Proceedings of the Central Criminal Court

16th November 1903

[Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 7.0, 02 August 2012), November 1903, trial of CHARLES RICKARDS (44) (t19031116-15).]

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13. WILLIAM HUSTWAYTE (38), PLEADED GUILTY to stealing thirty-nine umbrella handles and a pearl umbrella handle, the property of Jonathan Howell and others his masters. Recommended to mercy by the prosecutors. Seven months' hard labour.
Reference Number: t19031116-14

14. GEORGE WILLIAM BARNBY (32), to receiving the same knowing them to be stolen. He received a good character. Five months' hard labour.
Reference Number: t19031116-15

15. CHARLES RICKARDS (44), Stealing thirty umbrella handles, the property of Joseph Husbands. Second count, Receiving the same.

Mr. Travers Humphreys and MR. BOYD Prosecuted: MR. ELLIOT and MR. BASIL WATSON Defended.

George Cox, a warehouseman in the service of Joseph Husbands and Company, was called and sworn but, having stated that he had lost his memory through an accident, his evidence was not proceeded with.

JOSEPH HUSBANDS . I carry on business as J. Husbands and Company, wholesale umbrella and blouse manufacturers, at 7, Little Britain - Joseph Wheeler was employed by us for some years - his duties took him into the basement - on September 8th I found in the warehouse some sticks from which the handles had been broken, in consequence of which I instructed two servants to keep watch in the basement; one of them, Cox, has had an accident; the other, Mordan, is here - my servant, Wheeler, was given into custody that night - on September 10th, at the police station, he made a statement to me in the presence of the police, in consequence of which I went to 12, Bethnal Green Road, which is a railway arch, used by Rickards as a shop and store - there is nothing displayed, just a name painted in front - I saw Rickards' son - on September 11th I went again in the morning with Detective Hallam and again in the afternoon, when I saw the prisoner - Hallam was there before me - I told the prisoner that I wanted to look at the goods of his stock of umbrella handles - he showed me some - I said those did not interest me, I did not see what I was looking for, and that I wanted to see anything that he had bought recently - he said he had not bought anything just lately - I said he had, and that I should like to see the stuff he had bought up to yesterday - he said he was quite sure he had not bought anything up to that time, that he had plenty of stuff, and had not wanted anything, I think he said for several weeks - I told him I knew he had bought from the man Wheeler - he said he did not know him and had not seen him - I then asked to see more of his goods, or I should have him arrested, because I knew he had bought stuff that was stolen from me - his son produced some boxes of umbrella handles, in

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which I found thirty of my stock that I got from Hall and Portbury, who made the silver for the handles - I bought the whole of their stock - I had not sold them - I only sell the completed umbrella or sunshade - I had missed the stock by the figures in the book, and I have missed about 700 more since this case - I take stock in June each year - seven of these have been specially made for me, I have no doubt they are my handles - I told the prisoner I could swear to them as having been stolen from my stock by Wheeler, and unless he could account for them I should give him into custody there and then - he said he had not got them from Wheeler - I asked him where he got them - he said he could not tell - I said, "Show me the receipt where you bought these, if you bought these goods and paid for them" - he said, "I do not get a receipt, if you refer to the bulk I bought them from J. and R. Morley" - they are a wholesale house - I have not sold any handles to J. and R. Morley - these are 1s. each wholesale - he produced Morley's receipt for sample handles which he paid for at the time he bought them - referring to some I said, "These never came from Morley's, these have been stolen from my stock, and unless you tell me from whom you bought them I shall give you into custody; have you any books?" - he said he did not keep any - I gave him into custody - he was taken to Snow Hill Police Station - some of these handles have been broken off the sticks and some have been sawn off - I have never sold them to the trade in this state - whilst waiting for the charge to be taken at the station in the presence of Detective Loakes, the prisoner said, "Do not be too hard on me, Mr. Husbands, I ain't had all your stuff, there's half a dozen others in it" - then I said, "Who are they, give me their names?" - he said, "Why should I tell you; it won't do me any good" - he was charged immediately after that - I was subsequently present at Guildhall when my servant Wheeler pleaded guilty to selling my handles, and was sentenced to two months' imprisonment.
Cross-examined. When Wheeler pleaded guilty these goods were produced - I believe they were shown to him - I do a nice business - I handle nearly every article - we try to avoid similar patterns of handles - I usually engage the pattern when it is shown to us by the trade - we make umbrellas - these patterns were bought absolutely for ourselves - we cleared the whole lot - we buy the sticks and handles - I do not sell to Hall and Portbury - they have dissolved partnership - they sold us 200 dozens - I accept the statement of the seller that the samples are put in with the goods - I examine all the goods - I leave the warehouseman to count them - probably three in a parcel may be thrown out to be returned for the pattern to be altered or some other reason - the partners are at the warehouse fifteen hours a day - not the employees - I know and A. Grant, of Aldermanbury Avenue; De Saxe and Company, of Odell Street; and Barnett Phillips, of London Wall, who deal in goods of much the same class - I imagine they deal of Hall and Portbury, but I do not know that they were supplied with exactly the same class of goods - the goods are made in London - those firms supply wholesale firms like J. and R. Morley, Copestake's, and so on - some of these silver goods are

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Hall and Portbury's - they are sterling silver and have the hall mark - the goods I identify as mine are absolutely different in pattern to those of any other firm - at the shop the prisoner cried and said, "Do not lock me up, do not ruin me" - at the station he said, "Do not be hard on me, Mr. Husbands, I have a wife and four children, I have not had all the stuff, there are others that have had it," not "I have not had the stuff," nor "There are half a dozen others in it" - I was engaged some hours in this investigation - I made a note on a paper I have in my pocket (Produced) - I made it in my office as soon as I returned from the police station - it might have been three quarters or half an hour afterwards.
Re-examined. This is my note: "Do not be hard on me, Mr. Husbands, I have a wife and four children; I ain't had all the stuff; there's half a dozen others in it"; then my own remark, "Who are they, tell me their names?" and his reply, "Why should I tell you? it won't do me no good" - I wrote it in pencil on a scrap of paper in the office - the dissolution of Hall and Portbury's partnership was within the last few weeks - the business is now carried on by Mr. Portbury as Hall and Portbury - I asked to see him or a traveller - these seven handles come from Vienna - the bulk is made specially for me.
FRANK HALLAM (Detective, City.) On the morning of September 10th Joseph Wheeler was detained at the Snow Hill Police Station - at his request I sent for his employer. Mr. Husbands, to whom he made a statement in my presence, in consequence of which I went to Rickards' shop in Bethnal Green Road - I saw his son - on leaving the shop I watched the premises from 50 to 100 yards off - I saw Rickards' men at the door and watched from another position - on September 11th I went to the shop in the afternoon - I said to Rickards, "I am a police officer; I should like to ask you a few questions; there is a man named Joseph Wheeler in the employ of Joseph Husbands, of 7, Little Britain, who has been charged with stealing a quantity of umbrella handles, and he says he has been stealing them, and that he brought the whole of the property to you, that you paid him 2d. each for them, that you knew that the whole of the property was stolen, and that last Wednesday he brought some to you, and you received them" - he said, "I do not know a man named" Joseph Wheeler; the only Wheeler I know is a man who works at the stores; he never brought me anything last Wednesday" - I said, "I should like to look through your premises" - he said, "Very well" - I went over the premises with him - I waited till Mr. Husbands arrived, and together we wont behind the counter - Rickards produced three boxes containing umbrella handles - Mr. Husbands selected thirty from the three boxes and said to him, "From where did you receive these umbrella handles?" - he said, "From J. and R. Morley's" - Husbands said, "I know that these umbrella handles came from my promises, and that they are stolen" - Rickards said, "No. they do not; if they do not come from J. and R. Morley's I do not know where they come from" - Husbands asked for a receipt, and ho produced this one for seventy-two dozen job sticks and 120 whole feathers and other job items, to the value of £40 1s., and dated July 9th, 1903, from J. and R. Morley - I did not hear the further conversation;

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I was searching the premises - at that time a detective brought into the shop this brown bag - I said to Richards, "Yesterday afternoon, when I left your premises I saw one of your work girls with your son come out of your door with this brown bag" - I showed him the contents, a quantity of umbrella handles and covers belonging to Messrs. Howell's, and asked him to account for them - he said, "I refuse to give any information" - I told him he would be charged with receiving the thirty umbrella handles - he said, "They are not stolen" - I conveyed him to Snow Hill Police Station - he made no further reply to the charge.
Cross-examined. He immediately offered to go over the premises with me - I was there an hour to an hour and a half - there were more receipts for the same class of goods.
JAMES PORTBURY . I now carry on the business of Hall and Portbury, formerly carried on with Mr. Hall at 20, Australian Avenue, City - the partnership is now dissolved - we make silver mounts for sticks - I sold twenty of these handles to Mr. Husbands about fourteen months ago - this is the invoice, dated August, 1901 - he bought all the stock we had mounted - up to eleven weeks ago, when we dissolved partnership, we had not made any similar patterns for anybody else - we kept no samples back, even the odd sticks and handles were sold - I have no doubt these are some of the goods - it was what we call a job line.
Cross-examined. These were all made within a few weeks - we used to make job lines up for sale of different patterns - these handles are not a job line - we sold all the lot to Husbands - we did not take out the samples - I bought and sold for the partnership, and my late partner may be under a misapprehension in saying that we did - we work up handles in the slack season - Husbands would have bought more if we had had them.
JOSEPH WHEELER . I am a convict in His Majesty's Prison at Pentonville - on September 22nd I pleaded guilty at Guildhall to stealing seventeen umbrella handles from my master, Mr. Husbands - I am now undergoing the sentence of two months' imprisonment - after receiving sentence I was called as a witness against Rickards - up to September 9th I had been in Husbands' employ for some years - my duties took me into the basement, where I got the umbrella handles I am charged with stealing - I got them in the dinner hour, between 1 and 2 or between 12 and 1 - I was arrested on September 9th in the evening - I sold them in the afternoon and evening - those that I took between 12 and 1 I sold to Rickards at his place of business, Bethnal Green Road - on September 9th I took him a dozen and a half - I saw Rickards - I have known him about six years - I first took Husbands' goods to the prisoner about three or four months ago - passing one evening, I went in and asked him if he bought umbrella handles; he said, "Yes "; I asked him how much he would give me; he said 2d. each, and we made a bargain - I went to his premises five or six times a week perhaps - he always gave me 2d. each for them - he asked me no questions - I do not think he knew my name - I knew him as being in the same line as I was - I did not know his name - I had spoken to him at concerts and that sort of thing - my wages were 25s. a week - I was porter and packer - he asked me later on what my name was - I told him "Wheeler" -

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he asked where I was employed - I told him I worked for Mr. Husbands, an umbrella maker - after being locked up on the night of September 9th the next morning I asked to see Mr. Husbands, who was sent for - I made a statement to him - these are some of my governor's umbrella handles that I took - I saw them at the Guildhall - I took some similar stuff to these and some different.
Cross-examined. It is not the fact that the prisoner has not seen me, and does not know me.
JOHN LOAKES (City Detective.) I was present at the police station on September 11th, when the prisoner was charged with stealing thirty umbrella handles - previous to being charged he said to Mr. Husbands, "Don't be hard on me, Mr. Husbands; I have a wife and four children; I ain't had all the stuff; there's half a dozen others in it besides me" - Husbands said, "Who are they?" - he replied, "Why should I tell you? it won't do me any good" - I made a note of that statement about a quarter of an hour afterwards; as soon as the prisoner was charged and put back in the cells I put it down in my book - on September 11th I kept observation on 12, Bethnal Green Road - I saw Sergeant Hallam and Mr. Husbands go there - after they had left the shop and were going towards High Street, Shoreditch, I saw a man come out of the prisoner's premises - he crossed the road and looked down the street in the direction Husbands and Hallam had gone, then crossed to where I was, and appeared to be watching them - they stopped at the bottom of the Bethnal Green Road - they were in sight then - they moved round the corner out of sight, when the man re-crossed the road and went into No. 12 - shortly afterwards the girl, Flora Hills, came out, carrying a brown bag - she got on a 'bus with it, putting it on the stage, as it seemed heavy - I saw her subsequently - in consequence of information she gave me I went to 163, Wilmot Street, Bethnal Green, where Miss Whalen gave me the bag - it contained a quantity of umbrella handles, and parts, and some sunshade covers - some of the articles have since been identified as having been stolen from Henry Howell and Co., of Old Street, and from Mr. Reddrop.
Cross-examined. The prisoner did not say, "I have not had the stuff, others have had it" - he did not send the girl Hills to fetch the bag.
Re-examined. Some of the articles in the bag have not been identified - there are two slides to the bag and a lock slide as well.
CHARLES RICKARDS . I am the prisoner's son - I live with him and assist him in his business - he gave me this bag - it was full - he said I was to send it to Miss Whalen - she is employed by him at her own house - it was on a Wednesday or Thursday - in consequence of my father's instructions I sent Flora Hills with the bag.
FLORA HILLS . I live at 61, Burdett Road, St. Paul's Road, Tottenham - I was employed by Rickards in his shop - I took this bag to Miss Whalen by young Mr. Rickards' instructions.
ELIZABETH WHALEN . I live at 163, Wilmot Street, Bethnal Green - I work at my home for Mr. Rickards - I remember Hills bringing this bag on September 10th - I did not know what was in it - it was taken away the next day by Sergeant Loakes.

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EDWIN HEARD . I am manager to Messrs. Howell and Co., cane and stick manufacturers, Old Street, City - the thirty-nine umbrella handles and forty-six parts of handles in this bag are our property - they have been stolen from our warehouse - the prisoner Hustwayte has pleaded guilty to stealing them - he was a porter in our employ - they were safe, and I had seen most of them within a month.
Cross-examined. Some of these goods are made expressly for us.
WILLIAM HORACE REDDROP . I live at 19, Holmwood Road, Bromley, Kent - I am an umbrella manufacturer, of 22, Bartholomew Close - this umbrella handle found in this brown bag is my property - I know it by the mark "W. H. R." and the hall mark - it is not complete - it has never been sold by me - we do not sell articles in this condition - we have missed many handles lately.
The prisoner, in his defence on oath, said that his statement to Mr. Husbands was that he had not had the goods, but someone must have had them that he did not know; that he had never bought of Wheeler or even seen him, nor knowingly received any stolen goods; and he produced receipts for goods which he had bought from Morley's and others, and said that the goods in the bag he bought from Barnby, a traveller, and did not suspect anything wrong then, but subsequently sent the bag away to save bother.
Evidence for the Defence.
JAMES HALL . I am a stick mounter, of 31, Northampton Square, Clerkenwell - I was formerly in partnership with Mr. Portbury, trading as Hall and Portbury - we dissolved the partnership about four months ago by mutual consent - before that I sold to Mr. Husbands 200 dozen sticks of all kinds, horns, cats on sticks, and so on - it was not a clearance, because we never sell the samples - there might have been a few old samples sold, but not those we were working on - we did not agree with Husbands not to sell similar goods - we have since sold many similar goods, some to J. and R. Morley - the goods are supplied by what we call factors - I have sold to G. and A. Grant, of Aldermanbury, on many occasions, also 150 dozen to De Saxe, of Odell Street, and some to Barnett and Phillips - they are similar goods - they are delivered in parcels of about 24 dozen at a time - I have been in the trade twelve years in London - the firms referred to, supply the wholesale trade - the 200 dozen sold to Husbands were made at quiet times, and were the result of collections of those made when trade was slack.
Cross-examined. I was in the counting-house when the transaction with Husbands was arranged - Mr. Portbury did not arrange it alone with Husbands - we have sold to him at different periods, but never the samples we work on - we sold what we had and made other articles which are identical with these, so far as I remember.
Re-examined. I have no doubt that we made similar articles subsequently to the sale to Husbands.
The prisoner received a good character.
GUILTY, Eighteen months hard labour.