A Perilous Position for a Female

A PERILOUS POSITION FOR A FEMALE.--William Myerscroft, alias William Wilson, a respectabte-looking man about forty years of age, surrendered, in discharge of his recognizances, to answer, an indictment charging him with stealing a silk scarf, the property of Laurina Smyth. — Laurina Smyth, the prosecutrix, was called, and deposed that she was a dressmaker, and resided in Church street, Stoke Newington. She had given the name of Lucille Montague when before the committing magistrate, but her right name was Laurina Smyth. On the evening of the 6th of August she was returning from Charlotte street, Fitzroy square, to Stoke Newington. It was a very wet evening, and about nine o'clock, when passing down Holborn, she was accosted by the prisoner, who made some observation on the state of the weather. She paid no attention to him at first, but eventually she was prevailed upon to go into a coffee-shop or tavern for shelter, and whilst there the prisoner called for half a quartern of brandy. Witness took a glass of the brandy, and they remained in the coffee-room for about twenty minutes. She said that she was going to the Bank, to get a bus to take her home. The prisoner said he was going the same way, and offered to accompany her. A few moments after they left the coffee-room she became quite unconscious of everything, and did not recover her senses until towards the middle of the night, when she found herself in a house of ill-fame, in the neighbourhood of Hoxton, and the prisoner in the room with her. When she saw the position she was in, she requested the prisoner to leave the room, but he would not do so, and thereupon she called a female belonging to the house to come up to her, and feeling very ill she requested a glass of water. She then took off her bonnet and scarf, which she left on a chair in the room, and again requested the priaoner to leave, but he declined to do so. She then told the young woman that she wished the prisoner to leave the room. She told witness if she came down stairs she would soon get rid of him. She went down stairs and into the back parlour. The woman of the house then called out to the prisoner that she (prosecutrix) was gone off. The prisoner then came down, and being told that witness had run away, he ran out after her into the street. Prosecutrix went up stairs to the room as soon as he had gone, when she missed the scarf. Upon this she followed the prisoner and gave him in charge, and when the policeman had him in custody prisoner took the scarf from his hat and gave it to him. — Cox, N 60, corroborated the prosecutrix's evidence with reference to the finding the scarf in the prisoner's hat — Mr. Holloway, of 244, Strand, gave the prisoner a good character.— The jury tound the prisoner guilty, and he was sentenced to one month's hard labour.

Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper, September 1st, 1850