PORTSMOUTH MICHAELMAS QUARTER SESSIONS.

IMPUDENT ROBBERY OF A CASH-BOX

     Joseph Singleton, 49, dealer, and Edward McGhie, 47, labourer, were charged with stealing a cash-box and money to the amount of 85l., in notes, gold. and silver, the property of' Richard Oakley Millidge and William Henry Paine, the executors of the late Mr. Antill, wine and spirit merchant.
It appeared that Mr. Antill’s business in Oyster-street was managed by Mr. Brown, of the ‟White Hart,” who on the night in question took the cash-box (in which were one 10l. t note, seven 5l. notes, 32l. in gold, 8l. in silver, and a few loose shillings) into his bed-room, and brought it down in the morning. On the 17th of September he came down-stairs shortly after six o’clock, and placed the cash-box on sideboard behind the counter inside the bar, the house at that time being closed. He then proceeded to open a portion of' the shutters only (the others being closed in consequence of the death of Mr. Antill), and was going in with a shutter, when he was followed by the prisoner Singleton, who called for a pint of' beer, with which he was served. Singleton was then standing outside the counter, and Mr. Brown left him there for a few seconds, while he went outside to adjust the shutters which had been left up. The prisoner was then standing about 18ft. from where the cash-box was. As soon as Mr. Brown had adjusted the shutters he went into the house, when Singleton wished to be let out at the back-door. He was accordingly let out, Mr. Brown being absent from the bar about three minutes, when, immediately on his return, he missed the cash-box. He at once went to the back-door and to the street, but by this time Singleton was out of sight. Up to this time no other person but Singleton was in the house, and at the time he was passing through to the back-door Mr. Brown swore that he thought one arm appeared to project. Just after eight o’clock on the morning of the robbery, the two prisoners went to the shop of William Allen, in Kingston-road, Buckland, when McGhee purchased a pair of boots, for which he tendered a sovereign in payment. Singleton asked the price of a pair of spring boots, but he complained that it was too high, whereupon Mr. Allen offered to lend him some money. Singleton then shook his pocket, and said, ‟Oh, that’s not it. I’ve got plenty of money.” The three men then went into a beershop next door, where the prisoners had some beer together. Singleton was there seen with ‟a quantity of gold” in his hand. The prisoners and a man whom they had invited to join them then proceeded to the ‟White Swan,” where they had half-a-pint of brandy, and afterwards to the ‟Blue Anchor,” where they had ‟a pint of the best” brandy. ‟The Sportsman” was next visited, where the prisoners and their companion had ‟a quart or so” of beer, for which Singleton paid. A Mrs. Goble, the wife of the landlord of ‟The Admiral’s Head” at Kingston, stated that McGhee came to the house on the morning of the 17th, and remained until six in the evening, spending about 18s. She also saw that he had gold, silver, and coppers about him—she believed she saw five sovereigns. On the morning of the robbery Singleton engaged a man named Edward Clief to drive him from Kingston-cross to Gravel-hill—a distance of 14 or 15 miles—and on the way they stopped at four or five public-houses and beer-houses, at which he had a quantity of drink, treating several persons in the various rooms. At Purbrook Singleton gave Clief half-a-sovereign for himself, and not for the hire of the horse and cart.—Isaac Byng, alias ‟Ikey,” the landlord of the New Inn-tap, Marylebone, proved that he drove Singleton from Gravel-hill to Hammer-pond. At Petersfield, the horse began kicking, and Singleton then bought an old pony for 55s., and put it in the cart, tying the other behind.—Mr. Bowen asked Byng if he did not sometimes spend 5l. or 6l. when he had a good deal to do?—Byng: Yes, very often; when I break out a little.—(Loud laughter.)—Elias Woodruffe, a gunner in the Royal Marine Artillery, found the stolen cash-box at the top of Carlisle-street, on the morning of the 17th inst., but it contained no money. Police-constable Porter apprehended McGhee on the night of the 17th, lying down drunk and asleep in Gamble-lane, and on being searched four 5l. notes were found in his pocket. He was charged with stealing the cash-box, and taken to the station. On the following morning he was again charged with the robbery, when he replied ‟It’s a serious affair. I wish had the coin now.” Sergeant Poole and Detective Compton apprehended Singleton in Putney-vale near London, and on being taken to the ‟Bald-faced Stag” public-house, 31l. 8s. 5¾d. was found on him—two 5l. notes, 14l. 10s. in gold, 6l. l5s. 4d. in silver, and 3s. 1¾d. in copper. When clanged with the robbery, Singleton said ‟You can do as you like. All my money I can account for.”—Sergeant Poole said he had known Singleton for years, and his occupation had generally been ‟turning his wife’s mangle.”— Mr. J. D. Antill identified one of the notes found on the prisoner McGhee as one of those which were in the cash-box on the 14th of September. He knew them by the figures at the back. Other notes were also identified by the figures and writing at the back.—The statement of the prisoner McGhee when before the magistrates—to the effect that he had picked up the notes—was put in and read.
Mr. Bullen having summed up his evidence,
Mr. Bowen addressed the jury for the prisoner Singleton, contending that he was not called on to show where prisoner had obtained the whole of his money. Not a so single one of the identified notes had been found on Singleton.He was a general dealer, and no doubt sometimes had a good deal of money in his possession. Sergeant Poole had had almost the audacity to say the prisoner gained his livelihood by ‟turning his wife’s mangle.” Why, it was ludicrous and ridiculous in the extreme. The prisoner was standing 18f't. from the spot where the cash-box was placed, and he was supposed to have got over the counter and taken the box from the bar during the four or five seconds the manager was absent from the bar. Did they think, too, that a guilty man would be so insane as to ask to be let out of the back door, and so excite suspicion against him at once? There was a large amount of gold and silver in the box, and could the jury believe that the prisoner could have taken that out close behind the man to whom it belonged, without his hearing the rattle of the money? The front door had been left open for three or four minutes, at a time when a number of persons were about, and it was in this way he contended that the money had disappeared.
T'he prisoner McGhee said nothing in his defence.
The Deputy-Recorder having summed up, the jury retired, and after a brief absence they found Singleton guilty or stealing, and McGhee guilty of receiving. Singleton acknowledged that he had been previously convicted. McGhee had been in custody before for felony, but was not convicted.
The Deputy-Recorder said Singleton had been convicted on the clearest possible evidence. It was a very painful thing to see a person at his time of life standing in such a position, because the law imposed on him (the Deputy-Recorder) the duty of sentencing him to a long term of penal servitude. The prisoner had acknowledged that he had been previously convicted of' felony, and he (the Deputy-Recorder) knew that he had been convicted of other offences, for one of which he had received three years’ penal servitude. This, however, had had no effect on him, for his term had only just expired when he committed another extensive robbery. He (the Deputy-Recorder), however painful it might be to him to do so, was bound to sentence him to seven years’ penal servitude. He hoped this would be a warning to McGhee, for if he came there again he would certainly be sent to penal servitude. The sentence he should now pass was a comparatively light one—nine months’ imprisonment with hard labour.
     Singleton—I’m innocent, so help me ——.

See also 26-Sep-1866