168. JOHN WILLIAMS proceedingsdefend was indicted for stealing, on the 5th of November , one coat, value 5s. , the property of Thomas Clarke proceedingsvictim .

SAMUEL LACK < no role > . I am an officer belonging to Bow-street. On the 5th of November, about one o'clock in the day, I saw the prisoner at the bar, with a coat under his arm, on the left-hand side of Lincoln's-inn-fields, coming from Great Queen-street into Holborn-knowing him before, I turned round and looked after him; observing that he saw I was looking after him, I turned about and followed him; he mended his pace, and seeing I was following him, he threw the coat over the iron railing into the front court of one of the houses in Lincoln's-inn-fields; I picked it up, followed, and secured him. I have reason to think that he knew I was an officer. When I took him into custody, he said, "What do you want with me? I have done nothing." I asked him what he ran away for, if he had done nothing? He said, "a gentleman gave me that coat to carry to the George and Blue Boar, in Holborn, and gave me two shillings." I asked him where the money was, but he said the gentleman had not paid him.

ANN PEAKE < no role > . I am servant to Mr. Clarke. In November last, after I had been informed that a young man had been stopped running away with a great coat, I missed my my master's coat out of the back parlour.

(Property produced and sworn to.)

GUILTY . Aged 18.

Transported for Seven Years .

First Middlesex Jury before Mr. Justice Abbott.