Kentish Gazette 23 October 1858

East Kent Quarter Sessions, Tuesday last: Before J.B. Wildman Esq.

Peter McGowan, 39, traveller, was charged on four counts, with felony and embezzlement from William Howland, of Boughton, from Eliza Wells, at Newington, and from Charles Wells, at the same place. The prisoner pleaded Not Guilty to all the indictments. Mr. Addison appeared for the prosecution.

William Howland – I am a baker, of Boughton. I first saw the prisoner in July, at the White Horse, Boughton. He said he wanted some good timber, and my father recommended him some in Lord Winchelsea's park. On the 3rd August I saw him again. He came to my house, and I afterwards met him at the White Horse. He asked me whether I had got any cash. I said “I may have a little – perhaps a couple of sovereigns.” He said “I have got £12,000 in Rochester Bank. If you could oblige me with a couple of sovereigns, I will return them this evening.” I lent him the money. I did not see him again till I saw him in custody at Folkestone.

George Walter – I am a clerk in the bank of Messrs. Day and Nicholson, at Rochester. There is a branch of the London and County Bank, but our bank is usually called the Rochester Bank. The prisoner never kept an account with us.

Albert Rattray, a clerk in the Chatham branch of the London and County Bank, said that the prisoner never had any account with that Bank.

The prisoner, in his defence, said he expected the money would be at the Bank. He was convicted.

The second count was for stealing a pair of trousers, the property of the same man.
Mr. Howland was again called, and said that on the 2nd of August the prisoner came to him and told him that he had an accident with his trousers, by slipping into a cistern – that he was going to the Rochester Bank to draw £12,000 – that he could not get them washed – could prosecutor oblige him with a pair of trousers for one night? Thereupon he went up and lent him a pair, a good pair, worth 27s.; he went away and prosecutor never saw him again till he met the prisoner at Folkestone.

The prisoner said that the pair he left was as good as the pair he took away, but the prosecutor, with much warmth, denied that the prisoner left any in place of those he took away. Prisoner was convicted.

On the third count the prisoner was charged with obtaining £1 by false pretences from Eliza Wells.

Prisoner made a similar statement in this case as in the other case – that he was going to Ashford Bank to receive some money. Prosecutor lent him a sovereign. The same evening she saw him again. He said he must go next day to Dover, where he should be sure to get it.

Evidence was given to prove that prisoner had no account either at Ashford or Dover Banks, and the jury convicted him.

He was sentenced to two months' hard labour.

Second Court: Before E.H.K. Hugesen esq., M.P.
Daniel Livingstone, a private in the 100th Regiment was charged with stealing a gold chain, pocket and other articles, belonging to a comrade, and Mary Ann Hall was charged with receiving the same, knowing them to have been stolen.

Thomas Salter, a Corporal in the 100th Regiment, deposed to having lost his property while he was ill in the hospital. He left it in charge of Corporal Browning. The value of it was £9.

Alfred Browning said that the last witness had left the property in his possession. He put the things in his knapsack. When he was taken into hospital he left his knapsack on the shelf, and on coming out again he missed his knapsack, but afterwards found it in its place. The property of the last witness, however, was gone.

By the prisoner: Our knapsacks are not now taken in with us when we go to the hospital but they were at the time I went in.

Mary Hills, of the Bellevue Tavern, Folkestone, purchased the property for £2, not knowing that it was stolen.

Louisa Bowling was with the prisoner Livingstone in the Alma beer shop at Sandgate, when he called the woman Hall out and said “Take these things, and if they are cried give them up.”

Thomas Newman took prisoner into custody, who said he found the articles and gave them to the woman Hall, believing her to be the servant in the public house, where he found the goods, that she might return them to the owner if inquired for.

The prisoners had nothing to say in their defence; and the Chairman having summed up the jury acquitted both the prisoners.

South Eastern Gazette 26 October 1858

East Kent Quarter Sessions, Tuesday, before J.B. Wildman Esq.

Peter McGowan was indicted for having obtained £2 by false pretences from Wm. Howland, at Boughton, on the 3rd August. Mr. Addison prosecuted.

William Howland, baker, of Boughton, deposed to having seen the prisoner at the White Horse, in that place, on the 1st August, on which occasion some conversation took place about certain timber which the prisoner represented he was desirous of purchasing. He was advised he could obtain it at Lord Winchelsea's, and left for the purpose of going there. On the 3rd August the prisoner called upon witness and borrowed £2, representing that he had £12,000 in the Rochester Bank, which he was going to draw out, and that he required that money to pay his road expenses.

George Walter, clerk in the Rochester Bank, proved that the prisoner had never kept an account in that bank.

Edward Drammond Rathway, cashier at the Chatham branch of the London and County Bank said that the prisoner had never kept any account at their bank.

Prisoner: I expected the money on the day I borrowed some, but it did not come. Guilty.

The prisoner was then further charged with having stolen a pair of trousers, value 2s., the property of William Howland, on the 3rd August.

On the day in question the prisoner called on the prosecutor and said he had met with an accident to his trousers, and asked to be lent a pair until that evening, as he wanted to go to the Rochester Bank. The prisoner accordingly lent him a pair of trousers, but never saw the prisoner again until he was in custody at Folkestone.

Guilty.

Two other charges of obtaining a sovereign from Eliza Wells and a similar sum of money from Charles Wells, her husband, at Newington, by false pretences, on the 10th and 11th of August, were also proved against the prisoner, who represented that he had money in the Ashford Bank, and was going there to get it.

It was proved that the prisoner had never had any account with either of the banks at Ashford.

Another charge of a similar character was not gone into.

He was sentenced to twelve months hard labour, having been previously convicted of a like offence, and also one day on the other charges.