From the Kent and Sussex Courier. 8 August 1873. Price 1d.

DARING BURGLARY.

Richard Harrison, alias 'Tiney,' stableman, aged 21, of no fixed residence, was charged with burglariously breaking and entering the "Duke of York" public-house, Parade, on the night of the 5th or morning of the 6th instant, and stealing therefrom two bottles of brandy, about 100 cigars, and about ten shillings worth of copper money, the property of Mr. Henry Grevill Stuart, the landlord. Mr. Stuart said he was the landlord of the "Duke of York" public-house, and he believed the brandy and cigars to be his, but he would not swear to them. He had missed two bottles of brandy and two boxes of cigars like those produced, and also about eight shillings worth of pence and halfpence and farthings to the amount of about two shillings. The articles had been taken from shelves in front of the bar. He had seen the prisoner in his house several times, and as he was in the habit of loafing about there, he had ordered him out. The last time be was in the house he believed was on Tuesday. Witness missed the cigars on Wednesday morning. David Stuart, coachman to Mrs. Carey, of 5, Broadwater Down, said he lodged at the "Duke of York," and when his brother was away from the house he managed the business. He generally shut up the place of a night, and saw everything was right. On Tuesday night, just upon eleven o'clock, he closed up as usual, and the next morning, from what his sister told him, he looked about, and missed the brandy and cigars—he believed those produced. The outside window of a little room overlooking the yard had been forced open. This little room led into the bar. He had bolted this window the night before, but he could not say how it had been forced open. The door leading to the yard was also opened, but that also bore no marks of violence as if it had been forced, although he had bolted it the previous evening. From the till, which had been left unlocked, the coppers which he had left in it had been taken away. He supposed there were coppers to the amount of about five shillings in the till. He first noticed this at about eight o'clock on Wednesday morning. Sergeant Spittles explained that the wood of the door where the bolt was had been worn away so that the bolt could be thrown back with an ordinary knife. Thomas Denton, plasterer and bricklayer, of Grosvenor-road, said the prisoner, on Wednesday morning, at about II o'clock, called upon him when he was at work in Mr. Powell's field. He produced a bottle three parts filled with brandy, and asked him to drink. He refused, and told him he believed he had not come by it in a proper manner. To this the prisoner made no reply, and placed the bottle behind a tub of chaff in the stable yard, asking witness to give it to a man named Turner, who was working on the farm. Witness, however, told him he should take care of it, and prisoner went away. The prisoner drank some of the brandy as if it had been water. Witness put the bottle in the manger, and left it there until Sergeant Spittles fetched it away. Sergeant Spittles said that on Wednesday afternoon, between five and six o'clock, having his suspicions respecting the prisoner, he went after him. He first went to Mr. Powell's stables, and in a rabbit hutch, under some straw, he found the bundle of cigars, the cigar box containing 28 cigars, and the bottle of brandy produced. He went out on to the Common, and seeing the prisoner laying on the grass, he said to him, ‘Tiney! where did you sleep last night.' Tiney was his nick name. Prisoner replied he hardly knew. Witness then told him there had been a robbery, and if prisoner would go along with him he would show him where he had slept. He then took him to the lodge in Powell's field, and prisoner said 'that's where I did sleep.' He then told the prisoner he had found the cigars and brandy which had been stolen from the "Duke of York," and prisoner at once crawled over the straw to the rabbit hutch with witness after him, and pointed to the cigars and brandy. Witness then told him he should charge him with breaking and entering the "Duke of York," to which he said, 'It was no hard matter to get in, it was easy enough to open the door. I think it was between one and two o'clock when I was in there. ' Witness told him it was no wonder he did not wake them, to which prisoner said ‘I made a pretty good row too, for I had no light. ' I heard the policeman go by two or three times, and once I saw him but he did not see me. ' Witness then told him that some halfpence and lots of farthings had been stolen, but prisoner said he had thrown them away, some on the common and some in Powells field, for the farthings were rather dangerous to part with. He told the prisoner that two bottles of brandy were missing, when prisoner said he had given one bottle to the man who did the white washing, and bricklaying for Mr. Powell. He then went and saw Denton, who took the half emptied bottle from the manger and handed it to witness. The prisoner was cautioned in the usual way. He said he had no statement to make, and the prisoner was committed for trial to the Assizes, which unless there be a gaol delivery at Christmas will not be until March.

From the Kent and Sussex Courier, Friday 13 March 1874.

Tunbridge Wells Petty Sessions.

A Bully Rightly Served.

Thomas Crowe, alias Hollands, was summoned for assaulting and beating William Henry Saltmarsh, on the 5th inst.

Defendant, who is a costermonger, did not appear, and the service of the summons was proved by P.C. Judge.

Complainant said he was a fly driver, and was at the "Duke of York Inn," on the preceding Tuesday, when the defendant came in and asked him for two pence to get some beer. He told defendant he had not got it. Defendant then came up to him and struck him a violent blow in the eye, and walked off. He said nothing to provoke defendant, and used no strong language in refusing to give him the two pence.

Superintendent Embery, in reply to the Bench, said the defendant was one of the worst characters in the town. He was a bully for prostitutes, never did any work, had been twice convicted of felony at Hastings, and there were other convictions. He was always about with girls, and very frequently knocked them about. Only the other day a gentleman told him (the superintendent) that he saw defendant strike two women and then bolt away. He was frequently given prostitutes black eyes. He also gave a man a black eye, and he (superintendent Embery) told the man that if he applied to a magistrate he could get a warrant, but the fact was that they were all afraid of defendant. He came to the town with fresh prostitutes every five or six months, and was always giving them black eyes.

The Bench sentence into 2 months hard labour without the option of paying a fine.