish pieces of silver and a silver groat; she woman screamed out; we all went out, and went near the Queen's Head in Wilsher lane, where we went and emptied the drawer; I believe there was a silver sixpence, some halfpence, and two shillings and sixpence in single farthings;
Richard
Pett
< no role >
sold one of the pocket pieces for eightpence on the other side the water, near the Greyhound Inn, we threw the three others into the Tower ditch; my share in the whole came to ninepence, and Harrington the same; Bunn was not with us.
Q. to Mrs. Dyer. How many did you see come into the shop?
Mrs. Dyer. I saw five of them come in.
Harrington
Guilty
.
Bunn
Acquitted
.
[Transportation. See summary.]