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An Account of the Trial of GEORGE BISHOP - 1780 http://www.briercliffesociety.co.uk/talkback/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2316	Page 1 of 1

Author:	Mel [ Tue Apr 21, 2009 1:01 pm ]
Post subject:	An Account of the Trial of GEORGE BISHOP - 1780
The London Packet Friday October 20 1780 An Account of the Trial of GEORGE BISHOP on Friday at the Old Bailey George Bishop, a supernumerary letter carrier, in the district of Covent Garden, for feloniously secreting a certain letter sent by the post, by Mr. Henry Greenwood, at Burnley, in Lancashire, directed to Mess. Hitchin and Wood, Chandos-Street, which contained 16 bills of exchange, and which were found concealed in a cellar belonging to the prisoner, in Jerusale,-court. Mr. Greenwood deposed, that on the 25th of July last, his clerk, according to his directions, enclosed a bill for 30l. as mentioned in the indictment, together with 15 other bills in a frank, directed to Messrs. Hitchin and Wood, in Chandos Street. -He proved the hand writing of the drawer of the bill - he verified his own indorsement, and identified the other 15 bills produced in Court to be of the number of those that were enclosed according to his direction, and sent by the post bag of Burnley in Lancashire to London. The Clerk to Mr. Greenwood deposed, that on the 25th of July last, he received 16 bills from Mr. Greenwood, which he enclosed in a frank, and put it into the post office at Burnley. Mr. Sharpels the Post-master, deposed, that he sent the bag of letters on the 25th of July, according to the usual course, to Bradford, in their way to London. Mr. Front, the POst-master at Bradford, likewise deposed, that he received the Burnley bag of the above date, and in the ordinary course, transmitted it enclosed in the Bradford bag, to be forwarded to London. Edward Barnes, of the post office at London, deposed, that the Bradford bag of the abovementioned date, came in its regular course to the office at London. Mr. Pointer, inspector of the letter carriers, deposed, that the prisoner Bishops was a supernumerary carrier, employed at the Post Office; that he officiated as such in the room of Thomas William; and that he had been employed in his walk from June to the end of August last;- that his walk was the Covent Garden district, and that Chandos Street is included within that district; -that on the 26th of July, the day on which the letter mentioned in the indictment should have been delivered, he was employed to deliver the letters in this boundary instead of Williams. Mr. Jonathan Hitchin, of Chandos Street, to whom the frank, enclosing the bills was remitted, deposed, that he did not receive the letter and the bill specified in the indictment. Mr Henry Wood, partner with Mr Hitchin, deposed, that he did not receive the letter. George Smith deposed, that two years ago he left the prisoner a lodging in a house which then belonged to him, at No. 1, in Jerusalem court, Clerkenwell - that his lodging consisted of a parlour, and a cellar on the left hand on entering the house. Charles Miller deposed, that he took the house after the last witness, Mr. Smith, and that the prisoner continued the lodgings under him; and that the prisoner had a parlour and a cellar on the left hand of the house, and that the cellar was sometimes to be kept locked. George Hull, Clerk to the Solicitor of the Post Office, deposed, that when the prisoner was apprehended, he gave a direction to his lodgings in Jerusalem Court; that this deponent went with some proper officers to the house; that in the parlour which belongs to the prisoner, he saw a coat, and that in the coat pocket there was a key, which the wife of the prisoner said belonged to the cellar door; that this deponent staid in the parlour, while the officers with him went into the cellar, and that they returned into the parlour to him with some notes, which they said they had found in the cellar, and that the notes which are produced in the Court, are the notes which the officers brought to him as from the cellar. Patrick McManus deposed, that he is a constable; that he went to search the lodgings of the prisoner, in Jerusalem Court, in company with others; thaat a key was taken out of a coat pocket in the prisoners parlour; that with this key he unlocked the cellar door belonging to the prisoner; that in the cellar he perceived two boards suspended from the cieling, and that between these two flat boards he perceived a wrapped piece of blue paper, and that in this paper was contained the notes, which were produced in Court; that these notes had not been out of his sight till they were sealed up under the seal of Justice Addington, of Mr. Todd, and his own; and that the seals had not been opened in the intermediate time, and that the notes produced in Court were those he sealed up. The prisoner was now called upon to make his defence. He put himself on the mercy of the Court, and only called witnesses to his character. He had a very fair character given him by many respectable tradesmen. Mr. Justice Buller summed up the evidence. -He said he should have taken it for granted, that the prisoner was a man of good character, from the crcumstance of his beng employed in a post of so great trust, but that though character might avail where there was any doubt in the minds of the Jury about the certainty of the evidence, yet if the evidence was clear and positive, and without any suspicion of doubt, the advantage of character ought not to weigh with them in an accusation of this kind, in the determination of their verdict. The Judge observed that there were two circumstances in the indictment that deserved the notice of the Jury - That by an act of Parliament for the sake of securing the credit of the Post Office, the secreting of a letter, with a felonious intent, was made equally criminal with the stealing of the contents; that if they were of opinion the prisoner had concealed the letter mentioned in the indictment with a felonious intent, or that he had stolen the notes contained in the letter, they must give the sentence of Justice, and pronounce him guilty. The Judge went through the course of the evidence, and observed the strong connection of circumstances which tended to criminate the prisoner. He observed the connection of evidence from the delivery of the letter to the post in Lancashire, to the london office - the employment of the prisoner in his department - the strong circumstances of the notes being found in his possession - the inability of the prisoner to afford any interpretation of the discovery of the notes in his lodgings, without his criminality. The Jury, without any hesitation, pronounced George Bishop - Guilty, Death.

Author:	portia [ Tue Apr 21, 2009 10:21 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: An Account of the Trial of GEORGE BISHOP - 1780
I was quite shocked when I got to the end of this and saw the sentence

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