The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-02-19 00:00:00

sgßtous CHARGE..OI! ROBBERY

One of the most extensive hotAe robberies which has come
to light for some time, has just been detected. The parties
accused are Sarah Pugh, who has for the last three years
been employed as maid servant to Mr. Rodolph Zwilchen-
bart, and her brother-in-law and sister, Robert Jones and
Ann Jones. The case was gone into shortly on Monday last,
and was resumed before R. Rodick and John Formby, Esqrs.,
county magistrates, in the grand jury-room, Sessions-house.
The room was much crowded with the friends of the parties.
Mr. Wilkins, the barrister, appeared on behalf of the pri-
soners. The prisoner Sarah Pugh is a very interesting look-
ing female, and was, we understand, about to be married.
Mrs. Jones had a baby in her arms, and, as well as her hus-
band, appeared deeply afflicted at her situation ; but her sis-
ter scarcely evinced the least discomfiture. The following
is the evidence adduced :

Rodolph Zwilchenbart said he was a merchant, and resided
at Walton-on-the-Hill. He had resided there since the 7th
September, the time be left Shaw-street, Everton. The pri-
soner Sarah Pugh was in his service, and had been so between
two and three years. She was engaged as nurse and maid,
to attend upon his late wife. He first began to suspect some-
thing was wrong in the house last Saturday week, in conse-

quence of squabbling about some mourning, which Pugh
said had been delivered deficient. In consequence of these

suspicions he went into the servant boy's room, and took
with him all the servants. He ordered Sarah Pugh to
take the mattress off the boy's bed, which she did. A
piece of mourning-cloth for black dresses, a gown, and
flannel petticoats were found. He asked her how these
articles came there. She said it was merino for dresses,
and intimated that the articles were her's. She said she

often put her shawls and other articles there to keep them
straight. In consequence of his suspicions being raised
still more, he asked to see her drawers, and accompanied her
with the other servants into her room. He opened her draw-
ers, and in them there was some unmade-up linen and calico;
nothing so very important, but still enough to excite still fur-
ther his suspicions. After seeing these things he went down
stairs, cane(' her down, and discharged her then. He told
her he was sorry that such things had happened, but, as he
had now lost all confidence in her, it was better she should
leave his service. He remonstrated with her, and said,
" Now, be very careful ; take only what is your own, and
leave my property untouched." He further ordered her to
call the coachman when she made up her trunk, in order that
he might see every thing as she put it in, as that would be
both satisfactory to himself and her. She replied that it

would be very strange to leave that very night, and asked to
be allowed to stay till Monday morning, which request was
granted. He did not see her go away, nor did he sedan),
thing that she took with her. He left town for London the
same evening on business, about halt an hour after she left.
He returned on the Thursday following, and, in consequence
of many suspicious circumstances occurring, and a greatnum-
ber of articles being missing, he bad a regular search through
the house on the Friday morning, when, finding an enormous
quantity of his household clothing missing, he determined
that the prisoner should be followed. There was one ward-
robe e

mtcrely empty, and a great number of
_things missing

There were not half the articles he expected