1871 : James Pluckrose Charged with Receiving

 

Title: The Times, 26,994 11d
Date: 23 February 1871
Place: London

 

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, Feb. 22.


The February adjourned Sessions for criminal business were held to-day, at Clerkenwell, before Sir W. H. Bodkin, Assistant-Judge; Mr. Serjeant Cox, Deputy Assistant-Judge; Mr. Henry Pownall, Mr. Baxter, Mr. R. N. Philipps, Mr. Rankine, Mr. Elsom, Colonel Wood, Mr. Charles White, and Mr. France, justices.

...

Thomas Fogarty, 17; John Blakely, 19; William Brown, 30; Maurice Kelly, 22; and James Pluckrose, 31, were charged - the four younger prisoners with stealing, and Pluckrose with feloniously receiving a tittler of sugar, value 18s., the property of Daniel Martineau, a sugar baker. Mr. Douglas and Mr. Harmsworth prosecuted; Mr. Moody defended Pluckrose; the other prisoners were undefended, and Brown and Fogarty pleaded “Guilty.” A boy named Stephen Morgan stated that he saw the prisoners Fogarty, Blakely, Brown, and Kelly standing outside the sugar warehouse of a Mr. Martineau, of Denmark-street, at about half-past 6 in the evening of the 30th of January last. Fogarty crept into the warehouse and brought out a “tittler,” or large loaf of sugar. One of the other prisoners put a coat round it, and two of them, Brown and Kelly, took it down the street. When Fogarty was entering the warehouse, Blakely walked up and down outside and signalled the others. John Shepherd, a detective, took Fogarty into custody on the morning of the 31st of January last, and by him was taken to the Cock publichouse, kept by the prisoner Pluckrose. On being interrogated Pluckrose denied having purchased any sugar the evening previous, but eventually admitted that a sailor had left a tittler of sugar there, and he was to fetch it in the morning. The prisoner Pluckrose showed him the tittler in his parlour; it was partially covered by a sack, For Kelly the prisoners Brown and Fogarty were called, and they both denied that he was in any way concerened in the affair. For Pluckrose a witness named Sheen deposed that he was in the house kept by Pluckrose and saw Brown bring in the tittler of sugar and heard him ask Mrs. Pluckrose if he could leave it there till the next day, and heard her ask her husband if he gave his permission for this to be done. Pluckrose, who was then in the taproom, said, “Oh yes, I suppose it is all right.” He was confident no money passed. The prisoner Brown, on the other hand, declared most positively that he sold the sugar to Pluckrose and received 6s. from him for it. The jury retired for some time and ultimately found Blakely Guilty and Pluckrose and Kelly Not Guilty. Fogarty, Brown, and Blakely were sentenced each to six months’ imprisonment with hard labour.

James Pluckrose, the publican, is PL1347 in  Tree 1006.
A tittler of sugar is otherwise known as a loaf of sugar.

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