9th July 1870 – found: Not Stolen

Wm. Morgan of Goytrey was charged with stealing a reap-hook, the property of Charles Ferrers Edwards. He pleaded not guilty. Mr Alexander Edwards conducted the prosecution.

John Watkins deposed that he was a labourer at the Race Farm. He left his hook by the hedge side while he went to get some breakfast when he returned it was missing. PC Henry Gardener deposed that from information he received, he went after the charcoal wagon and overtook it about 100 yards from Mr Edward’s gate. Prisoner was driving it. Told him that a hook was missing and that he must search the wagon. Prisoner said “well if you are going to search I did pick the hook up.”

Witness found the hook concealed under the bags of charcoal at the bottom of the wagon.

Showed the hook to Mr Edwards who identified it as his property. Prisoner asked Mr Edwards to look it over, but Mr Edwards said the case was then in the hands of the police.

Defendant said that he picked the hook up on the slope of the turnpike road. He carried it some distance down the road in his hand, then seeing on one who was likely to own it, he thew it onto the bed of the cart and when he got to the wire works, told Mr John that he had picked it up. There was no concealment about it.

Richard John deposed that he had known the prisoner for years and had been in the habit of supplying him with charcoal at Mr Hill’s works. Witness saw the hook in the wagon and asked defendant where he got it from. Defendant said that he picked it up by the side of a ditch in Treherbert road and that he thought someone had been cutting grass with it; or had been sitting down and left it behind; and that he carried it in his hand some way and then, seeing no one, threw it in his wagon. Witness reached the sacks one by one and threw them in the wagon, that is how they came to be covered.

The bench considered there was not any felicitous intent and dismissed the case.