In January of 1893, a man called George Holmes was a travelling photographer who went to lodge at the house kept by Mr William Shales, his wife and family on Attercliffe Common, Sheffield. Shales had two daughters living with him, sixteen year old Isabella and thirteen year old Eliza. Some time later, on 6 March, William Shales returned home from his job as a picture framer to find his wife in tears. It seems that she had just found out that Holmes had had improper relations with Isabella, whilst living under their roof. It seems that the lodger had asked her daughter several times to run off with him, promising that if she did, he would ‘make a lady of her.’
Needless to say, when he heard this, Shales banished Holmes from the house, hoping that was the end of the matter. However, he soon found out that it wasn’t. On 3 April Isabella disappeared from the house, although most of her clothing was left behind. Only later did it become apparent that the forty-one year old former lodger had also gone missing. Despite the disparity in their ages it was obvious that the pair had run off together. A massive police search was instituted and on Monday 17 April, the North Shields police were informed that a couple answering the description of the two missing persons from Sheffield had been found.
A detachment of officers were sent to a local lodging house and the pair were taken into custody. It was quite clear that the couple had been living together as man and wife. The following day Holmes was arrested, charged with abduction and brought back to Sheffield and Isabella was returned back to her parents care. The following day the prisoner was brought before the Sheffield magistrates at the City Police Court. Mr Shales was the first to give evidence and he claimed that he had heard that the photographer had also assaulted his younger daughter before abducting her older sister. He stated that as being the reason he had banned him from the house.
Holmes angrily denied the charge, instead claiming that Shales had wanted him to go into business with him and when he refused had banished him from the house. Then it was Isabella’s turn to give her evidence. She told the bench that about a week after Holmes was sent away from her parents lodging house, she received a letter from him asking her to visit him at a house on Dunlop Street, Sheffield. There she met the prisoner again and once more Holmes had asked her to go away with him. When she objected because she had no clothes with her, he bought her a hat, a pair of gold earnings and a petticoat.
Isabella said that at first when the prisoner had asked her to go away with him, she had refused, telling him she was too young. However on 3 April they met at Tinsley station and walked along the canal until they got to Masbrough Station in Rotherham. In the end, worn down by his persuasions, Isabella agreed and he bought two tickets to Wakefield and then they went to Hemsworth, where they found lodgings together. Soon afterwards, the pair went to South Shields where they again took lodgings together. Isabella told the court that when she agreed, he bought her a dress and a new fur coat. He also presented her with a wedding ring and told her that they would get married.
The prosecution. Mr W E Clegg asked her if, at this time, she was well aware that Holmes was a married man, to which she agreed that she had known it. However when the prosecution asked her whether or not she had asked the prisoner to take her away, Isabella hotly denied this. Again Mr Clegg argued that she had told the prisoner that if he didn’t take her away that she ‘would jump in the water’ and that was the reason for the abduction. The next witness was a man called George Highfield who had premises on Dunlop Street, Sheffield. He said that he had known the prisoner for twenty years or more and was well aware that he was already married.
The witness admitted that it was him who had in fact informed William Shales of the matter. The next to give evidence was a woman called Charlotte Godfrey who introduced herself as the prisoners eldest daughter. She told the court that her father had not lived with her mother for the past thirteen years. Nevertheless when they heard that he was having relations with a young girl called Isabella, they came to Sheffield in order to warn her. The witness described going to the house on Attercliffe Common on 6 March and telling both William Shales and Isabelle that the prisoner was married.
It was some time after this when and she and her mother heard that the couple had already gone away together. After hearing the evidence, the prisoner was found guilty of abduction and sent to take his trial at the next Leeds Assizes. Consequently, George Holmes was brought before the judge, Mr Justice Gamsford Bruce on Friday 12 May 1893. When Isabella gave her evidence, she stated that Holmes was very aware that she was just sixteen years of age. The prisoners defence, Mr Middleton, told the jury that his client had every reason to believe that Isabella was over 18 years of age. In his summing up His Lordship said that:
‘It is very important that young children should be protected from acts of such a character. It is therefore the imperative duty of those who administered the law to punish with great severity the men who commit such offences.’
He then sentenced George Holmes to 15 months imprisonment with hard labour for the abduction of a girl below the age of 18