9. Criminals like Minnie Pheby committed several burglaries with relative impunity
In February 1896, a London detective on routine patrol observed a light moving about within an otherwise darkened house. After first positioning to constables to observe the exits in front and back of the house the detective knocked on the door, awakening the tenant, and discovering the presence of a young woman, of about 20 years of age. The woman was well-dressed and according to the tenant, had no business being in the home. Arrested for burglary, the woman was identified as Minnie Pheby. A London newspaper dutifully reported the crime, dedicating more space to the manner of the lady’s dress (black cashmere and boots, the loot from the burglary she was caught in the act of committing). Pheby, later established as being an accomplished burglar, chose to run from the police.
She raced out of the house carrying a bundle of the property she had stolen, only to be accosted by one of the constables the detective had had the foresight to position nearby. Further investigation revealed it was the second burglary of the night for the young woman, who had accomplished an earlier robbery by crawling through a small, second-floor, window. Pheby entered a plea of guilty when she appeared before the court, charged with both burglaries. She had, after all, been caught with the goods from the first, in the act of committing the second. A male suspect could expect a minimum sentence of five years of hard labor, and possible transportation for the same crimes. Pheby received nine months. Within a year she appeared in the same court, facing a similar charge for another burglary, and received another sentence amounting to a slap on the wrist.