Cambridgeshire Times 31 Oct 1874: Caroline Allum guilty of stealing

CAMBRIDGE BOROUGH QUARTER SESSIONS

(Thursday, October 22nd, 1874.)

STEALING BOOTS. — Caroline Amelia Allum, 32, married, was charged with feloniously stealing a pair of men’s shoes, of the value of 10s. 6d., the property of Frederick Hales, of Peas Hill, on the 29th of August last. — Mr. E. H. Palmer, instructed by Mr. Poland Adcock, for the prosecution; the prisoner was undefended. — The evidence went to show that the prisoner went into the shop and was seen there, but did not buy anything. The same evening the boots were missed. Detective Kirbyshire went to Trumpington, where the prisoner lived, and on going into the house saw the husband with one shoe on and the other standing on one side. Whether he was taking them off or putting them on could not be said. The boots bore evidence of having been worn that day. The woman said she was not in Cambridge that day, and afterwards said she bought them in Cambridge, at a place she could not remember the name of. She told p.s. Sanctuary, however, that she did steal the boots. — The prosecutor thought he could identify the boots, and produced a glass (which he said was 300 years old) by which he thought he could distinguish a particular trade mark. Some amusement was caused when the glass was being handed about the court. More than once it was dropped, and the witness said that any damage to it would have to be made good. It was, however, at length returned to him in a perfect state. — The Jury found the prisoner guilty, but recommended her to mercy. She was sentenced to 4 months’ imprisonment with hard labour. — The learned Recorder passed a severe stricture on the practice of of exposing goods outside shop windows, and said he would mark his sense of such a temptation to needy and ill-disposed persons by not allowing the prosecutor his expenses.