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Sarah Carswell a charwoman, was brought up in custody of Sergeant Back charged with stealing two pots of jam, the property of Mr. Gall, Pastry Cook and Confectioner of Townwall Street. Charles Gall examined; I am a baker and confectioner living at 43 Townwall Street. I have occasionally employed the prisoner for some months as a charwoman. She was at my house in that capacity yesterday. I had previously lost different articles from the kitchen and suspecting they had been stolen.

I placed three pots of preserve on a shelf in the kitchen with my name on them in order to detect the thief. On the prisoner coming to me to be paid after finishing her work I went into the kitchen and looked in the place where I had put the jam when I discovered that two of the pots were missing. I immediately returned to the prisoner and calling her into another room accused her of stealing the jam. I also charged her with having in her possession some meat and butter I had missed in the course of the day. She said she had neither and declared the jam was downstairs. She then ran down into the kitchen but I followed her and when she got to the place where the jam had been I said to her “there it is not there.” The prisoner then put her hand under her shawl and took out one of the pots. I took it from her and asked her for the other but she denied having any more at the same time running into the pantry where she threw something out of the cloth now produced. I took the cloth out of her hands and saw one of my people pick up from the floor of the pantry several pieces of beef now produced. I then again asked the prisoner for the other pot of jam, but she said she had not got it.

On my sending for a policeman the prisoner still denied having any more, but on her way to the Station House in the custody of Sergeant Back I saw her take another pot of jam from under her dress and put it on the window of Mr. Thiselton’s shop in Bench Street as she was passing. I gave the pot of jam into the hands of the officer. Both the pots produced are mine and worth 1s each. Sergeant Back deposed to take the prisoner into custody on the previous day on the accusation of the prosecutor. He said that after taking one pot of jam away from the prisoner she denied having anymore but on the way to the Station House as they were passing Mr. Thiselton’s shop he saw the prisoner place one of the pots of jam produced on the window sill. Mr. Argall being behind immediately took it off and handed it to the witness. The prisoner on having the charge read over to her by the superintendent at the Station House said “if you’ll let me off I’ll never do the like again.”

The prisoner now desired that the charge might be dealt with by the magistrates and pleaded guilty. The magistrates considered the case a bad one. Charwomen were placed in a position of trust and generally had access to all parts of the houses in which they were employed. She must therefore be made an example of and for this offence would be committed to the House of Correction with hard labour for one month. (1860)