Heavily pregnant Preston house servant jailed for stealing from employer

In November 1865 Police Detective Dixon was assigned the task of investigating an extensive robbery from the home of Mrs. Mary Ann Hopkins in Bushell Place.

Mrs. Hopkins had alerted the police after returning from an extended family holiday on the Continent. She had left the house in the charge of a female servant, named Emmy Lucy Law, aged 20, whose father was also a live in employee on the premises. On their return an extraordinary number of articles had been taken from the house. The items including tables, chairs, dresses, shawls, bedding, towels, linen, trinkets, parasols, slippers, shoes and even pots and pans.

Whilst they were away Emmy Lucy had got married to a railway engine cleaner, named Job Longton, but they did not suspect her of the theft. Eventually, however, circumstances arose which led to the forming of a very different opinion as P.D. Dixon unravelled the mystery.

In early December the detective went to a house in Brunswick Street where Emmy Lucy and her husband were living. He searched the house and found within a number of the missing articles along with pawnbroker tickets. This led to the arrest of the couple and further investigation that uncovered evidence of items being sold to pawnbrokers in the town by the husband.

On the third Tuesday of December the couple appeared at the Preston Police Court before the Mayor C. R. Jacson and a bench of magistrates. The female prisoner, who appeared to be heavily pregnant, was charged with stealing the articles, and the male prisoner with receiving them knowing them to be stolen. With investigations on going the pair were remanded in custody for a further week.

At the next hearing among those testifying where a couple of pawnbrokers who identified Job Longton as having pawned various articles from a quilt to a table cloth. Margaret Harrison, who was a servant to Mrs. Hopkins, was called and she stated that clothing from her personal trunk had gone missing and she identified a shawl that had been recovered from a pawnbroker’s shop.

Mary Ann George, who was a servant at an address in Cannon Street, testified that she had received a couple of trinkets from Emmy Lucy when she visited her at Bushell Place.

These items later being identified as belonging to Mrs. Hopkins. Eleanor Langton, sister of Job Longton, also testified as to visiting Bushell Place and receiving gifts from Emma Lucy including a bead bag and a skirt, not realising they were the property of Mrs. Hopkins.

After considering all the evidence the magistrates committed both prisoners to the Epiphany Quarter Sessions. In early January 1866 Job Longton stood in the dock alone before the Chairman Mr. T.B. Addison and pleaded guilty, being sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.

It was announced later that the case concerning his wife was adjourned to the next sessions to be held in mid February as she was in the latter stages of confinement.

For Emma Lucy Longton a guilty plea was looked upon favourable and her appearance before Mr. T. B. Addison led to a punishment of only six months imprisonment.