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Kent Herald, 31 March 1825.
Criminal Court, 30th of March, 1825, before Mr. Baron Graham.
William Monk, labourer, 21, charged with a burglary in the house of James
Fullager, at Milton, and stealing a teapot, and other things, value £5.
Mr. Bolland addressed the Jury in this case, and called the following witnesses.
Richard Goord examined:- I am a grazier, and on the 20th Jan, lodged with Mr.
Fullager, at Milton, near Sittingbourne. I had a great coat and pair of boots,
which I saw about two days before the house was broken open. I missed them the
morning after the robbery. The robbers entered the house by taking a casement
out of the wash house.
James Fullager examined: I am a farmer at Milton. On the morning of the 21st
Jan. I found my house had been broken open. I missed a queen's metal teapot
value 5s. a plated stand, two plated tops of pepper castors, two silver salt
spoons, and five desert spoons. I knew prisoner; he lived in my service in the
summer of last year.
Henry Kipping examined:- I am an officer of Maidstone. On the 10th Feb. I went
to the county gaol, and saw prisoner there. I asked to look at his boots, and
told him I suspected he had been concerned in breaking open Mr. Fullager's
house. He said he had not been nearer the house then Key Street and
Sittingbourne; on the 19th. Warner was then had in, and from what he stated I
went next day to Mr. Fullager's house. I took Monk's boots with me and compared
the right boot with the foot mark in the new made ground in front of the house.
They corresponded exactly. I went to a lot of rubbish on the King's Ferry Road,
and found a broken dish, as described by Warner. (Witness produced the dish.) I
afterwards went to Messrs. Beaching and Edmead, pawnbrokers, in Maidstone, by
direction of Warner, I there found a blue great coat. (Witness produced the
coat.)
Mr. Goord deposed to the coat being his property.
Keeping's examination resumed:- On the 26th February, I saw Monk at the gaol. He
said Warner had not told the whole of the truth, for there was a woman with
them. I then went to the "Golden Lion," Maidstone, where Warner said they slept
on the 21st of January. I searched the privy and in it found a tea-pot and
stand. (Witness produced them they were beaten up.)
Mr. Fullager had no doubt of their being his property.
Jane Dirtnall examined:- I live with Mr. Fullager as servant. The night before
the burglary, I saw the house safe about half past 10 o'clock. Next morning,
about six, I found the house broken open. I noticed the teapot and stand now
produce, a dish, a soup like, and two silver tea spoons.
Sarah Epps, another servant, examined:- I got up at 5 o'clock, and missed a
pudding and dish; the front door of the house was shut but not fastened.
James Warner (an accomplice) examined:- I lived at Eltham before I knew
Griffiths. On the 19th of January I saw him at Maidstone. He asked me to go to
the gaol and see Monk. Monk just came out of the gaol-gate as I got up. He and I
went into the "Compasses" and had a pint of bear. He then went to the "Golden
Lion," where Griffiths was. I then went to the "Queen Anne," and Griffith and
Monk came there to me. We then went towards Key Street. Monk said he knew a
house where he could get some things, where he had lived servant once. Mr. Goord's house. We concluded we would go there that night about 12 o'clock. We
went to the "Cross Keys" at Key Street; Monk said it would not do that night as
there were people about; we then went to the "Plough" at Sittingbourne and slept
there; next morning we went to the "Castle," at Greenstreet; after staying there
two or three hours, and then went out, at last we got a Milton about eight
o'clock in the evening. We had agreed to go to Mr. Fullager's that night's. When
we got to Milton, we went into a farm yard and laid down. We got down to
Fullager's about 12 o'clock. It rained, and we all three went into the privy.
Then Monk and Griffiths got over a hedge at the back of the house. I stood in
front to keep watch. In about 90 minutes they came round, and Monk tried to get
into the cellar window, but could not. We then all went round, and Monk got into
the window of the wash house; they pulled some part of the window down, Monk
went through the house, and opened the front door. He came out and brought some
silver spoons, a tea pot, some salt spoons, a pepper caster, a pair of boots,
and a great coat, and a meat pudding in a dish like that produced. Monk pulled
the door too after him. We went into the main road, Griffith broke the dish and
threw it over some chalk rubbish into the hedge. Monk and the great coat, and
Griffiths the boots. We got into the "Squirrels" at Stockbury, we laid
down in a hedge. I got into Maidstone about seven o'clock. We all met at the
"Golden Lion," and in the evening Monk took the coat out and pawned it. Monk and
I slept at the "Golden Lion." The other things Griffith took to London to sell
in Petticoat Lane.
W. Moore, Osler at the "Key," Key Street, deposed to prisoner and Warner being
at the house the night of the day, on which Monk came out of gaol. Another man
was with them.
James Hunt, landlord of the "Plough," deposed to Monk and Warner sleeping at his
house with another man, the night before the burglary.
His lordship, in addressing the Jury, said the case was so very clear, and the
testimony of the accomplice was so strongly corroborated, that it would be a
waste of time to recapitulate the whole of the evidence. The Jury without
hesitation found prisoner guilty.
Death recorded.
It appears that Prisoner committed the burglary immediately after being
discharged for the confinement of 12 months for passing bad money.
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From the Kentish Gazette, 7 January 1834. Price 7d.
An inquest was held on Thursday se"nnight, on the body of Thomas
Medhurst, who died suddenly, while sitting in the tap-room of the
“Golden Lion” public-house, in Mill-lane, Maidstone, on the Tuesday
night preceding? It Appeared that he had called for a pint of warm beer,
which was brought him, but before he had time to touch it, he fell with
his head on the table and died instantly. Mr. Plane, the surgeon,
attended promptly, but he was found to be beyond all human aid. He was a
stranger in Maidstone, but his name was discovered by a letter from the
Rev. C. Oxenden, near Bridge, in this count addressed to the Rev. R.
Mayne, of Linsfield, Sussex, in which it was stated that the poor fellow
had been harvesting in Kent, was labouring under a complication of
diseases, had been relieved by Mr. Oxenden, and would probably never
reach Linsfield, his native place, alive. After J. Mares, Esq. the mayor
and coroner of Maidstone, had examined witnesses as to the cause and
manner of the deceased's death, the jury returned a verdict of “Died by
the visitation of God from a complication of diseases.” |
