The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-29 00:00:00

THE LEIGHTON BUZZARD BURGLARY.

Yesterday the four prisoners, Lewis Myers, Charles
Marshall, John Sauyders, and George Parker, were
brought up on remand at the Town-hall, Leighton Buz-
zard, before Colonel Gilpin, M.P., Colonel Hanmer,
and Mr. W. J. B. Whitehouse. The hall was densely

crowded.
Mr. Parry, of the home circuit, appeared on the part
of the prosecution ; Mr. Solomons, for Myers ; and Mr.
W.
,F. Howe, 107, Blackfriars-road, for the other
prisoners. _ _ _

Mr. Parry, after a few opening remarks, called the
following additional evidence :

Edmund Tearle—l am the driver of the omnibus from
the Swan Inn, Leighton Buzzard. On the 25th of
November last I was at the station to meet the down
mail train. It arrived about a quarter to eleven. Three
men got out of that train. Saunders and Marshall were
two of them. I saw the other man, but he is not here.
I can speak positively to the other two. I saw them
jump out of the train. They then went into a luggage
shed instead of going into the waiting-room, where there
was a fire and a light. Saunders came out and asked a
porter what time the mail train arrived at Tring or
Bletchley, and if it stopped there. The man could not
tell him. They then crossed the line towards the gates.
Marshall called to them to come back, as that was not
the way out, and they came out of the departure door.
Saunders asked another porter the same question re-
garding the mail train. This porter went into the office
to look at his book, and Saunders ran out after the
other men. Marshall had a small bag or parcel under
his left arm at the time. I then lost sight of them.
Cross-examined by Mr. Howe—l had never seen them
Saunders and Marshall, before that day to my know-
ledge. I only saw the back of them after the last ex-
amination. I let them into the omnibus, but there was
such a crowd of people round that I could not see their
features at all.
By Mr. Parry—l have no doubt whatever that those
two men are the men I saw.

Nathaniel Smith—l am a painter. I worked with
Marshall about two or three years ago. I saw Mar-
shall and Saunders on the night of either the IGth or
the 9th of October last, on the Linslade-road, about one
and-a-half mile from here. I asked Marshall what he
was doing then, and he said he was at the old trade. I
then asked bins what trade Saunders was,!and he said ho
was a brother brush.

Cross-examine(' by Mr• Howe--I was in court last
week. I saw the prisoner Saunders, and I knew him,
and I then heard him called by his name. I never heard
Marshall call him by his name. I have worked with
Marshall for three months at the Swan Inn, Leighton
Buzzard, and at the village of Eggin ton.
Thomas Cook—l am a groom, and reside at Chelsea.
On the night of the burglary I was in the smoking-room
of the Elephant and Castle Inn, Chelsea, a little before
11 o'clock at night. One man came in, a stranger, and
then two others came in after him. I identify Marshall
as one of the two that caine in last, and I have not the
leant doubt of his identity ; but I cannot identify either
of the other two.

.Tub Denson, superintendent constable of the county
of Bucks—l produce a great coat, upon which there
were droppings of green wax ; and on the counter and
various other parts of Mr. Matthews' shop there were
similar droppings.
Sergeant Thomas Richards, or the Metropolitan Po-
lice, said—l know all the prisoners well. I saw Mar-
shall three or four days before the robbery at the Bell
public-house, Friar-street, Blackfriars-road. He had
carrotty whiskers at that time. (He has none new.) I
Fare seen Parker with Saunders many times. I saw
them together a very few days before the robbery. I
have known them to be acquainted for about three
years. At the time I saw Marshall at the Bell public-
louse, he had on an overcoat like the one now produced.
1 have never seen Parker and Marshall together, with
the exception of their being both of them in a public-
house at the time.

Mr. Parry believed he had now established a prima
facie case against all the prisoners, and, therefore, he
'had no doubt that. their worships would commit all of
them for trial upon this charge.
Mr. Howe then addressed the court for his clients, butt
more especially for the prisoner Parker, against whom
he contended there was not the slightest evidence, ex-
cept the cabman Hervey ; and he did not think that
their worships would believe his statement in preference
to those of all the respectable witnesses brought before
them.

Colonel Gilpin, the chairman, said the bench had come
to the conclusion, after a very careful consideration of
the case, to commit all of the prisoners to Bedford Gaol,
to take their trial at the March Assizes.

Mr. Solomons applied to the magistrates to admit his
client, Myers, to bail. If they refused he should then
apply to a Judge at chambers.
Mr. Howe would also apply for bail for his clients,
and more especially Parker.
Colonel Gilpin declined the request with respect to
Myers, Saunders, and Marshall, but with regard to
Parker they would consider that.
Captain Boultbee, the chief constable of the Beds con-
stabulary, believed that if Parker was admitted to bail
the ends of justice would be frustrated ; and some docu-
ments having been produced by Serjeant Richards, re-
ferring to the former character of Parker,
Colonel Gilpin stated that the magistrates had come
to the determination not to admit him to bail.

The prisoners were then asked what they had to say
why they should not be committed?
Mr. Solomons stated that his client would reserve his
defence for a future period, when he had no doubt he
should be in a position to prove that he was innocent of
this charge.

Parker said that there was no evidence to implicate
him in the robbery. It was only his character that bad
brought him down there, and the police knew very well
that he was not concerned in the robbery.
Marshall and Saunders both stated that they would
reserve their defence.

The witnesses were then all bound over, and the pro-
ceedings terminated.

THE PRESTON STRIKE.

PRESTON, Dsc. 28.---To-day an address has been
issued by the Masters' Association. It is of a vindica-
tory character, and rc-states the cases of the masters
and workmen, the facts of which are alleged to have
been perverted by the leaders of the latter. With
reference to the complaint that the men are " locked
out," and therefore unable to work if so disposed, and
that the masters want to starve them into submission,
the masters say that "the closing of the mills was only
resorted to after the hands in several of them had struck
work, or had given notice to that effect, although an ad-
vance of 10 per cent. had been offered them in August
last upon the wages paid in 1852." The masters fur-
ther deny that any promise was given generally by their
body to give, when trade revived, an advance corres-
ponding to the reductions which took place in the latter
part of the year 1847, and then make the following
statement :
" Being anxious to ascertain the difference (if any) be-
tween the earnings of the various classes of operatives
in 1847, before the above-mentioned reduction took
place, and those in the summer of 1853, before the 10
per cent. was demanded, we find, from the returns fur-
nished us from the wages books of several large and in-
fluential firms, that, instead of any decrease, there has
been an actual increase, varying from 5 to 30 per cent.,
after making due allowance for the difference in the
hours of labour from 69 to 60 hours per week. We
have not thought it necessary to extend these inquiries,
not having the slightest doubt that, if the average of all
the mills now closed had been taken, the result would
haire been the same. We take this opportunity of
stating, for the information of those persons whose aid
and contributions are solicited for the hands, that in a
well regulated spinning and weaving establishment the
weekly earnings of men employed therein vary from
12s. to 355.
; women and young persons from 7s. 6d. to
15s. ; and children from 4s. to 65., according to the
nature of the employment and the diligence and ability
of the worker ; and that the average of all classes of
hands in such an establishment
is about 10s. each."
The masters conclude with the remark that—" After-
the continuance of this struggle for upwards of ten weeks,
the operatives still persist in their demands, and eviace
the same indisposition to return to work, although the
masters have declared their willingness to reeeiveappli-
cations, and as soon as they were sufficiently numerous
to enable them to open their mills immediate steps Would
be taken to that effect. No applications of any „me.
quence have been made, and the dispute appears as far
off a settlement as ever."
Speculation is busy in conjecturing the probable re-
sult of the adjourned meeting of the association, to be
held to-morrow. Seine say that the meeting is to be
adjourned for a month, others for three months; whilst
a third report is that the members of the association are
anxious to try the effect of ringing the factory bQlls at
the prices of March last.

GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY.—This company's ex-
tensive hotel at the King's-cross Station is just com-
pleted. It is constructed to contain 150 beds, and vi 11
be opened in the spring. The architecture is of a re-
markably bold character, the building in reality forming
half an amphitheatre.