Page:The Trial, at Large, of William Booth and his Associates.pdf/18

 been in custody four days before he gave it, he told it to Chirm on the same day (the Friday). Chirm told him if he knew of any thing, and would tell of it, he should be well rewarded, he did not threaten witness with punishment if he did not tell; no other person was present when he told Chirm. Witness's brother was apprehended the same day; witness does not know if any promise was made to his brother; a number of persons had access to Booth's house; Scot lived and lay there long before witness went into the house, and continued there till he was apprehended; witness was not taken into custody on the Monday, but went about the work on the farm till Friday.

Mr. Joseph Chirm is headborough of Birmingham, and was present at the search of Booth's house on the 16th of March, the officers first attempted to force open the door.—[Witness was here directed to go on to the 20th (Friday), it not being thought necessary to recapitulate the accounts which had been given by Mr. Linwood and the other witnesses, but to confine Mr. Chirm's evidence to the corroboration of J. Ingeley: there was some little confusion in the first part of this, owing to mistaking Richard Ingeley for John Ingeley, but when this was rectified Mr. Chirm stated] that on the 20th of March he was taken by John Ingeley into a field about a quarter of a mile from Booth's house. John Ingeley was then in custody, witness had taken him into custody that day, he thinks about noun, and in less than an hour afterwards John Ingeley took witness to the field, in which they found a trunk, that which witness now sees upon the table—Ingeley shewed him where it was; it was then locked, but not (as now) corded; it was buried about two feet deep, and covered with soil and manure—they afterwards went into the rick-yard, and there found six narrow copper-plates, which witness marked; those now shewn to him are them—[these are the plates by which the dates are put upon the notes]—they were hid under the thatch of the rick; Ingeley reared a ladder, went up, and brought them down—they then went into the field adjoining the rick-yard, they there found three plates, two in one place and one in another; both places were in the hedge bank, not in the ditch but in the bank; witness gave the plates to Thomas Dale; they were wrapped up in paper; the plates were waxed over on one side and then wrapped up. Witness has an