Some Selected Reports from The
Windsor and Eton ExpressThree
Tuns
3rd June 1837
Windsor Police
Pryce Jones was brought
before the Mayor and Sir John Chapman, charged with stealing a
whip, the property of Mr. Chas. Brumridge, a farmer at Thorpe.
It appeared that on Saturday last, Mr. Brumridge, after
transacting some business in the parlour of the Three Tuns, in this
town, left the room to go into the market, where he was some time, when
he recollected he had left his whip behind him. On returning to the
Three Tuns, he found that it had been taken away by a person whom he had
seen there writing a letter, and who resembled the prisoner. Information
of the robbery was given to Guthrie, a policeman, who succeeded
in tracing the prisoner to Colnbrook, where he found him in the tap room
of the George Inn, with the whip in his possession and brought him back
to Windsor.
The prisoner expressed his sorrow for taking away the whip. He said he
had been in the employ of Messrs. Pontifex, the coppersmiths, of
London, and his object in coming to Windsor was to make an application
to Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence, to allow him to take sketches of
some of His Majesty's horses. The letter he had written at the Three
Tuns he sent to Lord Adolphus, and intended to return to Windsor
on Monday for an answer.
The prosecutor expressed a disinclination to prosecute, especially as he
could not positively identify the whip or the prisoner.
The magistrates expressed their opinion that they had no discretion but
to commit the prisoner, as he had admitted his offence. They did not,
however he was an experienced thief.
Since the committal, the magistrates have received an excellent
character of the prisoner from a Mr. Farr, of Basing-place,
Waterloo-road, which they observed might prove of some use to him on his
trial.