"While living near Lincoln, the woman came into prominence for an
unusual assault on a butcher's salesman, who had been sent to obtain
payment of an account. He found the gate of the house locked, and
rattled it to attract attention. Lady Lettice then came out of the
house with a hunting-crop in her hand, and shouted to her daughter: `Let
loose the dogs, and they will kill and devour him.' The dogs, however,
neither killed nor devoured him, but the woman hit him on the head with
a hunting-crop, and knocked him over his bicycle. This little amusement
cost her two pounds and costs at the subsequent police proceedings.
"Lady Lettice was always interested in horses, and she generally had
some good animals in her stables. For some years she, in conjunction
with Ralph Lancaster, had been running a riding-school in the West End,
and it is stated that her income from this source was nearly 500 a year.
When at Woking, in 1907, she was known as the `lady horse-dealer,' and
was very popular locally, until pressing creditors caused her to seek
fresh fields and pastures new. When she was at Stuston Hall, she stated
that she had taken the place for the purpose of teaching riding, and
receiving hunting guests. But although she had several horses there,
the only persons to use them were Lady Lettice, the two men, and the
children. The eldest of the children, a girl of sixteen, frequently
attracted attention by her plucky riding, and she is now earning money
as a rider.
"While Lady Lettice was living at Stuston Hall, the house was regarded
more or less as a house of mystery, and strange tales are told of how
the woman disregarded the canons of convention during the hot weather.
Moreover, the hours kept were hardly regarded as usual by her
neighbours. Stuston, being a small village, is generally asleep fairly
early, but if the statements made to callers are to be accepted as
correct Lady Lettice frequently retired for the night as early as six
o'clock. Nevertheless, it is stated that she was sometimes seen walking
in the grounds during the night in a garb that can only be described as
scanty. Naturally the house was watched by the local tradespeople with
some care, and it was due to this watching that the removal of the
furniture was discovered. The local postman and grocer, to whom she
owed nearly ten pounds, saw the furniture being removed, and followed it
to London, where it was sold. The police, in the course of the
evidence, also hinted at the probability of other and more serious
charges of crime being preferred against them on the expiration of their
sentences."
In the centre of the report was given the photograph of "Lady Lettice,"
taken by one of the news agencies, the picture being the head and
shoulders of a good-looking woman, smartly dressed in tweed country-hat
and tailor-made coat--a woman whose type of features was certainly
aristocratic, and would never be adjudged an adventuress.