A Parisian Dog Arrested for Theft
In December of 1888, the Gloucester Citizen reported on the arrest of a Parisian dog thief. Mind you, this was not a human who dognapped canines. It was, in fact, a dog who regularly absconded with goods from the fashionable shops of Paris. This dog thief is described as “a big Newfoundland.” On the day of his arrest, he entered a large shop located near the Bastille. According to the Gloucester Citizen:[…]Continue Reading
The Scent of Violets: Perfume, Cosmetics, and Crime in the Late Victorian Era
“The fondness for violets increases with time, and many women of fashion will tolerate no other fragrance.”
American Soap Journal and Manufacturing Chemist, 1895.
In 1893, a woman by the name of Margaret Gainer was arrested, charged, and ultimately sentenced to thirty days imprisonment for stealing a bottle of violet perfume from a hairdresser’s shop. The hairdresser had seen her take the bottle and slip it into her pocket, but when he gave her the choice of putting the bottle back or facing the consequences, Miss Gainer steadfastly refused to relinquish the violet perfume. Her motivation for the theft—and her subsequent unwillingness to part with her ill-gotten gains—is not entirely clear; however, I suspect it had more than a little to do with the late Victorian violet fad.[…]Continue Reading
Victorian Magistrate Orders Child Horse Thieves to be “Well Birched”
(National Library of Wales)
Stealing a horse during the 19th century was a serious crime. Those convicted could be heavily fined, sent to prison, sentenced to hard labor, or even executed. But what if the horse thief in question was only a child? Unsurprisingly, there were many incidents of child horse thieves in Victorian England. Not all were hardened street criminals. Some were simply immature youths tempted by the opportunity of an open stable door and the chance to make an easy few pounds. An 1886 issue of the Dundee Evening Telegraph reports just such a story. The fiendish criminal in question? A ten-year-old boy from South Yorkshire.[…]Continue Reading
