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From: "Cathy Joynt Labath" <>
Subject: [News] !! Connaught Journal; Aug 7, 1823
Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2002 16:09:08 -0600


Connaught Journal
published Galway, Ireland
Thursday, Aug 7, 1823

ANTRIM ASSIZES
Curious and laughable case of Pocket-picking

Margaret BOYD, for stealing Bank Notes at Belfast, the property of Messrs.
HENRY, on the 7th of April; and John LENNON, for receiving the same.
Pat HENRY examined- Witness lives in Portadown in partnership with his two
brothers in the grocery line; was in Belfast on the 7th of April, when he
met the prisoner; it was the first time he had seen her; he had got a glass
or two of whiskey,and he declared before God and his Lordship, up to that
minute he had been "innocent of any thing of the sort," but he would "tell
all the consarn, just as it happened." the prisoner coy'd witness and tuck
him into a house; it was a wee bit o'place, and your Lordship will persave
(said the witness) that there waurn't a ha'p'orth intill't to stand or lie
in an under any body; but a grain of straw in a dark spot; there was a boy
in the place, and he sat on a stone; witness had then in his left small
clothes' pocket 220l in large notes of the bank of Ireland, "rowled up on a
bit of brown paper;"- witness and prisoner were retiring to the "dark spot",
when she made a snatch at his money, and when he "lucked, it was clane
gone;" she ran out of the house; the boy on the stone (LENNON) followed her;
witness "as soon as he was gathered, made off after them, for he had not
done a ha'p'orth." [ Here the witness again, in the most earnest manner,
with uplifted hands, renewed his protestations of his innocence.] Witness,
assisted by others, searched the town till nearly midnight and could not
"make them off;" advised by James DUNWOODIE, he went to Jeanie LAW's in
Hudson's entry, and got the prisoner (BOYD) there; as they entered, LENNON
escaped out of a back window; they searched, but got nothing till they were
coming away, when one of the party turned up the ashes in the pit under the
fire,and the first thing that appeared was a 50l note; then another, and
some small notes, till 150l were "turned all up out of one consarn. Your
Lordship maun think (said the witness) that I was not right glad;" the
prisoner (BOYD) was sent to the watch house; the next day wintess met two
flag-walkers, and it struck him that they could "put him on the lead;"
witness gave them a crown, and they "tuck him till the same identical house,
Jeanie LAW's;" there witness found LENNON, who denied all knowledge of the
business; witness, however, took him and "wrought him a cruel time."
His Lordship- "What do you mean by that?"
Witness- "I tuck him; please your Lordship, and I thumped him hartily and
tould him (says I) "if ye don't give me my money, I'll have ye hanged"- I
wrought him this way until the third day."
His Lordship- "Well, how did that strong argument succeed?"
Witness- "He turned out another 15l of my money- then I went back to Jeanie
LAW's again, and searched, and got- where do you think I got my watch?- it
was curious enough, I got my lady untill a geranium pot- sly enough, sure.-
I took another flag-walker up, please your Lordship, and "wrought her till"-
His Lordship-"What, in the same manner you used Lennon?"
Witness- "Sure, I tuck and I tould her I would hang her too, if she wouldn't
give me my money.- She tuck me away up behind the poor-house, where I got
15l among some stones and dirt. I got all my money in this way except 3l.
15s. or thereabouts."
Prisoners called no witnesses- But BOYD pleaded here unfortunate situation,
having been left without parents when very young. She said she had not taken
Mr. HENRY's money. He was tipsey when she first saw him and she lent him a
penny to make up the price of a glass. He had been in other bad places
before she saw him.
The Jury found the prisoners both Guilty.- Each to be imprisoned one year;
at hard labour; in the House of Correction.


Cathy Joynt Labath
Ireland Newspaper Abstracts (oh, and see some for Iowa also)
http://www.newspaperabstracts.com/Ireland/
Celtic Cousins
http://www.celticcousins.net/


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