Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-12-12 00:00:00

MANCIIESrER

ENORMOUS ROBBERY OF BANK NOTZS AT

SINGULAR RECOVERY OF THE MONEY, AND
CLEVER CAPTURE OF THE THIEF.

On Thursday afrerroon, soon after one o'clock, Mr.
Frederick Thompson, of the firm of William Thompson
and Son, corn millers, of Wakefield, was sitting at his
desk in the Corn Exchange, Hanging Ditch, Manchester,
and upon the desk lay his pocket-book, containing Bank
of England-notes and bills to the amount of £3,160. Mr.
Thompson turnetreround for a minute to speak to a gen-
tleman, and when he again turned to his desk, he missed
the [pocket-book. This was about half-past one. An
alarm was immediately given, and the doors of 'he Corn
Exchange were speedily closed, and all strangers closely
scrutinised, but the thief had already made his escape.
Information was promptly taken to the detective police-
office, and the officers immediately sent information of
the robbery by telegraph to various towns. Sergeants
Shandley, Bateman, Clayton, Watson, and Bramall, all
of the detective department, were at Once despatched in
different directions, to make inquiries, and to search for
the thief.
Sergeant Shandley proceeded to the Corn Excleange, and
there several of the weathers described to him one or two
strangers, whom they had observed in the room shortly
before the robbery was discovered. One member, Mr.
Thomas Thorpe, salesman to-Mr. Charles Holt, corn and'
flour factor, Hanging Ditch; not only described a person
whom he had observed and had remarked upon to a friend,
but offered to accompany Shandley in his search for the
delinquent. This offer was accepted, and Sergeant
Shandley at once proceeded to, the cabstand near the'
Cathedral, and, accompanied by Mr. Thorpe, proceeded
as fast as possible to the OrdSal Lane Station of the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway; where they found the
express train, leaving the Victoria Station at 2.2() for
Liverpool, just about moving off: They procured its-
detention, and Sergeant Shandley on inquiry learned
from one of the railway servants that the only person
who had got into the train there was a gentleman, who
had entered the middle compartment of a first-class
carriage,. whichelwas pointed out. Oa Mr. Thorpe
looking through the window, in a person seated
in the carriage, he at once recognised a gentlemanly-
looking man, apparently a foreigner whom he observed in
the Corn Exchange an hour before, and had then remarked
to a friend that he thought he must be a Greek merchant
from Liverpool. On Mr. Thorpe communicating this to
Shandley, they both got into the same carriage, and the
train proceeded. Mr. Thorpe and Shandley got into
conversation with the man, who 'was wearing a white
lavender-coloured cap, though Mr. Thorpe was certain he
wore a hat on the Corn Exchange ; and a hat was
suspended over his seat. To their inquiries the man,
in broken English and a foreign accent, said he was a
foreigner, and could speak very little English. Sergeant
Shandley asked him whether he was staying in Man-
chester or in Liverpool, and for a while could not get
any clear answer. At length the 'man said that he was
staying at the C unmercial Inn, Liverpool, awl was
returning thither from Manchester; but he could not
remember the name of the street in which the Commer-
cial was situate. After some further questioning, Sergeant
Shandley jumped up, and seized the hat hanging over
the stranger's head, at which the man appeared very
much excited, and expressed his annoyance at such
liberties being taken with him. Sergeant Shandley
then showed him his authority as a polies-officer, and
said he must search him on suspicion of his having stolen
a pocket-book containing a large sum in bank notes,
on the Manchester Cure Exchange. The man said he
would not be searched in the carriage, as there were two
ladies in the carriage ; and accordingly the officer and
Mr. Thorpe contented themselves with watching that he
did not remove anything from his pockets tilt the train
reached the Newton station, its first stopping place after
leaving Manchester. There Shandley removed the man
from the carriage, and as he stepped out the officer saw a
large folding pocket-hook (answering the description of
that stolen) in the man's breast pocket. He immediately
selzsd it, but it contained no bank notes. only a letter.
Mr. Thorpe, seeing that the man kept one hand in the
left-. pocket of his coat, felt the pocket, and finding it soft
and bulky, said he thought the moner must be in that
pocket. Both Shandley and Mr. Thorpe thrust their
hands into the pocket, a'id brought out three large rolls of
bank notes. Mr. Thorpe then stooped and picked up the
pocket-book, and found that the letter it contained was
addressed to Mesq.a. Thompson and Son, Wakefield.
Shandley then took the men into a private room of the
station-office, and a further search was made. tic had
25 sovereiins in a small purse in his trowser's pocket, as
well as a cigar-case, and two new and blank memorandum
hooks, &c. He wore a large gold watch, with gold
Brequet chain, &c. The prisoner said they had got all he
had, and he hoped they would treat him with proper
respect, and he would give them his word of honour that '
he would go quietly with them.
It was then arranged that the man should remain in
Shandley's custody at the station-house, and that. Mr.
Thorpe should proceed about a mile further along the
line to the Warrington Junction, and thence telegraph to
Captain Patin, the chief constable of Manchester, that
Shandley had taken the thief with all the property. This
being done, Mr. Thorpe rejoined Sharelley, and with the
prisoner they returned to Manchester by the train leaving
Liverpool at 3 p.m., and reaching Manchester at 4 45.
01 course the news of the capture had preceded them e
and, on reaching the Victoria Station, they found not
only Mr. F. Thompson, the owner of the notes, but a con-
siderable number of persons, members of the Corn
Exchange and others, who greeted the captors with
repeated cheers, and groaned and hooted at the prisoner
on his way from the train to a cab, in which he was at
once conveyed to the Police-office, Town Hall. After a
further search of the prisoner, and a careful examination
of the notes, which were fount to be all there, the
prisoner was removed to the lock-up, and he will be
brought up for examination this morning at the City
Police-court.
While at the Newton Station, he asked Shandley to
give him a half-sovereign out of the purse (his own money)
to get some refreshment, and this was done. In con-
versation with Mr. Thorpe, he said that he came from
Cronstadt, and was a native of Russia. At the Pelice-
office, however, he said that his name is Charles Brow-
ness, aged 28, a native of Wallachia, where he says he
has landed property, and that he lives upon its vela's. Ile
admitted having come from Liverpool to Manchester on
Wednesday ; and it was. observed that his clothes are all
new. It has since been ascertained that he bought the
hat on Tuesday or Wednesday, at a shop near the
Rainbow • Hotel, Market-street, expressing a desire to
have a hat of genuine English make ; and that he left
there a hat of foreign make. He is apparently about sft.
Bin. of sallow complexion, and dark hair; wearing black
coat and trousers, dark waistcoat, black stock, and a
showy:gold pin. His clothes appear to be of the make of
some fashionable London tailor. So far as is at, present
ascertained, he is not known to the Manchester police ;
but several oe the superior detective officers are at
present attending the assizes at Liverpool and Chester.
Sergeant Shandley, after the prisoner was safely lodged
in the lockup, proceeded to Liverpool, in order to discover
where he had been staying, and to examine his luggage, &c.
The lost and thus speedily recovered money, consists of
one £5OO Bank of England note, many of £lOO each,
others respectively of £2O, £lO. and £5, and a few country
bank notes. Also a bill for £3lB, and some cheques for
various amounts.
Great praise is due to Sergeant Shandley and to Mr.
Thorpe for the way in which they discovered the thief
and recovered the stolen property.—Mancltester Guardian.

MESSRS. OVEREND, GURNEY, AND CO., AND
THE BANK OF ENGLAND.

The city editor of the Times having accused " a certain
discount house" of having adopted a course of proceeding
calculated to aggravate the recent crisis, the following
letter has,been addressed by the house in question to our
cotemporary. The allegations were that on November
12th one partner called at the bank and asked for accounts
to the extent of £500,00x, and, when this was promised,
he raised the application to £700,000 ; this being conceded,
he again increased his demand to £900,000, which was
granted. Meanwhile, however, the partner by whom
these applications were made is understaod to have pro-
ceeded to a leading banker among the private firms in
Lombard-street, and to have informed him that he had
been to the:Bank of England in vain, and could get no
advances whatever. Of course, this was calculated to
add greatly to the distrust already prevalent, and its
Effects would have spread much further had not the
hanker subsequently ascertained tharthe representation
had been entirely erroneous.
The following is the letter of Messrs. Overend, Gurney,
and Co.:—

Lombard street, Dec. 9.
Sir,—The observations in your city article thi% day relating to our
Iriuse render it incumbent o Us to make a reply, an I we are glad of
the
opportnnity of doing so, as most unfounded misrepre entat.ons
have been in • irculation upon the subjett.
We may state, then, brit fly, that we did not ask the bank for any
more than we ahsolutely require' on the 12th ult. to meet the
extraordinary demand ar sing from the fotlure of Messrs. Sanderson,
sad Co., under a very excited sta.° of the money market, and
concurrently wtk it an eno mous drain for Ireland. The amount
quoted is conslerably beyond the sum taken.
As to cur applications having been made at various times of the
day. this arose simply from the continuance of the demand upon us.
There is no truth in our having stated that we had been to the
bank in vain ;," but, in reply to a coestion made by a banker who
called on us at the tim3, we stated that we had not an answer to
our second application. Thit was caused by the governnor being in
committee.
As to the inennation that we have added to the Pante, it is absurd
to suppos, we should do anything so contrary to our own intevst ;
but A e may eta e conftdently that we have ex-rted eurrelves to the
utmost to render every assistance in our power thanughout the crisis
to support public credit. We remain, your's respectfully,
OVERISSD, GIIINET, 414, CO.

DISASTROUS FIRE CAUSED BY A THRISEIING MACHINE.--
A day or two ago, Ur. J. Aloxon, of Scretfon Fields, near
Ashby-de-la-Z Inch, had a threshing machine employed
on his farm premises to thresh some wheat, when a spark
from the engine ignited the straw, and the flames speedily
communicated to six or seven stacks in the yard, which
were almost totally destroyed. The machine, also, which
two or three years since cost £350, was rendered nearly
valgeless. The damage is estimated at £l,OOO.