Mishnayos Bava Kamma Perek 10 Mishnah 3

In a case of one who recognizes his stolen vessels and scrolls in another’s possession, and a rumor had spread in the city that the former had been the victim of theft, the purchaser, i.e., the one in possession of these items, must take an oath to the victim as to how much money he spent on the purchase, and he then takes that sum of money in exchange for returning the items. And if no such rumor had spread, it is not in the purported victim’s power to assert that the items were stolen, and he is not entitled to demand their return, as I could say: The items were never stolen; rather, the purported victim sold them to another, and this individual who currently possesses the item purchased them from that other person.

הַמַּכִּיר כֵּלָיו וּסְפָרָיו בְּיַד אַחֵר, וְיָצָא לוֹ שֵׁם גְּנֵבָה בָּעִיר, יִשָּׁבַע לוֹ לוֹקֵחַ כַּמָּה נָתַן, וְיִטֹּל. וְאִם לָאו, לֹא כֹּל הֵימֶנּוּ, שֶׁאֲנִי אוֹמֵר מְכָרָן לְאַחֵר וּלְקָחָן זֶה הֵימֶנּוּ: