EXTRAORDINARY FREAK OF A JEALOUS ACTRESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7824, 18 December 1886, Page 3 (Supplement)

EXTRAORDINARY FREAK OF A JEALOUS ACTRESS.

At the Westminster Police Court, Lottie Jackson (2S), of Albany-street, Portland Road, described on the charge-sheet as an actress, was charged before Mr. D'Knycourt with assaulting Amy Dumas by striking her in the face at the Victoria Station of the District Kail way. She was further charged with being dressed in male attire for a supposed improper purpose. The defendant, who had been admitted to bail, now appeared before the magistrate in a fashionable and expensive costume of blue velvet and fur. Mr. Bernard Abrahams, of Great Marlborough street, defended; and Mr. J. Hix Osborne appeared for the Railway Company. Constable Orchard, 220, B, said that the proseoutrix, Miss Dumas, was not in attendance. A few minutes after twelve on the night of the occurrence, he was called to the Victoria Station of the District Railway by a porter. There was a considerable crowd there, and the station-inspector was detaining the prisoner, who was dressed as a young man, in a brown tweed suit and black felt hat. (He produced the clothes in Court.) Two young ladies complained of having been assaulted by the prisoner in a railway carriage, and they went on to the station and preferred the charge. One of the complainants stated that her bonnet was pulled off, and the other charged the prisoner with striking her. Mr. Abrahams : I think I ought to tell your Worship that the defendant has got herself into this scrape through jealousy. She suspected the fidelity of the gentleman to whom she vas engaged; and with the intention of following him and seeing in what company he got, she assumed the garb of a man. She was so far successful that she discovered that her suspicions were well founded. She found him paying attentions to other young ladies, and followed him to the railway carriage where the fraoas took place. No great damage was done, and the defendant was very sorry, and hoped his Worship would think that she had sustained enough punishment by the ignominy attaching to being charged and being brought there. The railway station inspector got into the witness-box, but in answer to Mr. D'Eyncourt, he said that personally he had no charge to make agaicst the accused. Mr. D'Enycourt said he would allow her to be discharged.