634. (2d M.) JOHN POPPLEWELL proceedingsdefend was indicted for stealing three silver table spoons, value 20 s. the property of her Royal Highness the princess Amelia proceedingsvictim , July 9th . *

Keteneller Skinner. I am a silversmith: on the 11th of July in the morning, the prisoner brought a spoon to me broke in two in the middle, and asked me to buy it; I weighed it, it came to eleven shillings and three pence; I suspected he stole it, and asked how he came by it; he said it was his own, and he had several more of them; that he had an uncle in the Hay-market, who would give him a good character, and knew the spoon to be his; I went with him to his uncle's; his uncle said it was his own, he had seen it at his table; upon that I gave him eleven shillings and three pence for it; his uncle said he would not swear to the identical spoon, but he had seen such at his table, and it must be his, for there was his name upon it; upon the same day one Mr. Pullen came with the prisoner to fetch the spoon, and gave me the eleven and three pence for it again; the prisoner said Mr. Pullen was his father-in-law, and wanted the spoon, that it should not go out of the family; Pullen bought another at the same time.

James Pullen < no role > . I know the prisoner very well: he has an own uncle, that is servant to the Princess Amelia; he used often to go and see his uncle; on the 9th of July I was at the Princess Amelia's; the prisoner was there then; his uncle told me he had lost two silver spoons; a fortnight before we were up in the steward's room, and two or three more servants; we all came down stairs, but the prisoner staid behind on the landing place; this was on Saturday; on Monday I went to carry my bill; Doctor Bell < no role > 's servant, who is chaplain to the Princess, met me and told me there was a spoon lost while I was there on Saturday; as soon as I had done my business I went and told the prisoner's uncle I had some reason to suspect his nephew had got the spoon that was lost, and told him my reason; I come to town and went to the uncle at the Hay-market, and he fetched the prisoner; we took him to the Turk's Head, and I charged him with stealing the spoon; he denied it a long while; I told him his uncle would get turned out of his place, and he would be the ruin of himself and his family; he then took me into the yard and said he was in great distress which occasioned him to take the spoon; I asked him what he had done with it, that we might get it again and replace it, and then perhaps all would be well.

Q. Did you promise him any favour?

Pullen. No, he took me to Mr. Skinner's and we got the spoon again; I paid eleven shillings and threepence for it, (produces it); I bought another spoon as much like it as I could, in order to replace it because it was broke.

Edward Powell < no role > , a page to the Princess Amelia, deposed, that the spoon was the property of the Princess Amelia.

Ellis Pugh < no role > , silversmith to her Royal Highness the Princess Amelia, proved the spoon to be her Royal Highness's property, and said it had been marked as all the rest were with A. P. that the A. was erased.

Prisoner's Defence.

A young man in a public house gave me the spoon and desired me to sell it for him.

Guilty . T .