Quote
THE SWINDLER WESTWOOD.
This notorious swindler was brought up again, charged with converting to her own use a shawl the property of Mr. Edward Marshallsay Farwell, of which she was the bailee.
Mr. Howard appeared for the prosecution, and said the Bench had before them one of the most notorious swindlers in the country. He then read over the accounts of prisoners’ previous convictions, as appear in our columns.
Prisoner on being cautioned, pleaded not guilty.
Frank Bound, shopman in the employ of Messrs. Lundie, said that last Friday, Oct. 28th, prisoner came to their shop about a quarter to five, and handed in a written order, asking if he could understand it. He said the name was not written very plainly, and prisoner replied that it was Westwood. She continued that she had taken No. 2, Belvidere Cottage, in this town, for six months certain. She asked what their terms were, and he replied that for visitors it was usual to send in weekly accounts. She replied that “that was the Brighton way of doing business.” After reading over the order, he asked if she required anything else, and she said that Miss Westwood had been advised by Dr. Smith to drink stout.
She asked about the size of the stout, and he recommended her to have imperial pints, as they were in much better condition than the small pints. She said she must have the best, as Miss Westwood had never drunk any before, and he entered a half-dozen of imperial stout. She also ordered a bottle of sherry, which was sent. Prisoner said “I hope you won’t think I am asking you any impudent questions.” Shortly after she left the shop. He would not have trusted her had she not made the statement she did. The goods were taken up by their own van.
Mr. Henry Saunders, occupying No. 2, Belvidere Cottage, said that last Friday week, prisoner came to the cottage. He let the house for a week, but would not let it for six months certain, and would not have done so unless he had made enquiries as to her respectability. On the same day, a parcel of grocery was brought from Mr. Lundies, and a list with it. Next morning Mr. Trim came to his house, and told him that the person he had in his house had taken other lodgings in the town, ordered a lot of things, and left without payment. He would not have let her stay another day in the house with him; but she went out, as she said to see Dr. Smith, but did not return. Some drapery goods were sent to his house from different places in the town for prisoner. A bedstead was brought; but he did not take it in. He found she had taken lodgings elsewhere, and she left without paying him.
William Ironsides, driver of Mr. Lundie’s van, said, last Friday week he received from Mr. Bound a quantity of goods, including half a dozen stout, and a bottle of wine, to deliver at No. 2, Belvidere Cottages.
Mr. Ayling asked what was prisoner’s proper name?
Supt. Vickery said from a letter received, it was Westwood.
Mr. Howard: She was convicted at Dorchester under the name of Edith Florence Howard, a fashionable name at Blandford.
Prisoner: Is the prosecuting solicitor’s a fashionable name?
Sarah Saunders, wife of Mr. Saunders, corroborated her husband that the lodgings were only taken for a week. She came at one; but afterwards she said she preferred a smaller bedstead and ordered one. When the goods came witness told her the things were come, and decanted a bottle of wine. Witness knew what prisoner had ordered except the wine and porter, as the list was written in her presence before prisoner went out. The reference she gave was to Mr. Weston, Dorchester, who was her solicitor, and she had known him for some years.
Mr. Howard looked at the letters which prisoner had [?] the magistrates. She vehemently objected to this, and told Mr. Howard that in dealing thus with a lady (!) who had no solicitor, she thought he was going much too far. The following were the letters:—
Dorchester, 28th October, 1879;
Madam,—I am sorry to find by your letter, which in consequence of my absence from home I have only this morning received, that instead of returning to Shrewsbury as I recommended, you have taken lodgings at Weymouth, which you were well aware you had not the means of paying for. I was in hopes that the bitter experience you have had, had taught you the necessity of acting differently; but it is clear to me it has failed to do so. I am satisfied the best and wisest thing you can do is at once to return to your relatives, as I feel convinced, should you delay doing so, you will within a week again find yourself an inmate of Dorchester gaol.
Yours obediently,
M. C. WESTON.
Miss Westwood.London, 8th Nov., 1870
Madam,—I am, as you will see by the above address, in town, and may not be home on Thursday, as it will depend entirely upon my getting through the business I am engaged upon. I pray, therefore, you consult any other professional man you like.
Yours faithfully,
M. C. WESTON.
Miss Westwood.William Staples, working for Messrs. Reynolds, wine merchants, said that on Friday week, October 25, prisoner came into the office, where he was, and stated that she was lodging at Trim’s, the baker’s, on the Radipole road. Her name was Miss Westhead. She ordered a bottle of wine to be sent for her. —Cross-examined; This was about a quarter to two.
Prisoner was then charged with an attempt to obtain by fraud a bedstead from Mr. G. Chalker.
Mr. George Chalker, upholsterer, said: On Friday week prisoner came to his place about five o’clock. She wanted an article to make up a bed in a room, and he showed a chair bedstead, which she said would do very well. She said she was almost ashamed to say where her lodgings were: a gentleman had taken her lodgings, at two guineas or £2 5s. a week, and had paid 50s. She asked whether that was fair, and witness replied that it was usual. She continued that a gentleman had taken her first lodgings, and she was ashamed to say where she lodged now, but if persons used her well, she would give them the bedstead. In consequence of the conversation he had with prisoner, he sent up the bedstead on Monday, and Mr. Saunders sent it back again.
The prisoner applied that Miss Roberts, an assistant at Miss Reynolds’s, should be sent for, an application which she afterwards withdrew.
Mr. Howard, however, pressed that the witness might be summoned, and she attended.
Fanny Roberts, milliner at Misses Reynolds, Charlotte-row, said she was ordered to go to Mr. Trim’s with some goods, and on the road she met the prisoner, who ordered her to take the goods to No. 2, Belvidere Cottages. She had served prisoner with various articles on Friday week about half-past one. She identified the goods produced which were part of those sold by witness to the amount of £1 12s. 9d. She was to go about six, but could not go till a quarter to seven, and met the prisoner at Waterloo-place. When they arrived at Belvidere Cottages witness went up to her lodgings, and delivered the goods, which prisoner said would suit, and that was to be altered. She ordered witness to make out the bill, and it would be paid next day at twelve. Miss Reynolds had in the meantime heard from the police, and witness went up for the money; but prisoner was gone. She afterwards heard that prisoner was arrested.—Cross-examined: On Saturday, when she went to the lodgings she met prisoner just outside Mr. Saunders’s door, when she asked if certain things were left. Witness said she had come to see about the things, and prisoner replied she supposed she had; she (prisoner) wondered she was treated in that manner.
Another charge was of obtaining goods from Mr. Talbot, draper, St. Mary-street.
Ellen Wilkins, assistant to Mr. Talbot, said prisoner came to the shop, on the 28th October, said she was living at Mr. Trim’s. She ordered two crinolines to be sent on approbation, a bonnet to be trimmed with crape, and a black fall to be sent next day, to be paid for on delivery. She gave the name of Miss Westwood. The bonnets were not sent, but the crinolines were.
Prisoner pleaded not guilty, and in defence said she came from Dorchester a week after she had left the gaol. She walked to Weymouth, and on the way took Mr. Trim’s lodgings. It had been arranged by her solicitors at Shrewsbury (Teece and Corser) that she should have three guineas weekly for six months, and she intended to take the lodgings for that time. Her solicitors had written to the superintendent of police in reply to a letter she wrote; but in consequence of the letter arriving when Mr. Weston was away, he was not aware of the three guineas being paid to her. On Friday she left the lodgings to go to Dr. Smith, leaving her shawl and other little things. She returned at three and asked Mr. Trim for letters, and he told her there were none, but goods to the value of 7s. 6d. had come for her. She said that was impossible, they could not come to so much, and she would go herself and pay. Mr. Trim saying he did not like the appearance of things, she left at three, and took Mr. Saunders’s lodgings at Belvidere Cottage, at 25s a week; but they were much inferior to the others. She did not like the bed, and got a smaller one. She afterwards went to Lundie’s, and ordered the things as well as the bedstead from Chalker.
In reply to the Bench the superintendent said he did not find a farthing about prisoner. She had an empty purse.
Prisoner said at that time she had £7 in her possession. Mr. and Mrs. Saunders were very kind at first; but she noticed a change afterwards, and thought it arose from their having heard she had been in Dorchester gaol. In consequence of this she left; but she was very willing to pay for all she had had and she owed a week’s lodgings to Mr. Trim and Mr. Saunders. She was sorry to say she had been in prison several times for false pretences; but the police would not let her alone, and she had placed the purse and money in the hands of a gentleman she would not name. She had been in prison for a Miss Rabbits, and she considered it a hard case. If she was going to cheat, why did she bring the shawl back to Mr. Farwell? She wished the public wholly to know she had been in prison seven years, and three times in a Lunatic Asylum. She had only been out of prison a fortnight for seven years.
In reply to the Mayor prisoner said the three asylums were Shrewsbury, Bristol, and Abergavenny. She had no parents living, but had a brother and half sister.
The Mayor said the prisoner had taken up a great deal of the magistrates time. They did not wish to do anything harsh, but they wished to convince her she was only doing her case harm. The decision of the Bench was that she be committed to Dorchester gaol for trial at the next Quarter Sessions, in each case.
Prisoner said she would rather be sentenced to 18 months imprisonment any where else than a fortnight in Dorchester gaol, as they did not take care of her health there.
THE SWINDLER WITH MANY NAMES.
Our active superintendent of police has discovered that a great many persons are interested in the fate of the woman Westwood or Wyndham, in custody for swindling at Weymouth, and has learnt a good deal of her history. It is supposed that she is a native of Brierley in Herefordshire, and has a sister living in Leominster while, from its being stated that she belongs to Shrewsbury, it is supposed that she has friends there also. Her conduct seems to be also that of a lunatic, her penchant being simply to defraud. This could not be the result of her education, for her parents are highly respectable in middle-class society. In 1860 she gave her age as 35. She is now 5ft. 2in. in height, slightly built, and has something of a cast with her eye. She is fully believed to be the person whose career is described as follows:
—On May 19, 1857 she was convicted at Cheltenham, and sent to the county gaol at Gloucester for three months. In October, 1857, she was arrested for illegally pawning a watch at Gloucester city in the name of Sarah Westwood. This case was withdrawn, and she was discharged with certain remarks from the Bench. In November, 1859, she was convicted by the Hastings magistrates in the name of Sarah Rosa Westwood, for felony, and sentenced to three months’ hard labour. She has also been in custody at Aberystwith, in Cardigan, for obtaining goods by false pretences, and also at Tenby in Pembrokeshire, for the same offence. The goods obtained were of the value of £200, but these cases were not considered to come within the criminal law, and were withdrawn. On leaving Tenby in 1861, she visited Weston-super-Mare, and in the name of Westwood, victimised the tradesmen to the extent of nearly £300, and hence she was hunted out of the town, but the cases were not considered to be sufficiently of a criminal nature to prosecute. She then paid Bristol a visit, and called upon a medical gentleman, in whose absence she stole a case of instruments. She was arrested, but the magistrates considered her a lunatic, and she was sent to an asylum, whence she managed to escape. In February, 1863, she was wandering abroad, and had a month for vagrancy; in July of the same year she was tried at the Hants Quarter Sessions for larceny, and sentenced to twelve months’ hard labour. In October, 1864, she was tried at Dover, and found guilty of fraud; but got off with one day’s imprisonment. In March, 1865, she was convicted at Brighton of fraud, and it was shown that she had been previously convicted at Portsmouth and Dover. She then gave her age as 25 years only; but for all that she had 18 months in Lewes gaol. It is understood that she has been several times convicted at Southampton and at Portsmouth. The details of her conviction in 1869 at Dorset Quarter Sessions, for fraud on Messrs. Lock and Marshall, of Blandford, will be found recorded in our papers of that time. Besides the frauds on Mr. Farwell, &c., which were reported last week, we understand the prisoner went on the 28th ult. to Messrs. Lundie’s, and tendered a written order for a quantity of groceries for Miss Wyndham. She said that Miss Wyndham had been recommended by Dr. Smith to have some stout, and it must be the very best, because she had never had any before in her life. She also asked for some sherry, and said to the assistant, “You will not think that I am asking you any impudent questions.” It seems that she asked what their terms of business were, and the assistant replied that it was their custom to send weekly accounts. “Ah!” she replied “That is the Brighton way of doing business.” She ordered the goods to be sent to Miss Wyndham at 2, Belvidere Cottages, and said she had taken the place for six months. A quantity of tea, sugar, and candles, also some sherry and stout were supplied. Some of these things Messrs. Lundie have recovered. We understand she also obtained some wine of Mr. Reynolds. Some of the tradesmen are disposed to consider her out of her mind, and certainly it would be a great relief if she were confined as a criminal lunatic for life.
— Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette, Tuesday 15 November 1870 source