The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-27 00:00:00

MARYLEBONE.

EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF P.OBBERY.—A PROSECU-
TOR COMPELLED TO PROCEED WITH HIS CASE.—James
Ward and James Allen, the former footman, and the latter
stableman, at the Red Lion, in the Edgware-road, were
charged, on remand, with the following very extensive
robbery from the person of James Dillon, the pugilist.
Mr. Rodwell, solicitor, defended Allen.
This case excited a great degree of interest amongst the
members of the P. R., and the court was crowded by its
patrons. The prisoners had before been twice brought up,
and were, upon the last occasion, fully ccrnmitted for trial,
but they were formally remanded, in order to see if the
notes and property could be traced.
The evidence formerly adduced showed that Dillon kept
the White Horse in Baldwin-gardens. Between one and
two o'clock in the day on the 7th inst., in company of a
contractor named Coney, he went to dine at the Red Lion.
After dinner he went into the closet without his hat, after
which ho sat down in the harness room, and fell asleep for
about two hours, On his awaking Ward jumped away
from him, when Dillon said, "Hold hard, old chap, who
has been here besides you." On searching his pockets he
massed seven half-crowns, a florin in silver, £1 10s, in gold,
a large gold ring which had been presented to him, a watch
and chain, a £5, £2O, and a £5O Bank of England note.
He (Dillon) said to Ward that they had " cleaned him out.'
All that Ward replied was that Dillon owed him a shilling
for what he had had upstairs, and he had better make haste
and leave, as a gentleman wanted to come to the desk and
write. In reply to another question as to who else had been
there, he (Ward) saw only Ginger and Whitecross-street
(meaning Allen and another person not in custody). Dillon
then went into the yard, where he saw Allen and told him
of his loss, when he made use of bad language and turned
away. The two prisoners then went into a stable with a
woman, after which Ward brought him his bat, and said,
"Do make haste out." About 3 o'clock on the same day
Ward went to the shop of Mr. Blackman, a butcher in the
Harrow-road, and asked for change of. a£s note, which,
upon examining, Miss Blackman found was a £5O note,
and told Ward so, and he took it away. The following
morning Ward called upon her and said that a man had
been robbed in their yard, and that the note he brought the
previous day to get changed belonged to a cow driver, who
took it away. He requested Miss Blackman not to mention
it, as it might cause a bother. On the Fame morning, and
previous to the robbery, Dillon and Coney were in the
Wheatsheaf, Edgware-road, where the barman particularly
noticed a large ring with a stone in it, which Dillon placed
on the counter. In the evening Allen came in, and Jelli-
nus, the carman, said " You are a fighting man now,
for you have a fighting man's ring on."
Allen said, " Yes; he had to mind it for
Dillon." William Bishop, a helper in the stable yard, saw
Allen go into the harness-room and shut tho door after
him whilst Dillon was asleep. After a short time he came
out and offered Bishop half a sovereign, which ho refused
to take. Inspector Steer, of the D division, apprehended
Ward, who said he had taken what he believed was a £5
note to be changed, but it turned out to be a £5O note. He
then said be got it from a cattle dealer. Ward said he had
heard of the robbery, but knew nothing of it. When at
the station house he (Ward) said Allen gave him the note
to change, and as he could net do so he gave it to him again.
He then told the inspector that if ho went into the
coal cellar of the Red Lion he would on a beam
find Dillou's watch, with a piece of cocoa nut
coir placed in the works to stop the ticking, so that if
any person went there they E hould not hear it. Tho
inspector found it as described. Samuel Doble, 147 D, ap-
prehended Allen, wile said " it was all right; Dillon had
him en for £2O over a fight, and that would about square
them if he (Dillon) got some back."
A gentleman from the Bank of England ROW produced
the £5O note, which had been changed at the Bank for gold
by Allen's cousin just previous to the police going there.
The police are trying to arrest the cousin. The ring was