Beer stolen from station by railway employee (1868)

Post date: Mar 21, 2013 5:35:39 PM

Extract from Maidstone Telegraph, 4th April 1868.

CAUTION TO RAILWAY SERVANTS.

Frederick Hyland was charged with unlawfully extracting beer from a cask at the goods department of the Wateringbury station of the South Eastern Railway, on the 5th March. Mr Albert Lewis, of Thomas-street, London-bridge, appeared to prosecute on the part of the Company, and opening the case said that the present proceedings had been taken with a view of deterring others from the commission of similar offences. The company had suffered considerably from the like depredations in having to pay large compensations for the loss of beer. P.S. Bates said that on the 5th March last he was at the Wateringbury station, when his attention was attracted by a knocking in the goods department. He was then on the line, and got off and entered the shed, when he saw the prisoner stooping down in a truck and drinking something from a cask. When prisoner observed him he lifted his head and said, " All right; are you going to have some drink ?" He had a pipe in the cask, by which he extracted the beer. On looking up a second time prisoner noticed that it was a constable, and said, "Good God; is that you, Bates !" He replied "Yes; it is." Prisoner then said,"I hope you will not say anything about it." He then took prisoner in charge, and on the way to the station-house prisoner remarked that it was the first time he had committed such offence, although it had been carried by others. Prisoner, in reply to the charge, said that it was the first offence he had committed. He had been employed six years at the station, and never had a complaint laid against him before. The Bench sentenced prisoner to two months hard labour.