QSR1843/3/5/44-45/a

Depositions - Elizabeth Sarah Mathers and Sarah Mathers, wife of Richard Mathers, charged with stealing from Jabez Smith and Thomas Partridge

22 June 1843

From: 1843 To: 1843

Charlotte Smith, wife of Jabez Smith of St Paul Bedford, plumber and glazier - she is a milliner and mantua maker in Bedford. Elizabeth Sarah Mathers is her apprentice sewing under an agreement to work for her and her partner for 2 years and upwards, which term has not yet expired. The name of the firm is "Smith and Partridge". The partners are her husband Jabez Smith and Thomas Partridge of Leagrave. On Tuesday 20 June on her return home about 11pm Miss Adams who is in their employment as an assistant produced to her about 2 yards of riband, part of their partnership property which had not been sold or disposed of. She examined a roll of riband and she was sure the piece had been taken from the roll. On Wednesday morning Mathers came to work as usual about 8am. She called her downstairs out of the work room and said "Betsy come down and bring the little parcel you had in your bonnet and lost last night". She meant a small parcel containing the 2 yards of riband which she understood had been replaced in the work room where it had been found. When Mathers came down she had a handkerchief in her hand appearing to contain something. She asked what was in it. Mathers said "nothing but a bit of riband which I bought yesterday at the Lacy's for Mrs Rickman of Fenlake". Mathers opened the handkerchief and she saw in it the same piece of riband previously mentioned. She took it and said it was hers. Mathers at first persisted in saying she bought it but in the end admitted it was hers. Mathers said it was all that was taken except a small piece of blond (about 1 1/2 yards) which she first said she had purchased at Purkins's for a penny, but later said belonged to them. She cannot identify that. She asked if Mathers had taken any other gods - she said she had not. She then said she would send for Coombs. Mathers said "do not send for him I'll tell you all I have taken". She did not promise not to send for Coombs. Mr Smith her husband was present and said that must depend on circumstances, but no threat, promise or inducement was used. Mathers then admitted taking some black riband out of the warehouse of the old house (another house they had previously occupied in the same street), some silk cords and tassells, several other pieces, a little lace, some artificial flowers, some blond lace and a "bit or two" of black lace. One of the warehousemen then called out that there was a piece of silk at Miss Davis' to be made up for Mather's bonnet. She sent Caroline Clare to Miss Davis's for the silk. Caroline Clare returned in a few minutes with the piece of shot lute string now produced. She could not swear to it. When Clare produced it Betsy said her mother bought it. She said it looked like hers but could not swear to it. Mathers continued to deny it belonged to them, but later admitted it was hers along with a piece of sarsanet which they would find at her mother's. She sent for Coombs but before he arrived Mathers said she had taken some more silk cords and trimmings which she would find at home. She went to Fenlake where mather's mother lives expecting Coombs to follow. He and Mr Smith with Betsy overtook her. Coombs and Mr Smith went in to the mother's house. She and Mathers followed. As they were walking along she said "why Betsy, you have some of our riband on your bonnet now". Mathers admitted taking it a long time ago from the old house. At her mother's house she and Coombs went upstairs. Mrs Mathers made no objection. Mother and daughter both went up with them. Coombs searched and found a quantity of materials used in dressmaking and millinery - lengths of riband, yards of lining, sewing silks, buttons, silk cords and tassells, pieces of gimp, white and black lace, crape, and gloves. She cannot swear to them except that she has similar goods in the chop. The articles were taken from 2 coffers in 2 different rooms. On the floor of the second room she saw the pasteboard box now produced with the words "remnant riband" in her own handwriting. Mathers' box contained several pieces of riband, poland, cord, tassells and other small articles in which she deals. Many correspond with articles in their stock. She showed the items to Betsy Mathers and she acknowledged nearly all of them to be her [Smith's] property. Today Mathers says some of the articles are her mother's. There were a cap and a bonnet in the coffer, trimmed with riband corresponding with some in her stock. Betsy Smith acknowledged the trimming to be hers. Her mother said "you need not take the bonnet away, take the riband off it. That's my bonnet - don't squeeze it." The mother took of her own cap and was going to put on the cap mentioned but Coombs prevented her and took it. There were many articles of dress trimmed with cord, lace and various other things corresponding with her stock. There were two silk rollers with her private shop marks on them, with many pieces of black crape wrapped round one of them. She remembers once hearing the mother say "that you bought Betsy", to which Betsy responded "no mother, I'll tell the truth, I took them". Elizabeth Curtis Adams of St Paul Bedford, spinster, mantua maker - she is assistant to Smith and Partridge. Under directions given to her by Mrs Smith she was on watch and saw Betsy Mathers place a little parcel under her bonnet in the workrom on Monday. She took it down to Mrs Smith, and later tied it up and put it in the same place again. They then counted 40 lumps and put them in the basin in the pantry. The next day them missed some of the lumps which Betsy Mathers confessed she had eaten. On Tuesday Mathers went to mind the shop as she usually does while they are at dinner. While Mathers was in the shop she saw her at the drawers. On returning to the work room after dinner she saw Mathers place a parcel wrapped in a handkerchief under her bonnet. When Mathers left the room she looked in the parcel and found the pieces of blue and blond riband Mrs Smith first mentioned in her examination . She was certain the riband was Mrs Smith's. She replaced the parcel in the bonnet, but as Mrs Smith was not at home she later took the parcel and hid it. Betsy Mathers inquired for it but she did not tell her where it was. Yesterday morning when she came to work she said to her "Betsy, here's the parcel you were making such a fuss about last night". When Mathers came back after Mrs Smith called her down she asked her about some lute string she heard was at Miss Davis's. Mathers said she would not say anything about it. She told Mathers it would be better for her to tell what she had taken. She then heard Mathers whisper something to Miss Mayes who said "Betsy says it is the piece of silk she has taken, and also some pieces of sarsenet". She later heard Mathers say she had taken the lute string from Mrs Smith. She has looked at the articles produced by Coombs but cannot swear to them as being the property of Smith and Partridge. Susan Davis of Duck Mill Lane, St Mary Bedford, spinster, milliner and dressmaker - she knows both the prisoners. About a month or 6 weeks ago she received the piece of shot lute string now produced from Elizabeth Sarah Mathers, who ordered it to be made up into a drawn bonnet for her sister. Last Saturday her mother Sarah Mathers called adn asked if she could get the bonnet done this week - if not she must get the girl a straw one. About 10am yesterday Miss Clare, one of Mrs Smith's apprentices, came to her for the peice of lute string. William Coombs, chief constable of Bedford - he went yesterday with Mr and Mrs Smith to the house of Richard Mathers, a labourering man at Fenlake. With Mrs Mathers' consent he searched the 2 upstairs rooms. The daughter led him to a coffer by the bed side in one of the rooms. She said it was her father's coffer but they all used it. He took several things out fo the coffer and laid them on the bed for Mrs Smith's inspection. He took the black bonnet out and Mrs Smith identified the riband on the bonnet as hers. Mrs Mathers said the bonnet was hers and wished to have the riband taken off, which he refused to allow. He also found a cap in the coffer. Mrs Smith also identified the riband on the cap. He refused to let Mrs Mathers use it to replace the cap she was wearing. He took the bonnet and cap into his charge. There was other clothing in the same coffer which Mrs Mathers identified as her property, a suit of man's clothes he believes to be her husband's and several things which Mrs Smith identified as her property. She heard Elizabeth Mathers acknowledge a great many of them as Mrs Smith's property which she had brought from her house. He searched another coffer in an adjoing room and found the silk roller with crape round on it. Mr Smith identified it by his mark and said the crape came from his house. Elizabeth Mathers said "it did ma'am". He saw Mrs Smith take up a little paper box which she also identified as having her handwriting on it. There were more than 200 different articles and pieces of milliner and dressmakers stock. About 1/2 hour after the search while he was waiting in the room where the prisoners were Mr and Mrs Smith were outside the door. Mrs Mathers asked if the matter could be settled. She said she would pay anything to have it settled. Mr Smith came in and Mrs Mathers again asked if he would have it settled. Mr Smith refused.

item

Mathers, Elizabeth Sarah,
Mathers, Sarah,
Mathers, Richard,
Smith, Jabez,
Smith, Charlotte,
Partridge, Thomas,
Adams, Elizabeth Curtis,
Davis, Susan,
Coombs, William,
Clare, Caroline

Bedford St.Paul, Bedford St.Mary, Bedford Duck Mill Lane, Fenlake, LEAGRAVE, stealing, milliner, mantua maker, dressmaker, plumber, glazier