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From the Dover Express and East Kent Intelligencer, 21 January, 1865.
FAMILY TROUBLES
Elizabeth Friend, a respectably-attired female, was charged with
stealing some chimney ornaments, the property of Sarah Friend, her
mother-in-law, and the keeper of the "Donkey" beer-house, at Ewell, and
William Hopkins was charged with receiving the same, knowing them to
have been stolen. Mr. Minter defended the accused.
William Friend, a labourer living at Ewell, said he was sent for on
the previous afternoon by his mother. When he arrived at her house, he
found his mother crying. Elizabeth Friend was also there. A Mrs. Smith
said some things had been broken and some chimney ornaments taken away.
He then went for a policeman and charged the prisoner with stealing the
ornaments and Hopkins with receiving them. The value o the articles was
1s. 6d.
By Mr. Minter: Elizabeth Friend was his brother's wife. He went into
their house once, and could swear that he did not see the ornaments
there, nor had he ever heard they were their property. He knew Mrs.
Friend's husband had left Ewell; but did not know whether he had run
away from his wife, or did he know that his things had been removed to
his mother's house. His mother told him to give the prisoner into
custody.
Sarah Friend, the prosecutrix, said she was a widow, and kept the
"Donkey" public-house. The prisoner Friend was her daughter-in-law. Her
husband had gone away from Ewell. About three o'clock the previous
afternoon, the prisoner came with a Mrs. Smith, to her door, and asked
for their things. She replied she had no things belonging to them in her
house, when Mrs. Smith knocked her down with her fist, and Mrs. Friend
went upstairs into her bedroom and came down with the chimney ornaments
in her hand, which she handed to Hopkins. The ornaments were her own
property; she bought them and paid for them; and they had never been
from her house. Hopkins took the things away, and the women remained
there until her son came and gave them into custody of the police.
By Mr. Minter: Her son had gone away because of the illusage of his
wife (the female prisoner). When he went away, his furniture was sold.
She gave half-a-crown for the ornaments produced, and bought them off
her son, the prisoner's husband. When the prisoner came on Wednesday,
Mrs. Friend said that as her husband would not support her, she wanted
her clothes. The prisoner did not say when she came down stairs that the
ornaments were hers, and she should take them away.
The presiding magistrate ( W. P. Elsted, Esq.,) said that without
hearing any further evidence, he should dismiss the charge of robbery.
The prosecutrix then charged Elizabeth Smith, the mother of the
defendant Friend, with an assault.
Complainant deposed that the defendant, Mrs. Friend, and Hopkins,
came into her house on Wednesday, knocking her down, inflicting several
bruises upon her arms and body, and took a handful of silver coin from a
saucer in her cupboard.
By Mr. Minter: When Mrs. Smith came in she took hold of some
crockery-ware and said it was her property; but witness did not then
seize her and smash the crockery-ware. Mrs. Smith knocked her down three
times altogether.
Mr. Minter called a witness who proved that the marks the complainant
exhibited were not caused by the defendant's violence; that a struggle
took place at the complainant's instance on Mrs' Smith endeavouring to
take her away; and that no silver was taken away, as stated, the only
thing done being that the defendant took hold of the saucer in which the
money was kept and claimed it as her property.
The Bench dismissed this case also.
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beer house
Fremlins
From Pikes Dover Blue Book 1899