Bristol Police Court: Wednesday: Magistrates Present: The Mayor, Col. Worrall, J. Hughes, R. Jones and W. Herapath, Esqs. The Cask Case: This case was resumed today, the porter, Henry Davey, attended before the bench to give his evidence, which has already appeared. It was to the effect that he was sent by Mr. Gilbert to sell the 19 casks to Mr. Derham; and there was never any attempt at concealing the casks on Mr. Gilbert’s premises. Witnesses also attend from Bath, who proved that Mr. Gray’s cooper was in error when he stated the cask identified had been branded in July last. The bench ordered the court to be cleared. In about a quarter of an hour the public were readmitted, when the mayor, addressing Mr. Ayre, said – the Magistrates have given the most serious attention to this case, which they believe to be one of great importance as tending to lay bare a system of fraud and plunder, which has long been carried on in this city. They have heard all the evidence very attentively, but their opinion is that it is not such as will authorize them in committing for trial. Mr. Herapath said an indictment could be preferred at the sessions, if the parties pleased, or another case might be proceeded with now. Mr. Ayre said, he should go on with another case, one which he conceived to be stronger and clearer than the last, but as some of the witnesses were in Wales, he should not be able to complete it. The case referred to by Mr. Ayre, is one in which Mr. Pinsent, of Bath, is the complainant, and we believe is similar in its main features to the one just disposed of.
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Referenced
GRO1194 Hennock: Joseph Burton Pinsent: 1806 – 1874