160. JEREMIAH NICHOLSON proceedingsdefend was indicted for stealing, on the 22d of January , two sixpences; one hundred and twenty-one halfpence; fifty copper farthings and a wooden till, value 2d. the goods of John Leat proceedingsvictim .

JOHN LEAT sworn.

Q. Where do you live? - No. 286, Oxford-street .

Q. What is your business? - My business that I follow is in the earthen ware line.

Q. When was it you lost your till? - The night before the 22d of January, about a quarter before nine; I was not at home at the time it happened; there was my daughter at home, who is the next evidence.

Q. When did you see your till? - I see it again the same evening, after the prisoner was at the watch-house. The watchman has it now.

SARAH LEAT < no role > sworn.

Q. You are the daughter of John Leat we understand? - Yes.

Q. Were you at home on the evening of the 21st of January? - Yes; I was in the parlour.

Q. Does the parlour join the shop? - Yes.

Q. About what time of the night was it? - I believe it was near nine; when the watchman was going nine.

Q. Did you see any body in the shop? - I see this person go from the end of the counter.

Q. Did you see him come into the shop? - No. I see him go out, but I did not see him come in.

Q. Were there candles lighted in the shop? - Yes, one candle. The door was open between the parlour and the shop.

Q. Who was with you in the parlour? - Only a little sister.

Q. Did you hear any thing that made you take notice of what was passing in the shop? - I see some body in the shop, and I went to see who it was.

Q. How long before this time had you left the shop? - About five minutes, I think.

Q. Had you left the shop door open of shut? - Between open and shut.

Q. When you saw the prisoner going out of the door, did you observe what part of the shop he came from? - He was going from the end of the counter.

Q. Did you see whether he had any thing with him at that time? - Yes, I see him with the till under his arm.

Q. On seeing him, what did you do? - I cried stop thief! and the watchman catched him, I fancy in about three or four minutes, or thereabouts.

Q. Did he bring him back to your shop? - Yes. He did not go out of my sight.

Q. Did you see him till the watchman stopped him? - Yes; and the watchman see him come out.

Q. Was there any money in the till when it was brought back? - No.

Q. Can you say what money was in it when it was taken away? - No; nobody knows what there was in it. I was the last person that put money in it, about five minutes before, as nigh as I can guess.

Q. Money which you had taken in the shop? - Yes.

Q. How much money had you put in about five minutes before? - It was a shilling; but I took it out again, and put it into my pocket.

Q. When you put the shilling in, and took it out again, was there any more money there? - There were some halfpence and farthings, and two sixpences. The watchmen picked them up.

Q. Had you observed that there were two sixpences in the till? - Yes; I can swear that.

Q. So that you would have known there were two sixpences there if the watchman had not said he picked up two? - Yes, I know there were two sixpences in.

Q. Will you undertake to say what quantity of halfpence there were in it? - No; I don't know.

Q. What happened when he was brought back? Was he searched? - Yes, when he went to the watch-house.

Q. Was any money found on him? - Yes, half a crown; but that was not ours.

Mr. Knapp. Have you always been as sure that the prisoner at the bar was the person that you have been describing? - Yes.

Q. Now recollect. You was before the justice? - Yes.

Q. Were you as sure before the justice as you are now? - Yes, I was.

Q. Why you told the justice that you was a good deal frightened and alarmed at the time. Now was you alarmed? - No, I was not when I was at the justice's.

Q. Were not you frightened at the time of the till going away? - I see the boy going out of the shop with the till; I was a little frightened, but I knew the boy.

Q. Was the boy 's back towards you, or the face? - The back was towards me, but then I did not lose sight of him till he was taken.

Q. But did you ever see his face? - No, I cannot say that I see his face.

Q. Then all you mean to tell the court and jury is this, that from the appearance of the person's back, and his being taken recently after, you think it is the same? - No, I am sure, because I never lost sight of him.

Q. I understand that when he was searched, there was half a crown found upon him that was not your's? - No.

Q. No sixpences found on him? - No.

Q. You was not present when he was stopped? - No; I see him stopped, and see him throw the money down, and the watchman picked it up.

Court. Your till was not locked? - No.

JOHN ELLIOT < no role > sworn.

Q. You are a watchman, I understand? - Yes.

Q. Did you receive any alarm on the 21st of January, in the evening? - Yes.

Q. Where was you at the time? - Close at Mr. Leat's door. The daughter cried out stop thief! and I closely pursued him; I see him come out of the door.

Q. Who did you see come out of the door? - That lad, the prisoner at the bar. I followed him.

Q. How far had he got from the door before you laid hold of him? - He got about forty or fifty yards, or a little more.

Q. Had you ever lost sight of him from the time of his coming out of the door, till you collared him? - No, never. The person that I laid hold of was the person that came out of the shop.

Q. Had he any thing with him that you see? - I see him drop this till in the half way, about the middle of the street, before I laid told of him; he ran immediately across the street.

Q. Did you pick up the till? - I did.

Q. Did you find any money thereabouts? - I found the money under the till, and all about the till, when I brought the lad back again to the till. Here is the till and money, fifty-one farthings, one hundred and twenty-one halfpence, and two sixpences; the till was upside down, and the money scattered about.

Mr. Knapp. This was at nine o'clock at night? - It was going the hour of nine; it was not dark, it was moonlight.

Prisoner. I have nothing to say in my defence particularly; I never see nothing of the till.

Prosecutor. I know the till by the cord and the lock, and the holes that I cut in it myself.

The prisoner called two witnesses to his character.

GUILTY. (Aged 15.)

Judgment respited .

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury before Mr. Baron THOMPSON.