A STOLEN PUDDING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22808, 18 February 1936, Page 12

A STOLEN PUDDING

DISAPPOINTED YACHTSMEN THE POT BOY'S EVIDENCE. Charles Sallport, Henry Brown and Thomas Blogg, employed at the coachstand in the Waterloo road; appeared before Mr White at Queen Square Police Court. . , They were charged by Mr Frederick Okey, the landlord of The Hero ot Waterloo, Lambeth, with stealing a pudding of most extraordinary dimensions, which, with many other savoury viands, had been prepared to satisfy the appetites of a number of members of the Royal Yacht Club, who had taken an excursion below bridge and had ordered a dinner at that tavern. Mary Holliday. the cook, deposed that she had made an enormous pudding, the ingredients of which had been very expensive, and which she had placed upon the taproom fire. The three prisoners were in the room at the time, and no doubt took the pudding out of the boiling water and conveyed it through the windows to their companions. William Edwards, a man about 50 years of age, was then examined by Mr White. Mr White: What are you? Witness: Pot boy to the pudding. Mr White: And what had you to do with stealing the puddine? . Witness: Lord bless your Worship, nothing. It all happened in this manner: I goes into the taproom, and I sees "Cookey" put the pudding into the pot. and the prisoners were all on 'em there, and, says I, "' Cookey,' I hope you won t lose that 'ere pudding," and she takes the caution. In about an hour afterwards there was a bell got run. and " So heir* me." savs I„ "that's missus's bell," and away I bolts to answer it. and "Cookey arte'r me. We wasn't gone, your Worship, more nor three minutes, and tli2 pudding was " frisked." Mr White: What do you mean by "frisked"? TT7 ~ __ Witness: Mean, your Worship Why, that it was regularly mizzled, clean gone out and out. and no mistake. Mr White: And do you mean to say that the prisoners took it? Witness: Why. I can't say that ere. All I know is that they were on the look out— they're all riglars. your Worshin. all upon the artful dodge. In reply to the charge, the prisoners (endeavouring, but without effect, to assume a serious aspect) said that they were entirely innocent. _ . Mr White said he had strong suspicions upon the subject, but he should not consider himself warranted in detaining the prisoners. —Weekly Dispatch, July, 1535.