Criminal Life: Reminiscences of Forty-Two Years as a Police Officer
| Author | Bent |
| Published date | 01 July 1979 |
| Date | 01 July 1979 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X7905200335 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
We apologise to all
of
our readers who have complained about the
omission, due entirely to problems
of
space.
of
the
next
gripping
instalments
of
CRIlVIIN
AL
LIFE:
REMINISCENCES
OF
FORTY-TWO YEARS AS A POLICE
OFFICER
BY
SUPERINTENDENT
BENT
CHAPTER
IX.
Robberies by Domestic Servants
A few years ago, one of the justices of the peace came to me with
the information that for some time a good deal of pilfering had been
going on at the hall where he resided, and expressed a desire that I
should proceed myself on the following morning to investigate the
matter, and I went accordingly.
First
of all I assembled the servants, and told them that I had every
reason to believe that there was a dishonest person amongst them,
that anumber of articles had been missed from the hall, that I had
examined the windows and doors, and found that there had been no
breaking from the outside, and that, therefore, I had come to the
conclusion
that
it must beone of those present who was guilty of the
thieving. Amongst the rest there was a lady's maid, a fine, portly
woman of
about
forty years of age, who seemed to some extent
disgusted
that
she should have to stand there with the other servants;
and, somehow, the moment I set my eyes
onthis
person I felt
convinced
that
if the thief was in the hall at all she was the one. In
order to throw her off her guard, I said to a girl, whom I took to be a
kitchen maid
:-
"Now, Iwant you to show me which is your bedroom."
The girl did so at once,
and
Ijust looked round and was quite
satisfied
that
she was not the individual Iwanted. As the lady's maid
had said her time was of importance, I then remarked
that
I would go
309 July 1979
to her bedroom next, if she would kindly show it me. She did so,
though with no very evident willingness, and the first thing
that
met
my gaze when I entered the department was a very large wardrobe.
"To
whom does this belong?" I asked.
"It
belongs," she answered,
"to
one of the servants."
"Very well," I said, "I must have her up here, as she must be present
when I search it."
Then she sobbed, "Oh! oh! it is mine."
Iordered her to unlock it, which she did, and I soon discovered a
great many articles which had no right to be there a great many more,
in fact,
than
had been named to me as missing, by the owner. They
consisted of jewellery,table-eloths, bed quilts, blankets, skirts,
and
so forth;
and
Ishould think, without exaggeration,
that
the wardrobe
contained at least £100 worth of property.
The gentleman to whom I have been referring had told me before I
began my search,
that
ashort time previously a young country.girl
came to his service, from Knutsford Ithink he said;
that
the very first
night she was there his umbrella had gone,
and
that the lady's maid
had so satisfied him
that
the new-comer had stolen it,
that
he
discharged her the next morning. Now, amongst other things which I
found in the wardrobe was this same umbrella. I had all the articles
laid
out
on the floor of the chamber, and called the gentleman up,
and those which had been stolen were mostly identified by himself
and his sister. As, however, many of the things could only be spoken
to by their mother, who was over ninety years of age, and not fit to be
removed from the hall to give evidence, I was requested not to take
the thief into custody,
but
to see her from the place. Having heard
this she began to bounce amongst the servants,
but
I very soon put a
stop to this by telling her
that
whether her master prosecuted or not I
myself should do so if she made any noise in the hall.
I did not believe
that
this was the first time this lady's maid had
been guilty of offences of
that
kind, for she had three immense boxes
which contained a very large quantity of property,
and
which, I do
not think, could have been all her own. The girlfrom Knutsford was,
Iunderstood, fully compensated for having been wrongfully
discharged.
Two other magistrates, one of them being Mr. Taylor, of Booth
Hall, Blackley, called
upon
me, I remember, one evening, when one
of them stated
that
he had good reason to believe
that
aservant who
had been in the employment of his mother, who had recently died,
had carried away some things
that
belonged either to him or to her
late mistress. One of my sergeants having ascertained
that
aperson
named-shall
I say
Bolton?-and
answering to the description
ofthe
woman
wanted, lived in a street off Stretford Road. I went to the
house
about
midnight, knocked at the
door,
and
was answered from
an upstairs window by a man. I asked if Mr. Bolton lived there,
and
he replied in the affirmative. Then I told him
that
I desired to see him,
and
would be glad if he would come downstairs. He then
July 1979
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