The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-04 00:00:00

BIRTHS IN THE WEEK.

Males
Females

Total

... 907
... 862

1,769

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

lVilliecm Steinfall, 33, described in the calendar as a
merchant, and of superior education, was indicted for
having stolen certain Prussian and Austrian notes,
value 501. and a geld watch, the money and property of
Adele Ruderganski.
The prosecutrix, a well dressed and pretty looking
young Hungarian, the daughter of a colonel in the ser-
vice of the Emperor of Austria, deposed, her evidence
being given through an interpreter, that in the month
of July last she came to this country from Boulogne,
to open a shop in the millinery way of business, and she
went to live in the house of a Madame Schultz, a friend
of hers, at No. 9, Clifton-street, Finsbury-square, who
was aware that she was about to take a shop to start in
business. On the first Sunday after her arrival in
London, she was taking a walk with Madame
Schultz, when they met the prisoner, to whom
she was introduced as a friend of Madame Schultz,
and a very good man. The prisoner conversed
with her in her own language, and they all went
to Hampstead. On her return he went to a lodging
No. 1, Clifton-street, where the prisoner afterwards
visited her, and proposed to marry her—and then that
she should live with him as his wife. On the 4th of
August he came to see her in the afternoon, and against
her will, and in spite of her resistance, violated her per-
son. Afterwards she consented to live with him, and
he took a lodging for her, representing that she was his
wife, at No. 9, Union-place, City-road. The prisoner
from the first day he knew her was aware that she had
money and that she was about to start a shop, and he
said he was a dealer in watches, and would start in
business with her. Her money consisted of Austrian
and Prussian bank-notes—value 501. English. She
showed it to him, and he said, " What is the use of
your keeping this money in the house, I'll take it to the
bank, and get interest for it." On the second day she
lived with him, she gave him the money for him to place
it in the bank, and he afterwards told her he bad placed
it in the bank, and she asked him fir the receipt of
it, and he promised that she should have it. She
had a gold watch in her possession which had been
out of repair. The prisoner asked her for it, and
said he would take it to a watchmaker's and get it re-
paired, but she (lid not see it again until after he was in
custody when a pawnbroker's duplicate relating to it was
found upon him. On the 7th September he packed• up
all his things, and expressed his intention of leaving her.
She asked him to return her her money and her watch,
when he said he had had no money from her. This led
to a quarrel, and he persisted that he had not had any
of her money. He beat her with his stick and kicked
her. In the evening he went away in a cab, but re-
turned afterwards, when she procured a constable, and
gave him into custody for stealing her money and the
watch. Afterwards she missed a good many articles of
clothing from her drawers.
Cross-examined —She told Madame Schultz of her having
been violated by the prisoner the first time shesaw her after
the occurrence, and showed her marks caused by his vio-
lence. She cried and said what a villanous man he must
be. Madame Schultz advised her to marry him before
this took place, but particularly afterwards. No inter-
course took place between them from the 4th of August
till the 10th. The defendant when he beat her, made
her black and blue about her body. She kept the money
in her trunk wrapped up in stout paper. She counted
it before him. She came to London by the steamer from
Hamburg—second class. Her luggage was examined at
the Custom-house. There were 350 thalers altogether,
she got part at Hamburg, and part at Vienna, by
working as a milliner. She left Vienna fur Hamburg,
to proceed to America by way of England. She changed
some of her Austrian notes at Hamburg for Prussian
ones. She was acquainted at Hamburg with Herr
Grohman, son of a merchant, and his family compelled
her to leave the place because they did not approve of a
marriage which was contemplated between her and
Grohman. The police gave her notice to attend the
office, and told her that if she did not give up a ring
which Grohman had given her as a pledge of betrothal
she would be sent to prison. She did not receive a police
notice to leave within 24 hours. She went to Vienna
from Hamburg, and six months afterwards she went
through from Vienna to London by way of Hamburg.
She first saw the prisoner on the 29th of July. He pro-
posed to marry her on the 4th of August, and she went
to live with him as his wife. It was on the 4th of August
that he violated her. She fainted, and he threw water
upon her, and when she recovered she found that his
purpose had been accomplished. She told this to
Madame Schultz, who, however, did not advise her to go
before a magistrate, but told her to marry the prisoner.
She at first resisted the prisoner. He threw her on the

floor, and all this she told Madame Schultz on the fol-

lowing morning. That was the first time that she saw
her after it took place. They went to Vauxhall on
the 30th July. She knew a person named Diespecker.
She did not tell him that she had not the means of pay-
ing her passage to America, or that she had no money,
nor did she say to Madame Schultz that she should have
to pawn her watch and rings. She said nothing about
money,to her. She did not say that she had written to
her cousin, Theresa Tindahl, who was very pretty, to
came over, and they would soon earn plenty of money.
She had cousins who were women. She did not ask
Madame Schultz to swear that she had seen her in
possession of money, or that the prisoner had beaten
her. She did not say that she would get 50/. out of
the prisoner as she knew he had friends. She asked
Madame Schultz to write a letter for her to her cousin
Theresa, who was 27 or 28, but did not tell her to
raise a sum mentioned, 20 or 30 florins, but told her
that it would take about that to pay her passage to
England. She told her to go to the Hotel d'L'Europe
at Hamburg, and send for Robert Grohman, who would
see her on board. She wanted her to come over to
aid in the management of her business. She changed
her Austrian notes into Prussian because the rate of
exchange on the latter was less than on the former.
She changed 101. worth of thaler notes into English
sovereigns at Hamburg.
The jury found the prisoner guilty.
The Assistant-Judge said, it was a most heartless
robbery. The prisoner had accomplished the ruin of
this poor young woman and thenrobbedherof herhard-earned money, and then abandoned her. Thesen-
tence was that he be kept to hard labour in the House
of Correction for nine calendar months.