The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-23 00:00:00

HIGH WAY ROBBERIES.

On Tuesday evening as Mr. and Miss Harris, from
Berkshire, who were on a visit to Allington, were
driving into this city, for the purpose of attending
Wilton Fair, a gang of ruffians waylaid them, and dragged
Mr. Harris out of the gig. One of the villains then
jumped up, but Miss Harris caught at the reins, which
sne succeeded in holding, and driving on till the fellow,
fearful probably of losing his share of the plunder, re-
joined his companions. They robbed Mr. Harris of 5/.
On the night of Wednesday last not fewer than five high-
way robberies were perpetrated within a few miles of
this city, and all under circumstances of peculiar aggra-
vation and of the most wanton brutality. Here is one
case. As Mr. Fisher, the confidential clerk of Mr.
Fulford, linen-draper, of this city, was returning from
Stockbridge in a gig, accompanied by Mrs. Fisher,
about nine o'clock in the evening, four men rushed
upon them from the road side, two of them seized
the horse's head, and almost instantaneously cut
the reins, while the two others seized Mr. and Mrs.
Fisher, and dragged them out on the road over the
hack of the gig. They then cut off Mrs. Fisher's
pocket, containing some money and one or two articles
of value, and reseated her in the gig. One of the ruf-
fians getting up in the, beat the horse till he had got
some distance from the scene of plunder, and then
jumped out, leaving Mrs. Fisher to her fate. Being
utterly unacquainted with the country, she led the horse
for miles on the road towards Wallop, and then pursuing
another cross country route, found herself at length at
the Golden Ball, on the Stockbridge road, where she
providentially met with a kind-hearted wagoner, who
affording her all the assistance in his power, by fastening
the gig-horse to the back of the waggon, and giving her
a seat in his own vehicle. In this way they proceeded till
they fell in with Mr. Fisher, who was in a state of great
personal suffering from the injuries he had received. as
well as from his anxiety with respect to his wife. The
highwaymen, who knelt on his neck and limbs till he
was almost strangled, robbed Mr. Fisher of his watch
(maker's namo " Tymms, Vauxhall") ; a banker's re-
ceipt for 501., deposited in the Wilts and Dorset Bank ;
a 51. note of the Hampshire Banking Company, on
which was written in a small hand on the face, nearly at
the bottom, " Fisher and Robinson ;" five sovereigns,
some silver, a bunch of keys, and an ivory hat rule.—
Salisbury Herald.

TII E TRACY FA M I LY.—For a considerable
period after the murder of that troublesome fellow,
Thomas A'Becket, there was a proverbial saying in
Gloucestershire, " The Tracies have always the wind in
their faces." This superstitious legend was founded on
the well-known fact that Sir William Tracy was one of the
four knights who killed the turbulent prelate. In conse-
quence of this, the popish priests invented a tale, that, as
a punishment to the family of Tracy, whenever any of
them travelled, either by land or water, the wind always
blew in their faces. It may be presumed that the present
head ot that family (Lord Sudley) considers the action of
his ancestor " a feather in his cap," for on the arch of the
prin
ciral entrance to his newly erected mansion, he has
placed a figure in high relief of Sir NV. wielding his battle-
axe, and on the other side the prelate whom he " brained."
Cheltenham Examiner.