| "Goodman remained in London, but I, Harris, Witbread, and Tansley, set off for Bedfordshire. We found, however, that your horse's shoulders were very sore, as he was not accustomed to draw, we took him out of the cart and tired him by the side, while we stole a horse to draw the cart. We went into a gentleman's stable near Bedford to steal another horse, but we were alarmed and ran off as speedily as we could. We then tied our horse to a hedge in the lane, while we went to steal some turkeys. A game-keeper, however, was passing down the lane and saw our horse and cart, he went and informed some of the neighbourhood, and they came to watch us. They cut the reins so that when we had returned with our load and were in the act of starting, we found to our surprise that some one had discovered us. We got out of the cart and were immediately pursued by eight men. I and Harris escaped, but Witbread and Tansley were caught, and taken the next day before Mr. M---- the magistrate of K----, who committed them for trial. The horses and cart were taken, and Mr. M---- sent them to the George Inn at Bedford, which is kept by a Mr. B----." After having received this information of Roberts, I went on the following day to Bedford to claim my horse. I called upon Negus the constable who accompanied me to the House of Correction, where we saw Mr. M---- the magistrate. On being asked my business, I replied "I have come to claim my horse." "What horse?" said Mr. M----. Mr. Negus then told him, that it was the horse that was taken with Witbread and Tansley. "Well, sir," said Mr. M---- to me, "you must make an affidavit, and be bound over to prosecute." "That," I replied "I am quite willing to do." I accordingly went to Mr. P---, the clerk to the magistrates, to make an affidavit and bind myself to prosecute. Then I said to Mr. M----, "Now, sir, I will thank you for my horse." "You shall not have him," he replied, "until you have paid for his keep," Which I ascertained was for five weeks at fifteen shillings per week, and even at that price he was half starved. I told Mr. M---- "I did not intend to pay for his keep, except for one week," as they had not adopted the usual mode of advertising the horse. The worthy magistrate turned to Mr.P---- and asked him for his opinion. The latter then looked at me and said, "If I had lost a horse, Mr. Cambridge, I am sure I should have no objection to pay for his keep." "If you had lost one, sir," I said in reply, "and had been at as much trouble and expense after him as I have, you would not like to pay for his keep, neither do I think it right." I then said to Mr. M----. "Sir, I demand the horse from you, nor do I mean to pay anything for him, for when my second horse was stolen, I sent my man, Samuel Trigg, to Bedford in search of him, and by chance he put up at the Inn by the sign of George where that neighbourly good sort of a gentleman, Mr B---,resides. My man asked him if he had seen a horse answering the description he gave of mine, in his neighbourhood, and the landlord made a memorandum of the marks that distinguished my horse. Trigg also gave him a description of the first horse I had stolen from the same stable, but his worthy landlord never told my man that he had a horse in his stable answering to the description, which was taken from some thieves, and which was at that very time standing there to keep. As the horse was locked up, it was quite impossible that I should ever have found him, if Roberts had not confessed to me at Hertford Castle. I suppose that the worthy landlord thought that if the horse were owned he would be deprived of fifteen shillings per week for the keep, and as the poor animal was miserably fed, he must have realised a profit of several shillings weekly." I took my departure from Bedford on the Tuesday. On Wednesday morning I started for London in search of Mr. Elbourne's pony. Roberts then told me he had been exchanged for a cart with a man of the name of L---, at Walworth. After two days fatigue, I found he had been sold to a Wheelwright, then to a Methodist Minister, and then to an Undertaker, where I found him. I took an officer with me, and he had the pony detained, while I returned to Bassingbourne to inform Mr. Elbourne, in order that he might claim his pony as soon as possible. On the Tuesday following, Mr Elbourne and I went to Union Hall to make an affidavit, from thence we went and demanded the pony. When we had done so we took him and lodged him for the night in the Flying Horse Livery Stables, Stamford Street, Blackfriars Road. I then went in search of my other horse. I went to No. 2, Green Walk, Blackfriars, where Roberts told me I had a chance of finding "Billy Goodman." He had not been there for nearly three weeks, but I found Mr. Elbourne's saddle there. I then made a further search for him at two public houses in or near Maid's Lane, but with no success. I had given up all hope of finding "Billy" and was on the point of starting for home, when I thought I would go again to No. 2 Green Walk, Blackfriars, and ask the old lady who keeps the house, to give me the names of the persons who used to call upon "Billy" when he lived there. She said she could not do that, for there were so many who called, but "Billy" always appeared the foreman, as they used to come to him for money. She would however endeavour to tell me as many as she could, and she told me about thirty, which she said was not one half of the number. I had just left her door, when she called me back. She told me there was a young man who came to see him on a Sunday and who rode his horses for him, he had ridden the horse I was inquuiring after, and he was called "Edward." "Ah, sir," she said, "I think he is a bad one, and deeply implicated with Billy Goodman, for he has brought soap here for him, which my grandson was directed to carry to Sharp's Alley, near Smithfield. Goodman used to keep company with Edward's sister. I think he lives near Bishopsgate, I know he is in an oil shop. He is a tall pale-looking young man, marked with the small-pox, and he wears a black coat, and white apron." With this intelligence I went immediately in search of the young man. The following day I thought I had found him in a shop at the corner of White Lion Street. I entered and walked up to the young man, and said "Is not your name Edward ?" He answerd "Yes." I told him I wanted him. "What do you want me for?" he inquired. I answered, he must go with me. His master then asked me what I wanted him for, and I said "For horse-stealing." His master was much astonished, and said "I am sure he is not guilty of that." "Will you stand in his shoes, sir?" I inquired. He replied, he should not like to do that. "Then," I said "do not be so positive." I asked Edward if he knew Goodman, Roberts, and Dudley, and he said he did. I then took a book from me pocket containing many names which I said had been given to me by Roberts, but which had been furnished to me by the before-mentioned old lady, I read them to him, and mentioned his name with the rest. His master then said to him, "You must go with this gentleman to answer the charge that is brought against you. The gentleman will perhaps allow you to clean yourself before you leave" to which I replied I had no objection, however he would be responsible for him and not me. I waited a short time, and we left the shop together. |
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