The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-03 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

THE EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF SHOP-
LIFTING BY A LADY.
-MA_RYLEBONE.—The case of Mr'. Ramsbotham,
which has excited an extraordinary degree of interest,
came on for hearing yesterday morning, at the Maryle-
bone Police-court, before Mr. Broughton, the sitting
magistrate. The time appointed was 2 o'clock, but at
least an hour before that time the court and the passages
were crowded to excess. The accused, whose age is
about 50, came up in a cab and remained in a private
room until after the despatch of numerous night charges.
At half-pact 2 o'clock Mrs. Ramsbotham was brought
into the court and placed at the bar, and two other
ladies, in compliance with a request which was made,
were allowed to be seated on either side of her.
Mr. Ballantine, instructed by Messrs. Lewis and
Lewis, with Mr. Herring, attended for the prisoner.
D. Ramsbotham was present, as was also Dr.
Tweedie, the latter of whom sat near the magistrate.
Mr Bonsor, from the office of Messrs. Asburst, Son,
and Morris, No. 6, Old Jewry, appeared on behalf of
Mr. Moule, the draper, in Baker-street, from whose
shop the four cambric handkerchiefs were alleged to have
been stolen.
A report of the former proceedings in this case has
been already inserted in The Sun, and it will be remem-
bered that an adjournment upon bail, to the amount of
2,0001., took place, the sureties being Dr. Ramshotham
and Mr. Lindsey, of Laurence Pountney-lane, for the pri-
soner's appearance, another witness—viz., the person by
whom Mrs. Ramsbotham was served at the shop—being
req eired to give evidence.
Tie statements which had been given by Samuel
Weleli, one of the shopmen, and Beckett, 231 D, were
read over by the chief clerk, Mr. Fell ; the two witnesses
baring been reswora to the truth of their dspcsitions.
Mr. Broughton (to Anstead, the gaoler).—Tell the
defendant that she must put her veil up. It is usual to
do sn.

Mr. Ballantinc—Stop a moment. Whether usual or
nor, she is not bound, I presume, by any law of the land
to do so.
Mr. Broughton—l am astonished to hear such a re-
mark from the learned gentleman, who must be aware
that it is the practice at the asszes and the Central Cri-
minal Court that a p-non at the bar should be unveiled.
How is it possible to identify a person charged who has
a veil over her face ?
Mr. Ballantine remarked that it was quite time
enough for the accused when there was a necessity for
her identification to remove her vei'.
Mr. Ballantine (to the witness Welch)—Are the hand-
kerchiefs said to have been stolen here!
The handkerchief, were produced.
Mr. Ballantine—Had any handkerchiefs been shown
to Mrs. Ram,,botham ?
Witness—Not that I am aware of.
Mr. BAllantine—The value of the four, I believe, you
consider 91. ?
Witness—Ye,,.
Mr. Ballantine—Are they really cambric ?
Witcess—They are.
Mr. Ballantine—French cambric ?
Wituess—l should say " Yes."
Mr. Ballantine had no questions in cross examination
to put to Beckett, the policeman.
Mr. Bonsor, on the part of the prosecution, said that
his client had not been actuated by any particle of ill-
Leiing in following up the matter, which had been
brought under his notice by parties in his establishment.
lie felt it to be a duty which he now owed, not only to
himself, but to his brother tradesmen, to pursue the
inquiry.
The additional witness was James Watkins, who was
examined by Mr. Bonsor.
Mr. Bonsor—ln whose service are you ?
Witness—l am an assistant to Mr. Monte, 54, Baker-
street.
Mr. Bonsor—Do you know the prisoner at the bar?
Witness—l know her from her having come into the
shop on Tuesday last.
Mr. Bonsor—At what time did she come in ?
Witness—At about half-past 11 o'clock in the fore-
noon.

Mr. Bonsor—Explain what took place.
Witness—When she came in she asked to look at
some linings. I showed her three or four pieces, and
she selected one piece at 43d. a-yard. About six yards
were cut off it. I asked her if she wanted anything else,
and she replied that she did not. I presented to her a
box containing half-a-dozen cambric handkerchiefs. She
said that she did Lot require them • but that, if she re-
quired any, those I produced were of too thin a texture.
An ether packet from the other side of the shop was
h inded tl her ; it contained handkerchiefs of another
description. She observed that they were the kind of
handkerchiefs she liked, but that she did not then
wiA for any. She then asked me to show her an
article of dress, at the same time remarking that she
did not want to purchase it. I went to the other end
of the shop for the dress, 'which I placed before her.
She told me she was much obliged to me for showing it
to her and asked me to make out the bill for the lining
she had bought. I did so, and when she paid it she
desired me to send the parcel to 7, Portman-square.
The handkerchiefs produced I identify by the marks upon
them as the property of Mr. Moule.
Mr. Ballantine—Are they French cambric ?
Witness (after some hesitation)—l cannot positively
say thatethey are.
Mr. Ballantine—Are they sold as French ha/Aker-
chiefs ?
Witness—They are sold as French cambrics.
Mr. Ballantine—Are they not sold to ladies as French
cambrics?
Witness (rather confused)—Not in all cases, sir.
Mr. Ballantine—What handkerchiefs were those
which you first showed to Mrs. Ramsbetham ?
Witness—They were of a different description ; but I
cannot say that they were of a better quality. They were
of a more expensive kind than those in the second box.
One lot was hemmed and the other was not.
Mr. Ballantine—Are you sure that the defendant did
not say, "Make out the bill fur what I have had, and
not merely for the lining."
Witness—She said nothing more than "Make out the
bill fur the lining." She paid for it, and the parcel was
for .varded to her house in Portman-square, agreeably to
the directions she gave.
Mr. Ballantine—Was she known to you as Mrs.
Itarnsbotham I
Witness—Not to me. She was known to some of our
establishment.
Welch was recalled, and in reply to a question put to
him, he stated that, while passing down Baker-street
with the prisoner; she (prisoner) said, " I have got
the handkerchiefs, but I had no intention of stealing
them."

Air. Broughton—Was that after having denied that
she was in Mr. Moule's shop ?
Witness—Yes, sir.
Mr. Fell, chief clerk—You did not state on your pre-
vi .11s examination that the prisoner observed she did
not intend\ to steal the handkerchiefs?
Witnees—l believe I did.
Mr. Herring—No, you did not.
Mr. Fell---If you had, lam sure it would have been
down in my minutes.
This closing the case for the prosecution,
Mr. Ballantine, on the part of the defendant, in a
lengthened and most impassioned address, urged the
magistrate not to send the accused for trial. In the
course of his speech Mr. Ballantine alluded t 3 what he
considered a great impropriety—requiring the prisoner
to lift up her veil, and thereby expose herself to the gaze
of every one in the court, which was densely crowded by
persons who had been attracted there in order to look
upon a lady whose state of mind was most distressing.
Mr. Broughton, in reference to the last remark of
the learned counsel, said he hoped he should never
live to see the time when a court of justice should not be
looked upon as an open court, whether a party charged
via in a Lich ur poor eundltion of lif.. (Applause was
here manifested to some extent, but it was speedily re-
pressed by the officers.) The magistrate added that,
since the report of the farmer proceedings had gained
publicity, he had received several letters, in one of
which the writer said—" I have read with feelings of
the greatest disgust the report in the papers. A police-
court was never meant for the purpose of receiving evi-
dence against respectable people. The writer further
said that he was a friend of Lord Palmerston, and that
he (the magistrate) would be sure to suffer if he dared
to send Mrs. Ramsbotham for trial. Mr. Moule bad
also received several letters from persons stating that
they should cease to deal with him if he was so blind to
his awn interest as to go on with the case. One of the
letters he had received contained a proposition that the
affair might be compromised by contributing a sum of
1001. to the Middlesex Hospital.
Mr. Ballantine thought it highly improper that Mr.
Broughton should have rßeardeeogririetefeer)rehdadtoaalineydseud, trash
as that to which he (Mr. .
hi
improper that. such.
pending an inquiry.
letters should be sent by Mr. Broughton--It is
ahnylgonye
in court by judges at the cir-
cuithave been read publicly
Often it is the ease that letters of such a description
courts, Mr. Broughton, after
and at other
had taken as a magistrate to
sisteatly with the oat
consent to the
impartially,
souse further observaathwiohnse, said that he could not, con-
deal out justice fairly and
liberation of the priso
who
ner Only that day he had sent
two women for trial were charged under nearly
a' railsr circumstances, and if he were to discharge Mrs.
Rarnabothamy ought he not, in common justice, to call
them back from the cell and
at once liberate them !
she must go before
against Mrs. Ramsbothanl,
that a lady
L ii,king at the whole of the evidence which had been
adduced
a jury for trial. He regretted exceedingly
to
coin.
in her position of life was in such a situation as
pel him to adopt that course, but he would take the
same bail as he did before viz., 2,0001.—f0r her being
for hcoming to answer h
Bier sesnons.
t meDr
r.btristab
oitha an tili:lcr. charge at therenewed nex t lit: eesi
their
tuf
oi nr
--
I d ivea away in'°a°e°al.l3 each,
1 passages i ithe vicinityotof the cwArt,
after being led through one of the
and the prisoner was then
encountering a cr„.d
ha,l congregated in frontsoonfle
High-street. in order to avoid
htindreds of persons who
the magiatrate's entrance in

l'eladame. Goldsolnoidt (Jenny Lind) has left Holland
for Dre,den ; but not to leave our Dutch friends utterly
di consolate for her loss, she has promised to return, and
resume her professional ayocations after Easter.