Mexborough & Swinton Times, April 17, 1896
Thirty-Four Pawn Tickets.
Remarkable Case From Denaby.
Severe Sentence.
In October, last year, John Bell, labourer, 12, Clifton View, Denaby, engaged a very respectable-looking, lady-like well educated woman, named Emma Stanton, to act as his housekeeper. He discharged her because he found out she had pawned a boy’s suit of clothes. After having discharged her, Stanton made a statement to him that she had named a quantity of goods belonging to him. She also gave him twelve pawn tickets. He said he discharged her as soon as he found out she had been pawing goods belonging to him. He valued the goods at £3.
Prisoner had no question to ask. Herbert Henry Wray, pawnbroker, New Conisborough, said he knew the prisoner. She had been in the habit of pledging articles regularly at his shop. Thiry-four pawn tickets were produced, and witness identified them as coming from his shop.
George Arthur Oates, a boy employed by the last witness, also identified the ticket, and said the prisoner had been in the habit of pledging articles at the shop. The dates on the tickets were from the 23rd October, 1895, to the 4th.
P.C. Midgeley said he arrested the prisoner on a warrant, and when he charged her with the offence she replied. ‘Yes. I took the things and pledged them, but I intended to get them out.”
the prisoner’s defence was that she had devoted part of the money to buy things for Bell’s house.
The bench regarded the case as a very bad one, and sentenced the woman to 6 months imprisonment with hard labour.
the pawnbroker afterwards made an application under the Pawnbroker’s Act for an order for the refunding of the hall are part of the money by the prosecutor. He considered there must have been some contributory negligence on the part of the man himself. The prisoner was well-educated, and had seen better days.
the Bench felt that there had not been proper enquiry by the pawnbroker, and refused to accede to the request stop