99, 100, 101. (M.) John Smith proceedingsdefend , and Joseph Blaze proceedingsdefend , were indicted for stealing thirty-seven pounds weight of sugar, value 24 s. the property of Robert Robinson proceedingsvictim ; and Henry Feathers proceedingsdefend for receiving the same well knowing it to have been stolen , Jan. 5 . ||

Robert Robinson < no role > was called and did not appear.

Thomas Coltis < no role > . John Smith < no role > , Joseph Blaze < no role > , and I, took a large piece of sugar out of Mr Robinson's shop.

Q. Where does Mr Robinson live?

Coltis. He lives in Goswell-street .

Q. What is his business?

Coltis. He is a Grocer .

Q. How long have you been acquainted with Smith and Blaze?

Coltis. I have been acquainted with them from four days before Christmas.

Q. Where did you first become acquainted?

Coltis. At an Ale-house in Chick-lane.

Q. Had you known neither of them before the time you speak of?

Coltis. I had known Jack Smith < no role > before, but I had never been acquainted with him to keep him company: he lived by us.

Q. How long have you known him?

Coltis. I have known him four years?

Q. How came you to take this sugar?

Coltis. We happen'd to go by the door and saw an opportunity; so Blaze went in and took it.

Q. Did you go in?

Coltis. No.

Q. Where were the people of the shop?

Coltis. They where in a little back room.

Q. Where did the sugar stand?

Coltis. It stood upon the counter: (great part of a large lump of sugar produced in court) this is it.

Q. Could you see it to be sugar before you took it?

Coltis. No: it was in a blue paper.

Q. What did Smith and you do, while Blaze went in for it?

Coltis. We stood at the door.

Q. Had you been together all that day?

Coltis. We kept together all the time, from four days before Christmas to that time.

Q. Where were you going when you went by this shop?

Coltis. We were going to see what we could get.

Q. What was done when Blaze brought the sugar out?

Coltis. Then we went down Bell-Alley, and so to the house where we lodged: Jack Smith < no role > and I lodged together; and after that we carried it to Mr Feathers's house.

Q. Where does he live?

Coltis. He lives at the corner of Black-Boy-Alley.

Q. What is hi s business?

Coltis. He keeps a Chandlers shop.

Q. Did you all go with it there?

Coltis. We did: and Smith and I went in.

Q. Did you see Feathers?

Coltis. He was not at home, so we left it 'till the next morning.

Q. Who did you see there?

Coltis. We saw his wife there.

Q. Did you make any bargain with her?

Coltis. No: but we sold it to him the next day.

Q. What time of the day?

Coltis. We went to him about ten or eleven o'clock, then he was at home, and said he had weighed it, and it weighed 36 or 37 pounds.

Q. How long have you known Feathers ?

Coltis. I never knew him before we carried things to sell.

Q. Had you sold things to him before this time ?

Coltis. Yes.

Q. What goods did you sell him?

Coltis. We sold tea to him.

Q. How often?

Coltis. I can't say how often.

Q. Did you ever sell him any thing before you became acquainted with Smith and Blaze ?

Coltis. No, never before.

Q. How often have you been with them to his house?

Coltis. Three or four times.

Q. What did he give you for this sugar?

Coltis. He gave us a groat a pound for it: We ask'd him six-pence.

Q. Did Smith and he seem to be acquainted ?

Coltis. Not much.

Q. Did he ask you how you came by it?

Coltis. Yes: he asked us whether we came honestly by it.

Q. What did you tell him?

Coltis. Jack Smith < no role > told him he got it from his sister, and he was going on board of ship.

Q. Did he ask you any questions about it?

Coltis. No: he asked me no questions.

Q. Where did he pay you for it?

Coltis. In his shop.

Q. What did you do with the money?

Coltis. After we got home we equally divided it amongst us.

Cross Examination.

Q. Was Blaze capable of bringing that sugar out of the shop himself?

Coltis. Yes, very easily.

Q. In what manner?

Coltis. In his arms.

James Elmore < no role > . I am Turnkey of New-Prison: Mr Fielding ordered me to go down to Feather's house; I went, and told him he had bought sugar and bacon of this evidence and another, the evidence was then with me; Feathers own'd it, and shewed us the sugar above stairs, and brought the sugar and bacon to Mr Fielding's that night.

Q. What business is Feathers ?

Elmore. He keeps a Chandlers-shop at the end of Black-Boy-Alley.

Q. Does he deal in sugar?

Elmore. He does: I saw some in his house: but I saw the sugar upon a table above-stairs, and he said it was the sugar that he bought of this evidence and Smith, and he had cut some of it off.

Q. What did he say before the Justice ?

Elmore. He own'd these two boys sold it to him.

Q. Was Smith and Blaze present when he brought the sugar there?

Elmore. No: they were in goal.

Q. Does any body in court know the value of the sugar?

A witness. This sugar is worth seven-pence a pound, that is the least to be sold in the wholesale way.

Smith'sdefence.

It is a great falsity to say that I was with them.

Blaze's defence.

I never saw him in my life before.

Feathers's defence.

I never saw these chaps in my shop in my life to my knowledge.

For Blaze.

Robert Batchelor < no role > . I have known Blaze four years, he worked for me three years, all but one month.

Q. What is your business?

Batchelor. I am a Smith: I have trusted him with pounds and pounds worth of work; I have sent home work by him, and he has brought me my money honestly; he would work from morning to night as hard as a horse: was he out of trouble I would employ him tonight.

John Twidle < no role > . I have known Blaze ten years and better; he serv'd part of his time to the master I did.

Q. What is his character?

Twidle. He is a very honest lad, and very industrious as far as ever I saw; he has receiv'd many pounds of me and paid it away, and I don't know that he ever wrong'd me of a half-penny in my life.

For Feather's.

Nevil Feathers < no role > . I have known the prisoner Feathers twenty years; he is a very honest industrious man as any in England; he has been in town about ten years; I would trust him with an hundred pounds at any time: I am sure he would not be guilty of what is laid to his charge, did he know it to have been stolen.

Q. What do you think of a man giving four-pence a pound for sugar that is worth 7 d to sell again?

Feathers. If he was overseen, I can't think how it came about.

Thomas Andrews < no role > . I have known Feathers about four years.

Q. What is his general character?

Andrews. He is a very honest man for whatever I have heard; I have laid out pounds with him, and should have no scruple in trusting him.

Walter Hunt < no role > . I have known Feathers four years, he is a very honest man; I never knew any thing to the contrary, and he is a very industrious man; I would trust him with every thing I have in the world.

Q. Do you live near him?

Hunt. I am his next door neighbour.

Q. Was you one of his bail?

Hunt. No; but if I had been at home, I would have been one.

John Williams < no role > . I have known Feathers between three and four years

Q. What is his general character?

Williams. He always behaved like an honest man, every body respected him in the neighbourhood; I think he deserved that character; I would have trusted him with an hundred pounds at any time.

John Box < no role > . I have known him about three years and a half.

Q. What is his general character?

Box. He is a very honest man; he has bought 10, 12, or 15 quarters of malt at a time, of me; he carrys on brewing; I should have made no scruple in trusting him for 100 quarters of malt. I have traded with him also for coals; I was a good deal astonished when I heard of this.

John Potts < no role > . I have known him about four years, ever since he came into that neighbourhood.

Q. What is his general character?

Potts. There is not a more industrious man in London, nor a soberer man; when I heard this thing, if it had not been from a sedate person, I should not have believe it; I should not have suspected him in the least. I have had some hundred weight of cheese of him, he dealt largely; he has had half a ton at a time, of cheese.

Q. Do you deal in sugar?

Potts. I do.

Q. What is this sugar worth?

Potts. I could not buy such as this for sevenpence a pound.

Q. Suppose a person was to come and sell you that lump for four pence a pound; how should you think of it?

Potts. I should think that person did not come honestly by it; this man is a man of character, substance, and honesty, for whatever I heard.

Q. Do you keep your sugar in your shop, or up stairs?

Potts. If I have it not in the shop I have it up stairs; but he has cheese and goods up stairs, a deal.

Q. Was you ever in his chamber above?

Potts. No, never.

Alexander Latham < no role > . I know Feathers to be a very honest man.

Q. How long have you known him?

Latham. I have known him three years; he is a neighbour.

Jos. Capper. I have known Feathers above ten years.

Q. What is his character?

Capper. A very honest man; I have had particular instances to think him so. I have serv'd him with goods, and have omitted putting goods two several times in the bill of parcels; he had honesty enough to bring me the bills of parcels, and the money for what I had omitted. Upon that account, I should have trusted him with a thousand pounds; was he discharged, if he gave me an order for fifty pound's worth of goods, I'd send them in.

Mr. Allen. I believe I have known him seven years.

Q. What is his general character?

Allen. An honest industrious man, as any on earth, I believe.

Mr. Matthews. I have known him about two years last year I had some dealings with him.

Q. Where do you live?

Matthews. I live in the country; he always paid his bills regularly; I always had the opinion of him to be an honest man.

Hen. Tape. I live in Fee-lane; I have known him three years.

Q. What is his character?

Tape. That of an honest industrious man, as ever I knew in my life; I think he deserves that character as well as any man in England: I have gone past his house two or three times a-day, I always saw him to work and slave.

John Bennett < no role > . I have known him ever since he came to the house he lives in, that is about four years ago.

Q. What is his general character?

Bennett. He is a very honest industrious man: I live just by him, and known his industry; he is very well respected in the neighbourhood.

Francis Feathers < no role > . I have known him ever since he was born.

Q. What is his character?

Feathers. An undeniable character; there can't be a harder working man than he is.

Q. If you have known him so long, do you think he is capable to be drawn in to buy stolen goods by a parcel of boys?

Feathers. I cannot answer for that; he might have had any credit that he would require; we can bring an hundred credible tradesmen to his character all out of London; he is a man of substance, and lives in as much credit as any man in London; he is a brewer as well as keeps a chandler's shop.

Martin Brown < no role > . Feathers, and I, were born and bred in one parish.

Q. What is his general character?

Brown. He is a very honest industrious man; I should have no scruple in trusting him with all I am worth.

Q. Have you known him in London?

Brown. I have; we both came up in one year.

Robert Robinson < no role > the prosecutor was call'd again on his recognizance, but did not appear.

Q. to Elmore. When was you sent by Justice Fielding to Feather's house?

Elmore. Last Tuesday was seven-night; Coltis went with me by the Justice's order.

Q. Did you hear Feathers say what he gave for the sugar?

Elmore. He said he gave at the rate of a groat a pound for it, and said he had us'd some of it, and taken it from off the top; he was committed that night to New-prison; the next day he was brought up again with the two boys at the bar, and the evidence.

Q. Did you go with Feathers to goal the first time?

Elmore. I did; I took him there in a coach along with Coltis, the other two prisoners were there before.

Q. When you carried Feathers there did he and the other prisoners seem to know one another?

Elmore. The two boys were lock'd up that night; before the justice Blaze said he was concerned in taking the sugar and tea, but denied taking the bacon. Smith said nothing.

Q. Where did you take up Blaze?

Elmore. I took him in the same room where I had before taken Smith and Coltis.

All three acquitted .

(M.) John Smith < no role > was a 2 d time indicted for stealing eight pounds weight of bacon, value 2 s. 8 d. the property of Henry Winsley proceedingsvictim ; and Henry Feathers < no role > for reciving the same, well knowing it to have been stolen , Jan. 7 . ||

Henry Winsley < no role > . I live in Hoxton-square and keep a chandler's shop .

Q. Do you deal in bacon?

Winsley. I do. A piece of bacon produced in court.

Q. Look at this piece of bacon.

Winsley. I lost such a like piece of bacon as this.

Q. When?

Winsley. I believe it was on Sunday was seven-night at night; and the boys tell me they took it out of my shop that night.

Q. When did you miss it?

Winsley. I did not miss it till the Monday morning.

Cross Examination.

Q. What do you call that piece?

Winsley. This is a hock of bacon.

Thomas Coltis < no role > . Smith and I were together last Sunday was seven-night, at night at Hoxton; Smith held the prosecutor's door open, and I went in and took this bacon out.

Q. Was any body in the shop?

Coltis. No.

Q. In what part of the shop did it lie?

Coltis. It lay upon a shelf on the right-hand side.

Q. What did you do with it afterwards?

Coltis. We carried it to Feathers's house that same night.

Q. What! on a Sunday-night?

Coltis. Yes.

Q. Was this before, or after, taking the sugar?

Coltis. This was after that.

Q. How long after?

Coltis. I can't tell.

Q. Did you find Feathers at home?

Coltis. We did; we ask'd him if he would buy the bacon.

Q. Was his shop open?

Coltis. No: we knock'd at the door, and he open'd it and let us in; he said he had bacon enough, but he ask'd the price of it; we ask'd him a groat a pound, it being a hock.

Q. Look at this bacon. He takes it in his hand.

Coltis. This is the the same bacon.

Q. What did he give you a pound for it?

Coltis. He gave us two-pence a pound for it; and there was a little sat bit that he gave us five-pence a pound for.

Q. How much was there of that?

Coltis. There was about two pounds and a half of it.

Q. Did he ask you any questions how you came by it?

Coltis. No, none at all.

Q. What time of the night was it that you was at his house?

Coltis. I can't say indeed.

Q. What time did you go out upon your business that day?

Coltis. We had been out about three or four hours before we took the bacon, and we went out about five o'clock.

Q. Did Feathers pay you for the bacon that night?

Coltis. He did.

Q. What did he give you?

Coltis. He gave us half a crown in all.

Q. What did you do with the money?

Coltis. I and Smith divided it.

Q. What did you do after you had sold the bacon?

Coltis. We went home to our lodging.

Q. When were you taken up?

Coltis. We were taken up last Tuesday was a week in the morning, that was the next day but one after we sold the bacon; we were taken out of our beds by James Elmore < no role > , and carried that morning before Justice Fielding; the Justice ask'd us where we were taken up? I told him at such a house; he committed me as an evidence, and he sent Elmore and me to the shops where we had stole these things from; Elmore ask'd the people if they had lost any thing? and they said they had.

Q. Did the prosecutor say he had lost any thing?

Coltis. He said he had lost such a piece of bacon as this.

Q. Did you go to Feathers's?

Coltis. We did; and the prosecutor Winsley along with us, he bought the bacon of Feathers.

Q. to prosecutor. Did you see the bacon at the prisoner Feathers's house?

Prosecutor. I went to Feathers's house at about seven or eight at night; I took a basket and a few greens in it. I ask'd him if he had a bit of bacon to fell, and said I had got a few nice greens; I looked about and saw a hock of bacon, I took it down, and said, What will you have for this? I view'd it very well; he sold it me at four-pence a pound. I took that to Justice Fielding's.

Q. Are you sure that is the hock that you bought of Feathers?

Prosecutor. This is the very same: (if it is not mine it is like it.)

Q. toColtis. Look at this bacon, do you know it?

Coltis. I am sure this is the same bacon that I took out of the prosecutor's shop; and Feathers own'd before the Justice, that he bought this bacon of Smith and me.

Cross Examination.

Q. How came you to know it to be the same bacon, and the man that you say owns it does not know it?

Coltis. Mr Feathers own'd it to be the same?

Q. Is there any marks by which you know it?

Coltis. Because here is a slit underneath it; turning it up and showing it.

Q. to Elmore. Did you hear Feathers own this to be the bacon that the two boys sold him?

Elmore. I did; and own'd before the Justice he gave two-pence a pound for it.

Q. Did he say when he bought it?

Elmore. He did; he said he bought it on Sunday was seven-night at night; I took the two boys in bed, along with two women.

Smith's defence.

It is a great falsity, I never saw Coltis before in my life, only once at the White-Lion by Cow-cross; and that night he went home to bed with me, and Elmore came and took us up.

Q. to Coltis. How old are you?

Coltis. I am between 17 and 18 years of age.

Feathers said nothing in his defence.

Both guilty .

(M.) John Smith < no role > was indicted a 3 d time, and Joseph Blaze < no role > a 2 d time, for stealing 14 ounces of green tea, value 7 s. and five ounces of bohea tea, and two tin cannisters , the property of Charles Russel proceedingsvictim . ||

Charles Russel < no role > . I live in Hoxton-square , and keep chandler's shop .

Q. Do you deal in tea?

Russel. I do.

Q. Did you lose any?

Russel. I did; last Monday was seven-night at night, between 6 and 7 in the evening.

Q. How much?

Russel. About 14 ounces of green and 5 of bohea, in two cannisters.

Q. Was you at home at the time?

Russel. I was not; my wife sent for me, she miss'd it in about five minute's time; I know nothing who took them, no more than what Coltis tells me.

Thomas Coltis < no role > . Betwixt 6 and 7 o'clock on Monday night, I and the two prisoners went that way; the prosecutor's door was latch'd; I went in and handed one of the cannisters to Blaze; then I went in and got the other, then we went away together.

Q. What did you do with it?

Coltis. We put it all out into a handkerchief together before we got home.

Q. What did you do that for?

Coltis. Because no body should find the cannisters upon us.

Q. What did you do with them?

Coltis. We throw'd them away, and went directly to our lodgings, and left it on the table in the handkerchief all night, and went to bed; we were taken up on the next morning.

Q. Did Blaze lie with Smith and you?

Coltis. No, he went home to his lodgings about nine or ten o'clock.

Q. Where did he lodge?

Colt is. In Barbican.

Q. Did he take any tea home with him?

Coltis. No; we designed to have sold it the next day, and then divide the money; Blaze was taken up the same day.

James Elmore < no role > . This I found on a table at the boys bed's soot, when I took them up. Producing a handkerchief with tea in it. Coltis said he took some from an old woman in Old-street, and some from the prosecutor's in Hoxton-square.

Q. How much is there of it?

Elmore. Here is two pounds and an ounce handkerchief and all; when the evidence had given an account that Blaze was with them, the Justice sent me after him. I went to his lodging in Barbican, but not meeting with him, I went to the house where I took up the boys, and while I was in the room, Blaze came in at the back door, so I took him there. I told him he had been stealing sugar, tea, and bacon, and must go along with me. He said he was not concerned in the bacon; he was only concerned in tea and sugar; I ask'd him whose handkerchief it was that the tea was in? he said it was his own, and he wanted it again.

Smith's defence.

I know nothing of it.

Blaze's defence.

I know nothing of it.

For Blaze.

Mr Cattle. I have known Blaze 8 or 9 years, he is a very sober lad, he work'd along with me, I never heard the least blemish of him in my life.

Q. What are you?

Cattle. I am a scale maker.

Thomas Price < no role > . I have known him about 12 months.

Q. What is his general character?

Price. Always a good sober honest man, as far as ever I heard of him.

Both guilty .

[Transportation. See summary.]