London and North Western Railway Criminal Prosecutions - December 1878

In December 1878 the London and North Western Railway prosecuted the following number of cases:

Crime                                                                                          Number of cases

Robbery                                                                                                 6

Drunk and disorderly                                                                               4

Attempting to enter a train in motion                                                         3

Travelling in a superior class of carriage to that for which tickets were 

held + obstructing the company’s servants in the execution of their duty     3

Receiving stolen property                                                                         3

Travelling without a ticket                                                                         2

Interfering with comfort of passengers + obstructing the company’s 

servants in the execution of their duty                                                       2

Travelling with platform tickets                                                                  2

Pocket-Picking                                                                                       1

Drunk and assaulting a company’s servant                                               1

Travelling with ticket over date                                                                 1

Assaulting Company’s servant                                                                 1

Trespass                                                                                               1

 Source: The National Archives, RAIL 410/183, Traffic Committee minute book, Minute 31173, 10 January 1879

"He was ordered to leave" - A Drunk at the Victoria Station - 1872

On Saturday I posted a story about a drunk at the Midland Railway's Sheffield Station in 1872. However, this story was found directly below it:

'DRUNK AT THE VICTORIA STATION - Thomas Williams, miner, living at Handsworth was charged with being drunk at the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Station. at about seven o'clock on Saturday evening the prisoner went to the Victoria Station in a state of intoxication. He was ordered to leave, and two porters accompanied him off the premises to see him safe away. Shortly after eight he was found wandering upon the line a short distance from the station, and narrowly escaped being run over by a train. He was given into custody. - The bench inflicted a fine of 20s and costs.'[1]

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[1] The Sheffield & Rotherham Independent, Tuesday, February 06, 1872, p. 7

'Watch Out' for Fagin and co. on a train - 1863

The Caledonian Railway's book of standing orders for the officer's and men of the company from 1863 is one of the most interesting railway instruction books that I have a digital copy of, as it contains rules that I have not seen anywhere else within the Victorian railway industry. Probably, the most interesting instruction is this one covering the petty criminals of the age, and when reading it I immediately though 'FAGIN!' What do you think?

'70. Gangs of gamblers and pickpockets are occasionally in the habit of travelling by the trains. Guards are particularly desired to make themselves acquainted with the individuals composing the gang; and having done so, to point them out to the passengers, station-masters, police, and porters, at every station the train stops at.

When the law cannot be brought to bear against these men, the object of every person must be to expose them.

Their tickets must be frequently examined; they must be watched at stations, and not allowed to enter on to the platform without having first purchased tickets. If there are more than one, they must all be locked up in one compartment, and never allowed to change carriages: and whenever they are discovered to be without tickets, or travelling beyond the station for which their tickets were issued, they must be removed from the train, and prosecuted before a magistrate for defrauding the company.

Ticket clerks must be cautious in receiving money from these men, as they endeavour to pass base coin and forged notes.'[1]

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[1] London School of Economics, HE1 (42)/221, Caledonian Railway: standing orders based on the rules and regulations of the company, and to be observed by the officers and men in the superintendent's department in the company's services, February 1863, p.30

'A Disgraceful Clergyman' (or not) - On a train - 1859

Erm...

'At Lambeth police court on Friday, a lady obtained a summons against "The incumbent of a large and influential parish in the metropolis and also a popular preacher for indecent behaviour towards her in a railway carriage.[1]

Apparently, he was a acquitted:

'...the charge was dismissed, in consequence of some levity in the woman's habits, and the clergyman, we believe, stands acquitted in the opinion of the religious society in which he was very highly esteemed.'[2]

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[1] The Preston Guardian etc., Saturday, November 26, 1859
[2] The Bury and Norwich Post, and Suffolk Herald, Tuesday, September 18, 1860

A Serious Charge Against a Station Master - 1888

In the later nineteenth century the station master was seen as a respectable member of society who was usually beyond reproach. However, occasionally I find the odd individual that betreyed this image, such as this case from 1888 of the Great Western Railway's Station Master at Yarnton, near Oxford:

'Before Oxford City Magistrate this morning George Taylor Beavington, station master at Yarnton, and his wife were charged with stealing and receiving from a brake-van on the Great Western Railway, in transit from Charlbury to Oxford on May 31st, a post office mail-bag and contents, including a five-pound note. - The evidence showed that on being questioned by the Inspector the male prisoner admitted he had taken the bag. - Both Prisoners were remanded for a week.[1]

Naturally, Beavington lost his job immediately, and when the case was eventually heard by the Oxford Assize Court on 25 June he was sentenced to twelve months hard labour. The case against his wife was not proceeded with.[2]

[1] The North-Eastern Daily Gazette, Friday, June 08, 1888
[2] The York Herald, Tuesday, June 26, 1888

"Attempts to defraud companies" - Evasion of Railway Fares - 1849

It seems that attempts to avoid paying for fares was present all through railway history, as this snippet from the Ipswich Journal  from 1849 shows:

"Attempts to defraud companies of fares appear to become more frequent. During the past week three cases have occurred. On the Chester and Birkenhead, John Fitzsimon was fined 10s and costs for attempting to avoid the fare at Beddington Station. A greengrocer, who tried to travel free, and made his escape from Liverpool to Wolverhampton, by the London and North Western, was fined 40s. or, in default of payment, 14 days' imprisonment; and a young man who jumped out of a train without a train before it stopped at Reigate, was fined in a penalty 20s. and 14s. costs by the local magistrates."

Taken from The Ipswich Journal, Saturday, February 3, 1849; Issue 5726.

Robberies at Nine Elms Locomotive Depot - 1871

On the 7 September 1871 the Locomotive Committee Minute Book of the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) recorded a crime:

Read report of Inspector Potter of 25th ulto as to Charles William a labourer at Nine Elms [Locomotive Works] having been detected in the robbery of some calico and some webbing belonging to the company, for which he has been sentenced by the magistrate to two months hard labour.
          Mr Beattie [the Locomotive Superintendent] to have 20/- to reward the person who gave information of the robbery and the Policeman to have 10/- reward.[1] 

Yet, this robbery was not the only one at Nine Elms in 1871, and only a month later the same committee book has the following entry:- 

Read report from inspector Potter of 21st ulto as to the robbery of some brass and white metal from the Locomotive Department at Nine Elms for which two men are to be tried at the next Newington sessions.[2]

Clearly, robbery at Nine Elms was a bit of a problem for Inspector Potter.

[1] The National Archives [TNA], RAIL 411/182, Locomotive Committee Minute Book, Minute 339, 7 September 1871
[2] TNA, RAIL 411/182, Locomotive Committee Minute Book, Minute 348, 5 October 1871

'Fined 20s., and 22s. costs, for fraudulently travelling'

In my work I am always finding cases where people failed in their attempts to avoid paying for their travel. After all, it is only when they got caught that cases were recorded. This is from the London and South Western Railway's staff magazine, The South Western Gazette, from July 1901 (p.11):

'At the Westminster Police Court, in the 9th ultimo, E.G. Richmond, of 94 High Street, Tooting, was fined 20s., and 22s. costs, for fraudulently travelling, and 20s. and 2s. costs for giving a false name and address, or in default for one month's imprisonment. On the 6th of April defendant arrived at Vauxhall by train and attempted to pass the barrier by saying he had given his ticket up on the platform. He afterwards admitted travelling from Clapham Junction without a ticket, gave a false name and address, and eventually said he had travelled from Wimbeldon. It was ascertained he lived at 61, Effra Road, Wimbeldon. To avoid police court proceedings he left that address, but was traced to Tooting.'

I'd love to know how they traced him there...

Extensive Frauds and Forgeries on the Great Northern Railway Company - 1856

One of the most massive frauds in British railway history was exposed in 1856 when a Mr Leopold Redpath was found to have seriously defrauded the Great Northern Railway, the company for whom he worked as Registrar. It was widely reported and the Daily News detailed the following (this is a shortened version of the full article):

'The Great Northern Railway Company have been defrauded of an immense amount of money, in consequence of the dishonesty of one of its principal officers. Up to a late hour last night it had been proved that his defalcations amounted to 150,000l. The report is that 180,000l will not cover the amount, but no accurate estimate can be formed until the auditors can make up a report, an operation that will occupy some weeks. As soon as a the accounts can be arranged, the result will be made up for the purpose of being submitted to a general meeting of proprietors.

Mr. Leopold Redpath, of 27 Chester Terrace Regents-Park, was, until a few days since, the registrar of Shares and Transferer of Stock of the Great Northern Railway Company. Although his salary was not extensive, amounting to something between 250l and 300l a year, he lived in a luxurious style in a fashionable house, had a box at the opera, was a habitué of the theatres, a Governor of Christ's Hospital, and of the Royal Anne's Society, and a subscriber and director of many of the most prominent metropolitan charitable institutions. There was scarcely ever a fashionable party, and operatic party or a gathering of the beau monde, in which the name "Leopold Redpath Esq." did not appear...

...A warrant has been granted for the apprehension of Leopold Redpath, who is still a fugitive from justice. He is described as being about 45 years of age, 5 foot 10 inches in height, with fair complexion, brown hair. he walks in a hurried or "jolted" manner. He dresses well, but not foppishly, and his general demeanour indicates a person of extremely quiet habits and good position in society.

The directors of the Great Northern Railway appear to have been acquainted with the expensive habits of their servant, and to have been aware that 300l a year could not have met his expenses. Singularly enough, a feeling prevailed that he filled his responsible office simply of a desire of having something to do; and this opinion was confirmed by the fact that he made large contributions to many religious and charitable institutions with which the metropolis abounds.'

Taken from: Daily News , Friday, November 14, 1856

Suffragette Attack on a Railway Carriage - Teddington, 1913

This image from the London and South Western Railway's staff magazine, The South Western Gazette, is of a carriage that was attacked by Suffragettes on 26 April 1913. The train, the 9.15 pm from London Waterloo to Teddington, had been shunted into a siding between Hampton Wick and Teddington Stations when, at around 3 am, it was set on fire. A local policeman, Fairfax, saw the flames and raised the alarm. While the local fire brigade was able to to put out the fire without considerable damage being done, three second class compartments were completely burnt out which others being affected. Indeed, the Gazette commented that 'no doubt the total destruction of the entire train was the ambition of the ghouls who perpetrate these senseless crimes.'

Clearly, the attack had been prepared. On board the train was found a large number of partially burnt candles, four cans of petroleum, three of which had been emptied, a basket containing cotton wool and 'packages of literature dealing with the women's suffrage movement.' Furthermore, clippings of recent 'suffrage outrages' were found, as well as postcards addressed to the Rt. Dis-Hon. McDinna Kenna and Rt Dis-Hon H.H. Asquith, both of which had 'various phrases that were far from complimentary.' Lastly, 'women's footprints' were found in Fairfax Road, from where the Suffragettes had entered the siding by 'removing a paling from a fence nearly six foot high.'

While some railway workers were on duty in the area, and hopes of catching the perpetrators was initially high, at the time of the article being published on the 1 June no one had been caught or charged.

A Very Bad Railway Clerk, Mr Agnew

I always find looking at railway staff records weirdly interesting. Not because of the career paths individuals took, but because of the things that railway workers did wrong. I suppose I just like a bit of deviance in my life. I was having a look at some London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) clerical staff records and I found the interesting case of Mr Agnew. Agnew joined the L&SWR in October 1874 at the age of  sixteen as a Junior Clerk at Bournemouth. Yet, after eleven and a half years of employment, at the age of twenty-seven, he was dismissed. Throughout his short career with the company he committed a number of minor offences, such as delaying telegrams and re-issuing tickets improperly. Thus, for each occasion of rule-breaking he was fined a small amount. However, in his later years his offences got worse, and in January 1884 he was fined £1 by the company for picking up and attempting to keep a sovereign which had fallen from another clerk's cash. Then, in April 1886, he was finally dismissed for attempting to embezzle the company out of £28 15/-.

Clearly, not all railway workers had a 'job for life' if they got up to such antics.

Desperate Encounter In A Railway Train

When I have finished my PhD I have been considering writing a book called 'The Grim Victorian Railway' (and thoughts on a postcard.) Therefore, for mere interest, I did a bit of looking through 19th century newspapers for evidence of crime, deviance and horror that occurred on the railway network in the period. This article from Trewman's Exeter Flying Post or Plymouth and Cornish Advertiser from 11 May 1848 particularly peaked my interest. It seems that three prisoners were being conveyed by train from Edinburgh to Warwick when they attempted an escape. The convicts overpowered the constable and attempted to push him out of a window. Yet, they were unsuccessful as 'they would have accomplished their purpose but for the smallness of the aperture through which they endeavoured to thrust him.' Eventually, only one of the prisoners got away,the others ending up in the Warwick gaol.