Notes for: William Smith
Cambridge Chronicle 27 Apr 1844:
Wm. Smith, shoemaker, of Trumpington, who had been charged on oath, on the 1st of April, by William Dawes, with the suspicion of having sundry articles his property, consisting of pictures, chisels, squares, centre-bits, &c., was brought up for further examination. - Mr. Cooper appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Cannon for the defence. George Cooper, of the Bell, Trumpington street, proved that the prisoner offered him various articles for sale above five weeks ago, but could not swear those produced were the same. - William Dawes, the prosecutor, lives at Trumpington. His counting-house is on the premises. The counting-house, shop, and house are all within one fence. Was there on the afternoon of Sunday, the 3rd of March, at half-past 4. Went there on Monday morning about half-past 7. Found the room in an uproar, and missed many things. Found pictures, tools, and other goods had been taken away. Made a list of the articles lost, which he now read. There were five large pictures, one oil and four prints: two in oak frames were left behind. The rest of the goods consisted of two musical snuff-boxes, a clasp-knife with a buck-horn handle for carving wood; an elastic shaving-machine with a glass behind it; fourteen centre-bits; two chisels; a brass-backed saw; and divers other things. - Some further evidence was given, and the case was adjourned until Wednesday.
Cambridge Chronicle 27 Jul 1844:
PRISONERS.
(Before Baron Alderson.)
William Smith, aged 29, of Trumpington, shoemaker, was indicted for having, on the night of the 3rd, or morning of the 4th of March last, feloniously broken and entered the counting-house of William Dawes, carpenter and builder, at Trumpington, and stolen therefrom five pictures, a pistol, 14 centre bits, an elastic shaving-machine, a saw, a frock-coat, two musical snuff-boxes, and other articles. Mr. BURCHAM prosecuted, and Mr. PRENDERGAST defended the prisoner. - William Dawes was in his counting-house on the afternoon of Sunday, the 3rd of March, when everything was in a safe and proper state: next morning the whole place was in confusion: he missed the various articles named in the indictment. The door was locked on the Monday morning, and it did not appear how an entrance had been effected; the lock was a very common one. Prisoner was in the habit of being occasionally on his premises. About a fortnight after the robbery, in a conversation with prisoner, he said he had the things, but he found them near Headland’s garden. - Mr. PRENDERGAST cross-examined prosecutor with a view of showing that the place broken into was not "a counting-house," but in this he failed. The men in prosecutor’s employ had been on the premises on the Monday morning before he discovered the robbery, and they were in the habit, but not without the knowledge of himself or wife, of taking the key of the counting-house to take out nails, &c - John Nicholls, parish-constable of Trumpington, searched prisoner’s house on the 26th of March, and he said he found the things first in Trumpington-street, and then in Silver-street, at 4 o’clock, in the afternoon, in a brown paper parcel: the pistol, he said, he borrowed of a man at Cambridge, but he did not know where he lived. Found none of the property in prisoner’s house. - George Hayward, landlord of the Bell public-house, Cambridge, deposed to the prisoner having offered various of the articles stolen for sale at his house, towards the end of May. - James Hellit, shoemaker, of Granchester, deposed to the prisoner having, about the 19th or 20th of May, offered to sell him a brass-barrelled pistol, first for 1s 6d and then for 1s. - Thomas Whittacker, picture-dealer, Cambridge, bought several of the pictures lost, from a person like the prisoner, in March, - Edward Morris, bookseller and picture-dealer, had some of the pictures offered for sale in March, by a person whom he could not identify. - Charles Wilson, gamekeeper to Colonel Pemberton, about a quarter before 2 on the morning of the 4th of March, saw prisoner in the street at Trumpington, about 70 yards from prosecutor’s house. - His Lordship thought there was no case for the jury; the prisoner was therefore acquitted.
Cambridge General Advertiser 14 May 1845:
William Smith, a shoemaker, of Trumpington, remanded from the previous day on a charge of stealing a tea caddy, from the house of George Hayward, publican, of Trumpington-street, was brought up for re-examination. The prisoner went into the Bell public-house on Tuesday morning about 10 o'clock, and directly after his departure the caddy was missed. Suspicion falling on the man he was followed to his home at Trumpington by p.c. Stretton, who took him into custody at the time, telling him the nature of the charge which he denied. On search being made the caddy was found concealed in a slop pail in the shop. The prosecutor Hayward, who had evidently attempted to compromise the matter with prisoner's friends, gave his evidence in a most evasive manner, and was severely reprimanded by the magistrates. This made it necessary to produce his wife, who accordingly appeared this day and identified the tea caddy as one given to her by Lord Lyttleton 14 years ago. He was committed for trial to the sessions.
Cambridge Independent Press 13 Jul 1850:
TRUMPINGTON. - On Tuesday night last, the shop of Mr. Wm. Smith, of Trumpington, was broken open, and four pairs of blucher boots were stolen; also several pieces of leather, and other articles.
Cambridge Chronicle 21 Mar 1857:
TRUMPINGTON, Cambs.
About 60 Lots of Useful Household Furniture
TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION by JOHN SWAN & SON, on MONDAY next, March 23rd, 1857, at two o’clock, upon the Premises of Mr. William Smith, who is about to leave England.