Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-11-28
EVENING STAR.
A Daring Female Impostnr

the various enormities which have been COM
mitted by young woman who has been un.
fayorably known in various parts of the united
kingdom, as Alice Grey, Alice Christie, Agnes
Hemens, Anastasia Haggard, Jane Turean,
Mary Ann 0'Brien, and by a dozen aliases
besides There is no person in our own time
save the Female Jesuit'-if all that has
been recountcd Of that young lady be true
who can be quoted as at all rival Of the
interesting parsonage who is at present occu-
pying the attention Of the bench at Wolver
hampton. The reader must, however recon-
cile himself to a somewhat dry narrative Of
facts, for our young heroine has made such
good use of her time that a mere enumeration
Of her achievements must necessarily run to a
considerable length. 1t may, however, be as
well to recapitulate briefly the circumstances
under which this imposter was brought up
before the magistrates at Wolverhampton
about week ago. ...
On the 18th of the present month Alice Grey
presented herself at the Borough Police court
at birmingham, and represented to the In
| spcctor that she had Just been robbed by two
boys. Her story was, that she was a stranger
In the town, and had just taken lodgings in a
certain street. In the course Of her peram-
bulations she had lost her way, and, meeting
some boys, she offered them penny TO lead
her to the house of which she was in quest
Wheu she took out her purse to end the penny
one of the boys snatched it out of her hand.
She described two boys, whom from her de-
Scrlption, the Inspector at once recognized,
and gave order TO two constables ~ 90 in
search of them. The boys were found, and
IN due course brought before the magistrates
Although her evidence was not corroborated,
SO great was the influence Of her demeanor
and so engaging the simplicity and modesty
with which she gave her evidence that the
boys were committed for trial at the Stafford
ha sha al-
ly successful, and the two boys were sentenced
to twelve months imprisonment. The ease Of
the prosecutrix excited so much commiSsera-
ton IN the court that the sum of - los. was
made up and presented to her.
So far all was well, but when she left the
court and was waiting for n train 10 Wolver-
hamton she was recognised as young woman
who under the name of Alice Christie, had
charged workman at the Birmingham Police
court, with having stolen her box, and about
IS In money, just as she had arrived at Biz
miDgham from Liverpool When she arrived
at Wolverhamptom she was detained on a
charge of perjury. To make TN end at once
OF the story Of the two boys, ii turned out on
further investigation that at the time Alice
Gray said they were robbing her of her purse
IN the streets of Wolverhampton they were at
place called Tettenhall, two miles from that
town. There they remained until six o'clock
at night, got back to W0lverhampton, and be-
| took themselves to limekilp, where one of
| them was arrested the same night The other
was taken the next day in the market place
! The statement Of the wretched lads however
did not outweigh the uncOrrobOratej testimo-
ny Of tho guiieless Alice Gray and to prison
they were sent for twelve months The two
cases, however, at Wolverhampton and Bir-
mlngham were but the commencement of the
| disclosures against this astonishing yourg wo-
! man. Twenty talbotype copies Uf daguer-
reotype likeness OF the prisoner found in her
box were taken, and sent to different parts of
the kingdom.
Then came tidings from Liverpool TO the ef-
feet that fcur years back the Interesting crea-
tGTe detained at WolverhamptOn had, under
the name of Anastasia Haggard, procured
the imprisonment of q man and woman, who,
as she said had stolen her box, which she had
engaged them to carry from the quay So
touching was her tale, that the barristers at
| the sessions actually made a collection ID send
| the forlOrn Anastasia back to Ireland Next,
| gentleman from Newcastle wrote that in the
photographs he had recognized the features
(! Oh young woman "whose modest demeanor
and patient endurance Of the sickening scene
OF crowded steamship on its passage between
Dublin and Liverpool had attracted his atten-
hon. AnastaSia was the daughter Of an
| Irish gentleman, shot at Limerick when she
was but four years old. Her mother had mar
1 1iSN uSAoh Sldllvu, 10 escape
the slavery OF low stepfather's house, she
| had quilted home, and was about TO emigrate
| to America. The gentleman offered to pro-
| cure her situation as cook at Newcastle up
| on-Tyne, but the negotiation broke off upon
! the question OF references. Carlisle, Chester
| and Lendon meanwhile wrote for a copy Of
| the photograph Thus far the investigation
| had proceeded last week. 1t is but right TO
| add, that when asked If she had any question
4 To mt In tho witnesses
| pler n1uhdsttss as We have described her
peremptorily told the magistrates, their clerk,
| the bar, and the press that they might all %
| to. A change had come ever her dream
| The reader must now turn to the report of
this extraordinary case which We publish this
day He will there fnd Anastasia or Alice
| converted into one Jane Turean, who robbed
her mistress near the Regents Park in Lon
don, and then absconded. The. Mansion
| House, in the city Of London, recognizes her
as young woman, who, under the name Of
Mary Anne o Brien, gave a man into custody
| on charge Of stealing her box upon her ar
rival from ireland. Mr.. Goodman, the chief
clerk, gave her funds to carry her back to
Cork, but next year she turned up at the Old
Bailey, and charged four women with CON-
mittiDg similar robbery. She swore that un-
til then she had never been out Of Ireland in
her life, until, driven from her perjury by
weight OF testimony against her, she coolly ad-
mitted that she was the Mary Anne O'Brien
She next make her appearance in Dublin, but
her victim was fortunately able TO prove that
at the time named he was at mass. From
tlintshire we hear that she was turned away
from situation for enormous lying Her
master believed that she had been married,
but her husband had been convicted Of biga-
my and transported. :,
We must conclude this catalogue Of this
young woman's enornities, not from want of
materials, but of space. We cannct call to
recollection in the annals Of crime so ''lead-
ing" G case of systematic perjury committed
by 50 young person. In the political trials
Of Charles III. there was, to be sure, very
heavy swearing, but this was the work of old
protessors-Queea's counsel in the noble
science The singularity of the case here de-
pends upon the sex and youth of the offender,
and her habit Of perjury had ripened into a
system. Many girl has sworn, or attempted
to swear away, the life OF man. Afiliation
cases under the old law might have furnished
some very fair cases Of the crime, but what
are these when compared with the performan-
ces ofthis new heroine.-Loadon 1fmes.