The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-13 00:00:00

GUILDHALL.

George Parker, John Siwiders,aad Ch ark, 3firshdll
three notorious characters, were charged with haring, oat
the night of the with of November last, committed a bur-
glary on the premises of Mr. Matthews, a salrernnith, of
Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, and with having stolen
from thence plate, watches, and jewellery, to the value of
about 8001.

James Brett, a detective officer of the City force, said—
Since the robbery I have been engaged with Huggett and
Sergeant Richards in making enquiries respecting it, and
on Saturday night last, about half-past eleven o'clock,
we saw Marshall pus us is Union-street, Borough-
road. I did not at first recognise him, because he
had shaven off his whiskers, but ultimately 1
took him into custody. When I tell him the charge, be
said, " very well, if that's all, I'll go. I don't can about
that" At the station, when asked for his name and ad-
ekes., be said " If you want to know if I was at Leighton
Buzzard on the night of the burglary, I'll tell you." I
told him I should ask him no questions, but he replied, " I
will tell you. I was there ; but if there had been fifty
burglaries committed, ;let's no reason why I should have
done them." I found upon him a French purse, containing
U. 17s. 7d., and a paper of carmine. We then went to No.
20, Tiverton-street, Newington-causeway, and having
opened the door with a string, we entered, and found
Parker in bed. I told him the charge, and he said, with
an oath, that he never was at Leighton Buzzard in his
life. I toe-k him to the station, and then we went to 20,
Little Surrey-street, in the Borough-road, where we found
Saunders, also in bed. When informed of the charge, he
said, " I sue innocent of it; I was not at Leighton
Buzzard." _

_
Sergeant Richards searched the premises of Saunders,
whom he had known for many years by the name of
M'Ouire. In a drawer in the back kitchen was a parcel
tied up in leather, containing from 40 to SO skeleton latch
and door keys of every vise and shape, to fit almost any
street door lock in existence. Witness al-o found a small
crowbar, called a " jemmy," and an old file. They were
arranged in a canvas bag so as to keep_ the different size:
and patterns separate and in order. Witness showed th, m
to Saunders, and asked him to whom they belonged? Ile
said, " It's no use denying it, they are mine." The skele-
ton keys were produced by witness, who stated they were
tbo most complete set of housebreaking implements, he be-
lieved, that bad ever fallen into the hues of the police.
Marshall gave his address as 9, Granby-erect, Waterloo-
road, but witness found that he did not live there. fad
u known Saunders to do any kind of work in his life ;
but had known him for years as the associate of thieves and
other bad charaeten. _ _ _

Joseph Haggett searched Parker and Saunders, but
found nothing relating to the robbery upon them. In the
home in Little Surrey-street, however, on making a fur-
ther search, witness found a small iron vice, such as was
used by housebreakers in preparing and altering their own
keys; also several pieces of files, a patent key, an iron
skewer made into a picklock, and two moulds which had
the impression of keys upon them, and were suet as bur-
glars use fur the purpor of obtaining the shape and sise of
any keys they might wish to imitate.
Thomas Harvey, a cab-driver, was taken off the stand at
Maids-hill shout 10 o'clock on the morning of the 26th
ult. by the three prisoners. They had a bundle and a small
rush basket. Witness drove them to the Three Stags, in
the Kennington-road, where he had a glass of ale with one
of them, while the others went home to get the money.
They returned in about ten or twelve minutes, and paid
witness 3s. 61. Before they took witness's cab he saw
them get out of a fly. It was not a London fly. It re-
mained within about 100 yards of witness for about a
quarter of an hour, and while it wss waiting witness saw
one of the irisoners leave and return in about a quarter of
an hour. _ _

Mr. Fiat, a pawnbroker, at 11, St. Albano-place, Edg-
ware-road, produced a gold Albert chain pledged on the
morning of the 26th for 11. by Saunders. The cab stand
at Maida-hill was about sic minute.' walk from witness's
house, and a perion might walk there and back easily is a
quarter of an hour. Taking in a pledge of this descrip-
tion would only occupy about five minutes.
Mr. Matthews identified the chain as having beim stolen
from his shop.
Mr. Fish said it was pledged in the name of William
Davis, 7, Earl•street.
Brett stated that no person of that name lived there.
Sir It. W. Carden remanded the prisoners.
Alderman liumphery acknowledged the receipt of 211.
from the Drapers' Company, being double the amount of
their usual annual contribution to the poor fund of this
court.

Sir R. W. Carden acknowledged the usual donation of
20/ from the Goldsmiths Company for the same fund.
The same donation was also made to the ether offices.

SOUTHWAUK.

Inspector Branford, M &colon, informed his worship
that nn one of the charge sheets brought to this court on
Saturday, was the name:of John Connor, aged 37,described
as an engineer, charged with attempting to cut the throat
of his aged mother, Margaret Connor, at No. 16, Maze
Pond, Bermondsey, but the accused was not in a St state
of mindto appear. The unfortunate man was a civil en-
gineer, and by his own perseverance bad succeeded in his
husinvss, and allowed his mother a comfortable income.
On Friday tight, however, while his mother was sitting
in her room he seized up a knife and rushed upon her, and
was in the act of cutting her throat across, when his sister
entered the room and wrested the weapon from him. The
p lice were instantly called, and he was p ted from
doing further injury. He had been conveyed that morning
from the police-station, to the County Lunatic Asylum.

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE.—An inquest was held
on Saturday last on the body of Mr. Preece, late the master
of the Hereford Workhouse, but who retired, with his
wife (the matron) about ten weeks ago, to live upon his frea•
hold property, at Townhope. The deceased (an old soldier)
had been remarkable for his happy and kindly disposition ;
and on leaving the workhouse the guardians presented him
with a silver tea service as a mark of their respect and
esteem. Three weeks ago Miss Banton (the deceased's
niece, who lived with him) observed that he was unusually
depressed in spirit', which an increased, that on Sunday
se'nnight Mr. James Price, surgeon of Hereford, was sum-
moned to attend him. That gentleman found him suffering
from great determination of blood to the head, and put
questions to him in order to ascertain his stated mind.
'though he seemed to be benefitted by the remedies pies.
cribed for him, Mr. Price thought it necessary to caution
Miss Banton against leaving razors or knives in his way,
and the greatest circumspection was accordingly used in this
particular, the niece being careful to attend him whil-t
shaving and at other times. Ou Friday morning he rose
about seven o'clock, and went out of the house, and in less
than half an hour he was found in the hay loft, his bead
being held in a cord tied to a beam five feet from the ground
and bit body in a reclining posture. Death, however, had
not rasulted frem hanging. Deceased's hands were bloody
and it would seem that, finding his attempts at self•destrue-
tion in that way were not effectual, he inflicted so deep a
wound in his throat with some sharp instrument as to sever
the windpipe and all the large blood-vessels of the throat.
The
to have had no suspicion of his intention. The verdict re-
turned was temporary inanity. A profound sensation has
been clewed in Hereford by the tragical occurrence.
SINGULAR AND FATAL ACCIDENT.—A respectable
young man, named Edmund Ilaatard, met with his death,
Let Friday, at Torrington, in the North of Devon, under
circumstances as remarkable as they ore melancholy. At
twelve (Vella on Friday night a person passing a toll-gate
on a bridge which crosses the river Torridge, observed some-
thing, which heat first thought was a woman's cloak, hang-
ing to the si.le gate of the toll-bar ; and as it was late and
he was in a harry, he passed on without further noticing
it but communicated his fears to a friend of his that it
was the body of a human being that he had seen. Next
morning a boatman, named Arnold, was passing that way,
and discovered the young man Bastard, with his neck
nrokeo, and hanging to the side gate, quite dead. It ap-
peared that the poor fellow had passed through the toll-
Trite in the early part of the day : and on returning late in
the evening he found the large gate shut, and, as be thought
locked. It is conjectured that net liking to arouse the toll-
gate keeper, who was gone to bed, he tried to get through
between the shuttles of the side-gate. In doing so, by some
means or other, he caught his chin in the upper shuttle and
broke his Reek.