TICKET-OF-LEAVE WOMEN.

Dunstan Times, Issue 497, 27 October 1871, Page 1 (Supplement)

TICKET-OF-LEAVE WOMEN.

—o— In a very able article on ticket-of-leave women the Daily News states that nearly four thousand female criminals are at large on ticket-of-leave, the majority of whom live in London. A very large class consist of hardened offenders, and more than one a murdress. Women sentenced to death for murder, and whose sentence is afterwards commuted to penal servitude for life, are not, as is commonly supposed, removed for ever from the scenes of their criminal exploits. After having served a term of twelve years, and conducted herself to the satisfaction of the prison authorities, the convicted murdress easily obtains a ticket-of-leave, and becomes a free woman again. In one of the western and most fashionable districts of London, many hundreds of domestic servants are ticket-of-leave women. Several of them have run through the entire scale of crime petty larcency up to burglary and murder. Their employers engage them with a full knowledge of their antecedents. Strange to say, the worst criminals are not unfrequent ly transformed iuto extremely good domestic servants. The saddest and most disheartening part of the case is, that the difficulty of reforming the younger women in die home is almost superhuman. The re-convictions of females are much more numerous than the mails. Moreover, the women pro fess to enjoy thoroughly the career of crime. After conducting themselves with perfect propriety for a year or a longer period as domestic servants, they will suddenly leave their places and resume their old habits, or, in their slang, “ have a fly.” One of them, being remonstrated with for her conduct, replied with emphasis, “ Oh, miss, but there’s a great deal of life in it.” Planning and performing a robbery is as exciting and agreeable to these women as a pic-nic party or a ball is to fashionable young ladies.