PETERSFIELD
PETTY SESSIONS, Tuesday.—Present : Sir W. W. Knighton, Bart., and J. Waddington, Esq.
— CHARGE OF EMBEZZLEMENT. — George Walder was brought up in custody, charged with embezzling 5d. and stealing 6d., belonging to his employer, Mr. John Meeres, baker and grocer, in the Square, Petersfield. Prisoner was employed to carry out and deliver bread, and it was his duty to render an account of the bread so delivered as soon as he returned from his rounds. Louisa Matthews deposed that she lived at the Anchor public-house at Ramshill. On Tuesday the 23rd, and Wednesday the 24th of Feb. she bought a loaf of bread of prisoner, snd paid him 2d. for the first and 3d. for the second. It appeared from the evidence of Mr. Meeres that on neither of these occasions did prisoner account for any money received, all the bread delivered on these rounds being on credit. Mr. Supt. Longland deposed to being present at the police station on Thursday, the 25th, when P.C. Elderfield brought prisoner there, and charged him with embezzling 5d., the property of Mr. Meeres, to which he replied, ‟There is no occasion for me staying here; I can settle that with master on Saturday night when he pays me.”—On the charge of stealing the 6d, the following evidence was given. Walter Seward, a lad employed in the shop, deposed that on Thursday the 25th Feb., about three o’clock, he placed a 6d. in the till. There was no other silver there at the time. He went into the adjoining grocery shop, and a few minutes after he heard prisoner enter the confectionery shop, and after a short pause he came round to him (witness), took the bread basket and went out on his round. I went to the till about ten minutes after and the 6d. was gone. I am quite sure no one but the prisoner had been in the shop.—Mrs. Meeres deposed to having cleared the till of silver about one o’clock; that she afterwards heard the last witness put something in the till which sounded like a sixpence, and on going to look after prisoner had left she found nothing there but a few coppers. Prisoner was taken into custody about half-past five o’clock, and in answer to a question from the policeman he said he had no money when he left the shop. Henrietta Mekeln, daughter of the landlord of the Anchor, deposed to prisoner having a pint of beer at their house on the same afternoon and paying for it with a sixpence. Prisoner pleased not guilty, and was committed for trial at the Quarter Sessions.
— ILL USING A WIFE — Alfred Colebrook, butcher, living in the Square, Petersfield, was charged by his wife, Emma Colebrooke, with assaulting her on Saturday last by striking her on the head and threatening her with further violence. Defendant having gained for himself an unenviable notoriety by the frequency of his domestic broils, whereby the town has again and again been subjected to the annoyance of the most intolerable din of ‟rough music,” the case drew an unusually large concourse of persons to the court—in fact, the room was completely crowded. Mrs. Colebrooke having been sworn to the truth of the allegations laid in the complaint, defendant was called upon to enter into his own recognizance in the sum of £20, and to find two sureties in the sum of £10 each, to keep the peace for six months. He appealed to several individuals in court to become his bondsmen, but they all declined. One person ventured to say that if defendant would place £10 in his hands as a guarantee he would be bound for him, but not on any other terms. Defendant was allowed to leave the room accompanied by a policeman, in order to procure the required sureties, and the Magistrates waited for some time after all the other business was over to afford him every opportunity of doing so; but on his return, all his efforts having proved un-availing, they had no alternative but to commit him, which was accordingly done, and in the course of the afternoon he was taken to Winchester, where he will spend the next six months in durance vile, unless in the meantime he can obtain sureties. The case created a strong accusation throughout the town, and formed the topic of general conversation. Every one expressed regret at seeing a tradesman reduced to such a humiliating position, but still the verdict was unanimous of “Sarved him right,” and we doubt not he carried with him the best wishes of fellow townsmen that his incarceration may have a salutary effect on his future conduct. (See also 12-Mar-1864, 26-Mar-1864)
— FISHING IN TROUBLED WATERS. — Benjamin Beagley and Richard Marshall were charged, on the information of Alexander Kirby, with attempting to take fish from a stream called Mill Head, in the parish of Hawkley, on Sunday, the 14th Feb. Complainant deposed to seeing both defendants, with their sleeves tucked up, feeling about under the stones and slabs where a number of trout are always lying. He stated that it was a constant practice with a number of idle boys to commit these depredations on Sundays; and added that Mr. Maberley, to whom the fish belonged, did not wish to punish the defendants severely, but only to put a stop to these proceedings. Fined 1s. and costs 4s. each.
Portsmouth Times & Naval Gazette — Saturday 5-Mar-1864
— SETTING A WIRE.—Arnold Stroud, gamekeeper to Mr. Green, of Ditcham, charged William Benham, aged 14, with trespassing in search of game and setting a wire on Tuesday, the 16th of February, in a field at Ditcham, in the occupation of Mr. W. Boys. The case was proved and defendant fined 1s. and 7s. 6d. costs.
— WILFUL DAMAGE.—Elizabeth Hedges was brought up in custody at the Magistrates’ Clerk’s Office before J. Waddington, Esq., on Thursday, charged by Barnard Oliver, with breaking a window in his house, on the morning of Wednesday. She was committed for 14 days with hard labour to the House of Correction at Winchester.The complainant had made a similar charge against the defendant at the petty sessions on Tuesday.