The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-17 00:00:00

The Robbery at Messrs• Prescotts' Bank,

Wm. Prendergast and Henry Carman were brought be-
fore tho Lord Mayor at the Mansion-house yesterday, to
undergo a final examination upon the charge of stealing
£135 in silver money from a drawer in Messrs. Prescotts'
bank, on the 20th May last.
Mr. Mullens again appeared to prosecute ; Mr. F. 11.
Brooks, 62, Borough-road, appeared for Prendergast; and
Mr. Perry, from Mr. Buchanan's office, appeared for Car-
man.

The evidence given at the several previous examinations
has already appeared. The facts of the case are of a some-
what singular character. On the night of the 20th of May
last Mr. Denison, one of the cashiers at Messrs. Prescotts'
bank, previous to leaving locked his drawer, which at that

time contained some bags of silver, amounting to £135, and
upon his return on Monday morning he found- his drawer
had been broken open and the money was missing. The
prisoner Prendergast was employed as .a porter at the bank,
and slept on the premises in a room adjoining the banking
office, and, from information received by them, Detective-
sergeants Scott and Russell apprehended him two or three
days after the robbery. He then appears to have given
them some information upon which they apprehended
Carman, and the evidence showed that Prendergast was
met by Carman on Sunday morning, the 21st of May,
after which they proceeded in a cab to a coffee-house in
Lambeth-walk, where, having breakfasted, they left a
black leather bag, which was very heavy, with the waitress
to take care of. The prisoners appeared to have separated,
as Prendergast kept an appointment ho had made with a
friend on the previous evening, and while he was with
him during the day he spent a good deal of money. The
prisoner Carman sent for the bag, and had it taken to a
public-house in Wandsworth, where it was left in charge
of the landlord at the prisoner's request, and was taken
away the next day by Carman's sister and his wife.
The bag was taken to the house of Carman's father,
where, from the evidence of his sister, the contents,
which was silver money, were taken out, and a portion
put into another bag, which was taken away to the
h _ _

ouse of another sister, the remainder being left at her
:ather's house. After the prisoner Carman was appre-
hended his father became alarmed, and sent for the parcel
of money which had been left with Carman's sister, which
was taken back to his house. Carman's father then applied
to a man named Michie, who keeps a public-house in the
Lewisham-road, to take care of a black leather bag contain-
ing money, as he was afraid the officers might search his
house and find it ; and Mrs. Carman said she had left it at
Michie's house, but whether or not it contained the whole,
or only half the money, could not be ascertained. Accord-
ing to the testimony of Carman's father it would appear
that the bag contained the whole of the money, and that
he left it at Michie's house, and had not seen it since.
Michie, on the contrary, said that it was arranged between
him and Carman, sen., to bury the money in a place called
" "The Hollows." The officers having applied to Carman,
son., for the bag, he referrQd them to Michie, who, on being
applied to, left them at his house, and, according to his
testimony, went to a place in the Hollows, which had been
pointed out to him by Carman, sen.,.as the place where he
buried it, and got a parcel which he found buried there.
When opened by the officers it was only found, however,
to contain £5O odd. Michie declared that was all he had
dug up, and that he had not opened the parcel, while Car-
man, sen., said Michie told him he had taken out £IQ.
This, however, Michie stoutly denied. The other portion
of the money was not found, it being a matter of conten-
tion between Michie and Carman as to which of them have
the remainder.
Yesterday Mr. Mullens said the other part of the money
was not found, and the only additional evidence adduced
was that of—
Detective-sergeant Russell, who said that on the morning
of Monday, 22d May, he went over Messrs. Prescotts' bank,
and examined the dust which had been swept up by the
witness Hobby, and found at the bottom of it some pieces
of wood corresponding with the broken part of Mr. Denison's
till. He took Carman to the station-house, and was fol-
lowed by Scott, who had Prendergast. Scott asked Pren-

dergast, in Carman's hearing, whether he (Carman) was

the man who had induced him to commit the robbery, and
who met him outside on Sunday morning, and he said he
was. Scott then told Carman that the prisoner Prender-

gast said he had induoed him to rob his employers, Messrs.
Prescott, of £135 in silver, and that ho took him the tools
to do it with on the Saturday previous, and that he had
met him on Sunday morning when he left the bank, he
having the money in his pockets, and that he (Carman)
took a black bag to put it in, and that they took a cab at
King William-street, when Prendergast took the money
from his pockets and put it in the bag. Carman took some
money from the bag, and they both went to the coffee-
house in Lambeth. Witness also deposed to having re-
ceived £4 10s. from Mr. Geldhardt.

In answer to Mr. Brooks, witness said Prendergast had
assisted him throughout the case.
This completed the case, and the prisoners were com-
mitted for trial.

The Frightful Murder at Isleworth•

ISLEWORTH, Friday.

This afternoon Mr. James Bird, coroner for West Mid-
dlesex, held an inquiry at the Royal Oak Tavern, Worton-
lane, Isleworth, into the circumstances of the murder of
Ellen Dossett by her husband, Daniel Dossett, on Wed-
nesday evening last.
It was stated that the accused still lived, and could an-
swer by signs any questions put to him, but that there was
no chance of his ultimate recovery. He has made no state-
ment as to his motive for the murder of his wife.

The jury having proceeded to view the body of the de•
ceased and the paddock where she was murdered,

Mrs. Diana Randall was called—She said she resided in
a cottage in Baker's lane, Isleworth, and she knew the de- I
ceased, who was .a laundress, living in the same lane.
Alfred Randall, a youth, said that he was the son of the
first witness. On Wednesday evening, a little after eight
o'clock, ho was standing in the meadow next Mrs. Dos-
sett's drying-ground, in Baker's-lane. He saw the deceased
and Mr. Dossett lying on the grass in the drying-ground,
near to a place where there were clothes hanging up. Mr.
Dossett had a razor in his hand, and witness saw him cut
his throat. They were lying side by side at the time. The
man was at the woman's right-hand side. He rolled about
when ho had cut his throat, and he rolled over to his wife.
Ho then got upon his knees, and spat up blood; then, ris-
ing, he staggered over towards the hedge, along the river
Colne. There was some man there who went away when
the accused waved his hand. Dossett then jumped into the
Colne and crossed it. Witness then got into the drying-
ground, and there found Mrs. Dossett lying on her back
with her throat cut. She was dead, her throat being
dreadfully cut. Some men came into the field and re-
moved the body.
A Juror asked who the man was that was on the farther
bank of the river, and to whom the accused waved his hand.
The witness said that he did not know.

The Coroner said that after this evidence was published
most probably witnesses would come forward who could
give very important evidence.
The witness said that he did not hear any quarrel be-
tween Mr. and Mrs. Dossett. Witness was walking
towards the drying-ground, when he suddenly caught
sight of them on the grass.
Inspector Searle said that Mrs. Randall could prove that
when she brought the deceased's infant to her no one was
in the house but Mr. and Mrs. Dossett.

The Coroner said that that evidence would be merely
negative.

Henry Friar, Worton-lane, said that on the evening in
question he was on the banks of the Colne when a stranger
shouted out to him, " Run round the bridge ; a man has
cut his throat." Witness then went to the drying-
ground, where he found Dossett and the deceased lying side
by side. Dossett was lying on the right arm of the deceased,
who was quite dead, her throat being cut. His throat was
cut too, and was bleeding very much. A razor lay between
the heads of Dossett and his wife. Witness said, " Dan,
do you know what you have done ?" He got up on his
hands and knees, took up the razor, and then looked round
and saw witness. He got upon his feet, and followed
witness two or three yards, making a dreadful noise and
groping out with his hands as if he could not see. He
came forward to witness, who was afraid when the man
•came after him looking so dreadful. He then turned sharp
round, went over the hedge, and got into the Colne. Wit-
ness then went to deceased and found her quite doad.
Inspector Searle said that there were four children, one
of them an infant in arms, left by the deceased. They were
at present in the care of Mrs. Randall, but as she could not
maintain them, he wished to know what had best be done
with them.

The Coroner said that the only course would be to send
them to the local workhouse.

The Court was then adjourned to give time to the police
to procure further evidence.
It was stated that Mrs. Randall kindly volunteered to
take care of the little baby of the deceased, and two other
neighbours agreed to take two of the remaining children.
The deceased is stated to have been a native of Bath, and
to have been about 35 years of age. The injuries inflicted
upon her by. her murderer were of the most dreadful cha-
racter. Her head was nearly cut off, her right arm and the
palm of her hand were wounded, showing that she endea-
voured to ward off the strokes of the razor, but it was evi-
dent that the poor woman was suddenly assailed, and had
not time to make any protracted resistance. Her death must
have been instantaneous.

BATTLE BETWEEN AN ADDER AND A CAT.—Some
week or ten days ago, the shepherds of Aulduhuine
and Belnaboddach, while conversing together near a
" sheiling" in which one of them has his summer quarters,
had their attention arrested by a cat engaged in sundry
eccentric gymnastic itovements at a short distance off
amongst the heather. On a nearer inspection it was found
that the adversary of puss was a large adder, plenty of
which abound about the upper glens of the Noughty,.where
this encounter occurred. The cat having a bad chalice of
being worsted in the fight, or being stung to death, its
owner put an end to the encounter by killing the adder
with a walking-stick. The uncouth reptile measured two
feet three inches in length, which is the common dimen-
sions of this species.—Banjeltire Journal.