561. WILLIAM ASKEW proceedingsdefend was indicted for burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling house of Walter Collins proceedingsvictim , about the hour of seven at night on the 12th of October , and burglariously stealing therein a cloak, value 50 s. five gowns, value 3 l. two shifts, value 6 s. a petticoat, value 2 s. three pair of stockings, value 7 s. a night cap, value 9 d. two pocket handkerchiefs, value 2 s. a neck handkerchief, value 1 s. six silver tea spoons, value 20 s. and a pair of silver sugar tongs, value 2 s. the property of Susannah Miles proceedingsvictim . Two silk handkerchiefs, value 8 s. a cotton handkerchief, value 1 s. four muslin handkerchiefs, value 8 s. a metal watch, value 20 s. a pair of sheets, value 10 s. a table cloth, value 4 s. and six guineas, the property of William Miles proceedingsvictim ; one guinea and two seven shilling pieces the property of Robert Tidmarsh proceedingsvictim . And ELIZABETH ASKEW , alias PRICE proceedingsdefend , for feloniously receiving the said goods, she knowing them to have been stolen .

WALTER COLLINS < no role > sworn. I am shopman to Mr. Robert Lomas. I live at No. 17, Tabernacle Walk , I rent the house.

Q. What do you know about this business of the house being broke open. - A. In the evening a little before six o'clock on Sunday, I think it was the 12th of October, I went out with my wife, she was before me, I double locked the door, I returned in the evening a little before eight; and found the door single locked; I was a little surprised at finding it in that state.

Q. Are you sure that you left it double locked. - A. Yes, I am sure I left it double locked, I always make it a point. That is all that I know of the matter, I was alarmed, and presently Susannah Miles came in.

Q. Who is Susannah Miles < no role > . - A. She is a lodger, she has two rooms above stairs.

Q. You missed nothing of your own did you. - A. No, I missed nothing of mine.

Q. Did you observe by any thing else that the house had been opened. - A.Nothing else.

Q. Only the circumstance of finding the door single locked, and you left it double locked. - A. Nothing else, my apartments were all as I left them.

Q.Therefore the house was all as you left it except Mrs. Miles's apartments. - A. Yes.

Cross-examined by Mr. Curwood.

Q. You say you went out before six o'clock. - A. Yes, it was.

Q. You had no circumstance to know when it was done, it might be done five minutes after six, or half an hour afterwards. - A. I cannot tell.

SUSANNAH MILES < no role > sworn. Q. When did you come home. - A. A few minutes before eight.

Q. What did you miss. - A. I missed my clothes.

Q. What clothes. - A. I missed five gowns, two shifts, one petticoat, three handkerchiefs.

Q. When did you see these before, how long before the time that you missed them, which was eight o'clock, had you seen them before you went out. - A. I missed them when I came home, I saw them just before I went out.

Q. When was that. - A. A few minutes before six, I went to chapel.

Q. Was that all that you lost. - A. No, I lost three pair of stockings, a night cap, a black silk cloak, and more articles.

Q. You remember these particularly. - A. Yes.

Q. Have you seen these since. - A. I have seen three of my gowns since, and my cloak I have seen since.

Q. And all these things you had seen a few minutes before six. - A. Yes, I am sure I had all my things, I locked my box, and I had got the key in my pocket.

Q. Were these things in your box. - A. Yes.

Q. Was your box broke open when you came home. - A. Yes, I found my box open, and what few things they left were thrown all about the room.

Q. Was there a pair of sugar tongs. - A. Yes, they were in the box along with the tea spoons, they were taken away.

Q. Have you seen them afterwards. - A. No.

Q. You say you have seen some of these articles, you have seen some gowns. - A. I have seen three gowns, my cloak, a pair of stockings, and nightcap.

Q. Where did you see them, and when. - A. I saw them at Worship street.

Q. Who had them there. - A. The officer, Mr. Armstrong.

Q. Were you sure they were yours. - A. I am sure they are mine.

JOHN ARMSTRONG < no role > sworn. I was at the search with Ray; Ray produces some of the property, and Vickery the rest.

JOHN RAY < no role > sworn. I produce the stockings and the cap, which is what I found.

Q.(to prosecutor) Look at these stockings and cap. - A. I know them to be mine, and I know the gowns to be mine.

JOHN VICKERY < no role > sworn. I am an officer of Worship street; the way I had the gowns was of a man of the name of Noah Aaron < no role > , who is a jew. I went with Armstrong, Ray, Bishop, and Noah Aaron < no role > , to the house of the prisoner, Hatfield street, St. Luke's, we were shewed to a room up two pair of stairs by Noah Aaron < no role > .

Q. How do you know it was his apartments. - A. We found him in bed with the woman who is with him.

Q. What is the woman's name. - A. I know her by the name of Price. Armstrong knocked at the door, it was opened by the man prisoner; we went in and we told him that we must search his place; we proceeded to search, and in the cupboard in the room, standing in a bag, was these implements of house breaking - three crows, one large one and the other two small ones, two large picklock keys, and five small picklock keys for boxes, and a dark lanthorn; these were found in that cupboard (producing them). In another cupboard we found this file, and another file with it, and in the same cupboard was this piece of putty, with an impression of a key upon it; that putty is used for the purpose when they get hold of a key of a gentleman's door, to take the impression. In the same room we found a silk handkerchief, which the woman prisoner said belonged to her, she said she bought it at some place which she mentioned; this was sworn to by the woman to the best of her belief. This handkerchief we found in a box.

Q.(to Susannah Miles) Whose property is that. A. My brother William Miles < no role > 's.

Q. Does William Miles < no role > live in the same house. - A. In the same house.

Q.(to Vickery) That is the yellow silk handkerchief. - A. Yes. In the same box in the same room was this white handkerchief, it is a man's neck handkerchief, I believe; in the same place was the stockings and the cap belonging, I understand, to the woman. After we had searched the prisoners apartments and brought him to the office, we were then to the house of the prosecutors, me with Armstrong and another officer; we examined the box that were broke open.

Q. There were no marks on the door. - A. None at all.

Q. Did you look at the lock. - A. We did, we could not discover that any thing was done to the lock of the front door.

Q. The boxes were broken open. - A. They were; there were three boxes in the two pair of stairs, one in the front room, and two in the back room.

Q. Whose boxes were these (to Susannah Miles < no role > ). A. One belonged to me and one to my brother.

Q. Which was yours. - A. Mine was in the front room.

Q. Out of that box you lost these things. - A.Yes, I lost all my clothes.

Vickery. The boxes in the front room and in the back room I have no doubt but they were broke open by these tools, we fitted them; this tool has a jagged edge, there is the impression of this tool on the box exactly, this tool was rusty, and on the box the rust was left, and it fitted the impression exactly, it was a strong elm box, it took some force to open it.

Q. So that comparing the size of the tools with the impression on the box, and the rust that you found on the box, you think it was broken open by that tool. - A. Yes, and this other has a notch, a jagged edge, there is the mark of that jagged edge on the box. One of the boxes in this room is a stout deal box, it is painted, it had been broken open; that box belonged to Robert Tidmarsh < no role > ; it appeared exactly the same way as the other, the impression of the tool was on the box, the same as on the first; there was another box standing by the side of this large box; that was a much larger box, and much thinner. To that box they have used this tool, I have every reason to believe. These gowns I received from Noah Aaron < no role > , and that cloak, in consequence of a search warrant I had against another house. While we were searching that house Noah Aaron < no role > came in, we then searched his bag, hearing of this robbery, and hearing of the articles that had been lost. In his bag we found that silk cloak.

Q.(to Susannah Miles < no role > ) Is that your silk cloak. - A. Yes, I am sure of it.

Vickery. We took him to the office, he was examined by the magistrate.

Q.(to Susannah Miles < no role > ) Is that a black silk cloak. A. Yes.

Q. What is that worth. - A. I gave four pounds for it when I had it, I do not know what it is worth now.

Q. How long have you had it. - A. Above a twelvemonth.

Q. Is it worth forty shillings. - A. It is worth more, it is worth as much as I gave for it to me.

Vickery. Noah Aaron < no role > the following day produced these gowns.

Q. You took the cloak from him. - A. Yes, therethere were no other things taken from him at that time. On the following day these gowns were produced by him at the office.

Q. He after that produced the gowns. - A. Yes, the gowns were produced by him.

Susannah Miles < no role > . I am sure they are my gowns, I have pieces like them, I had them made in the country, I can swear to them.

Q. What is the value of them. - A. This is the top of one of them, I had it new topped since I came to London.

Q. Speak within the mark, what is the worth of them. - A. I should think that they are worth two pounds.

Mr. Curwood. (to Vickery) Are you sure they were the prisoner's lodgings. - A. Yes, both the man and the woman were in bed together; we only heard that these things were lost, we never could discover any of the other things than what are produced here.

NOAH AARON < no role > sworn. Q. How came you by this cloak and the other things. - A. This man came to my house, he asked me would I buy a lot of clothes on him.

Q. On what day. - A. Last Sunday fortnight.

Q. That is the 12th of October. - A. He came to my house on that Sunday evening, and asked me would I buy any clothes, he said to me if you can go with me home, I want some money, may be you will be out of town tomorrow; he should like to sell to night, that same night you know.

Q. I do not know, you must tell me, he asked you to go to his house. - A. Yes, I took my boy along with me. When I came there there was another man along with him up stairs, and that woman; they shewed me the clothes, they asked me seven guineas for them.

Q.What things did they shew you. - A. They shewed me a cloak, four gowns, one sheet, an old table cloth, and there were five or six handkerchiefs.

Q. That cloak was one that Vickery took from you. - A. Yes, and four gowns.

Q. What else. - A. There was a small metal watch, I sold it the next day in Duke's place, I bought them altogether of a lump.

Q. How much did you give for the whole lot. - A. Four pound fifteen.

Q. Should you know the watch again. - A. If I should see it I should know it again.

Q.(to Vickery) Do you know any thing of this watch. - A. No, the watch was never recovered, he said he sold it in Duke's place.

Q. Do you know whether he tried to get it back again. - A. I do not know.

Q.(to Aaron) Are there four gowns there. - A. No, one I sold in Rag fair, there is only three of them now. When they asked me the money I got up to go away, I said they do not suit me, I will call in the morning; I bid them four pound ten, the other man said let him have them for five guineas, and at last we concluded the bargain at four pound fifteen; that is all that passed.

SAMUEL AARON < no role > sworn. Q. Look at the prisoner at the bar, do you remember going with your father in his house. - A. Yes.

Q. Do you recollect the person of the man. - A. Yes.

Q. On Sunday the 12th was it. - A. Yes, on the 12th of October.

Q. Have you heard what your father said. - A. Yes.

Q. Did what he say pass in your presence. - A. Yes.

Cross examined by Mr. Curwood.

What trade are you bringing up to. - A. A watch-motion maker.

WILLIAM MILES < no role > sworn. You lodge in the house of Walter Collins < no role > . - A. Yes.

Q. Did you on the 12th of October. - A. Yes.

Q. Did you lose any thing that evening. - A. Yes.

Q. What did you lose. - A. I lost six guineas out of my box, two silk handkerchiefs, a small metal watch, four half neck handkerchiefs, one pocket handkerchief, one pair of sheets and a table cloth.

Q. How long before you missed them had you seen them before they were taken away. - A. I saw my money and my things on Sunday morning, I put one guinea in the box then.

Q. Was the box locked. - A. Yes, as soon as I come home in the evening I met my sister at the door just before eight o'clock.

Q. You are sister to Susannah Miles < no role > . - A. Yes, she was very much alarmed indeed; she told me her apartment had been robbed, I went to my box, I found my money was gone.

Q. What sort of a box is yours. - A. A deal box, it was in the back room.

Q. Was it a strong deal box. - A. Yes, strongish.

Q. Did you see the marks of the tool which it had been opened with. - A. Yes, it was very evident it had been forced open. The next thing I was informed that my watch was gone, the watch hung at the fire place.

Q. What was the value of the watch. - A. A watch-maker told me he would allow me twenty-five shillings for it, to make me another.

Q. You have never seen it since. - A. No, I have not.

Q. Have you seen the other things that you have mentioned, the table cloth or the sheets. - A. Nothing but that silk handkerchief, I have every reason to believe that is mine.

Q. That silk handkerchief is a common pattern - A. Yes, it was just such a one as this.

Q. There is no mark to know it by. - A. No.

Q. It was a metal watch. - A. Yes a French watch.

ROBERT TIDMARSH < no role > sworn. What did you lose. - A. One guinea, and two seven shilling pieces out of my box.

Q. Yours was a little box. - A. No, a common strong box.

Q. When did you see it last. - A. On Sunday morning the 12th of October.

Q. Had you seen this money in it that you mentioned. - A. Yes.

Q. When did you return. - A. About ten o'clock on Sunday night.

Q. Then on looking in your box you missed it. - A. Yes.

Q. You never saw your money again. - A. No.

Q.(to Aaron) Where was the place that yousaw this man on Sunday evening. - A. In my house where I live.

Q.Where is your house. - A. At No. 3, Mitre-Court, Aldgate.

Q. Had the prisoner any thing with him at the time when he came to your house. - A. Nothing with him.

William Askew < no role > , let his defence to his counsel, and called no witnesses to character.

Elizabeth Askew < no role > , alias Price, was not put upon her defence.

WILLIAM ASKEW < no role > , GUILTY - DEATH , aged 26,

ELIZABETH ASKEW, alias PRICE, NOT GUILTY

First Middlesex Jury, before Lord Ellenborough.