QSR1853/3/5/20/a

Depositions of Sarah Lucke, wife of John Lucke, shoemaker of Luton, and Cornelius Sharpe, police constable of Dunstable. In the case of Sarah Burr accused of stealing a pair of boots.

2 May 1853

From: 1853 To: 1853

Sarah Lucke: kept a stall at Dunstable market. On 27 April the prisoner and 2 other women came to her stall. The sister of the prisoner asked for a pair of boots. She gave her a pair and she bought and paid for them. Whilst she was looking for a piece of paper to wrap them in, she saw the prisoner take a pair of boots off the stall and put them in her shawl. The prisoner went away and Lucke went after her, but lost sight of her. She found the 2 other women and asked them where the women in the red shawl was. They wanted to know why and she said it was because the woman had stolen boots from her stall. Lucke sent her daughter for the police and one of the women went to fetch the prisoner. Lucke asked the prisoner what she had done with the boots and she said she did not take any. One of the women said she would give the boots she had purchased for the ones that had been taken away. Lucke refused. The police constable came and Burr was taken into custody. Cornelius Sharpe: on arriving at Lucke's stall he found she had detained a woman. 2other women were present and one offered to give Lucke her boots if no more was said about the matter. Lucke refused. One of the women put some money in the prisoners hand and said pay her for the shoes. The prisoner took the money and offered it to the prosecutor but she refused to take it. Burr was searched by Sharpe's wife but the shoes were not found on her. She denied she had taken the shoes several times.

item

Burr, Sarah,
Lucke, Sarah,
Lucke, John,
Sharpe, Cornelius

stealing, shoemakers, DUNSTABLE, boots, Dunstable Market