THE CASH BOX ROBBERY AT PORTSMOUTH.
EXAMINATION OF THE ACCUSED.
At the Borough Police-court (before G. J. Scale and J. McCheane, Esqrs.) yesterday (Tuesday) Joseph Singleton, aged 50, of Duke-street, Landport, and Edward McGhie, a labourer, aged 47, were charged with stealing a cash-box and 85l. from the bar of the White Hart, public-house, in Oyster-street, Portsmouth, the property of Messrs. Antill and Company.
Mr. Cousins attended in support of the prosecution, and Mr. Wallis defended the prisoner Singleton.
The examination occasioned considerable interest, and the court was crowded throughout.
Mr. McCheane (addressing the prisoners) said that as this was likely to be a long examination the prisoners could take a seat if they liked.
Singleton—Thank you, sir, but we would rather stand.
Mr. Cousins, in opening the case, said he thought that when the magistrates had heard the facts of the case they would agree with the remark he was about to make, viz., that should the prisoners be convicted, it would be one of the most impudent robberies it is possible to imagine. It was necessary to look at the character of the parties. Singleton lived in Duke-street, and McGhie was a labourer, living in Fountain-street, and he (Mr. Cousins) should be able to prove that both men were of very small means, and were men who were not likely to indulge in acts of extravagance. He referred at some length to the law relating to accomplices, and detailed the circumstances as deposed to by the witnesses, and concluded by remarking that he thought the magistrates would have no alternative but to commit both prisoners for trial.
Henry Brown deposed—I am the manager to the executors of Mr. Antill, of the White Hart, public-house, in Oyster-street. It is my custom to take the cash-box into my bedroom with me, and bring it down the first thing in the morning. I generally place the box on a sideboard in the bar, and during the day it is placed in a drawer kept for that purpose. I brought the cash-box downstairs on Monday morning about half-past six, and I placed it on the sideboard, which could not be reached by any person standing outside the bar, but a person could come, from the outside to the inside through a door which has no fastening. It would be easy for a man to jump over the bar. When I placed the box on the side-board I opened the front door, undid the fastenings of the shutters on the inside, and took one shutter down and left the other two remaining up—the house being partially closed on account of the death of Mr. Antill, sen., the former proprietor of the business. As I wass taking in the shutter the prisoner Joseph Singleton followed me in, and asked to be served with a pint of beer. I served him with it, but he did not pay for it, and said he would call again presently. I then left him in the bar for at few seconds whilst I went to adjust the shutters on the outside, and I then returned into the bar, where he followed me, and asked to be let out by the back door into White Hart-row. It was two or three minutes before I returned to the bar, as I had to go down the passage, open the door, and adjust one of the shutters at the back. I did not notice anything singular about Singleton as he went out, but after I missed the cash-box I remembered that he held his left arm in a ‟peculiar kind of manner.” He had a loose tweed jacket on, and a white smock frock in his left hand. The back door is in a straight line from the front, and the passage from one door to the other is about 60ft. in length. Singleton walked behind me as I went down the passage, and directly I returned and missed my cash-box I immediately went to the back door to look after Singleton, whom I could not see, and the cash-box produced is the same. The contents of the cash-box on that morning were one 10l. note, seven 5l. notes, 32l. in gold, and 8l. in silver, done up in separate parcels, and there might have been a few loose shillings, in addition to some paper documents. I examined the box and found the contents safe before I came downstairs. I have been eight years in Mr. Antill’s employ. Two of the 5l. notes produced [found on McGhie] I identify as being in the cash-box that morning. Singleton has been a customer at Mr. Antill’s.
In Cross-examination witness said this was not the only occasion when Singleton said he would pay for what he had when he came again. In the position in which Singleton was standing when witness returned into the bar he could not reach the box, nor could he reach at all from that side of the bar. When witness missed the box he looked out of the front as well as the back door, but he looked out of the back door first, which was the furthest from him.
Mr. Wallis asked the witness if the prisoner’s left shoulder was a little higher than the right, and if it was not some such appearance as that which attracted his attention?
Witness said he saw one shoulder raised a little and one arm projecting out, but he could not tell if the left shoulder was higher than the other.
Mr. Cousins—How can he tell? No doubt the prisoner raised it as soon as he heard you ask the question, and if you had asked about the right shoulder he would have put that down.—(Laughter.)
In answer to other questions, the witness said the cash-box was placed about 18 feet from the bar door. When witness went to let Singleton out of the back door the bar door was open.
Mr. William Allen, boot and shoe maker, of Kingston-road, Buckland, said he recollected that on Monday last, about ten minutes or a quarter past eight o’clock in the morning, the two prisoners entered his shop. McGhie asked to look at a pair of water-tight boots, a pair of which he bought and paid for. Witness had no means of knowing whether the prisoners had money, but Singleton asked the price of a pair of side-spring boots, and when told the price he said, ‟That’s rather too stiff.” The other prisoner then said,‟I will lend you a shilling,” to which Singleton replied, ‟I don’t want it; I have plenty,” and at the same time jingled something in his pocket which sounded like money.
William Brown, a brickmaker, living at 2, Kingston-road, said he knew the two prisoners. On Monday he saw the two prisoners together in Mr. Allan’s beershop in Buckland about half-past eight o’clock. Singleton called him in and asked him to have half-a-pint of beer, and he went in and had one. Witness then saw a quantity of gold in Singleton’s hand, but he could not say how much. He saw McGhie pay for one pot of beer with a sixpenny piece. He heard Singleton hire a cart of a man named Bennett, and witness left Allan’s in company with the prisoners, and when they had got a little way on the road they both asked him to go and have a glass of brandy, and they went together into Mr. Hayward’s, the ‟White Swan,” at Kingston-cross. where McGhie paid for half-a-pint of brandy. They afterwards went together to the ‟Blue Anchor,” where they had a pint of brandy—(laughter,)—for which McGhie paid. Singleton called two men in to have some of the brandy, and went and got a loaf and some cheese and gave to them. The men were strangers. When the brandy was drunk all five of them went to a beerhouse close by, where they had two quarts of beer, for which Singleton paid. After that witness went home to breakfast—(a laugh,)—and witness went away in a cart. This was about ten o’clock,
Edward Albert Cleif, of 7, Buckland-street, said on Monday last he drove a cart belonging to Mr. Bennett, which had been hired by Singleton, whom he took up at a beer-house, near Kingston-cross. He drove him to Gravel-hill, near Petersfield, and about 14 or 15 miles from Portsmouth. On the road he stopped at about four or five public-houses, and one of the houses was the ‟Leopard,” at Purbrook. He (Singleton) called for some beer, and witness knew he also called for one pint of brandy, with which he ‟treated” the men in the tap-room. He stopped at the ‟Coach and Horses” at Hilsea, and he ‟treated” a man that worked there. At the ‟George,” on the hill, he ‟treated” any one who would drink and he also did so at Horndean, where the prisoner called for half-a-pint of brandy and half-a-gallon of beer.—(Laughter.)—When he got at Gravel-hill he had another half-a-pint of brandy.—(Renewed laughter.)—He gave witness half-a-sovereign in addition so what he paid for the hire of the horse and cart.
Isaac Byng said he was ‟not a horse dealer, but any thing”—(laughter)—living in Green-row, and keeper of the ‟New Inn” tap, and that he was at the ‟Red Lion” at Horndean having his dinner on Monday week. Singleton and the last witness came into the house while he was there. Singleton called for some ale and brandy. Witness drove Singleton to Petersfield from Gravel-hill.
Mr. Cousins—What happened at Petersfield?
Witness—Why, my ‟hoss” began kicking—(laughter)— and he did kick, too.—(Renewed laughter.)
Mr. Cousins—Never mind about the horse. What did Singleton do?
Witness—Well, my old ‟hoss” began to kick, and a man came up and offered us an old pony, and Singleton bought it for 35s. They then went to a house this side of Sheet-gate, where the prisoner bought some more brandy, and from there they went to Liphook, where they had some more refreshment, and thence to Hammer-pond, where witness lost sight of Singleton.
Mr. Wallis—That wasn’t a very high-priced horse, was it?
Witness—Well, no; but it was for the sort. I should want three of them sort for a guinea—(Laughter.)
Elias Woodruff, a gunner in the Royal Marine Artillery, living at 17, Carlisle-street, close to Mr. Hoskins’s dust-heap, deposed that in his leisure time he worked at screening the ashes, and about eleven o’clock he found the cash-box produced buried in the heap.
Mr. Antill, jun., identified one of the notes produced as his property.
Police-constable Porter, from information received, apprehended the prisoner McGhie about 20 minutes past eight o’clock the same night in Gamble-lane, Kingston. He was very drunk, and was lying down asleep. Witness roused him and searched him, and in his left hand waist-coat pocket he found four 5l. Bank of England notes, two of which had been identified. He was then charged with the offence of stealing the box and its contents, to which he replied, ‟You think you have got a — mark." At the police-station the next morning the prisoner said ‟It’s a serious affair; I wish I had the coin now,”
Detective-sergeant Poole said that on Tuesday, the 18th of September, he and Police-constable Compton apprehended Singleton in Putney-vale. He was riding in a cart with an old man, who stated that he picked him up a little way down the road. They took him to a public-house and searched him, and they found two 5l. notes, 14l. 10s. in gold, 6l. 15s. 4d. in silver, and 3s. 1¾d. in pence and half-pence. As they took the prisoner into custody, he said ‟What is it for?” Witness replied ‟You, are charged with stealing Mr. Antill’s box, containing 85l.” He said, ‟All right, go on; do as you like. It’s all my money I got, and I can account for it,” Witness had known Singleton for a long time, and he and Compton had been there several times, and his wife had said in his presence that he was in the habit of turning a mangle. Witness knew of other things ———
Mr. Wallis—No doubt you do. But we don’t want to know that.—(Laughter.)
This concluded the case for the prosecution, when Mr. Wallis addressed the bench for the prisoner Singleton. He remarked that there was not one scrap of evidence which one would expect to find in a case of this kind, and that the whole facts were perfectly in accordance with the innocence of the person he represented. He confessed his regret that the previous character of the prisoner should have been made the subject of comment by the press, and contended that there was nothing in the evidence which would connect the prisoner with the loss of the box.
The magistrates, however, committed both prisoners for trial.
See also 24-Oct-1866