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People in the olden day took it VERY SERIOUSLY if you bummed donkeys...LOOK (with little eyes for the o's in 'look'):
67. (M.) Bartholomew Langley was indicted for that he not having God before his eyes, but being moved and reduced by the instigation of the devil, not regarding the order of nature, on the 22d October , in and upon a certain beast, called a she ass, did lay his hands, and the said she ass, he, the said Bartholomew did carnally know, and with the said she ass that detestable and abominable crime, (among Christians not to be named) called buggery, feloniously, wickedly, and diabolically against the order of nature, did perpetrate against the peace of our Lord the King, &c. +
John Healey . Between twelve and one o'clock on Monday, 22d October, George Piggot came and desired to speak with me in the yard; I went into the yard, he said, Mr. Healey, my brother and I have taken a man buggering one of your asses, and the man is with my brother at the White-horse ale-house. I went to the White-horse, and there I saw the prisoner and Piggot, and some other people. I asked the prisoner how he came to be guilty of such a beastly action; he said he was in liquor, and did not know what he did.
Q. Was he in liquor?
Henley. He did not appear to be so. I bid them stay till I acquainted Mrs. Lovell, whom the ass belonged to, of it, and had her opinion, (Mrs. Lovell is very ancient, and I manage her business) the prisoner said, For God's sake, let me make it up. I went and told Mrs. Lovell, my mistress; she said, the man must suffer the law: the prisoner desired to go in to speak to her, but I would not let him, as she had before desired me not to let her see him: he said he would give me any thing to make it up; I said he should go before a magistrate; I accordingly took him before the justice.
Cross Examination.
Q. Did you hear any thing of a person he sent his pails by that morning?
Healey. No.
David Pigott . I am brother to George Pigott ; I work for Mr. Scott the brick-maker near Knight's-bridge. My brother and I were going from Knight's-bridge to Chelsea about ten in the morning; we went down a lane that is called Yeoman's Row ; at the bottom of the Row I saw two tubs standing with yeast in them, and the yoke lay across them; I said to my brother, It is ten to one but the baker has got a girl in the brick kiln (as they get girls there sometimes:) I said, let us go to the brick kiln and see the pastime; we went and got upon the brick kiln, and there I saw the prisoner with his instrument drawn, and in the ass, and he was at work as fast as he could; I called to my brother, and said, see what he is at; he drew out his - and wiped it with the tail of his shirt; he turned round and saw me a coming, and then he pushed off: we went back to the pails, and a man came by; we told him of the affair a little while afterwards; I saw him creeping under the hedge on the other side coming for his pails; I hollowed out, here he comes, and several people ran after him.
Q. Where was he with the ass?
Pigott. It was in a little shed, where they give the asses hay; the shed is tiled at the top; the front part is open, the back part is pailed.
Q. How far off was the brick kiln that you stood upon?
Pigott. Forty, or fifty, or a hundred yards; the brick kiln fronts the shed.
Q. How did the ass stand?
Pigott. Her head was to the manager; she had a foal by her side; she was in the farther corner of the shed, that I could see him sideways.
Q. And are you positive that you really saw him in her?
Pigott. Yes, he was in her; when I first went up, he was shoving at her as a man might be at a woman: I stood a minute or two till he withdrew, and then it was he turned about and saw us.
Q. How long was it after he came to take his pails, that you took him?
Pigott. About a quarter of an hour; he got off then; we took his pails to a public house, the Cow and Calves; the prisoner came there in about a quarter of an hour; he had been home and changed his cloaths; he had a red cap and hat on when we pursued him; when he came into the Cow and Calves he said, Pray was there not a man frightened away from the cow-house that was milking a she ass? I said you are the man that b - d the ass; he said, No, I am a man in credit; I have a wife and family; I said, You are the man; I said I would carry the pails home, and know if he was not the man that fetch'd the yeast; he said, No, he would rather carry them himself. We left him with the pails in the house; he took up the pails and was going
See original towards the Bell at Brompton; he set out with a run; we ran across and met him; he put down his pails and wanted us to go into a house to drink; he said, You don't think it is me; I said I am sure you are the man; he still denied it; I said at last, I insist upon your going to Mr. Healey's; whilst I went to Mr. Healey's, my brother and another man came with the prisoner to Knight's-bridge; he put down his pails, and said he hoped we would not take him to Mr. Healey's; he said it was his brother, and he was very much like him; he offered me half a crown or half a guinea to let him go; when we had got a little farther, he said, Don't take any notice of it, I am the man, I was in liquor; he confessed the same when he was at Mr. Healey's; he said he would sooner give ten pounds than it should be known. I kept him in charge whilst my brother fetched Mr. Healey.
Cross Examination.
Q. What time was it?
Pigott. Between nine and ten in the morning.
Q. What sort of a cap had he on?
Pigott. A red cap.
Q. What sort of cloaths?
Pigott. She same coat he has on now.
Q. Did not you say the man had a great coat on?
Pigott. It was long.
Q. Did not you describe it as a great coat?
Pigott. No.
Q. Did not you declare that you was not certain who the man was?
Pigott. No; never.
Q. He came into the Cow and Calves himself?
Pigott. Yes; he had changed his cloaths; he first said it was a man he employed, afterwards he said it was his brother.
Q. When he first came into the Cow and Calves, did you charge him with being the man?
Pigott. I did not at first, but I did before he went out of the house. I met him going for yeast about seven o'clock in the morning.
George Pigott . My brother and I were going into Mr. Scott's field up this lane, between nine and ten o'clock; I can't speak to half an hour; we work for Mr. Scott; we were going to fetch our tools to go to work at Paddington; we saw the pails; we went to seek for the man; my brother got upon the kiln before me; he called to me, and said, There he is; he is - a woman standing; he turned round, then my brother said, d - n him, he is b - g one of the she-asses; almost as soon as we got up he drew out of the ass, he took the tail of his shirt and wiped his -.
Q. What distance is the kiln from the place where the ass was?
Piggot. A hundred yards more or less; my brother saw him draw it out, I did not: the ass fell back in his lap.
Q. How did the ass stand to you upon the kiln?
Piggot. The ass stood partly sideways; as soon as he had got off and wiped himself, he saw my brother and I getting down off the kiln; he buttoned his breeches and ran over the field going to Knightsbridge; we lost him at that time, we saw him afterwards creeping under the hedge, he was, I suppose, coming for his pails of yeast.
Q. How was he dressed?
Piggot. In a long coat, a red cap, and a flapped hat.
Q. Did you see his face?
Piggot. Yes, as he was coming up under the hedge. I knew him again, my father came up and we pursued him then, but could not catch him; my brother took the pails up to the Cow and Calves; after we had been there about a quarter of an hour he came in, in another dress, and said where is the pails of yeast you frightened my man away from? My brother said, I believe you are the man, and I am sure you are the man, He said, no, indeed I am not the man, it was my man, he was milking the ass and you frightened him away; I shall be obliged to you to let me have the pails of yeast: with a great deal of persuasion we, let him have the pails, and agreed to meet him at Knights-bridge; we drank our beer up, and went up the field; we saw him take up the pails and run; we ran too and met him at the end of the lane; he set down his pails and went in to drink at the Bunch of Grapes; my brother said, I am sure you are the man; he said, indeed I am not, my man that you frightened away is gone to London; we said, we were sure he was the man; we went and fetched Joseph Hoare ; he said, I am sure you are the man I met; did not I see you come back again in a different dress? My brother went from the Bunch of Grapes to seek for Mr. Healey, but could not find him; the other man and I brought on the prisoner
See original with the pails of yeast; he wanted to slip away very often; my brother came back and met us facing the Fox, then the prisoner offered my brother half a guinea; he said he would not take any money, because if he did, he should lay himself under the same lash as he was; we took him to the White Horse, where we had a pot of beer; he took half a crown out of his pocket and wanted us to take it; he said there, that it was his brother, and he would make it up for him if he could. I heard him afterwards confess it; he said, I am the man, I am very sorry for it, I was a little in liquor.
Q. Was that before or after you went for Mr. Healey?
Piggot. Before.
Q. Did you know the prisoner before this?
Piggot. I have seen him go through the fields where we work in the summer, but did not take much notice of him.
Cross examination.
Q. When he was in the ass-house could you at that distance see his face?
Piggot. Yes; the ass-house was side ways, so that we could see across between the ass and him. I saw his face more distinctly when he came under the lodge for his pails.
Prisoner's defence.
They would have made it up if I would give them half a crown.
For the prisoner.
Sarah Cross . I keep the Cow and Calves as was, it is now the Coach and Horses; the two Piggots came and brought two tubs with yeast; they said they would carry it down to Knights-bridge, and see if they could find an owner for them; just as they were going out at the door, the prisoner came in; he asked them what they were going to do with his tubs? they told him if he would stop, they would tell him the whole affair: he went in and sat down; they told him they saw a man in action with an ass, that he made off and they took the pails; he called for a pot of beer; they drank with him, and they parted good friends; he said his man was gone to London.
Q. Did they accuse him with being the man?
Cross. After they had changed a few words they looked in his face and said you look like the man; he said, no, it was John.
Q. Do you know any thing of this John his journeyman?
Cross. No.
Q. Had you seen the prisoner that morning?
Cross. I might have seen him, but not to have any knowledge of him; I have known his friends many years; he has a wife and children; his wife is with child now.
Q. Did you hear what bargain the prisoner and the Pigotts made about meeting any where?
Cross. No; they asked him if he was the man's brother, for he was like him; he said, no, he was a journeyman baker that was out of place, and his name was John.
Q. You have often seen the prisoner, I suppose?
Cross. Yes, I have seen a person go by for yeast; I do not know him; I never took much notice of him.
Lydia Langley . I am the prisoner's sister.
Q. What time did your brother go out on Monday morning?
Langley. Between six and seven.
Q. How was he dressed?
Langley. In a fustian waistcoat.
Q. What time did he come home?
Langley. About ten.
Q. Had he any coat on when he came home?
Langley. No, he came home in the same dress.
Q. Are you sure of that?
Langley. Yes.
Q. Did he go out again after that?
Langley. He came in and asked whether the man had brought his pails home; we said no; he dressed himself and went out again.
Q. What man did he mean?
Langley. A man that came with him on Saturday, a middle-sized man.
Q. Where is he?
Langley. I do not know; we have not seen him since.
Q. Have you taken pains to find him out?
Langley. My sister has asked after him.
Q. How came he to dress himself?
Langley. He was going to London upon business.
Q. What cloaths did he put on?
Langley. The cloaths he has on now.
Mary Sumfield . I have known the prisoner a good many years; he always bore a good character.
Edward Sumfield . I have known him seven
See original years, I never knew any harm of him; he is an industrious sober man; he has been married between two and three years, and lives very comfortably with his wife.
Susannah Richardson . I live at Loman's Pond; I have known him from his infancy; he always had a good character.
Alice Langley . I am his sister; I live at Knights-bridge.
Q. Did you see him on Monday morning?
A. Langley. Yes; I saw him go out with his pails about ten o'clock.
Q. Was he going to London when you saw him?
A. Langley. Yes; I believe he was.
William Cook . I live at Hammersmith; I have known him from his birth; I have been out of the country, and have not seen him lately.
Elizabeth Cook . I have known him from his infancy; I never heard any thing amiss of him.
Guilty Death .