The Sun.
London, England, 1838-11-15 00:00:00

THAMES-OFFICE.

DARING BURGLARY AND CAPTURE OF TIIE TnIEVES.--Yes-
terday three Irishmen, named Cornelius Hayley alias John
Crawley, James Mahoney alias Murnay, and John Davis,
were brought before Mr. BALLANTINE on a charge of break-
ing into the house of Mr. 11,,nry Greenwood, the Ship and
Dragon, King-street, Old Gravel-lane.
The investigation created much interest, from the circum-
stance of many daring burglaries, several attended with the
abstraction of considerable property, having been committed in
St. George's East, Shadwell, and \Yapping, during the last
two months. Three burglaries were committed in one night
in Wapping-street a fortnight ago. The prisoners, who are
:.11 young men of very bad character, and profess to be coal-
whippers, and have done very little work for the last year, are
suspected of being concerned in all the depredations which
hays been committed in the n ighbourhood of the police-office.
Davis is a fellow of desperate habits, and has been in custody
before. He has a sister, a little girl, in the House of Correc-
tion, and two other sisters have been repeatedly in the hands
of the police.
It appeared in evidence that between the hours of one and
two o'clock that morning a young man named Henderson was
passing the Ship public• house with a friend named Kippin,
when they heard the rattling of glass within. They listened,
and soon afterwards heard the breaking of more glass. They
went to the door, and next heard a sudden pull of a door and
the jingling of copper moneys. Suspecting thieves were in the
house, Henderson went in search of a policeman, leaving Kip-
pin in front of the public-house. He soon returned with
Crawford, a policeman of the K division, who caused the
house to be surrounded and aroused the inmates. Notwith-
standing all the precautions adopted, two of the bur-
glars managed to effect their escape while Crawford
was knocking at the door. On the police being ad-
mitted into the house by tee landlord they found every.
thing in confusion. The I;kd been e:ltered, the till
violently wrenched open, and iti contents, consisting
only of a few
_shillings in copper moneys, stolen. On

4

going into the parlour it was discovered that the burglars ha`_
entered through the skylight. Beneath it two tables had
been placed, by which Davis and Mahoney had been enabled
to effect their escape when the alarm was given. HayleY.
however, was not so fortunate. In attempting to follow his
confederates through the opening made in the skylight, one of
the tables placed on the top of another broke under his weight,
and he fell with it to the ground. His retreat being cut offs
by the front and back doors, where Henderson and Kippin
were stationed, he laid down under one of the tables its the
parlour. In this situation he was found by Crawford, on en-
tering the dwelling, and he pretended to be drunk and very
sleepy. Crawford seized him by the collar, on which he
threw off his disguise, and said he would tell all about it. He
then said that Murnay and Davis had broken into the house
with him, and had effected their escape through the skylight.
On further search two jackets and a cap wens. found by the
police. Hayley owned one of the jackets, the pockets of
which contained is. 9d. in copper. Mr. Greenwood was
enabled to identify some of the coins. The only article car-
tied off by the burglars, beside the money in the, till, was a
silver spoon. After Hayley was locked up the police went in
all directions in search of Davis and Murnay, and the Thames
Police believing the former was secreted in a vessel in the
river, searched it throughout, but without success. About
six o'clock in the morning Davis was taken into custody, by
Vere, a police sergeant, at his father's dwelling in a wretched
place called Tittymouse alley, Shadwell. He was preparing
breakfast at the time, and said he had been in bed all night:
which was ascertained to be false. Murnay was observe('
coming ashore in a boat a few hours afterwards, and he Was
captured by Henderson, and taken to the station-house. Ile
declined saying how he had passed the night.
Mr. Valentine, inspector of the K division, submitted to the,
Magistrate that if the case was remanded for a few days he'
should be enabled to make it complete against all the pri—
soners, and to bring home some other robberies to them.
Mr. BALLANTINE said he should certainly remand tilts
prisoners, and asked if there was any other charge againtat
them.
Police-sergeant Grave said he charged them with commit-
ting a burglary at the house of Mr. Baldwin, in Foxe's-lanes
Shadwell, a few nights since. He had recovered some of the
stolen property, which he was ready to produce.
Mr. BALLANTINE said he would remand all the prisoners
until Tuesday. By that time he should expect Mr. Valentine
to get the second ease completed. The three men were then
romanded to Clerkenwell Prison.
The office and the avenues leading to it, and the street in
front, were crowded with Irish people, chiefly women, during
the whole day, and they kept up a continual howling and
crying about the " dear boi s," the " darlings," frequently
exclaiming that their blessed lives were being sworn away-
The inconvenience to persons having business to transact in
the office was very great, and the nuisance continued until
half-past five o'clock, when the prisoners were taken away is
the van.