counting-house at Soho, stealing therefrom 150 guineas and a lot of
silver, but Matthew Boulton captured four of them, who were
transported.--The National School at Handsworth, was broken into and
robbed for the fifth time Sept. 5, 1827.--A warehouse in Bradford Street
was robbed Jan. 9, 1856, of an iron safe, weighing nearly 4cwt., and
containing £140 in cash.--A burglary was committed in the Ball Ring,
July 5, 1862, for which seven persons were convicted.
_Coining_.--Booth, the noted coiner and forger, was captured at Perry
Barr, March 28, 1812, his house being surrounded by constables and
soldiers. In addition to a number of forged notes and £600 in
counterfeit silver, the captors found 200 guineas in gold and nearly
£3,000 in good notes, but they did not save Booth Irom being hanged.
Booth had many hidingplaces for his peculiar productions, parcels of
spurious coins having several times been found in hedgerow banks and
elsewhere; the latest find (in April, 1884) consisted of engraved
copper-plates for Bank of England £1 and £2 notes.--There have been
hundreds of coiners punished since his day. The latest trick is getting
really good dies for sovereigns, for which Ingram Belborough, an old man
of three score and six, got seven years' penal servitude, Nov, 15 1883.
_Deserters_.--On 24 July, 1742, a soldier deserted from his regiment in
this town. Followed, and resisting, he was shot at Tettenhall Wood.--A
sergeant of the Coldstream Guards was shot here while trying to capture
a deserter, September 13, 1796.
_Dynamite making_.--One of the most serious offences committed in
Birmingham was discovered when Alfred Whitehead was arrested April 5,
1883, on the charge of manufacturing nitroglycerine, or dynamite, at
128, Ledsam Street. Whitehead was one of the Irish-American or
American-Irish party of the Land Leaguers or Home Rulers, who entertain
the idea that by committing horrible outrages in England. they will
succeed in making Ireland "free from the galling yoke of Saxon tyranny"
and every Irishman independent of everybody and everything everywhere.
Well supplied with funds from New York, Whitehead quietly arranged his
little manufactory, buying glycerine from one firm and nitric and
sulphuric acids from others, certain members of the conspiracy coming
from London to take away the stuff when it was completely mixed. The
deliveries of the peculiar ingredients attracted the attention of Mr.
Gilbert Pritchard, whose chemical knowledge led him to guess what they
were required for; he informed his friend, Sergeant Price, of his
suspicions; Price and his superior officers made nightly visits to
Ledsam Street, getting into the premises, and taking samples for
examination; and on the morning named Whitehead's game was over, though
not before he had been watched in sending off two lots of the
dangerously explosive stuff to London. There was, however, no less than
200lbs weight found still on the premises. The men who carried it to
London were quickly caught with the dynamite in their possession, and
with Whitehead were brought to trial and each of them sentenced to penal
servitude for life. The distribution of rewards in connection with the
"dynamite outrages," so far as Birmingham people were concerned, was
somewhat on a similar scale to that described by the old sailor, when he
said "prize-money" was distributed through a ladder, all passing through
going to the officers, while any sticking to the wood was divided among
the men. Mr. Farndale, the Chief of Police, was granted an addition to
his salary of £100 per year; Inspector Black was promoted to the rank of
Superintendent, adding £50 a year to his salary, and was presented with
£100 from Government; Sergeant Price, became Inspector, with a rise of
£41 12s. a year, and received a bonus of £200; Inspector Rees' salary
was raised to two guineas a week, with a gift, of £50: while Mr.
Pritchard, to whom belonged the conspicuous service of having given the
information which led the police to act, was rewarded (!) with £50,
having lost his situation through his services to the public.
_Embezzlements_.--In 1871, W. Harrison, the Secretary of the Birmingham
Gas Company, skedaddled, his books showing defalcations to the amount of
£18,000. When the company was dissolved, £100 was left in a bank for Mr.
Secretary's prosecution, should he return to this country.--July 12,
1877, the secretary of the Moseley Skating Rink Company was awarded
twelve months, and the secretary of the Butcher's Hide and Skin Company
six months, for similar offences, but for small amounts.
_Forgeries_.--In the year 1800, seven men were hung at Warwick for
forgery, and with them one for sheep-stealing. The manufacture of forged
bank-notes was formerly quite a business here, and many cases are on
record of the detection and punishment of the offenders.--June 28, 1879.
the Joint Stock Bank were losers of £2,130 through cashing three forged
cheques bearing the signature of W.C.B. Cave, the clever artist getting
ten years--Nov. 15, 1883. John Alfred Burgan, manager of the Union Bank,
for forging and uttering a certain order, and falsifying his books, the
amounts embezzled reaching £9,000, was sentenced to fifteen years' penal
servitude.--On the previous day Benjamin Robert Danks was similarly
punished for forgeries on his employer, Mr. Jesse Herbert, barrister,
who had been exceedingly kind to him--Zwingli Sargent, solicitor, was
sentenced to five years' penal servitude, April 28, 1885, for forgery
and misappropriating money belonging to clients.
_Fortunetelling_ is still far from being an uncommon offence, but
"Methratton," the "Great Seer of England," _alias_ John Harewell, who,
on March 28, 1883, was sentenced to nine months hard labour, must rank
as being at the top of the peculiar profession. Though a "Great Seer" he
could not foresee his own fate.
_Highwaymen_.--The "gentlemen of the road" took their tolls in a very
free manner in the earlier coaching days, notwithstanding that the
punishment dealt out was frequently that of death or, in mild cases,
transportation for life. The Birmingham stage coach was stopped and
robbed near Banbury, May 18, 1743, by two highwaymen, who, however, were
captured same day, and were afterwards hung.--Mr. Wheeley, of Edgbaston,
was stopped in a lane near his own house, and robhed of 20 guineas by a
footpad, May 30, 1785.--An attempt to rob and murder Mr. Evans was made
near Aston Park, July 25, 1789.--Henry Wolseley, Esq. (third son of Sir
W. Wolseley, Bart.), was robbed by high-waymen near Erdington, Nov. 5,
1793.--Some highwaymen robbed a Mr. Benton of £90 near Aston Brook,
April 6, 1797.--The coach from Sheffield was stopped by footpads near
Aston Park, March 1, 1798, and the passengers robbed.--The "Balloon"
coach was robbed of £8,000, Dec. 11, 1822, and the Warwick mail was
robbed of no less than £20,000 in bank notes, Nov. 28. 1827.
_Horrible_.--The bodies of eleven children were found buried at back of
68, Long Acre, Nechells, where lived Ann Pinson, a midwife, who _said_
they were all still-born, July, 1878.
_Long Firms_.--A term applied to rogues, who, by pretending to be in
business, procure goods by wholesale, and dispose of them fraudulently.
W.H. Stephenson, of this town, a great patron of these gentry, was
sentenced to seven years' penal servitude, Nov. 22, 1877, for the part
he had taken in one of these swindling transactions, according to
account by far from being the first of the kind he had had a hand in.
_Next-of-Kin Frauds_.--Many good people imagine they are entitled to
property now in other hands, or laid up in Chancery, and to accommodate
their very natural desire to obtain information that would lead to their
getting possession of same, a "Next-of-Kin Agency" was opened in
Burlington Passage at the beginning of 1882. The _modus operandi_ was of
the simplest: the firm advertised that Brown, Jones, and Robinson were
wanted; Brown, Jones, and Robinson turned up, and a good many of them;
they paid the enquiry fees, and called again. They were assured (every
man Jack of them) they were right owners, and all they had to do was to
instruct the firm to recover. More fees, and heavy ones; the Court must
be petitioned--more fees; counsel engaged--more fees; case entered for
hearing--more fees, and so on, as long as the poor patients would stand
bleeding. Several instances were known of people selling their goods to
meet the harpies' demands; clergymen and widows, colliers and
washer-women, all alike were in the net. It became too hot at last, and
Rogers, Beeton and Co., were provided with berths in the gaol. At
Manchester Assizes July 18, 1882, J.S. Rogers got two years' hard
labour, A. Mackenzie and J.H. Shakespear (a solicitor) each 21 months;
and E.A. Beeton, after being in gaol six months, was ordered to stop a
further twelve, the latter's conviction being from this town.
_Novel Thefts_.--A youth of nineteen helped himself to £128 from a safe
at General Hospital, and spent £13 of it before the magistrates (Jan.
15, 1875) could give him six months' lodgings at the gaol.--Three
policemen were sent to penal servitude for five years for thieving July
8, 1876.--Sept. 19, 1882, some labourers engaged in laying sewage pipes
near Newton Street, Corporation Street, came across some telegraph
cables, and under the impression that they were "dead" wires, hitched a
horse thereto and succeeded in dragging out about a dozen yards of no
less than 33 different cables connecting this town with Ireland, the
Continent, and America. Their prize was sold for 4s. 6d., but the
inconvenience caused was very serious. Henry Jones, who was tried for
the trick, pleaded ignorance, and was let off.--At Quarter Sessions,
Ernest Lotze, got six months for stealing, Dec. 12, 1892, from his
employer 87lb. weight of human hair, valued at £300.
_Personal Outrages_.--Maria Ward was sentenced to penal servitude
December 18, 1873, for mutilating her husband in a shocking manner.--At
Warwick Assizes, December 19, 1874, one man was sentenced to 15 years,
and four others to 7 years' penal servitude for outraging a woman in
Shadwell Street.--George Moriarty, plasterer, pushed his wife through
the chamber window, and on her clinging to the ledge beat her hands with
a hammer till she fell and broke her leg, May 31, 1875. It was three
months before she could appear against him, and he had then to wait
three months for his trial, which resulted in a twenty years' sentence.
_Sacrilege_.--In 1583 St. Martin's Church was robbed of velvet "paul
cloathes," and also some money belonging to the Grammar School.--
Handsworth Church was robbed of its sacramental plate, February 10,
1784; and Aston Church was similarly despoiled, April 21, 1788.--A gross
sacrilege was commuted in Edgbaston Church, December 15, 1816.--Four
Churches were broken into on the night of January 3, 1873.
_Sedition and Treason_.--George Ragg, printer, was imprisoned for
sedition, February 12, 1821.--George Thompson, gun maker, 31, Whittall
Street, was imprisoned, August 7, 1839, for selling guns to the
Chartists.
_Shop Robberies_.--Diamonds worth £400 were stolen from Mr. Wray's shop,
November 27, 1872.--A jeweller's window in New Street was smashed
January 23, 1875, the damage and loss amounting to £300.--A bowl
containing 400 "lion sixpences" was stolen from Mr. Thomas's window, in
New Street, April 5, 1878.--Mr. Mole's jeweller's shop, High Street, was
plundered of £500 worth, April 13th, 1881. Some of the works of the
watches taken were afterwards fished up from the bottom of the Mersey,
at Liverpool.
_Short Weight_.--Jan. 2, 1792, there was a general "raid" made on the
dealers in the market, when many short-weight people came to grief.
_Street Shouting_.--The Watch Committee passed a bye-law, May 14, 1878,
to stop the lads shouting "_Mail, Mail_," but they go on doing it.
_Swindles_.--Maitland Boon Hamilton, a gentleman with a cork leg, was
given six months on July 25, 1877, for fleecing Mr. Marsh, the jeweller,
out of some diamonds.--James Bentley, for the "Christmas hamper
swindle," was sentenced to seven years at the Quarter Sessions, May 1,
1878.
The following tables show the number of offences dealt with by the
authorities during the five years ending with 1882 (the charges, of
which only a small number have been reported, being omitted):--
The total number of crimes reported under the head of "indictable
offences"--namely, Sessions and Assizes cases--the number apprehended,
and how dealt with, will be gathered from the following summary:--
Year. Crimes. Apprehended. Com. for trial.
1878 ......... 1746 ......... 495 ......... 349
1879 ......... 1358 ......... 474 ......... 399
1880 ......... 1187 ......... 451 ......... 340
1881 ......... 1343 ......... 435 ......... 351
1882 ......... 1467 ......... 515 ......... 401
NATURE OF CRIME. Number of Offences Reported.
1878. 1879. 1880. 1881. 1882.
Murder ... ... ... 11 ... 11 ... 5 ... 5 ... 4
Shooting, wounding,
stabbing, &c.... ... 30 ... 23 ... 8 ... 21 ... 28
Manslaughter ... ... 4 ... 3 ... 13 ... 6 ... 8
Rape, assaults with
intent, &c. ... ... 6 ... 1 ... 1 ... 9 ... 4
Bigamy ... ... ... 8 ... 0 ... 1 ... 4 ... 7
Assaults on peace
officers ... ... 0 ... 4 ... 0 ... 1 ... 2
Burglary,
housebreaking, &c. ... 6 ... 112 ... 80 ... 83 ... 131
Breaking into
shops, &c. ... ... 4 ... 94 ... 56 ... 109 ... 120
Robbery ... ... ... -- ... 9 ... 6 ... 10 ... 9
Larcenies (various) ... 1146 ... 959 ... 845 ... 935 ... 931
Receiving stolen
goods ... ... ... 22 ... 3 ... 16 ... 8 ... 6
Frauds and obtaining by false
pretences ... ... 63 ... 45 ... 53 ... 37 ... 69
Forgery and uttering forged
instruments ... ... 5 ... 9 ... 5 ... 4 ... 9
Uttering, &c., counterfeit
coin ... ... ... 48 ... 32 ... 43 ... 37 ... 63
Suicide (attempting) ... 20 ... 17 ... 19 ... 16 ... 23
The following are the details of the more important offences dealt with
summarily by the magistrates during the last five years:--
OFFENCES PUNISHABLE Number of persons proceeded against.
BY JUSTICES. 1878. 1879. 1880. 1881. 1882.
Assaults (aggravated) on
women and children ... 78 ... 57 ... 68 ... 37 ... 67
Assaults on peace-officers,
resisting, &c. ... 479 ... 390 ... 340 ... 340 ... 385
Assaults, common ... 1554 ... 1242 ... 1293 ... 1207 ... 1269
Breaches of peace, want of
sureties, &c.... ... 426 ... 381 ... 287 ... 219 ... 244
Cruelty to animals ... 154 ... 77 ... 129 ... 128 ... 94
Elementary Education Act,
offences against ... 1928 ... 2114 ... 1589 ... 1501 ... 1755
Employers and Workshops Act,
1875 ... ... ... 224 ... 198 ... 185 ... 155 ... 154
Factory Acts ... ... 12 ... 2 ... 17 ... 11 ... 62
Licensing Acts offences 267 ... 263 ... 132 ... 254 ... 297
Drunkenness, drunk and
disorderly ... ... 2851 ... 2428 ... 2218 ... 2345 ... 2443
Lord's Day offences ... 46 ... 4 ... 1 ... 0 ... 0
Local Acts and Bye-laws,
offences against ... 4327 ... 4327 ... 4127 ... 3702 ... 3603
Malicious and wilful
damage... ... ... 187 ... 163 ... 163 ... 214 ... 225
Public Health Act, smoke,
etc. ... ... ... 317 ... 172 ... 104 ... 104 ... 161
Poor Law Acts, offences
against ... ... 203 ... 220 ... 251 ... 243 ... 325
Stealing or attempts
(larcenies) ... ... 1094 ... 1222 ... 1434 ... 1253 ... 1235
Vagrant Act, offences
under ... ... ... 614 ... 622 ... 624 ... 611 ... 783
Other offences ... ... 214 ... 174 ... 172 ... 211 ... 386
The following are the totals of the summary offences for the same
period, and the manner in which they were disposed of:--
Year. Cases. Convicted. Fined.
1878 16,610 12,767 8,940
1879 14,475 10,904 7,473
1880 13,589 9,917 6,730
1881 13,007 9,468 6,412
1882 13,788 10,171 6,372
Similar statistics for 1883 have not yet been made up, but a return up
to December 31 of that year shows that the number of persons committed
during the year to the Borough Gaol, or as it is now termed, her
Majesty's Prison at Winson Green, were 3,044 males and 1,045 females
from the borough, and 1,772 males and 521 females from districts, making
a total of 6,382 as against 6,565 in 1882. In the borough 734 males and
198 females had been committed for felony, 1,040 males and 290 females
for misdemeanour, 707 males and 329 females for drunkenness, and 243
males and 121 females for vagrancy. Of prisoners sixteen years old and
under there were 193 males and 21 females.
~Noteworthy Men of the Past.~--Though in the annals of Birmingham
history the names of very many men of note in art, science, and
literature, commerce and politics, are to be found, comparatively
speaking there are few of real native origin. Most of our best men have
come from other parts, as will be seen on looking over the notices which
follow this. Under the heading of "_Parsons, Preachers, and Priests_,"
will be found others of different calibre.
_Allday_.--The "Stormy Petrel" of modern Birmingham was Joseph, or, as
he was better known, Joey Allday, whose hand at one time, was against
every man, and every man's hand against Joe. Born in 1798, Mr. Allday,
on arriving at years of maturity, joined his brothers in the
wire-drawing business, but though it _is_ a painful sight to see (as Dr.
Watts says) children of one family do very often disagree, even if they
do not fall out and chide and fight; but Joseph was fond of fighting
(though not with his fists), and after quarelling and dissolving
partnership, as one of his brothers published a little paper so must he.
This was in 1824, and Joey styled his periodical _The Mousetrap_,
footing his own articles with the name of "Argus." How many _Mousetraps_
Allday sent to market is uncertain, as but one or two copies only are
known to be in existence, and equally uncertain is it whether the
speculation was a paying one. His next literary notion, however, if not
pecuniarily successful, was most assuredly popular, as well as
notorious, it being the much-talked-of _Argus_. The dozen or fifteen
years following 1820 were rather prolific in embryo publications and
periodicals of one kind and another, and it is a matter of difficulty to
ascertain now the exact particulars respecting many of them. Allday's
venture, which was originally called _The Monthly Argus_, first saw the
light in August, 1828. and, considering the times, it was a tolerably
well-conducted sheet of literary miscellany, prominence being given to
local theatrical matters and similar subjects, which were fairly
criticised. Ten numbers followed, in due monthly order, but the volume
for the year was not completed, as in July, 1830, a new series of _The
Argus_ was commenced in Magazine shape and published at a shilling. The
editor of this new series had evidently turned over a new leaf, but he
must have done so with a dungfork, for the publication became nothing
better than the receptacle of rancour, spite, and calumny, public men
and private individuals alike being attacked, and often in the most
scurrilous manner. The printer (who was still alive a few years back)
was William Chidlow and on his head, of course, fell all the wrath of
the people libelled and defamed. George Frederick Mantz horse whipped
him, others sued him for damages, and even George Edmonds (none too
tender-tongued himself) could not stand the jibes and jeers of _The
Argus_. The poor printer was arrested on a warrant for libel; his types
and presses were confiscated under a particular section of the Act for
regulating newspapers, and Allday himself at the March Assizes in 1831
was found guilty on several indictments for libel, and sentenced to ten
months' imprisonment. A third series of _The Argus_ was started June
1st, 1832, soon after Allday's release from Warwick, and as the vile
scurrility of the earlier paper was abandoned to a great extent, it was
permitted to appear as long as customers could be found to support it,
ultimately dying out with the last month of 1834. To Mr. Joseph Allday
must credit be given for the exposure of numerous abuses existing in his
day. He had but to get proper insight into anything going on wrong than
he at once attacked it, tooth and nail, no matter who stood in the road,
or who suffered from his blows. His efforts to put a stop to the
cruelties connected with the old system of imprisonment and distraint
for debt led to the abolition of the local Courts of Requests; and his
wrathful indignation on learning the shocking manner in which prisoners
at the goal were treated by the Governor, Lieutenant Austin, in 1852-53,
led to the well-remembered "Gaol Atrocity Enquiry," and earned for him
the thanks of the Commissioners appointed by Government to make the
enquiry. As a Town Councillor and Alderman, as a Poor Law Guardian and
Chairman of the Board, as Parish Warden for St. Martin's and an opponent
of churchrates (while being a good son of Mother Church), as founder of
the Ratepayers' Protection Society and a popular leader of the
Conservative party, it needs not saying that Mr. Allday had many enemies
at all periods of his life, but there were very few to speak ill of him
at the time of his death, which resulted from injuries received in a
fall on Oct. 2nd, 1861.
_Allen_, J.--Local portrait painter of some repute from 1802 to 1820.
_Aston_, John, who died Sept. 12, 1882, in his 82nd year, at one time
took a leading share in local affairs. He was High Bailiff in 1841, a
J.P. for the county, for 40 years a Governor of the Grammar School, and
on the boards of management of a number of religious and charitable
institutions. A consistent Churchman, he was one of the original
trustees of the "Ten Churches Fund," one of the earliest works of church
extension in Birmingham; he was also the chief promoter of the Church of
England Cemetery, and the handsome church of St. Michael, which stands
in the Cemetery grounds, was largely due to his efforts. In polities Mr.
Aston was a staunch Conservative, and was one of the trustees of the
once notable Constitutional Association.