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FAREHAM.
PORTSDOWN FAIR ROBBERY.—A most barefaced robbery was committed on Tuesday week at the Cosham Station of the South Western Railway, which, for audacity, surpasses anything of the kind we have for some time chronicled, and which had a narrow escape of being successful owing to the grossly bad conduct of the servants of the company at the Cosham Station, who refused to lend any assistance when the theft was discovered and the thief detected, as will be seen by the following depositions, taken at Fareham before C. Brett, Esq., on Thursday, 29th ult.
Mr. Alexander Stewart, on his oath deposed as follows:—“I reside in Buckingham-street, Strand, and am a clerk in the Ordnance Office; I left London on the 1st of July to visit an uncle who resides at Portsmouth, named Alexander Stewart, and have remained there until the present time; on Tuesday, the 27th inst., about seven o’clock in the evening, I went to Portsdown fair, in company with a friend named Thomas Timbrell; I then had a silver watch I wore in my right hand waistcoat pocket, attached to a silver guard chain, now produced by police constable James Hatch; we left the train between 9 and 10 o’clock, and went to the railway station at Cosham to return to Portsmouth; there were several persons at the station; whilst I was waiting outside the station house, but on the railway premises, the prisoner (who is an enitre stranger to me) came to me and asked me what it was o’clock; I then looked at my watch and told him it was 10 o’clock and replaced my watch in my pocket, it was then attached to the guard, and was in its usual state; about 3 or 4 minutes afterwards the train arrived; my friend, Thomas Timbrell, entered one of the carriages, and I was about to follow him; as I was about to put my foot on the step, I felt something at my right hand waistcoat pocket, and felt my watch come out of my pocket; I put up my hand to put my watch in my pocket; I then put my hand upon another person’s hand, close to my pocket; I laid hold of the wrist; the man pulled his hand away, and I immediately put my own hand to my pocket and found the watch was gone; the man whose hand I seized was the prisoner’s; I immediately accused him of taking my watch, he replied, (according to the best of my recollection) “Oh, nonsense, my good fellow!” There was another man near to the prisoner, who immediately went away, (the prisoner having turned towards him and as I believe touched him, when I missed my watch); I found the guard chain in my pocket; the prisoner then entered the railway carriage which my friend had done, and I followed close after him, and then accused him of it again and told my friend of it; the prisoner denied having it, and asked to be searched; my friend them told me to go for a policeman, and that he would stay by the prisoner; I went in search of a policeman for a few minutes and returned to the carriage; prisoner and Mr. Timbrell were still there; Mr. Timbrell then got out of the carriage, and with me entered the station house; Mr. Timbrell then went out to look for a policeman, leaving me with prisoner; after Timbrell was gone, prisoner asked me to go out with him and perhaps we should find a policeman to search him; we went a little way on the Portsmouth road, away from the village; when we had gone about ten yards, I faced myself before him and said he should go no further; he said he should, and struck me a blow in the face with his fist, and then ran away, still on the Portsmouth road; I ran after him and caught him; he fell down; I tried to hold him; he resisted, and kicked and struck me; he got up, and then a crowd came around; some of the crowd encouraged him to run away, and he endeavoured to do so, but I followed him back towards Cosham a little way; we stopped, and then we returned towards Portsmouth until we came to an Inn, called the Coach and Horses; we called for some ale, and [he?] asked me to drink; I drank one glass; he asked me to drink more, when I refused; we were in the house three or four minutes; he then crossed the road, towards a bye road, but I would not let him go there; he asked me to go down that road that I might search him; I refused; we then continued the high road, and we met a man named Greene, I laid hold of prisoner by one arm, and Green the other; prisoner laid down and would not walk; afterwards he did walk back with us to the Coach and Horses; I then saw James Hatch, a policeman, and gave the prisoner into his custody; I went on the Portsmouth road with prisoner, because prisoner would not return to Cosham, and I was unable to make him; when prisoner was in custody he said, “I am very sorry this has happened;” I had given my guard chain to the policeman at the public house; prisoner asked me several times to “get my chain back from the policeman” as he said the policeman would keep it; the next morning I found a ring belonging to my guard chain in my waistcoat pocket; it was broken or cut; I gave it to the said James Hatch; it is the same now produced by him; I asked the porter at the railway station to interfere; he refused; I asked him where a policeman was, he said, “Out in the road;” when prisoner was entering the Coach and Horses, and before he was in custody; I asked him where he lived, and he told me, No. 7, Union-street, Portsmouth.”
Police Constable, James Hatch, deposed: “I am a police-constable stationed at Privett; I was on duty at Hilsea, on Tuesday, the 27th inst., I saw a crowd go into the Coach and Horses at Hilsea on that night about 11 o’clock; I there saw the prosecutor and a man named Green taking the prisoner into the house; the proseutor gave the prisoner into my custody for stealing his watch; I searched him and found on him, one shilling and eleven pence half-penny in money; he told me he was ‘a perfect gentleman’ and had a hundred a year coming in; the prosecutor gave me his silver guard chain, and the next morning a silver ring broken, which I now produce; I asked the prisoner for his address; he refused to give it. I heard him say to the prosecutor, ‘I am sorry this has happened, it will hurt my character.‘”
The prisoner was fully committed to take his trial at the next quarter sessions at Winchester. [The prosecutor deserves some credit for the pluck he exhibited in sticking to the thief, but we think his drinking with him a highly imprudent act, and one which will not fail to be noticed at the trial.
— Portsmouth Times and Naval Gazette, Saturday 07 August, 1852 (source)