COURTSHIP AND BURGLARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15504, 10 January 1914, Page 2 (Supplement)

COURTSHIP AND BURGLARY.

M.P.'S HOUSE RANSACKED.

' CONFESSION BY ACCOMPLICE.

Lx astonishing revelation in the form of a . onfession of love-making which led up to 1 ■ burglary at the house of Mr. Arthur i iteel-Maitland, M.P., Chelsea, was made 1 t Westminster recently, when Alfred 1 ngram and Harry Pascoe were placed in J he dock, on remand, charged with steal- ! ng jewellery and other property valued at > bout £100." 1 There were also further charges against >oth men of being concerned in stealing ' aluable jewellery. ' Divisional Detective-inspector Bedford ' tated that with the prisoners a housemaid ' lamed Bodimeade, in the service of Mr. I' iteel-Maitland, was originally charged, attentions having been paid her by Pascoe, vho, it was alleged, arranged with Ingram : o " burgle" the place while she was taken , mt for a night's amusement. During the i ■emand the police had found out that she vas the dupe of the man, and now asked hat she should be discharged and allowed ■■ 0 give evidence. Mr. Horace Smith assented. Lucy Bodimeade, after discharge from ; lustody, was called as a witness. She de- : rosed that about three weeks previously ! ■l»e casually made the acquaintance of Pas»e at the Lyceum Theatre. They left ogether, and he saw her home. On Sunday, November 2, she met him again >y appointment. She invited him to her : imployer's house in Cadogan Square. On •hat occasion he stayed in the housekeeper's j •oom. On the following Wednesday, he :alled again by arrangement in the early I tvening to take her to a music-hall. It vas midnight when they returned. She usked him inside, "to have a cup of cocoa,'' j ind she then made the discovery that in ! ler absence the premises had been " bur- I lied." She told Pascoe, and at her request le went over the house with her. Mr. steel-Maitland's dressingroom drawers had >een turned out, and many rooms were in disorder. " Remained in the House." Mr. Horace Smith: What became of Pascoe? I Witness: He remained till the police i :ame ; in fact, he remained in the house- : keeper's room all night, as I was too ' frightened to stay alone. Did you see him again before he was inested?Once; on the following day at Paddington. I called to see him, but he i made no statement about the occurrence. Detective-sergeant Goggin stated that an examination of the premises showed that the area door had been forced. Almost every room in the house was in a state of disorder. As a result-of a conversation with Bodimeade, witness saw the prisoner Pascoe at Paddington railway station. Witness said he had called about a case of burglary at Cadogan Square. " You were there last night," witness said to him, , "and Mrs. Bodimeade, the servant, has' been to see you this afternon and told you j the police were making inquiries." Further told by witness that Pascoe was known to have been recently in company with Ingram, the prisoner said: j " Well, you know too much for me, and i 1 will tell you all about it." * He then proceeded to make a statement, ; which he signed. This, put in- evidence, J was to the following effect: — ''lam a supernumerary porter at Pad- I dington Station, and I have known Mrs. Bodimeade for about a fortnight, meeting I her at a theatre. She fold me she was I employed at 72, Cadogan Square, .and I.' made an appointment for the following Sunday. We visited a tea shop off Oxford Street, had a trip to Acton, and before leaving her I arranged to meet •her again on the Thursday following. After that I called at her place. TEe next day I saw her there about five p.m., and remained all the evening. The next day I saw her there again, had some tea with her, and then took her to a music-hall. The following Sunday I was there again, and she told me her master's name was Mr. SteelMaitland. Next day I called upon her, and was there introduced to her sister. There was a man there who was introduced to me as a former .servant of Mr. Maitland. He left shortly aiU'r I arrived. Before leaving I made an appointment for the Wednesday night. I wi?nt with Mrs. Bodimeade to the Coliseum, and we walked all the way home, arriving there about twelve o'clock. I knew that a .burglary was going to take place that nigbt at 72, Cadogan Square while Mrs. BodAmvade and myself were away. I had known Ingram and other persons, and, of coitrsA it was put up to me by Ingram. I h.«d met him the previous night. He asked me what I was doing with myself, and I told him I was doing very little work, and that I had been to Newmarkef. and done my money in. He asked me where I had been r ing the evenings, and I told him I had & decent little party, at 72, Cadogan Square, who I went over to see. I told him she \was a caretaker, and tliat the people who ov "netl the house were away. Then he asked me if there was anybody left behind when I went out with her, and I said there waV not. 'Well,' he said, 'that's easy, and if you can let me in you shall have "half cd whatever there is. I think I can get a hundred or two there.' I thought if I could get half of that I would clear right out of it. I told him Mrs. Bodimeade was going to meet me at Albert Gate on Sanday, and lie said he would see us meet and then go and get in. We both went to Cadogan Square, and I pointed out No. 72 to him. I knew Ingram was there on Sunday night to do the job, but as we did not eo out it did not come off. I next saw Ingram on the Tuesday morning. He came down to the railway station to see me, and I told him if the job had to be done it must be done on Wednesday night or not at all. and I should be glad to be out of it, as I was taking Mrs. Bodimeade to the Coliseum on Wednesday night. He said, ' You stand by me. I shall be there." Place Found in Disorder. " I next saw him about 6.30 on Wednesday nicht, close to Sloane Street. Mrs. Bodimeade was with me, and we were on our way to the Coliseum. Ingram was alone, and I passed close to him. but took no notice of him. When we arrived home and found the place in disorder I told her to telephone to the police, and thev arrived about 12.30 a.m. After examining the place, they left. I remained there until 7.30. stopping there at the request of Mrs. Bodimeade. as she was afraid. She saw me to-day (November 13) nt the railway station, and said there had been a rare bother at the house. I was trusting to Ingram to act honourable, but have not seen him since. I wrote to him to-day, telling him that I knew he had done the j job, and that I left it to him to see me j when it was safe."

Detective-sergeant Ooggin further deposed that at three o'clock the following morning, with Detectives Frost and Craven, he went to a house in North Kensington. They tapped at a window and a woman's voice answered. Witness said that he desired to see Ingram. The door, was eventually opened bv a woman. Witness and the other detectives rushed in and found Ingram in bed. Ingram threatened trouble, and when informed of Pascoe's statement remarked, "He is a dirty rotter." In the meantime, Detective Frost had pulled from under the bed a large portmanteau stuffed with stolen property from Cadogan Square. Ingram then said: "All right, vou have got the stuff, so I may as well tell you all." Further search of the room was made, and another bag and portmanteau taken from under the bed. In the corner of a room was a powerful jemmy and steel chisel.

Prisoners were committed for trial on the charge of burglary &t Mr. Steel-Maitland's house.