HAMPSHIRE COUNTY QUARTER SESSIONS
THE TRIALS OF PRISONERS
commenced on Tuesday, when Mr. Melville Portal; presided in the first court, supported by the Hon. J. J. Carnegie, Messrs. T. T. Fowle, G. A. E. Scott, and R. Stephens, magistrates,
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STEALING A MACINTOSH
William Andrews, 25, surveyor, was charged with having stolen a macintosh, the property of George Shotter, at Midhurst, on the 11th of March.—Mr. Warry prosecuted.
Prosecutor was a cattle dealer living at Midhurst, and in attending Petersfield market went into the Volunteer Arms, and took off his macintosh, which he gave to the landlord and asked him to hang it up. When, however, it was again required it was missing. The landlord, Mr. Bailey, made several enquiries of the persons there if they had seen the macintosh, but received no satisfactory reply. It was proved that prisoner, who was assisting the Royal Engineers in making the ordnance survey of that part of the country, was present during these enquiries. An ostler at the inn said that he saw prisoner in the smoking-room while these enquiries were being made, and noticed that, under a soldier's coat which he had thrown over his shoulders, he had a macintosh, apparently hanging on his arm, and so he left in the company of the two sappers. A policeman afterwards went to prisoner and taxed him with having the macintosh, when he said he knew nothing about it, but upon searching his lodgings he found the macintosh.—The prisoner's defence now was that he did it in a lark, and not with the intention of stealing the macintosh. He called Ronald Woodward, one of the Royal Engineers who said that he was with him at the Volunteer Arms, and noticed nothing about him when they left, but when he got home he saw that he had a macintosh, which he told witness belonged to Mr. Bailey, and he was going to return it. Mr. Bailey afterwards said that if he had known Andrews had the coat he would have gone to him, and asked him for it, as he would rather have given £2O than it should have happened. John Stoyle, another of the Engineers, gave similar evidence. —After some deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty, and prisoner was discharged with a caution. (see also 31-Mar-1868 & 14-Apr-1968)