Stealing Beans: John Charles Burton (on bail) was charged with having stolen a sack, containing four pecks of beans, the property of George Saunders, at Newton Abbot, on the 5th Mr. Clarke prosecuted, and Mr. Carter defended. The prosecutor has stores behind his dwelling house and a Mr. Pinsent has his stores on the opposite side of the road, adjoining a stable occupied by him. Mr. Pinsent keeps reed, &c., in the stores as it is not fit to store grain in. On the 9th Feb., Mr. Pinsent’s man came for the keys of his master’s store. On going there with the man, he found the door was not locked, and on opening the door he found inside the store a sack of beans. On examination the beans proved to belong to him, and the sack was marked with the prosecutor’s name. He had never kept any beans in Mr. Pinsent’s store, Prisoner was in the habit of attending to the prosecutor’s horse. The key of the store was kept in a passage adjoining the prosecutor’s house. P.C. Endscott was on the 6th inst. set to watch the prosecutor’s store, and about seven o’clock in the morning he saw the prisoner get the key of the store from the prosecutor’s house. He then went and opened Mr. Pinsent’s store, took out the bag of beans, and was walking away with them when he was apprehended by the officer. The defence was that the accused intended to have used the beans to feed his master’s horse. The jury found the prisoner guilty but recommended him to the mercy of the Court. He was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment with hard labour.
Transcribed in whole or part from scanned originals: Presented with or without modified text and punctuation. For absolute accuracy refer to the original newspapers. Source: The British Newspaper Archive.
Referenced
GRO0518 Devonport: John Ball Pinsent: 1819 – 1901