The Press.
London, England, 1856-11-15 00:00:00

NOVEMBER 15, 1856.

might be a fortnight or three weeks after the Sunday that
Pierce and I went down. I think we had seen Burgess at
Bern's, when Burgess cane in by accident, not by appoint-
ment. It was stated what we prcposed to go and do, and
it was stated it was all right if we succeeded. We all
Mined in the conversation. Pierce and I went to Dover
in pursuance of the arrangement. Burgess was, I believe,
on the train we went by, but lam nut sure. It was a day
train. Pierce and I went to a house called the Rose. I
don't think we went to any other house. We had tea and
supper. I don't know whether we slept there or whether
we wont over to Folkestone that night. I don't think we
saw Burgess at Dover on this occasion. We walked over the
heights between Dover and Folkestone. T went to the
town station and waited for the arrival of the Boulogne
boat. We watched, and saw Ledger and Chapman come
out of the office. They went into the passengers' baggage
room to attend to their duty. Pierce went inside, and to
the cupboard, and I watched at the door. Pierce unlocked
the cupboard door, the key of which was in it, and he
brought the key of the bullion chest to me. I took an im-
pression in wax, and the key was put back again in its
place, and we came up to London that day or the next.
The keys had now to be made. Agar had them made
in blank, and filed them into shape himself. Then,
with the connivance of Burgess, the guard, he made
several journeys up and down to Folkestone and back,
secreting himself in Burgess's van, where the safe
was kept, in order to fit the keys accurately to the
lock. After some time this was achieved :

We then talked of the best plan of completing the
robbery, and it was arranged that we should get some shot
and place in bags, to make up the weight of the gold that
we abstracted from the safe. We were to buy about two
hundred-weight of shot to make up the weight of the gold,
about 12,0001. in value. Pierce mentioned the two hun-
dredweight of shot at that meeting. The proposition was
agreed to. We expected to get 12,0001. in gold, and the
sr/eight of the shot was to correspond with the weight of the
„old we took away. Pierce and I bought the shot at the
shot tower adjacent to Ilungerford suspension-bridge. I
stood outside. Pierce brought one bag to me at the gate
of the factory—a carpet bag—which I put over my
shoulder, and he brought the other carpet bag. I should
think there was about fifty-six pounds' weight in each bag.
We then proceeded over the bridge to Charing cross,
where we got into an omnibus with the bags, and
went to the house which I was living at at Shepherd's-
bush.

Blue duck for shot-bags was bought at Shoolbred's,
four leather courier bags were ordered and bought at
the leather-seller's at the corner of Drury-lane and
Great Queen street, and the carpet bags were also
purchased, and as soon as everything was prepared a
rehearsal, which reminds us much of Mr. Fagin and
his pupils, took place:—

It was proposed to fill three carnet bags with hay, to put
a portion of the shot in the middle, and the remainder of
the shot was to be put in these courier bags and strapped
round our bodies. I was to go to Pierce's Louse when the
shot was put in the two courier bags, and take one of the
carpet bags in my hand. Pierce was to do the same.
wore a short cloak, and Pierce did the same. The bags
were then filled up as I have already said. We walked out
of Pierce's house, I being so equipped, to a coffee•shop.
Pierce then left me there with the two large carpet bags,
and I had the two courier bags on. He went back to his
own house and put on the two courier hags, and joined me
at the coffee-shop. I took my tea while he was gone.
Pierce brought a cab, and I walked out with my bags on,
and one carpet bag in my hand. Pierce went in and
fetched the other carpet bag. The cloaks covered the
courier bags, and we got into the same cab, and told the
man to drive to St. Thomas's-street, Borough, which he
did. I got out and left Pierce in the cab with all the bags,
and I went up towards the station to meet Tester, between
the first gate and the station on the incline. I met, I
think, Tester the first time, and spoke to him. I then
went back to the cab and found Pierce there as I had left
him. I told him what had passed. I told Pierce that
Tester had told me that the bullion was not going down
that night, and we returned back in the same cab to the
neighbourhood of Crown-terrace, but not close to Pierce's
house. We stopped at a little distance off, and I took out
the bags and walked to Pierce's house with them. We re-
peated this every night, I think, for better than a fortnight,
till the robbery was committed.
On one or two of these occasions Agar went to the
station-master's door to see if the chest was outside
ready for removal. Sometimes he met Burgess on
the platform :

An arrangement was made between me and Burgess
about a si_mal. He was to raise his cap and wipe his face,
if he had not an opportunity of speaking to me, and that
was to be a signal that the gold was there.
At last the gott-box was going down. Roguery in a
cab, accompanied by its bags and shot, as usual reached
the stopping-place, St. Thomas's-street, Borough :
I got out and met Tester before I got to the station. He
spoke to me, and I went back to the cab-door with him.
He then said it was all right, and that we (Pierce and I )
were to go down. I got into the cab, anJ told the cabman
to drive up to the Dover train station. Tester went to
the station. I did not see him again. Going up to the
station I put on my courier-bags, and at the station the
porter took the carpet bags, and I got two first.class tickets
for Dover. The porter took the carpet bags in the usual
way to the guard of the train, which was Burgess. It was
near the time of starting. I gave Pierce one of the tickets.
I saw Mr. Wetherhead there, the present governor of New.
gate ;he was station master at the time. The porter gave
the two bags to Burgess, and told him they were for
Dover. The bags were put into the van, which has a