The String of Pearls (1850), p. 525

Lovett likewise. Already she has made repeated applications to her attendants in prison, to be permitted to become evidence against Todd."
"Which will surely not be permitted," said the colonel.
"Certainly not; the evidence against him is quite clear enough without the assistance of Mrs. Lovett, while the proofs of her criminality with him, are of too stong a character for her to be given any chance of escape."
"She is a dreadful woman."
"She is, indeed ; but you will all of you soon see how she conducts herself now, for she will be brought up with Todd."

CHAPTER CXXI.
TODD IS COMMITTED FOR TRIAL, AND EXPECTS THE WORST.

By the time the police office at Bow Street opened upon the morning, a wild vague, and uncertain sort of rumour had spread itself over London, concerning the discoveries that had been made at Todd's house in Fleet Street, and at Mrs. Lovett's in Bell Yard, Temple Bar.
Of course, the affair had lost nothing from many-tongued rumour, and the popular belief was, that Todd's house had been found full of dead bodies from the attics to the cellars, while Mrs. Lovett had been actually detected in the very act of scraping some dead man's bones, for tid-bits to make a veal pie of.
A dense crowd had assembled in Fleet Street, to have a look at Tood's now shut-up house, and that thoroughfare very soon, in consequence, became no
thoroughfare at all. Bell Yard too was so completely blocked up, that the lawyers who were in the habit of using it as a short cut from the Temple to Lincoln's Inn, were forced to take the slight round of Chancery Lane instead; and the confusion and general excitement in the whole of the neighbourhood was immense.
But it was in Bow Street, and round the doors of the police-office, that the densest crowd, and the greatest excitement prevailed. There it was only with the greatest difficulty that the officers and others officially connected with the public office could get in and out of it as occasion required ; and the three or four magistrates who thought proper to attend upon that occasion, had quite a struggle to get into the court at all.
By dint of great perseverance, our friends, with Sir Richard Blunt, at length succeeded in forcing a passage through the crowd, to the magistrates private
entrance, and having once passed that, they were no longer in the smallest degree incommoded.
"Well, Crotchet," said Sir Richard, as he encountered that individual. "Have you been to Newgate this morning?"
"Rather, Sir Richard."
"Any news?"
"No. Only that Todd has been a trying it on a little, that's all."
"What do you mean?"
"Why he's only petikler anxious to save Jack Ketch any trouble on his account, that's all, Sir Richard; so he's been trying to put himself out o' this here world, and shove himself into t'other, without going through all the trouble of being hung, that's all, sir."
"I fully expected that both Todd and Mrs, Lovett would make some such attempts; but I hope the governor of Newgate has been sufficiently careful to prevent the possibility of either of them succeeding."
"It's all right," added Crotchet. I seed 'em both, and they is as lively as black beetles as has been trod on by somebody as isn't a very light weight."
The doors of the court had not been opened, but when they were, the