HOUSE ROBBERY AT BUSLINGTHORP-GREEN - Three young men, named Michael Foster, John Parkinson, and George Benjamin Cowell, were brought up for examination before the Leeds Magistrates, on Tuesday last, on a charge of burglary in the house of John Naylor, a man employed on the Leeds and Thirsk Railway, and residing at Buslingthorp-green. It seems that last week Naylor's wife and child left home for Aberford on a visit to his mother-in-law, and that they did not return home till last Saturday. The house was left without any one in it at two o'clock on that morning by the husband, who had to go to his work, at Burley, at that hour, and on the return home of the wife about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, she found that a clock had been stolen from behind the door, and some articles of wearing apparel had also been taken away. On the return home of the husband, he learnt that a neighbour, named Joseph Watson, on going to his work about four o'clock on Saturday morning, had seen two men at the door of Naylor's house, one of them having a bundle under his arm, and being at the time in the act of pulling the door to. As these parties were known, steps were taken to apprehend them, and at night the prisoner Foster was met with on the Meanwood-road, and given into the custody of a policeman. Subsequently the other two prisoners were apprehended on the charge of being accomplices in the burglary. The prisoner Parkinson resides in Ellerby-lane, at the Bank, and the prisoner Cowell in Vicar-Lane. The last named was indicted for embezzlement at the last Leeds sessions, but acquitted on some technical ground. The evidence against them was to the effect that they had all been seen together several times in the neighbourhood, both prior to, and on the morning of the robbery. A workman, named Chadwick, who was going to his work about four o'clock on Saturday morning, saw them all three together opposite Blakey's blacksmith's shop, and going in the direction of Naylor's house. Joseph Watson, the party before mentioned, spoke to Foster and Cowell as the parties he had seen at the door of Naylor's house on the morning of the robbery. Mrs. Naylor said she had seen all the prisoners in the neighbourhood of Buslingthorpe-green, and that Parkinson and Cowell were there together on the Wednesday evening before she left home for Aberford. On the part of Parkinson an alibi was attempted to be set up, but the evidence in support of it failed. The other two prisoners made no substantial defence, and the whole three were committed to York Castle for trial at the present assizes.
Source: British Library Newspapers - Cengage - The Leeds Mercury Supplement, 14 July 1849