From the Folkestone Observer 13 December, 1862. Transcribed by Jan Pedersen.

STOLEN BREWHOUSE KEY

Monday December 8th:- Before the Mayor, W.F. Browell, R.W. Boarer and A.M. Leith, Esqs.

George Sell was charged with having in his possession a certain key, with intent to break into a brewhouse, in the occupation of Mr. Gibbs.

P.C. Ryenolds said that Mr. Gibbs, having given information that he was being robbed, he (witness) was set to watch the premises. On Saturday evening he concealed himself in the office attached to the brewery, in Tontine Street. About a quarter past six o'clock he saw the prisoner come into the yard with a pail in his hand. He looked around the brewhouse yard, and afterwards went up to the corner, close to the brewhouse door, where there was a tub of water. Witness then heard a rattling noise, as if a door was unlocked and locked again. When it was as he (witness) thought unlocked, he could discern the prisoner stooping down, and then the door made a noise, as if it were locked again. His suspicion was that prisoner stooped down to take something out. Prisoner then came away from the corner, and he (witness) slipped out the office, and caught him in Mr. Poole's yard, which adjoins Mr. Gibbs's, and is communicated with by a doorway. He caught prisoner by the arm and said “Hello. What have you there?”, and he put his hand into the pail, when it smelt of beer. The pail was about half full, and he took it away and locked it in the office. He said to prisoner “You have beer here” and prisoner replied “No, it is not beer; it is water that I took out of a tub. Mr. Gibbs put it into the tub for me. If you will come into the stable and let me get a light, I will show you that what is in the tub is like what I have got in the pail”.

They went to the stable and got a light, but they came out the stable without the light, and when about two yards from the door he dropped the key now produced in the straw. He (witness) took it up directly and said “That's just what I thought you had. What made you throw that key down there?”. Prisoner said he had not had any key. They went to the tub, and prisoner said “This is where I get my water, and I have this can on purpose to fill up my pail, because I cannot dip my other pail in”, and he seized a can by the side of the tub and threw it's contents into the tub, which immediately frothed up, and then he dipped up again with the pail. The water in the tub smelt of beer. He then took him into custody and took him to the station. He (witness) did not know what the pail contained when he threw the contents into the tub. The key fitted the brewhouse door. The prisoner was porter to Mr. Poole, and looked after Mr. Poole's pony.

The prisoner said his master had a pump in the brewhouse, and Mr. Gibbs had, whenever about, allowed him to have water from it for the pony. There were no other means of getting water but by going into the brewhouse. Mr. Gibbs had, before going away last week, put some water in a yeast tub for him to use, and desired him not to go into the brewhouse while he was away, and he (prisoner) said he would not. There had been three or four keys fitting the brewhouse door lying about, and he (prisoner) had taken one of them. He had got a pail-full of water from the tub to wash the pony with, and then he was going to fetch some water from the pump inside the brewhouse for the pony to drink. Mr. Gibbs did not know that he (prisoner) had a key of the brewhouse. He had given him permission to go there when he was in the way, but not at other times.

Mr. Poole said the prisoner had been in his employ about seven years, and he had found him honest up to this time. This was the first time he had heard anything against him.

The Bench sentenced prisoner to 14 days hard labour.