Railway View, East Dean (Forest of Dean)

Mary Gardner was charged with stealing a bag and 28s from the person of Eunice Matthews, at East Dean. Mr. Powell prosecuted; and Mr. James defended the prisoner.

The prosecutrix’s husband keeps a public-house at East Dean and on the 2nd Aug. the prisoner, who was rather tipsy, came in, and paid for a lot of beer. She knelt down by Mrs. Matthews, who had the money in question in two bags in her pocket. Prisoner engaged Mrs. Matthews in conversation and was seen to fumble Mrs. Matthews’s clothes with her hands and afterwards walked out into the garden. Soon afterwards Mrs. Matthews said she had lost her money. The prisoner afterwards went to another public-house, called the Railway View, where she paid 5s. 3d which her husband owed there for club money. A man named Bullock stated that on the 4th of August; while walking in the garden of the Railway View, he picked up a sixpence, which he put in his pocket. This sixpence was marked with a T. He afterwards tendered this sixpence the same evening to the prosecutrix, in payment for beer. He thought it was Mrs, Matthews’s sixpence, as she had told him she had lost one. She immediately said it was her sixpence. He was at Mrs.  Matthews’s house when the prisoner was there. The bags were afterwards found in the garden, in the direction where the prisoner had gone. The prisoner was apprehended on the Friday after.

Mr. James contended that, inasmuch as the prisoner was intoxicated, she could not have picked the prosecutor’s pocket, and that the statement of Bullock with reference to his picking up the sixpence was not entirely to be relied upon. The jury acquitted the prisoner.