"Two little boys, named P|AYNE and BOUNDY, were charged with stealing apples frm the orchard of S. Kingdon., at Duryard.
"It appeared that Mr. W. Kingdon was going home late one night, when passing the orchard, which lies near the road, he saw a number of boys, some picking, some eating, and some stowing away the green fruit, a quantity of which was scattered about. He got over the hedge, seized on Boundy, and took him to Duryard, where he learned the names of the other offenders, and let him go. He said he only wished them to have a summary punishment, and he would not offer evidence if they were to be sent to prison. He then called a boy named Henry Crang, who proved the charge against the two prisoners. Mr R.C. Blunt , who was in court, interceded on behalf of Boundy, stating that his family was respectable, and that he had been properly brought up.
"The father (Payne's father) (a flyman we believe) protested at his son being whipped. He said there were others in the case, who ought to be punished, if they were not more in favour,
"THE MAYOR - It strikes me you are a very foolish man.
"Payne - I know that, sir; I works harder than you do; but the others ought to be served as bad as my son.
"The MAYOR - You permit him to be prowling about the roads at night, robbing orchards, and now you see the trouble he has got himself into. You are committed (to the boy) for one week, and when you come out , repent of your evil ways, and bide at home with your father and mother. Boundy is to go to prison and there to be whipped and discharged. (The mother of Boundy who was present, consented to this arrangement.)
"Payne was again about to say something to the Mayor, when he was interupted by Mr S. Kingdon. who said,
"You are worse than the boy, a great deal. You are a perfect ruffian - the less you say the better. Take yourself off!'
"The man was reluctantly turning away, when a shriek was heard from the box beneath the Petty jury gallery; and his wife, who had hitherto been silent, sunk to the ground ina violent fit of hysterics. Several of the policemen immediately ran to her, but they were rather out of their element in endevouring to restore a fainting woman; and the paroxysms seemed rather to increase at their approach. Mr Kingdon called for a woman to come to her; but there was no woman in the Hall who would assist her; and she was carried out by the officers."
Source The Western Times 20th July 1844.
The Western Times had an opinion of Mr. Sam Kingdon. 'Mr. Kingdon's want of temper, his overbearing, we will not say insolent, manner especially to the poor.....' Here he lives up to that reputation. His mode of attack was often to claim to know someone who was a stranger to him: 'I know you, sir, you are a rogue and a ruffian.' Here he practices it on poor Mr. Payne, who drives a cab, with the consequence that Mrs. Payne has hysterics and has to be carried out of the Court.
Mr. Payne, who works harder than Mr. Kingdon, has a point. There were several boys scrumping apples and Kingdon knew who they were. Only two come to court; one goes to prison for a week, the other who is from a 'respectable' family is whipped and sent home. There's justice for you!
Sam Kingdon lived in grand style at Duryard Lodge, which these days is Reed Hall, well known to the alumni of the University of Exeter. These days you can get married there. You might think he could have spared a few apples.
