From the Kent and Sussex Courier, Friday 10 April 1874.

Chiddingstone. Alleged Theft of Hens Eggs.

George Marchant and William Coomber were charged with stealing 9 hens' eggs, value 10s., the property of Sarah Wallace, at Chiddingstone, on the 2nd inst.

Sarah Wallace, said that she was a widow and a farmer, at Chiddingstone, and she had had some valuable prize hens' eggs. They were in a big pound, and were just ready for sitting. She last saw them about 5 o'clock on the 1st inst., and on the following morning she saw the nest destroyed and the eggs gone. The value of the eggs was 10s. They were all of the Dorking breed and valuable.

Mary Goodwin, niece of the last witness, said that there was a nest of 9 hens' eggs in a big pound. On Thursday morning last, she went to the pig pound about 6 o'clock, when she found the eggs were gone and the nest destroyed. Her aunt sent her to look after two men who she had the description of, and she saw the two prisoners and followed them to the "Railway Hotel," Penshurst.

John Burfoot, said that about a quarter to six, on Thursday morning, he saw, from the washhouse window, and man standing against the haystack, and when he went out he saw two men going across the yard over the fence into the road. The prisoners were the men that he saw go across the yard.

P.C. Irwin said that on the 2nd inst., he went, in company with Superintendent Dance, to several places to look after the prisoners. They were pointed out to him, at the "Elephant and Castle" beerhouse, Tonbridge, by a man named Hards. He charged them with stealing 9 hens' eggs, and both of them said that they had stolen no eggs; they had been sleeping there. On the road to the police station, the prisoner Coomber said that he wondered at seeing a man watching them through the place. He afterwards went to Mrs. Wallace's premises, and saw where someone had been sleeping, the straw being scattered about in the pig pound.

The Bench said that they were of opinion that it was a very suspicious case, but there was not sufficient evidence to convict, so they will be discharged.

They were then charged with damaging a quantity of straw, value 6d., the property of Mrs. Wallace, on the same date.

Prosecutors said that she had a quantity of straw in bundles, and on the 2nd inst. she found a lot of them untied and thrown about.

The Bench considered the case proved, and fined them 5s. each, together with 3d. damage, and 4s. 3d. costs, or 14 days imprisonment.