The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-07 00:00:00

A BURGLAR KILLED. NEAR BRIGHTON.

For some time past considerable apprehension has been
created among the inhabitants of detached houses in the
neighbourhood of Shoreham by a series of daring burglaries
which have been perpetrated almost weekly for some time
past. About a fortnight ago the house of Mr. Bridger,
a gentleman residing near Shoreham, was entered by bur-
glars during the night, and a quantity of eatables and a
pair of gaiters were stolen. Three or four times within
the last two months the house of the Rev. Mr. Wheeler
has also been entered, and edibles and wearing apparel
have been stolen upon each occasion • among other
things a neckerchief belonging to that gentleman's butler
Yesterday morning, between two and three o'clock,
the house of Mr. Bridger was again entered. Three
servants were at the time sitting up, well armed—a pre-
caution which has been taken nightly, ever since the
first robbery was committed, a fortnight since—and a
noise being heard to proceed from the pantry or milk-
house at the rear of the premises, the servants proceeded
to the spot. They there found that the door had
been locked by one of the other servants, and the key
taken away, and they were unable to enter the room ;
but there were two window-holes in the top of the door,
one of the panes of which had been removed for
purposes of ventilation, and the servants were thus
enabled to see what was going on inside. They saw a
man in the room in the act of taking something from
a cupboard, and they immediately called upon him
surrender, telling him that if he did not do so they
would fire. Receiving no answer, one of the servants
fired, but without effect. He was again told that unless
he surrendered he would be fired upon. He replied
in a tone of derision, " Oh !" and immediately made for
the window by which he had gained admittance to the
room, and was making his way out, when he was fired
upon a second time by two of the party. An alarm
was then given in the house, and the thief, who had
effected his escape through the window, was found
lying on the ground, about six yards from the win-
dow, dead, the shot having taken effect a little above
the hip on the right side. Dr. Career, of Shoreham, was
speedily upon the spot, and he gave it as his opinion
that the man might have lived ten minutes after
he had received the shot, and that he had then died
from internal hemorrhage. The Steyning constable,
Mr. Poiney, having arrived, dispatched at once a
message to Mr. Chase, chief officer of the Brighton
police, who, upon examining the premises, found
that the thief had attempted an egentie•affhneecceetn,
at the
same spot at whiche wrtoahnsle t
rb eaodrusswe
with
haavls entered a fort-
ii
like
and the
etnhnigetrrhaet'ncaes Nnevecaoes'n ad tl b Puf
iLtas, t effected through the window of the
milk-house or pantry. It is supposed the man had the
assistance of confederates in getting from the window.
proved to be a fine, On eng the body h e
built xamin i
well-
y
oung man, about 25 years of age, and had in his
pocket a huge life-preserver. On his' feet were the
gaiters stolen a fortnight ago, and round his neck the
neckerchief of Mr. Wheeler's servant. The inquest has
been held on the body, and a verdict of justifiable homi-
cide returned.

SHOCKING DE------ATH AT WHITSTABLE.—An inquest was
held here on Tuesday, by Mr. Delasaux, on the body of
Ann Woodcock, the wife of a labouring man. It ap-
peared that she had been, at an early hour in the morn-
ing of the previous day, strolling on the sea shore in
quest of copperas stones, and, owing to the denseness of
the fog, did not perceive the rising tide till she was com-
pletely surrounded, when she attempted to escape, but
was drowned. Some folks heard her screams, butd
not arrive until too late, when they found her a lifeless
corpse. Verdict, " Accidental death." Deceased has
left seven children.—/rentish, Gazette.