820. JANE RAFTRY, otherwise JANE, the wife of Thomas Holden < no role > proceedingsdefend , and THOMAS HOLDEN proceedingsdefend , were indicted, the first, for that she, on the 1st of September , at the parish of St. Andrew , a piece of false milled money and coin, made to the likeness of a good shilling, the same not being cut, did put off to John Watson proceedingsvictim , at a lower rate than it purported to be counterfeited for, that is to say, for a piece of coin of this realm, called a sixpence; and the other, for that he, on the same day, did counsel, aid, abet, and procure the said Jane to commit the said selony .(The case was opened by Mr. Knowlys.)

JOHN WATSON < no role > sworn. - Examined by Mr. Knowlys. Q. What are you? - A. I make books for gold-beaters : On the 30th of August I went to the prisoner's house, No. 1, Plumb-tree-court, Shoe-lane , but had no dealings there; I went again on the 1st of September, with John Myers < no role > ; Thomas Holden let us in, shut the door, and bolted it; I saw no appearance of trade; he asked us what we wanted; we said, a bob, meaning a counterfeit shilling; he said he had none, that his wife was up stairs, but would be down directly; she came down with another woman, who went out, and the woman prisoner shut the door again; then Thomas Holden told her to let us have what we wanted; he went into the parlour and shut the door, leaving us three in the passage; she asked us what we wanted; Myers said, a bob; she understood him, and asked me what I wanted; I told her, the same, and gave her a good sixpence for the countterseit I received of her; I was then going, but she told us to stop; she then opened the door, and looked out; then she told us all was clear, and we might go, which we did; I immediately took the shilling to Mr. Powell, and gave him information; Clarke, the Marshalman, has it now: On the 10th of September we went again, having apprized seven officers to be in waiting; part of the court goes into Shoe-lane, and part into Holborn; when we came out, a signal was given to the officers; but first, Myers went in, and asked them if they had any half beans, meaning counterseit half-guineas; Holden was sitting on the chair by the window, but I did not hear any reply; Myers had a 2l. note, which Thomas Holden put his hand out for, and took it; and got up, and told Myers to follow him up stirs; I was going ot follow, but Thomas Holden < no role > told me to stop down, which I did; the woman remined below with me; they remained two or three minutes up stairs, when ThomasHolden came down, and went to the woman, and got something out of a little tin-box; then he went up stairs again, and Myers came down directly; we both went out, and Myers went to the officers in Shoe-lane; I went to the officers in Holborn, and we all went into the house again; some of the officers went up stairs.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. How long have you followed this trade of being a witness? - A. Only that time; Mr. Allen, the gold-beater, came to me, and asked me to go, which I did, with Myers; I had not seen Mr. Powell then, and went only for the good of the public.

Q. Have you not remuneration made you for the trouble you have had, and the information you gave? - A. No, I did it for the good of the public, though I expect to be paid for the time I lost, which is thirteen or fourteen days, but have not been promised it by any body.

JOHN CLARKE < no role > sworn. - I am a Marshalman of the city of London: On the 10th of September I went to Plumb-tree-court with Watson and Myers, and saw them go into the house; I had the two Reads, Lawrence, Cartwright, Simpson, and Crabb with me; three of us stood at one end of the court, and three at the other; Watson and Myers staid about five or six minutes in the house, and on their coming out I took hold of Myers, who gave me two seven-shilling pieces; Watson gave me a paper with a shilling: we then went into the house, and up one-pair-of-stairs we saw Holden side into his seat, and take a piece of leather before him, as if he was at work; he had a knife in his hand cutting the leather, and there was a roll of scoweringpaper, which appeared as if it had been just used, with aqua-fortis, and likewise a piece of leather, with some cream of tartar.

Cross-examined by Mr. Alley. Q. Shoemakers have two or three different forts of knives? - A. Yes, but at first I saw but one; on searching the room I found what is called a crooked knife, and three shillings and two sixpences, rather on one side of the room; I also found a sleeve of a coat, which I thought had been used to rub the money with.

Q. You say Holden slid into his seat; don't you know he is a shoemaker? - A. Yes.

Q. I see you produce some files; don't shoemakers use files to their lasts? - A. Yes.

Q. And don't these poor sort of people use leather to clean their fire-irons? - A. Yes.

Q. And as for cream of tartar, you know it is a very good thing if a person gets a little drop too much? - A. I know nothing about that.

Q. The three shillings and sixpence you have produced, they seem to be good? - A. They may be.

Q. You say there is aqua-fortis, have you ever smelt oil of vitriol? - A. I have, but saw no oil of vitriol; I am sure it is aqua-fortis.

Mr. Knowlys. Q. Was there the appearance of shoe-making carrying on? - A. There were things sufficient, but I am convinced it was used merely as a clock.

Prisoner. Q. Were there not twenty or thirty lasts in the room? - A. There were a good many.

Q. Did you not begin to kick and knock all the things about? - A. No; I took hold of the knife.

Mr. Alley. Q. Did he attempt any violence? - A. No; I endeavoured to secure the knives when I got in.

DANIEL CARTWRIGHT < no role > sworn. - I was present on the 10th of September, and observed a man's arm chuck a parcel out of the one-pair-of-stairs window, which upon examination appears to be a pair of breeches, with a great number of shillings and sixpences piled up in fives; I went up into the one-pair-of-stairs room, where there was a quantity of money packed up; I said to Thomas Holden < no role > , where is the 2l. note? but got no answer; at last Simpson found the note rolled up, and all wet, as if just taken from his mouth; he was searched and a small bit of silver found; in the fire-place there were two oyster-shells, with a sixpence in each; there was a green rag, which was damp at the time, laying by them; I afterwards went down to the woman, and observed that she had something in her mouth, and after long persuasion I got a shilling from it. - (Produces all the things described.)

Mr. Alley. Q. Did you see Holden with a knife in his hand? - A. No.

THOMAS LAWRENCE < no role > sworn. - I picked up the breeches, which lay in the gutter; there are forty shillings and forty sixpences in them. - (Produces them.)

ELIJAH CRABB < no role > sworn. - I searched Holden, and took a piece of silver out of his waistcoatpocket. - (Produces it.)

Mr. Alley. Q. Don't you know it is impossible for a man with such things as the prisoner had, to make a shillings or sixpence? - A. I cannot tell.

RICHARD READ < no role > sworn. - I went up stairs, and observed Holden had a knife in his hand; I said if he did not put it down, I would blow his brains out; upon which he did lay it down, and I saw him whip something under a skin of red Morocco leather; I picked up the paper, and it contained sixteen shillings wrapped up separate, and I found eight sixpences close by it, and a bag with some copper cuttings; on searching round the room Simpson found this bottle of aqua-fortis (produces it); I then went down stairs, and saw Read search the woman, and take a shilling from her mouth; we searched her box, from which she took some cloaths, and found a bad new shillings.

Mr. Alley. Q. You saw a knife in the prisoner's hand? - A. Yes.

Q. Was Clarke in the room before you? - A. Yes.

Q. Then he must see it as well as your? - A. I cannot say for that.

JOHN READ < no role > sworn. - I searched the woman, and found a bag in her pocket.(produces it), which contained twenty-five shillings, all bad; and in this paper, in a bad, some more bad silver, wrapped up all separate, and some loose silver, all bad; I found a small box with some bad silver, a bad half guinea, and some cream of tartar. - (Produces them.)

THOMAS SIMPSON < no role > sworn. - I found a 2l. note and a bottle.(Mr. Mencelin, one of the Moniers of the Mint, proved all the money produced to be counterfeit.)

Thomas Holden declined making a defence.

Jane Raftry. I leave my case to my counsel and the gentlemen of the Jury.

Jane Raftry < no role > , GUILTY , aged 35.

Confined twelve months in Newgate .

Thomas Holden < no role > , GUILTY , aged 45.

Confined twelve months in Newgate , and publicly whipped .

London Jury, before Mr. Common Serjeant.