The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-08-11 00:00:00

CHARGE_ OF ATTEMPTISG TO DEFRIIID A

RAILWAY COMPANY,

At the Kidderminster Police Court on Wednes
day, Maria Tyers, a widow, was brought before
full bench of magistrates on a charge of attempting
to obtain .211 13s from the London and North
Western Railway Company by false pretences.
Mr. J. Hinton (from the offices of Mr. Robert-,,
Easton) appeared to prosecute, and Mr. J. J.
Corbet defended.

The evidence against the prisuer was rather
lengthy, and there were witnesses from • Birming-
ham, Liverpool, Southport, and Rhyl. The prisoner,
it appeared, had made a claim against the company
for the alleged loss of a box of clothing in August
last year, when she went from Birmingham to
Rhyl
Detective-inspector E. Richards, of Liverpool,
saw her on May 20th last with reference to the
claim, and she then stated that the particulars she
had furnished before as to the loss of her box were
correct. He then took down a statement made by
prisoner as to the circumstances attending the loss
of the box, and prisoner signed it. In this she
described how she Ix came possessed of the box said
to be lost, and stated her whereabouts previous to
going to Rhyl. She said she took two boxes with
her from Birmingham to Rhyl, and at Rhyl when
she asked for her boxes, they could not be found,
and she was told they would be all right if they
were addressed. She went to a cottage near the
be tch to nurse a Mrs. Lewis, and the day after her
arrival went to the station again and found one of
her boxes on the platform. She said she went to
the station three times a day about the other box,
and at th ) end of the week Mrs. Lewis found the
air too strong, and she returned the Birmingham
and had since died. Prisoner said she went hack
with Mrs, Lewis to Birmingham, an Mrs. Lewis
paid her, and she remained in Kidderminster till
October, when she went to Rhyl to look after her
box again. The evidence for the prosecution was a
complete denial of these statements. It was to the
effect that prisoner, through a register office in
Birmingham, kept by Mr. James Bird, obtained a
situation at the Belvoir and Pier Hotel, Rhyl, as
laundryrnaid. _ _

A witness stated that he saw her start in the
train for Rhyl, having then only one box and a
swan hand-basket with her.

An omnibus driver at Rhyl deposed to driving
her to the hotel with one box, but he said to this
man that she had two more boxes in the train, but
d d not know what had become of them. Her
career as laundryin aid at the Belvoir was short
lived. 'I he manager had her turned out of the
hous2 for drunkenness, and she was locked up for
.obbing a fellow-servant at the hotel. This was
not substantiated, but the' case led to another
charge against her of stealing property belonging to
the hotel proprietors, and she was sentenced to two
months' hard labour. It was also stated that t ,ere
had been a conviction against the prisoner at
Kiddertninster. She brought an action against the
.railway company in the Birmingham County Court,
ior the loss, of the box, and it was down for hearing
on July 16th, but prisoner did not appear. She
alleged she had been told by one of .;he witnesses
now called that her case had been settled, and her
solicitor had gone home; but the witness referred
to denied seeing her at all in Birmingham.
Mr. Corbet addreased the Court for the prisoner,
and sha was committed for trail, bail being allowed