A bit of horse trading
Sep. 19th, 2012 03:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xenithTwo accounts of a horse-selling scam. (As a rough guide, a l is about 2 weeks income for a labourer.)
ELY ASSIZES
The Assizes for the Isle of Ely were held at Wisbech on Monday last, before Chief Justice Storkl. There were 13 prisoners, 9 of whom were unable to read or write. Michael Whyteley was indicted for horse-stealing under the following circumstances : Mr Pilkington, an architect of Stamford, sent his servant, Mr Hodges, to sell a bay mare at Thorney fair, with directions not to take less than 25l.; Hodges saw the prisoner in the fair on a little brown mair, and heard several biddings for her up to 27l. 10s., but the prisoner said he must not let her go under 30l., another man (whom the prisoner called the dealer) then came to Hodges and said, "I wish you'd persuade him (the prisoner) to let me have the mare ; I want her very bad for two ladies in London for she's a beauty." Hodges persuaded the prisoner to take the money, but the prisoner still refused. The dealer then asked the price of Mr Pilkington's mare and agreed to give 29l. is he could have 5l. back ; he showed a considerable sum in notes and gold. The dealer then asked Hodges to assist in shifting the saddle and bridle from the prisoner's mare to his own, and went out of sight, upon which the prisoner mounted Mr. Pilkington's mare and rode off, leaving behind a sorry beast, broken-winded, and not worth above 4l. or 5l. The prisoner attempted to fix the fraud on poor Hodges, but he was found guilty, and sentence to be transported for life.
--Bury and Norwich Post (Suffolk), 19 August 1835)
Isle of Ely Assizes
(before Mr. Serj?. Storks, Chief Justice of the Isle.) Wisbech, Monday, Aug.10.— Michael Whiteley was indicted for stealing a mare, the property of Mr. Thos. Pilkinton, builder, of Stamford, at Thorney Fair, on the 1st July. Mr. Pilkinton proved that be sent his servant, Wm. Hodges, with the mare in question to sell; that he desired him not to take less than 28l. for her, and that Hodges returned home from the fair with a little brown mare in his possession not worth more than 4l. or 5l., being old and broken winded. Wm. Hodges deposed he had made a contract for the sale of his master's mare for 28l. with a person who represented himself as a horsedealer, and who, it afterwards appeared, was a confederate of the prisoner's: prisoner subsequently pretended that an exchange had been made between himself and the dealer, of the little brown mare for the prosecutor's mare, after putting the saddle and bridle upon the prosecutor's mare, he instantly jumped upon her and rode off, and could not be met with or heard of again.
Mr. French, the attorney for the prosecution, produced the examination of the prisoner when before the committing magistrate, which stated that a friend of the prisoner had sold the mare at Mansfield fair for 16l., and that the prisoner had received 3l. of the money.-- The Chief Justice summed up very minutely, with much clearness pointed out to the Jury the distinction between cases of larceny and fraud, and stated that he was fully of opinion this was one of the former class.--The jury, after consulting for a few minutes, found the prisoner guilty, and he was sentenced to be transported for life.--He behaved throughout his trial very abruptly, frequently interrupting both the judge and counsel; and on sentence of transportation for life being passed, said with great hardihood, "and you would have given me a month longer if you could have done so."--Letters were produced in court after the prisoner had been taken from the bar, showing him to have been guilty of similar transactions at Wymondham and Wakefield.
--Stamford Mercury (Lincolnsire), 14th August 1835)
The Assizes for the Isle of Ely were held at Wisbech on Monday last, before Chief Justice Storkl. There were 13 prisoners, 9 of whom were unable to read or write. Michael Whyteley was indicted for horse-stealing under the following circumstances : Mr Pilkington, an architect of Stamford, sent his servant, Mr Hodges, to sell a bay mare at Thorney fair, with directions not to take less than 25l.; Hodges saw the prisoner in the fair on a little brown mair, and heard several biddings for her up to 27l. 10s., but the prisoner said he must not let her go under 30l., another man (whom the prisoner called the dealer) then came to Hodges and said, "I wish you'd persuade him (the prisoner) to let me have the mare ; I want her very bad for two ladies in London for she's a beauty." Hodges persuaded the prisoner to take the money, but the prisoner still refused. The dealer then asked the price of Mr Pilkington's mare and agreed to give 29l. is he could have 5l. back ; he showed a considerable sum in notes and gold. The dealer then asked Hodges to assist in shifting the saddle and bridle from the prisoner's mare to his own, and went out of sight, upon which the prisoner mounted Mr. Pilkington's mare and rode off, leaving behind a sorry beast, broken-winded, and not worth above 4l. or 5l. The prisoner attempted to fix the fraud on poor Hodges, but he was found guilty, and sentence to be transported for life.
--Bury and Norwich Post (Suffolk), 19 August 1835)
Isle of Ely Assizes
(before Mr. Serj?. Storks, Chief Justice of the Isle.) Wisbech, Monday, Aug.10.— Michael Whiteley was indicted for stealing a mare, the property of Mr. Thos. Pilkinton, builder, of Stamford, at Thorney Fair, on the 1st July. Mr. Pilkinton proved that be sent his servant, Wm. Hodges, with the mare in question to sell; that he desired him not to take less than 28l. for her, and that Hodges returned home from the fair with a little brown mare in his possession not worth more than 4l. or 5l., being old and broken winded. Wm. Hodges deposed he had made a contract for the sale of his master's mare for 28l. with a person who represented himself as a horsedealer, and who, it afterwards appeared, was a confederate of the prisoner's: prisoner subsequently pretended that an exchange had been made between himself and the dealer, of the little brown mare for the prosecutor's mare, after putting the saddle and bridle upon the prosecutor's mare, he instantly jumped upon her and rode off, and could not be met with or heard of again.
Mr. French, the attorney for the prosecution, produced the examination of the prisoner when before the committing magistrate, which stated that a friend of the prisoner had sold the mare at Mansfield fair for 16l., and that the prisoner had received 3l. of the money.-- The Chief Justice summed up very minutely, with much clearness pointed out to the Jury the distinction between cases of larceny and fraud, and stated that he was fully of opinion this was one of the former class.--The jury, after consulting for a few minutes, found the prisoner guilty, and he was sentenced to be transported for life.--He behaved throughout his trial very abruptly, frequently interrupting both the judge and counsel; and on sentence of transportation for life being passed, said with great hardihood, "and you would have given me a month longer if you could have done so."--Letters were produced in court after the prisoner had been taken from the bar, showing him to have been guilty of similar transactions at Wymondham and Wakefield.
--Stamford Mercury (Lincolnsire), 14th August 1835)
