The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-01-11 00:00:00

POLICE.

BOW-STREET.
Yesterday Anne Smith and Mary C,m,ior, two very young girls,
were brought before Sir It. litrtr ix. charged with stealing, in con-
junction with another girl not in custody, 12 diamond and other
rings, value 291. and upwards, front the shop of Mr. Vining, a
jeweller in Pall-mall.
•

The prisoners, and a third girl about their own age, went yester-
day morning into Mr. Vining 's shop, where his daughter only was
then in attend:loco, and requested her to show them some gold seals
which they pointed out in the window. They looked at them, but,
when told the price, said they were too dear, and one of them ob-
served that she had seen some others in the window which she
thought were cheaper, and she would go outside and point them
out. At the saute moment the girl not in custody requested Miss
Vining to allow her to mire for a minute to the parlour at the back
of the shop, to adjust some portion of her dress. Tics Vining gave
her permission, and went with her ro assist her, desiring her toothier,
who was sitting at the parlour window, to have an eye to the shop.
While she was engaged with the girl in the parlour, her mother
saw one of the other two put her hand to the glass-case in the shop-
window, and take out a red jewel-casket. In consequence of a pa-
ralytic affection of the organs of speech, Mrs. Vining can articulate
but slowly • and before she could make her daughter understand
what she had seen, the two prisoners had left the shop, and were
quickly followed by the girl s ho had pretended to adjust her dress.
When Allis Vining understood what had happened, she pursued
the three girls along Pall-mall, calling to a youtg gentleman
whom she saw passing to assist her. They came up with Connor
and Smith in Warwick-street ; and the gentleman seizing Connor,
while 31 it4l Vining held Smith, asked her what she had done with
the casket Y She said she knew nothing about it, but the gentle-
man observing her endeavouring to conceal one of her hands under
her dress, compelled her to open it, and there found eight rings,
which Miss Vining identified as being part of the contents of a
casket which was in the glass cue just before the prisoners came
into the shop. There was nothing found upon Smith. The third
girl escaped. Another ring was found dropped in the shop, and
the casket was found in the street.

The prisoners said nothing in their defence, and were about to
be fully committed, when.—
Mr. Vining said, that to get clear of a large crowd which had
assembled round his shop, he sent for a coach, and came with the
witnesses, an officer, and the prisoners, to this office. When he
12ft home, he had a sovereign, unmixed widi silver, in one of his
pockets, and since be left tho coach be missed it. Whether or
not the ladies at the bar contrived to ease him of it by the way, he
could not tell, but he certainly sat next to theni in the coach.
The prisoners were taken out anti searched, and though Mr.
Vining's sovereign was not forthcoming, something of much
greater value was found, in the shape of another of the diamond
rings, which dropped from smith's dress duriug the search.
The prisoners were committed to Ncwgate for trial.