Wednesday
2nd December 1914 (Luton): Mrs Mary Kingham has appeared at the Luton Borough
Sessions today charged with stealing £5 in £1 notes from her friend, Mrs Emily
Appleby of Oak Road. Mrs Appleby had received the money on Monday afternoon as
back pay for billeting. Shortly after this Mrs Kingham came to her house
and they went out together to pay some calls. That evening they caught a
tram car home, on which Mrs Kingham offered to pay Mrs Appleby’s fare.
When she arrived home Mrs Appleby realised
her purse and the money it contained was missing. When first confronted by the
police Mrs Kingham denied knowing anything about the money, but she later went
upstairs and fetched two £1 notes. With the contents of Mrs Kingham’s purse
Detective Inspector Attwood was able to recover £2 7s 10½d. Mrs Kingham claimed
that Mrs Appleby’s purse had only contained £3, although her daughter later
offered to repay £5 by Saturday. Mrs Kingham professed herself heartbroken at
what had happened, saying it was done on impulse because she was in great
trouble. She was a widow, one of her daughters had only a little work and the
other none, and her son was subject to fits. Her eighteen year old daughter was
prepared to give everything she had and work to pay the £5 so that her mother’s
conscience could be clear. The Mayor adjourned the case for a week to give Mrs
Kingham and her daughter a chance to make the repayment.
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