PETERSFIELD.
PETTY SESSIONS.—Present: Hon. J. J. Carnegie, chairman, G. Forbes, Esq., and J. Waddington, Esq.
STEALING TWO LOAVES OF BREAD.—John Williams, a tramp, who said he was from New York, was brought up in custody, charged with stealing two 4lb. loaves of bread, belonging to Richard Hoar. Complainant deposed as follows: I live at Weston. On Monday, the 27th of January, I was at Petersfield, in the evening, and bought two loaves of bread at Mr. Lucas’s, in the Dragon-street. I tied them up in a blue handkerchief, and took them to my son-in law’s house (Mr. Chatfield’s), at the corner of the New Way. I placed them on the counter, and went into an inner room to speak to my daughter. I staid about ten minutes, and on my return to the shop, the parcel was gone. I went and informed the police, and afterwards accompanied P.C. George Watkins towards the ‟Jolly Sailor,” at the Causeway, and on our way there we met prisoner with two loaves, one under each arm. Watkins took him into custody. This was about nine o’clock.—Two lads, named Harry Bridger and Ben Stubbington, deposed to seeing prisoner go into Mr. Chatfield’s shop, about half-past seven, with nothing in his hand, and come out with something tied in a blue handkerchief under his arm. He went part of the way up New Way, and then returned and went down Dragon-street.—It was proved that the prisoner went to the Red Lion and offered the bread for sale, and P.C. George Watkins deposed to meeting him with the loaves in his possession, between Petersfield and the Causeway, as stated by the complainant, Richard Hoare. Witness added, I asked him where he got the bread, and he said he “Got it where ’twas.” I asked him where that was, and he said, “From a traveller on the road.” I then charged him with stealing it, and took him into custody.— Prisoner, on being asked the usual question, whether he desired to be tried by the bench or by a jury, replied, “You can try me as well as anybody else,” and repeated the story he had told the policeman as to his having bought the loaves of a man on the road.— Convicted. 21 days’ imprisonment with hard labor.
STEALING A PLANT.—CAUTION TO GARDENERS.—John WhItchart was charged with stealing a stoveplant, named gesneria zeberina, the property of J. Bonham Carter, Esq., M.P., at Adhurst, St. Mary’s in the month of September last. William Glasse deposed as follows: I am gardener at Adhurst, St. Mary’s and have charge of the plants, which are kept in the pits and greenhouses. Prisoner worked in the garden occasionally, and had access to the plants. I can swear to the plant now produced as one which I had under my care in September last. I missed it early in November, and have not seen it since till I saw it at Mr. Fey’s office, the police station. I never gave that plant to any one, and no one had any authority from me to give it away, nor did I ever direct anyone to throw it on the rubbish heap.—Cross-examined by prisoner: You had no authority to take anything away even from the rubbish heap without my sanction. You never showed me the plant, nor asked me the name of it.—Jane Whitehart, prisoner’s sister, deposed: I am living as servant with Mr. Curtis, at Harting. I was living at home with my father previous to my present situation. I have seen this plant before. I should think it is about five months ago. My brother brought it home without a pot. He said he picked it up on the dung mix. After we had had it in the house about three weeks or a month he gave it to me. The next day I put it into a pot and took it to Chalton, and gave it to Miss Martin (witness had previously lived in the service of Mrs. Martin).—Miss Mary Martin corroborated the latter part of this witness’s statement, and added that she knew it was the last week in September from the fact that she had a young lady staying with her at the time. —Thomas Fey deposed: On Wednesday, the 29th of January, I received this plant from Miss Martin, at Chalton. I went in the evening of the same day to Sheet, and saw prisoner near his father’s house. I told him I should take him into custody on a charge of stealing a plant from Mr. Bonham Carter’s. He directly said Mr. Glasse gave it to him. Mr. Glasse was just by at the time, but as it was dark prisoner did not see him, and I called him and asked him if it was so, that he had given it to him. He said ‟No.” Prisoner then said, ‟I don't mean you. It was your brother.” I then sent for George Glasse, and asked him, in the presence of the prisoner, if he had given him the plant. He said ‟No, he never did any such thing.” I then took the prisoner into custody.—George Glasse and James Mason were severally called, and each deposed, on oath, that he had neither given the plant to prisoner nor thrown it on the rubbish heap. Prisoner elected to be tried by the bench, and pleaded not guilty. His defence was that he found the plant on the rubbish heap, and he called his brother James, who swore that he was with prisoner when he found the plant, about six months ago, and that he (witness) told him that young Mason threw it away, and he now stated, in reply to questions from the bench, that he saw James Mason throw it out of the pot, and said to him, ‟Don’t break it, if it is to be thrown away, I’ll take it home.”—Mason on being recalled, positively denied having thrown the plant away, and Mr. Glasse, in reply to a question from the chairman, said that Mason had nothing whatever to do with the plant.—The magistrates having consulted, convicted prisoner of the offence, and the chairman was about to pass sentence, when Mr. Glasse stated that he had been instructed by Mr. Bonham Carter, in case of a conviction, to ask for a lenient punishment; the magistrates, therefore, consulted again, and the chairman, after pointing out in forcible terms, the very serious nature of the offence, and remarking on the severe punishment which the law provided for larceny committed by servants on the property of their employers, said that but for the kind suggestion of Mr. Bonham Carter, the sentence would have been much more severe than that which he was about to pass, which was, that he (prisoner) be committed to the house of correction for the space of six weeks, with hard labor.
STEALING DUCKS.—John Draper was brought up in custody, and remanded till Thursday, on a charge of stealing three geese and three ducks, on the night of Thursday last, the property of Mr. Alfred Colebrooke. (See also)
SUICIDE.—The inhabitants of Dragon-street were thrown into a state of consternation on Tuesday morning last, the 4th inst., by a report that a woman named Bennett had destroyed herself by cutting her throat. The report proved to be too true. An inquest will be held on Thursday (this day). The deceased was nearly 70 years of age.