The Express.
London, England, 1852-10-30 00:00:00

THE LATE ROBBERY IN THE STRAND.

Yesterday Jacob Catitleherg, watchmaker, of 23.
Neweastle-street, Whitschapel, and Route 11.,rt, who
described himself u a tailor, were placed at the liar of the
Bow-street Police-court, before Mr. Jardine, charged on
I suspicion of being concerned in stealing geld and ailrer
watches from the shop of Mr. Jones, of 306, Strand, in the
Inight of the 9th of October last.

Mr. John Jones, the prosecutor, deposed es renews: y
am a watchmaker and jeweller, living at 308, Strand. ou
the night of October 9 a large quantity of stock, consisting
of gold and silver watches and jewellery, was stolen from
my premises. I offered a considerable reward for the app
prehension of the offenders and the recovery of the pm.
perty. Yesterday evening (Thursday) a man named Ash-
ley called at my shop. I had a partial renieinhmot,, of
him, from his having applied to me for work on a former
occasion; but I had nu other knowledge of the mien.
He showed me four silver watch-ewes, without either
the movements or glasses belonging to them. They
strongly resembled a portion 01 the stolen property,
and 1 consequently took them to ono of my work.
men. From information given to me by Ashley re-
specting the watch cases, I was induced to confer
with Mr. Pearce, the superintendent of pollee, whom I of accompanied to the house of the prison. rt' stiefprrg,
at. 23, Neweastle.street, Whitechapebroad. We found Caw
tleberg there. Mr. Pearce produced the fuse silver watch
cases, and showed them to bins separately, at the some time
a‘kicg if he had ever seen either of them before. 11. e slid
" No. Pearce then asked him if he knew a man named
Adiley ? He replied " Y.ts," adding, "that Adikybid c.
easionally done little jobs fur him." Pearce a.ked him I
he had ever given the four silver watch caul to Ashley, pi
either of them ? The prisoner replied " Nu." Thtn Pe4:ce
said to him, "I ant a police•officer, and I charge you with
hosing stolen property in your possession," xebec quemly
announcing his intention to search the house. The prisoner
then asked who I was, and who the other parties were
(my workman and two police-constables) who accompanied
us ? Pearce told him that I was Mr. Jones, upon which he
mistimed, "Oh, Mr. Jones, I am a watchmaker; the
same as yor are." Peorco began searching Owed
the shop, and pftsently spored a drawer, in which
we sew the inside works (or neiscrinnts), and the
glees, belonging to each of the watch cases. I took up the
movements, one after the other, and littul them into the
cases which I bad received from Asl,ley. I can swear
that the works found in the prisoner's drawer belonged to
those eases.

The Attorney for the prosecution—Can you also girtat
that they are part of your property ?
Mr. Jones—That requires sonic explanation. In their
present state I cannot swear positively to the movements.
Upon my exemining them minutely, the prisoner Castle-
berg said, " I am only a workman, Mr. Jones, and these
watches were brought to me in pieces, ready gilt and ea-
graved, for me to put together and get the asset polished.
I asked him, "Who gave them to you r" He said he did
nut know the name of the man, but that be would be call-
ing at his (Castleberg's) shop the next morning et 11
o'clock, so that if we watched Mr hint we might take him.
I said to him, " Tell the truth, like a man," or words to
that effect, "for you must know who brought them to
you." The prisoner then said, "The man's name is Hart,"
1 inquired if it was Levy or Aaron Hart, and I understoed
him to reply that it was Itobin Ilart. 1 asked him whet,
Ilsrt lived, and he said that he did not know, but cou:1
take me to the place. The officers present agreed u
accompany him to Hart's residence, sad I remained .it
Cestleberg's shop with his workman, a rolish Jew, eta
could not speak E,ngish.
Mr. Jardine—Will ycu explain the alteration which ye:
say nas been made in the works since they were in your
possession ?
Mr. Jones—The movements have been filed down mac%
thinner, and the names and numbers erased from three of
them, and the plates re-coloured. 1 can tell Ohio from my
knowledge and experience as a watchmaker. With respect
to the fourth watch, the plate is also much reduced in th:clc•
nes. ow ing to the erasure of the original maker's name.
Another name is now engraved upon the plate, and tl e
number of the watch has been altered. A figure 7ha
been prefixed to the original number, and the figure 1 bas
been altered into the figure 4. On looking at the watch
with my eye glass 1 am prepared to say that the original
number on the plate was 1,610. It now appears to he
71,610. If you look with the eye-glass at the figure which
has been made into 4 you will see that the up "rake of a
figure 1 still remains. (the magistrate examined the watch
and appeared to concur in this opinion.) On reference to
my stock book I am enabled to say that a silver watch,
No. 1,610, was among the property at-den, and I beiieve
that the watch now produced is the same. Independently
of the obvious alteration of the figures, and of the aelf•evi-
dent fact that the figure 7, prefixed to the original number,
is engraved deeper than the old figurer, I am confirmed
in this impression by :be character of the watch, which re-
sembles the one that was stolen.

Cron-examined, by an attorney who attended for Castle-
berg—My stock-book is here, and I find, on reference to it,
that the watch in question (No. 1,810) was taken into stock
in September last—the maker's mime bring tittty and Co.
I cannot refer to any entry respecting the ether sweats,
because the names and numbers upon them have been
altered. For the same reason, lam unable to swear that
they were in my possession on the day previous to the toth
instant, when the robbery took place ; but I may mention
the fact that the cases are made by my case-makers and the
springs by my spring-trinkets. The name of " Setty and Co."
has been obliterated from the fourth watch, and none other
substituted. Any watch-maker could tell that the name-
plate had been thinned by the operation.
Mr. Jardine—Would net 71,610 be a monstrous number
to be upon a watch—if it indicates the number of watches
made by the manufacturer ?
Mr. Jones—The number is a large one, no doubt, but
sometimes numbero are put on capricioindy.
Mr. Jardine—Oh, that's another matter.
Superintendent Pearce, of the F division, after confirm-
ing the evidence of the prosecutor, said—When the pri-
soner Castleberg was asked where he obtained the four
watches, he replied, " The person who gave them to mo
told me not to say where I obtaine I them from, if any in-
quiry should be made." By the direction of Castleberg,
I accompanied Pocock and another officer to Hart's house,
4, Hann's-place, Whitechapel. We waited for him some
time. He returned home at about half-past 12 o'clock at
night. I told him I was an officer, and asked him if he
knew Castleberg. He said " Yes." I naked him if he
ever worked for Castleberg. lie replied " I have occa-
sionally done a job for him." I asked him if he had any
of his.watches with him at that time, and he said, " No;
11 have none in hand." We went up stairs, and Pocock
pulled out a box from under his bed. It contained a quan-
tity of articles in pearl, electro-plate, rice., but nothing
which Mr. Jonas could identify as belonging to him. Hart
said he was a tailor. This morning (Friday) I was stand-
ing in the yard at the back of the police-station when
Hart came out of his celL The ether prisoner kCastlehter)
exclaimed on seeing him " That's the man that I had the
watches of."

William Oallington, journeyman watchmaker, said—l
live at Henry-street, Limehouse, anal have worked for Mr.
Jones about eight years—and five years of the time on toe
premises, 308, Strand. I have been in the habit of repin-
ing watches. I know the watches produced very well, and
can identify three of them positively. I saw them four or
five weeks ago in the pos,ession of Mr. Jones, cid I am
tolerably certain as to the other watch also. The movements
were given to me originally to t►ke to pieces and to repair,
and new cases were to be made fur them. J'inaily I de-
livered thorn into the bands of Mr. Jones's sister. (The
witness described the alterations and ensures upon the
name-plate, as already deposed to by the prosecutor
Croes•eaamined—l would not swear that it was rot
rather more than five or six weeks ago. It miabt have
been two months ago since I saw them last. No doabt
" betty and Co." have made and sold a good many watches,
but I remembered the watch in question more pnticularle,
because I bad never met with the maker's nAme befile.
All Mr. Jones's watches do not pass through my hands ;
but this sort generally doer.
There being no further evidence at present, Mr. Jardine
remanded the ease for a week, and refused to Admit eithor
of the prisoners to bail.

BEDLAM.

TO TIM EDITOR OF THE zxrniesp.

Slit,—From a letter which appeared a day or tea
ago in your excellent pagea, signed by an " P.a.Co:our
Sergeant," it would appear that, notwithstanding your
thorough spore, cruelties are still being perpetratei it
Bethlehem Hospital. Some of the members ot thei:ll
corporation have talked about having an inquiry, but I I a
but little is to be expected from that quart,ir. Wnibt try
are prosing I dread to think how many cruelties may be
committed within those iniquitous walla on the poor be.p•
less inmates. I would propose that a petition be got amp be
the inhabitants of this great metropolis, addressed to the
Secretary of State, calling on him to cause a special com-
mittee (excluding all directly and indirectly concerned) to
be formed, for the purpose of investigation, no as to bring
to punishment the criminals who are implicated in the
" foul deeds " at Bethlehem.
Ott. 28, 1862.

I am, your obedient,
MIL

COMMITTAL OF TUE NOTORIOUS DR. BElttllNu-
TON.—it will be in the recollection of our readers that this
personage, said to be an LL.D. of Trinity Col.. Camhridre,
was sent from Marylehone police court last Wedrealay to
the police court at Brighton, on a charge of obtaining the
halves of four St notes front Miss Richardson en the pre-
tence that he was a father of a family, and was fitting oat
a vessel called the Diligent to convey himself, his children,
and a few young friends to Geelong, where he intended to
establish a college, &c., but before going he we, deairotnof
procuring a befitting person with a little ready moot,' to
act as his housekeeper and governess. The twee was go"
into at Brighton on Thursday week, when it appeared iron
the statements of several witnesses that the doctor had nia-
aag.d, through his influence with the wives of various
tradesmen, in some cases to pay away the four halve: of
the notes for their full value, and also to obtain camn
goods on credit. the rev. gentleman was remanded until
Thursday last, when he was again brought up. His hand-
writing was identified, sod Charles Button, a clerk at
Lloyd's, deposed to having searched the List" (Jr a year
without being able to find the Diligent, and further stated
that no ships quit the port of London without Iciest 10"
sorted in that list. The magistrates believing the Diligent
to be a phantom ship, committed the doctor to buses
House of Correction to take his trial at the nest waston fog
East Sussex. Bail was refused.