The Press. — London, England, 1856-11-29 00:00:00

NOVEMBER 29 1 1856. THE GOLD ROBBERY. THE examination of witnesses was resumed on Monday, when some curious facts were elicited in evidence. Charlotte Painter, the servant-girl who lived with Agar, corroborated his statement in some points, such as his intimacy with Pierce. Before she left in May, 1855, she remembered Pierce and Agar bringing home two heavy boxes, and being busily engaged for some days at work in the wash house. She also saw there a leather bag. Ellis, a cab proprietor, who drove his own vehicle, gave important evidence : In the spring of last year he was out in one of his cabs near Chalk Farm. lie was driving along the road about seven o'clock in the evening, and was called by a man, and went to the corner of Prince of Wales's-road, Haverstock hill. The man walked or rode there, but he did not know which. Witness stopped there a quarter of an hour, and the man who called bun went down the Prince of Wales's road to Crown.terrace. When he returned there was another man with him. They brought two or three carpet bags. One appeared to be a bag with a square dressing case in it. They both got into the cab, and ordered him to drive to the London-bridge station. When they got over the bridge they ordered him to pull up on the right near the Bridge Hotel. The shorter man of the two then got out, and went towards the station. The other man ordered him to go to St. Thomas's-street. He drove there, and when near Guy's Hospital was ordered to pull up. The man who But got out had a cloak or mantle on when he got out, and he did not know what he took away. He had no mantle or cloak on when he got into the cab. He had been preparing to get out as witness inferred from the shaking of the cab. After he had remained in St. Thomas's-street about half-an•hour the first man came back, apparently from Tooley-street, through the arches. He got into the cab and spoke to the other man, after which he got out again and was absent about a quarter of an hour. Witness did not hear what they said. When the first man came back again they ordered him to drive back to the Prince of Wales's-road, bat they were to go into the road by another entrance, round by the Mother Shipton. He took them to within '2OO yards of Crown•terrace. They paid him and took their luggage away. Two or three days atterwards they hired him again, when be was on the Chalk Farm rank. It was the same abort man who hired him again, and it was about the same hour in the evening, seven o'clock. He told witness to drive to the corner of the Prince of Wales'a-road. One gentleman went away for the other as before, and returned with their luggage, consisting of two carpet bags and a small leather bag. He believed that one had a brown frock-coat on, and the other was dressed in dark clothing. Both had cloaks or mantles on their arms. He drove them again to St. Thomas's-street, and the shorter man got out, but he did not notice that he took anything away. He went towards the arch, and returned in about half an hour. The other waited for him. He drove them back to the Prince of Wales's-road, by Haverstock-hill. A third time he was hired in the same way, went to the same place, and back again in the same way, with the luggage they had taken with them. On one occasion he lifted one of the carpet bags, and found it very heavy. All this took place in April or May of last year. Of the two men, one was shorter than the other. (Pierce is some inches taller than Agar.) Carter, another cabman, swore positively to Pierce and Agar being the two men who hired his cab from the rank in Camden-town one evening sixteen or seven teen months ago:— He was hired by two men. The man at the dock (Pierce) was one of them. He saw the other man at the court last Monday. It was the man called Agar. When he was hired the men had two or three bags with them. Each man had a bag, but be did not notice how they were dressed. They put the bags, which were very heavy, into the cab, and when they got in they desired him to drive to St. Thomas's -street, in the Borough. He passed between the two hospitals, and pulled up at the bottom, not many yards from the railway arch. On stopping, Agar got out and went round to the left, leading to the arch. He took no thing out of the cab. He was gone about half an hour, and Pierce remained until he returned. When Agar came back he said to Pierce that "it was not going down that night." and upon that he got into the cab and ordered wit• ness to drive them to the Mother Shipton, on Haverstock hill. He stopped there, and they then discharged him. They took the bags out, and, on looking round shortly afterwards, he saw one of them carrying the bags towards Crown-terrace, from which they were distant about 150 yards. Cross-examined by Mr. WONTSER : He had not read Agar's evidence in the newspapers, nor any account of the proceedings. He did not hear Agar's evidence in that court. He saw Agar in an adjoining room last Monday with a short man, but he did not know whether he was an officer. He did not recollect the precise hour at which Agar and Pierce hired him, but he knew it was not so late as nine or so early as five in the evening. The two men put their own luggage into the cab, and he could tell that it was heavy from the way in which it was lifted. It made the cab sound when it was put in. He was sure that was one of the men. He had seen him frequently iden•town. wig Pierce disguised himself in was traced to Honour, a hairdresser, who had known the er Pierce four or five years : often came to witness's shop, and on one occasion ' a wig. Witness made him a dark wig, ♦ery nearly He said it was for a friend of his, an elderly Itleman. He gave the wig to Pierce. le shot appears to have dropped out of the John Allday, a boy, one day found some shot a mrce at Camd The John I prisonel He of ordered black. gentle= Sou l , bags. THE PRESS. in Princes-terrace, leading to Crown-terrace. It was by the side of the kerb of the pavement : There was about a double handful. There were boys with him, and they shared it. The shots were all along Princes•terrace. Supposing a person to be walking from Crown-terrace to Kentish-town, they would go along that road. Walter Stearne, the keeper of the White Hart, in St. Thomas's-street, had known Burgess and Pierce for years; Agar he had only seen four or five times : On the 17th or Pith February last a parcel was handed to him by Sarah Thompson, his barmaid. In consequence of what she said to him, she put that parcel into his cash box, anti kept it there. On the following night, or the night after that, Burgess asked witness whether he had a parcel for him. Witness took him into his bar-parlour, and then gave him the parcel in the same state that he had received it. Burgess opened it in witness's presence. It contained several notes. He saw that they were larger notes than 51. He asked Burgess why he had not pre viously made him acquainted with the contents of the parcel, to which Burgess replied that it did not matter, as he had perfect confidence in him. Burgess then asked him to take care of it for him, and, as it was the savings of years, he should be much obliged to him to invest it for him in the best way he could. Witness suggested to Bur gess that it should be deposited at the London and West minster Bank. He declined. On the following morning witness went to Messrs. Reid's countinghouse and depo sited the money, to the amount of 5001. It was all in Bank of England notes, the identical notes which Burgess had given him. He gave Burgess the book he had receive d from Reid's, and he returned it to him in a few days after wards. He received the interest upon the amount lodged at Reid's, and gave it to his barmaid to hand to Burgess with the book. When Burgess gave him the book he did not remember that he said the amount formed part of the savings of his wife's mother, and that to make up the amount to 5001. he had to take some money out of the savings•bauk. He did not say that he had some good fortune in speculating in shares. There was not the slightest concealment on the partof Burgess when he gave him the money, and witness deposited the identical notes which he gave him. Mr. Boom; said this was all the evidence he pro posed to offer, but he begged to direct the attention of the court to a circumstance which occurred at the previous examination, and which, if not checked, might tend to defeat the ends of justice : His worship would recollect that on Monday last there was a short adjournment, and during that interval a man who was now in court, under the guard of an officer, made a communication to Pierce. He was not in a position to say what were the words said to Pierce, but he should prove what was his reply, and he should propose to make it evidence against that prisoner. Mr. James Porter, of Harleyford-road, the hus band of Mrs. Porter who was examined, said he was in the court last Monday. During the adjournment of the court he was standing immediately behind the prisoner Pierce. " That man (pointing to a tall portly man in court) spoke to him." The person alluded t 9 came forward, and in reply to a question from Mr. Goodman, the chief clerk, said his name was Robert Dackombe. Mr. Porter proceeded to say that be did not hear what Dackombe said to Pierce, but he heard Pierce coy in reply, " Make away with them and destroy them." The person remained in court a short time, and then witness lost sight of him. He was sure Dackombe was the person. Mr. Dackombe strongly denied the charge. Mr. BODKIN then called Mr. Mitchell, an inspector of the City police, who, having been sworn, said : At the close of the examination last Monday, I saw this person (Dackombe) speak to Pierce from the back of the dock. I leaned forward to endeavour to catch what was said, but I did not succeed. It was not at the time of the adjournment, but at the final close of the day's proceedings. Dackombe : I left here at twelve minutes to five. The coach leaves the City at five o'clock. Mr. BODKIN (to Mr. Mitchell) : Are you sure he is the person ?—I am sure he is the man. The LORD MAYOR (to Mr. Porter)': You say the con versation took place at the adjournment in the middle of the day ? —Yes, my lord. The LORD MAroa (to Mr. Mitchell) : Why did you not , interfere ?-1 had no charge of the prisoners ; they were in charge of two other officers. Still I considered it L a portion of my duty to try and hear anything that was said, although I was unable to do so. Very few words passed. The LORD MAYOR again repeated that for the future every precaution would be taken to prevent persons whilst in the dock having communication with bystanders in the court ; and the prisoners were then remanded for another week. LORD CmEF JUSTICE COCKBURN took his seat upon the bench, at the Court of Common Pleas, on Saturday last. THE Cm GAS WORKS dispute with the Corpora tion will be heard at the Old Bailey Sessions, the Corporation having resolved to prefer bills of indict ment against the company. MR. SNELL, late clerk in the accountant's office of the Great Northern Railway, was examined at Clerkenwell on Thursday, on charges of embezzling 1.0001., the property of the company, and was fully committed for trial. 1139 THE TRIAL OF MR. GOSLING and four prostitute* . for indecent exposure in the Regent's-park in J uty last, took place on Thursday at the Court ot Queen's Bench. Lord Campbell, in the course of the case for the prosecution, remarked that the evidence of the two informers, Mitchell and Wsrren, was wholly un- corroborated, and that the character of the witnesses was disreputable as to Mitchell, and suspicious as to Warren. The Solicitor-General at once withdrew from the prosecution, and the case closed without going to the jury. A Ituyst. COMMISSION has been issued to inquire into the present arrangements for transacting the civil and criminal business of the superior courts of law at Westminster, and into the manner and times of holding the circuits, and to report to her Majesty whether any and what improvements can be effected therein, and particularly whether the number of the common-law judges can be - reduced without detri ment to the public service. The commissioners appointed are the Lord Chief Justice (Lord Camp bell), Lord Wensleydale, Mr. Baron A.derson, Mr. Justice Cresswell, the Right Hon. J. Stuart Wortley (her Majesty's Solicitor-General), Sir Frederick Thesiger, and Mr. Horatio Waddington (Under- Secretary of State). THE LIABILITY OF THE INDIVIDrAL SHAREHOLDTES of the Royal British Bank was decided on Tuesday at the Court of Common Pleas. Morris, a creditor of the bank, obtained a rule last week calling upon Alderman Kennedy, a director and shareholder, to show cause why a writ of execution should not be issued against his private property. Alderman Ken nedy, through Mr. Hill, Q.C. showed cause why the rule should not be made ;bsolute. The official manager of the bank held 100,0001. ready to be divided among the creditors, and further funds of 150,0001. were now collecting, while 50,0001. more would be realised by the assets of the bank. The Judges were of opinion that the court had no discre tion in the matter, and that the creditor was entitled to execution at once.—Rule absolute. " PERVERSIONS TO ROME" is the beading of a para graph which has gone the round of the papers, announcing the secession of the Duchess of Athol from the faith of her fathers. The Duke of Athol bas this week written to the Times, denying in emphatic terms the truth of the statement that her Grace the Duchess had been converted to the Roman Catholic faith. Dr. John Cumming has also addressed the subjoined letter to the Times Sir,—A paragraph has appeared in most of the news papers, stating that the Duchess of Atholl has been received by Dr. Manning into the Roman Catholic Church. In a more diluted form I read the same statement in several of the Roman Catholic organs also. I have authority for stating that there is no foundation whatever for the report. It may also be as well to add that it has become a policy not unworthy of Ignatius Loyola to circulate paragraphs announcing new a:cessions to the Church of Rome in the case of persons of rank, some of which I know are totally devoid of truth. The rumour does its work before the contradiction is known.—l am, sir, your obedient servant. JOHN C UMMING. November 22. MR. MORRIS MOORE, a gentleman well known in the world of art, was arrested at Berlin last Friday week, detained at the police-office all night, and liberated next morning. The reason of this extra ordinary proceeding is that Mr. Moore was known to be in connection with certain political refugees in London, and to have brought letters from them to certain suspected persons in Berlin. A descriptive letter from Mrs. Moore to an indiscreet friend, who has published it with a beading, " Civia Romanus Sum,' and of course " abstaining from comment as superfluous," attributes the whole affair to professional jealousy : He thinks Waagen and Co. have brought this about. He had been narrowly watched, while making notes at the gallery, by :a man who is known to be a spy of Waagen's. When the chef de police was in his room, pulling about his papers, he said, "on est votre porte feuille ?" He in. sisted upon seeing his " gallery Note-Book." This is very significant. Moreover, on the morning of the outrage there appeared an article in the National Zeitung with my husband's signature, in which Waagsn was attacked, tamely, enough, however. Mr. Morris Moore, in a later letter, exhibits symp toms of decided monomania. He attributes his arrest to English " Court influence," and publishes a long letter be addressed to Lord Bloomfield, our ambassador at Berlin, full of ridiculous bombast anti vulgarity. THE SUNKEN WAR VEFSELS AT SEBASTOPOL are to be raised by an American, according to a Boston paper, which tells us that "John E. Cowen, Esq., of this city, who is now in Russia, has just entered into a contract with the Russian Government to raise the ships of war and other vessels, fifty-two in number, sunk in the harbour of Sebastopol at the time of the siege." Mr. Cowen was the engineer who raised the wreck of the United States steamer Missouri, sunk in Gibraltar Bay. Mr. Cowen commences operations in the harbour of Sebastopol next spring.