Alleged Robbery of Coal: At the Police-court, on Wednesday, before Dr. Atkinson and J. Vicary, Esq., James Follett, Jonathan Prowse, Richard Myhall, and George Millman, bargemen, and John Frost, owner of a barge, were charged with stealing, on or about the 13th or 14th instant, twelve tons of coal, value £12, the property of Mr. J. B. Pinsent, coal merchant, of Highweek. Mr. Creed appeared for the prosecution, and, according to his statement, the facts of the case were as follows: Ten days ago, the vessel Fanny, with a cargo of coal for Mr. Pinsent, arrived at Teignmouth, after which the coals were conveyed up the River Teign to Newton in two of Messrs. Watts, Blake, Bearne, and Co.’s barges. When these barges left Teignmouth, on Saturday week, laden with 30 tons of coal, one was in the charge of Follett and Prowse, and the other of Myhall and Millman. One of the barges arrived at Newton on Monday and the other on Tuesday, and it was then observed by William Henry Lang, overseer of the prosecutor’s coal-cellars, that a portion of the coals had been taken from the barges after they had left Teignmouth. The theory of the prosecution was that, whilst the barges laid off Coombe Cellars, during Sunday night week, the twelve tons of coal the prisoners were charged with stealing, were taken from them and put on board a small barge belonging to the prisoner Frost, who, it was alleged, had sold the coals to a man at Coombeinteignhead. A curious fact connection with the robbery is that the coal was unladen from Frost’s barge by the man Trust, who has only recently come out of prison for his participation in the robberies on the railway, near Newton Station, some time since. It is not, however, implied that on this occasion Trust knew that the coal was stolen. Mr. Creed examined several witness’s tor the prosecution, after which he applied for a remand, to enable him to produce additional evidence. The application was granted, and the case adjourned to the Petty Sessions on Tuesday next. All the prisoners, with the exception of Frost, were admitted to Bail.
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