The Bath Chronicle 09 Nov 1905 Story of a Lost Purse Bath Tram Conductor Sentenced Frederick Vagges HAWKINS

The Bath Chronicle Thursday 9 Nov 1905

Page 3 Column 6 & 7


STORY OF A LOST PURSE


BATH TRAM CONDUCTOR SENTENCED.

At the Somerset Assizes at Wells on Monday Frederick Vagges HAWKINS, 26, coach painter, on bail, was indicted for stealing a purse containing a bank note for the payment and of the value of £5; also £5 in money, the goods and moneys of Mabel LAMBERT, at Bath, on the 13th October. Prisoner pleaded not guilty. Mr. VACHELL prosecuted, and briefly opened the case. He said on the date named prisoner was a tramcar conductor at Bath. One of the passengers was a Miss LAMBERT, who carried for the greater part of the journey a handsome green purse, containing a bank note for £5 and £5 in money, in her hand. She paid her tram fare out of another purse, and placed the first purse on the seat. She left the tram without picking the purse up, and it was found by another passenger, Mrs. PIKE, who handed it to her husband, and the latter passed it on to the prisoner HAWKINS. Later HAWKINS told Mr. PIKE that he had “handed the purse to the lady, who found it too cold to ride on top of the car, and had gone inside.” The prosecution contended that that statement was an invention, for no lady inside the car claimed the purse. Miss LAMBERT did not miss the purse until one o'clock, an interval of nearly three hours. Inquiries were made, and an advertisement inserted in a paper. Prisoner said nothing to the driver. On the 13th October and subsequently he was questioned regarding the matter, and confronted with Mr. PIKE and Miss LAMBERT. The prisoner then stated that he handed the purse “to a rather tall and stout lady, and not Miss LAMBERT.” It was hardly likely, added Mr. VACHELL, that the stout lady would be produced as a witness that day. The prisoner made no mention of the matter to the tramway officials until he was fetched off the tram, and then he concocted a “cock and bull” story of how he had handed the purse to a tall and stout person.

Mabel LAMBERT, of North Combe Down, Bath, said she carried two purses on the day named, a Friday. She was riding on the top of the tram, another lady passenger being with her. One of the purses contained a £5 note and £5 in gold. She lost this purse. On the following Monday she was present at the office of the company in Bath, and she was confronted with the prisoner. Mr. PIKE, who was present, said to prisoner. “Do you remember my giving you a purse?” and prisoner said, “Yes, and I handed it to a lady.” He gave a description of the lady as being “tall and stout, with black hat, and a black and white dress on.” - Cross-examined: She was in the front part of the tram, and there were several seats behind. People sitting in front could not see if anyone was sitting behind. She did not know for certain how many people were on the tram.

Mrs. Elizabeth PIKE, wife of Mr. John Frederick PIKE, corn merchant, Bath, said she travelled by the same car as Miss LAMBERT. Other people might have come on the car and left, but she did not notice anyone. After Miss LAMBERT had left she found a purse on the seat. She handed it to her husband, who gave it to the prisoner. The man went down with it. Subsequently prisoner came up to collect the fares, and on being asked what he had done with the purse, said “he had handed it to a lady inside the car, who had found it too cold to ride on the top of the tram.” Later in the day she came back with Miss LAMBERT in the tram.

Mr. John Frederick PIKE, corn merchant, of Bath, gave similar evidence. On the following Monday, three days later, he was present at the Tramways Company's office, when the prisoner was brought in from his tram. He said he had handed the purse to “a tall, stout lady.” Witness inquired if he ashed her name and address, and prisoner said he did not.

Frederick ROWLEY, chief inspector of the Bath tramways, said in consequence of information he received he saw prisoner on the Monday, and brought him to the company's office. Prisoner gave a description of the lady to whom he said he had handed the purse. He said, “She was a tall lady, with a light dress.” The prisoner got leave of absence on the Saturday afternoon, the day following the loss of the purse. - Cross-examined: He believed prisoner's house was searched, but nothing compromising was found. The duty of the conductor when property was found was to take it to the “lost property office.” No report was received from the prisoner regarding the purse.

Edward SECKINGTON, traffic superintendent, of Bath, said he asked prisoner if any other persons were on the top of the car, and he said there was another passenger at the rear of the car, which would be the conductor's end.

Mr. SIMON, for the defence, said the jury had, beyond question, got a case for suspicion and inquiry. But he would remind them that the prisoner had told a perfectly consistent story from first to last. If the prisoner had stolen the purse it was a stupid and idiotic thing for him to tell Mr. PIKE that he returned the purse to a lady who was at that very moment in the inside of the car. It was an unreasonable thing to suppose that a woman who had obtained the purse by false pretences would present herself at Wells Assizes for the purpose of giving evidence in the case.

Prisoner, sworn, denied the theft of the purse. Two persons, a lady and a gentleman, got on the car after Miss LAMBERT. They stood and discussed whether they should go inside or on top. Eventually the gentleman went inside and the lady on top. Subsequently, as they were approaching the Guildhall, the lady returned because it was too cold to sit on the top of the car. Later Mr. PIKE handed him a purse, and said “it belonged to a lady.” This was within two minutes of the lady coming down from the top of the car. As he got to the bottom of the stairs the lady met him at the door and said that “she had left her purse on the top of the car.” Witness asked for a description of the purse, and she described it as a “light green purse.” Witness handed her the purse. On Saturday evening he saw an advertisement respecting the loss of a purse on a tramcar, and on Monday morning he spoke to HANNAN, the driver of the car. - Cross-examined: The purse handed to him did not tally with the description of the purse lost by Miss LAMBERT. They were finding purses every day.

Mr. VACHELL: I did not know there was so much money in Bath (laughter).

Prisoner said there were ten other persons in the car, and he handed the purse to the lady in front of them. They were mostly old, aged persons (laughter), and possibly they did not hear what passed. He had not brought a single one of these persons forward as a witness. The purse was not heavy; he did not open the purse, as he hadn't time.

Thomas Henry HANNAN, tramcar driver, related a conversation prisoner had with him about the purse on Monday morning.

Counsel on both sides having addressed the jury, his lordship summed up.

The jury, after a short consultation, found prisoner guilty, and a previous conviction for felony at Bath was proved.

His lordship said the verdict was a right one, and it might be some satisfaction to the jury to know that there were three convictions against prisoner for felony – one at Bristol and two at Bath. Sentenced to fifteen months' hard labour.

 

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