WEST BRITON AND CORNWALL ADVERTISER - 4 JULY 1856 MIDSUMMER SESSIONS – part 1 of 3 TRIALS OF PRISONERS - RICHARD HICKS, 20, pleaded Guilty of stealing, on or about the 10th of June, a pair of corduroy trousers, the property of THOMAS DUGGER, of Padstow. Four Months' hard labour. - ELIZABETH TREBILCOCK, 40, pleaded Guilty of stealing a ham, belonging to SILAS ELLERY, at St. Columb Minor, on the 27th of May last. Two months' hard labour. - JOHN STRONGMAN was indicted for having on the 17th of April last, at St. Columb Major, found a purse containing moneys amounting to about 35s. the property of JOSEPH OSBORNE, and feloniously appropriated the same to his own age. Mr. J. B. COLLINS appeared for the prosecution; Mr. SHILSON for the prisoner. [On Thursday the 19th of April, prosecutor was at St. Columb market, and at about 3pm. was at a stall making a purchase. Half an hour later, he missed his purse, and went with WILLIAM HARRIS, a little way out of town, where Harris called the prisoner out of a garden, and said to him, this is the person who lost the purse you picked up. Prisoner said he did not pick up any purse; it was an old rag. Harris said, don't tell me about an old rag, it was a purse. Prisoner then said it was a marble bag with a marble in it, and offered to let them search him.] WILLIAM HARRIS saw prosecutor pass by, and then saw prisoner jump out and pick up a purse. He said it was a purse of money. Witness asked him, is it a purse, and he then said, Oh no, it is a marble bag, and put it into his pocket. About an hour later, he went with prosecutor and called prisoner out of his sister's garden, saying to him it was Osborne's purse you picked up. He replied, it was no purse at all, you may search me. … GEORGE BURYTON was near the market, and heard Strongman say "here is a purse of money". That made witness turn, and prisoner was then stooping to pick it up. He did so, and witness asked him if it was money. He said no, it was a marble in a bag, and left in another direction. But witness had seen what looked like money. [Mr. Shilson, for the defence, held that there was not sufficient evidence to show that prisoner had picked up the purse Osborne had lost; there was no identifying mark on the purse; and there was no proof that when the prisoner picked up the purse, he intended to convert it to his own use.] The chairman in his summation said the jury first had to consider whether the purse found was that which the prosecutor lost; the jury, after shortly deliberating, said they were not satisfied it was the same purse. Verdict, Not Guilty. - WILLIAM COAD, 24, a miner, was charged with stealing a watch, chain, and three keys, the property of SAMUEL TRUMAN from his dwelling-house at Pillaton on the 20th of June. Mr. J.B. COLLINS, for the prosecution, called witnesses from whom it appeared that the watch was stolen from the house in the absence of the inmates, and was afterwards found hidden in a molehole in a hedge about five miles from the house. The prisoner had been seen near the dwelling-house on the day in question; and also getting over the hedge where the watch was found. The jury, however, were not satisfied with this circumstantial evidence, and acquitted the prisoner. - WILLIAM JEFFERY, 21, pleaded Guilty of embezzling the sum of GBP 8.9s.6d., the property of his master, JOHN DAVEY, of Egloshayle, on the 18th of February last - Six Months' hard labour - WILLIAM VINE, 19, a miner, was charged with stealing a cap, pair of stockings, one sovereign and a shilling, the property of JOHN CAVILL, at St. Blazey, on the 9th of June. Mr. BISHOP conducted the prosecution. The prosecutor and prisoner both lodged at the house of MARTHA PINE, in the parish of St. Blazey, and slept in the same room. The articles in question were stolen from prosecutor's box and trousers pockets. Verdict, Guilty. The jury represented the impropriety of leving money lying about carelessly, so as to prove a temptation to a young man. - JOHN PERROW, 16, a miner, pleaded Guilty of stealing a coat, pair of trousers, waistcoat, and pair of stockings, the property of WALTER WHITEHAIR at Par Consols mine, on the 8th of May; also of stealing a pair of boots, belonging to JOHN LOREY, at Great Hewas mine. Four Months' hard labour. The Court then rose. WEDNESDAY JULY 2 - WILLIAM EMMETT, 19, pleaded Guilty of stealing six sovereigns from the person of WILLIAM SPARGO, at Truro, on the 15th of May lat. Six Months' hard labour. - STEALING BRASS - THOMAS HENRY MARTIN was indicted for stealing five brass bearings, the property of the Messrs. FREEMAN. There were three counts in the indictment; the first for stealing the bearings as fixtures in land; the second for simple larceny; and the third for receiving knowing the property to have been stolen. Mr. CHILCOTT conducted the prosecution; Mr. SHILSON the defence. WILLIAM OPIE said he is foreman to Messrs. Freeman, who are granite merchants, and work Carnsew quarry in the parish of Mabe. There are cranes at the quarries for lifting the stones. The brass bearings are placed in the iron castings to support the gudgeon or axle of the wheel; they are confined to the castings by iron plates and nuts. The brasses are in two pieces, the outside ones are easily taken off, on removing the plates and nuts; the inside ones cannot be taken off without removing a wheel of 5 or 6 cwt. On the 23rd of April, witness left the quarry at six in the evening; the crane was perfect. On the next morning at eight o'clock, witness saw the nuts and plates lying on the ground; three halves and one pair of brasses were gone. He gave information to Mr. FREEMAN. Some time afterwards, JARRETT, the policeman, brought brasses to witness, when they tried them with those at the crane, and they fitted exactly. Cross-examined: The brasses are upon a cast-iron frame. The shaft and jib of the crane are wood, and the shaft is fixed in the ground, bound with iron; the shaft is 23 or 24 feet high. JOHN CHARLES LANYON said he is an ironmonger at Redruth. On the 5th of May last, about seven in the evening, prisoner offered him for sale a great many pieces of brass bearings, some perfect, others broken. Before witness made any remark, he put the brasses into the scales, so that he got fair possession of them. None of the brasses were half worn out. He then questioned prisoner, who said his name was Thomas Martin, jun., from Stithians, and that the brasses were given to him by James Martin, a carpenter living near Stithians Methodist chapel, who requested him to carry them to Mr. Lanyon's for sale. Witness replied, "Well I shall keep those brasses. I will give you a receipt in writing to take back to James Martin, and I will make inquiries." I gave him the receipt to show James Martin how he had disposed of the brasses; he was to come to me at the end of a week and bring James Martin with him, and I told him I would then pay him if I was satisfied the brasses were rightly! obtained. He and James Martin did not come at the end of a week or afterwards, and witness handed over two of the brasses to police-constable JARRETT, first marking them so as to identify them. In cross-examination, witness said prisoner's father was a small farmer, and a very respectable man. Witness attended an inquiry before the magistrates at Penryn, on the 29th of May. Prisoner was there, but was discharged on recognizances to appear again, as there was then no county magistrate present to go into the inquiry. On the 3rd of June there was an inquiry into the case. Re-examined: On the 29th of May, prisoner was charged at Penryn with stealing other brasses, not those connected with the present case. JAMES MARTIN, carpenter, said he lives near the Stithians Methodist Chapel, and knows the prisoner. He never authorized him to take brass bearing to Mr. Lanyon for sale. Cross-examined: He had known the prisoner from a child; did not know that he was weak in his intellect. ANTHONY JARRETT, policeman at Penryn, received five entire brasses, in nine pieces, from Mr. Lanyon, and on comparing them, with Mr. OPIE, at the crane, found them to correspond and fit with remaining brasses. For the defence, Mr. Shilson submitted that the indictment had not been supported by evidence, to show that the brasses stolen were fixtures to the land. The Court, however, held that as the brasses were fixed to the frame, and the frame to the land, the indictment was good on that account. Mr. Shilson then addressed the jury, submitting that there was nothing to show that the prisoner had been seen near the quarry from which he lived distant about five miles, and that he was very likely to have been made a tool of by some other person to dispose of the brasses. He then called as witnesses to prisoner's previously good character, JOHN ODGERS and MICHAEL MARTIN, farmers and constables of Stithians, and STEPHEN SPARGO, a miner. The Chairman, in summing up, said it was due to Mr. Lanyon to say that he had exercised proper precaution in the case. If other parties who bought such articles would use the same discretion and caution as Mr. Lanyon had done, they would be the means of preventing the commission of a great number of offences. The prisoner was found Guilty on the first count. Sentence, Six Months' hard labour. - JOHN DOYLE, 25, was charged with stealing 235 ¼ lbs of lead, and a quantity of brass articles, fixed to a dwelling house, the property of JAMES TREGONNING; and another count charged common larceny. Mr. BISHOP conducted the prosecution; the prisoner was undefended. The house in question belongs to Mr. James Tregonning, clerk with Messrs. Williams, at Scorrier. It is situated at Buck's Head, about a mile from Truro, in the parish of St. Clement, and in May last was unoccupied. On the 20th of May, prisoner sold WILLIAM MATTHEWS, marine store dealer at Truro, 29 lbs. of lead at 1 1/2d. per lb., and in ten minutes afterwards brought 31 lbs. of lead which Matthews also bought. On the 24th of May he brought 3 cwts., 27 lbs of lead for sale, which awakened Matthews's suspicions. He told prisoner to bring him a note from the person who supplied him with the lead, and in two hours and a half after, prisoner brought a quantity of lead in a hand-cart, and gave a note to Matthews as follows: "This is to certify from the servant at Mr. Reynolds's, Penair." Before the prisoner had arrived, Mr. Matthews had communicated with Mr. NASH, police superintendent, who had come to the house, and took the man into custody. As he was conveying him through Ferris Town, towards the police-station, prisoner suddenly ran off, but was pursued and recaptured by Mr. Nash. It also appeared that prisoner had sold a quantity of brass, such as knobs of doors, piece of a lock, bell pulls, stair rods, &c., some of the articles broken up. These he had sold to PETER CARLILE, another marine store dealer, for 6d. per lb. It was shown that prisoner had been seen by a little boy called MICHELL, near the mile-stone at Buck's head, with a handcart in which was something covered with bags; and when prisoner was searched, a turnpike ticket of the Union gate, between Buck's Head and Truro, was found upon him. He told Matthews his name was JOHN BROWN, from Southampton; to Carlile he said his name was JOHN DOYLE. Mr. Nash found that the lead fitted places on the roof of the house, whence it had been taken; and Mr. Tregoning and Mr. Nash fitted the brass sold to Carlile at various places in the house. Verdict, Guilty on both counts. Sentence, Twelve Months' hard labour. The prisoner had threatened Matthews when he saw him in Bodmin near the gaol, and the Chairman, in passing sentence, said that threat had not been forgotten by the court. - HENRY ALLEN, 25, was found guilty of breaking and entering the dwelling-house of JOHN DAVEY, at Southhill, on the 9th of June, and stealing a cloth cap belonging to James Davey. Mr. J. B. COLLINS, for the prosecution, said there was another indictment against the prisoner, on which he should offer no evidence. Six Months' hard labour. Part 2 to follow