The Sun.
London, England, 1822-11-28 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

• ---sams--.
RESURRECTION MEN.
LAMBETII-STREET.—Yeiteiday a man, who gave his name
William Hodges, was brought up from Poplar watch-house, in
custody of Coltman, the night constable, and a posse of watch.
men and head-boroughs, and put to the bar before MATHEW
WYATT and Jonsr HARDWICK. Esqrs. the Sitting Magis-
trates, charged with being.an accomplice, with two other ruf-
fians, not in, cusiody, in attempting to rob a burying-ground.
The prisoner was followed to the, door of the office by an
immense mob, who pelted. him, with . mud and every sort of
missile that chance threw in their way. The officers were
smothered all over with filth, and had the utmost difficulty in
taking their prisoner alive to the office.
Coltman, the Constable, said, he was engaged at. Poplar
Watch-house, when between twelve and one &clock yesterday
morning, Joseph Piper, late watchman of that parish, came
and informed him there were three resurrrection men in
Poplar-Chapel burying-ground. In consequence of this in-
formation, he loSt. no time in taking with him a strong body
of watchmen, whom he stationed to guard the avenues lead-
ing from the ground. He and Piper, armed with pistols and
cutlasses, got over one of the gates, which the resurrection-
men, who were busily employed, perceiving, made a pre-
cipitate retreat from the graves, and attempted to get over
the wall ; but finding a watchman stationed at that quarter,
they went back again, and he and his assistant chased them
for some -time about the tombs. The ruffians at length
succeeded in getting over the wall into the garden of John Stock,
Esq. closely pursued by him and Piper, where the prisoner was
secured, lying on his belly under a tree ; but the other two ef-
fected their escape. After be was lodged in the watch-house,
witness retuthed into the burial-ground, and found that the bo-
dies of two aged persons, namely of Mrs. Patmore, who died sud-
denly, and of David Whittaker, a pauper, were partly disin-
terred. The former was buried on Friday, and the latter on
Sunday last, and close to the spot lay two bags, twoeat coats,
two shovels, a. scaling-ladder, and an iron instrument forgr bursting
open the coffins. On the wall where the fellows first attempted
to escape, was found a long sack stretched over the glass with
which the coping of the wall was stuck. This plan, it is sup.
posed, was adopted to prevent their being injured by the glass.
Joseph Piper stated, that there had been a suspicion for some
time back that the ground had been robbed. He was employed
to watch the dead, and on Tuesday night repaired to his duty,
armed with a brace of pistols. On arriving at the gate he saw
three men get over the wall at the opposite side ; lie waited for
some time, and on witnessing them disinterring the bodies al-
luded to, he hastened and gave information of the circumstance
to Mr. Coltman. While he was employed burying the corpse
on Friday last, the prisoner was overlooking him, and helped to
fill the grave ; he wore the brown great coat now produced at
the time, and the bags, shovels, '&c. now produced, were the
same found in the burying.-groUnd. This witness corroborated
the testimony of Coltman in every other respect.
Mr. Prett, the sexton, had remarked for some time back that
several of the graves were disturbed, in consequence of which he
placed his son and three other men to watch the burying ground.
On Sundays, when the place was opened to the public who come
to prayers, he had frequently seen the prisoner inspecting the
graves, and heard him ask if the persons (alluding to the fresh
graves) were lately interred, what their ages were, and of what
disease they died. On Friday last, while Mrs. Patmore was
being buried, the prisoner came up, and asked if it was a parish
job ? The witness in explanation of this question, said the
paupers were not in general buried as deep in the earth as others.
He helped filling in the grave. WitneSs had no doubt but he
was connected with a gang of body-snatchers.
Robert Robins, a watchman, and several other persons, spoke
in corroboration of the foregoing statement.
Joseph Piper again presented himself in vindication of his
character. Ile said he had been a watchman of Poplar parish,
but was unfortunately discharged, in consequence of it being
erroneously suspected that he was concerned in the many rob-
beries on the burying ground.
The prisoner being called on for his defence, said he was
passing through Brick-lane on Tuesday night, when he was met
by two men, who asked him if he was in work ; having an-
swered in the negative, they wished to know if hewould be glad '
to earn a crown. He accepted the offer, and accompanied them;
when on arriving at the burying ground, they remarked that he
was a light chap, and, without further ceremony put him over
the wall. He did not at the time know what business they
were on, and under these circumstances he begged of their
IVorships to take his case into consideration, and deal with him
as leniently as possible.
The Magistrates, after some,remarks on the enormity of the
prisoner's conduct, ordered him to be committed as a rogue
and vagabond for two calendar months, to hard labour in the
House of Correction.

The officers inquired of the Bench how they were to dispose
of the articles found in the burying ground ?
The Magistrates said, as the parties had disowned the Pro_
perty, the-officers might keep it and leave the owners to an
action of trover.

111 ARLBOROIIGII-STREE T.—Yesterday a Gentleman, a re-

Sident of Beckenham, *Kent.) attended at this officet#ol
to procure the assistance of' an officer to search the nodielh.,'
some' anatomistr dt the West. end of the town, to discover /1.;
ther the body of his father was secreted in any of them. It a
peared from his statement,' that'his father in the course of 'es;
week was buried in Beckenham Churchyard, which had b7,,k
robbed of several dead bodies, and among the rest that riff
_P.S
father was stolen. The night the resurrection men perfv,
their operations, a cart, driven by some ruffianly lookjik;
lows, was observed on the road leading to the town of B
ham, and they requested the landlord of a public-house to 5124
fer his boy to mind the horse and cart, on which they prof
ed in the direction of the Church-yard, and returned soon a,l
twith something deposited in sacks, which, no doubt, contain;
the bodies of dead persons. The Magistrate suffered an °weld
to accompany the applicant to the house of Mr. Brookes, bhe
the body of his father could not be found there, on which,,4
was attended by the same person to the various dissecting ro°"--
at the West end, but the result was not made known.

CAUTION TO LABOURERS.
UNION-HALL.—Yeterday John Hunt and John
were brought before IVIAUftICE SWABEY, jun. Esq,, by
of a summons obtained against them by Mr. Alderman A
•ane
xi/4s, and charged with unlawfully deserting his employ!
leaving their work unfinished.
The Alderman stated, that he had been building on
All
estate at Halsted, in Kent; and in order to make way for,
erections and furnish himself with materials, he had. cat
"-0,
down a vast quantity of firs and other trees. Some tinle,*"
being in want of some men to saw the timber, he ..;,•0
instructions to his wharfinger, at Rotherhithe, to .0-47 e.
two sawyers for the purpose, upon an agreement that
would cut all sorts of timber at the rate of four ,shilllzi„4.lr
per 100, foot. In consequence of these orders the two prOP7
whO had occasionally worked as labourers on the inr.",,',
were engaged for the job, and expressed themselveslllr
ful at procuring employment at such liberal
They were inunediitely conveyed to Halsted free of MT.'?
and they went to their labour with peculiar willingness • sn,„,o
anxious did they appear to give satisfaction, that in:Mne
be on the spot, and to lose no time, they slept at nights kip
stables, and pursued their labours the next morning *Oil-
crity. He (the Alderman) appreciated their industry, 101,
way of encouragement purchased a bed, matress and clo 0
to make their repose more comfortable, and permitted file
sleep in the loft, by which they were saving at least mp
shillings a-week, which they undoubtedly would' hoe. Pomo
pay for a lodging. They continued in his service for alicado
weeks, the whole of which time they were earning flt to six shillings a day, and during that period they gayer:l-0
satisfaction • and in order to keep them employed during ,
winter, he had' cut down trees he otherwise would have .11
mitted to stand. However, on Monday se'nnight, the
inst. during his absence in London, they absconded,; from
work, which they left unfinished, and loitered about the tom
__„
two or three days ; they afterwards fetched their tools as'''.
and proceeded to London. He, considering they had acted
lawfully, to his injury and inconvenience;' pursued then'
Metropolis, and traced them to Rotherhithe. He had th';'
fore obtained a "summons against them, in'order that such s 7;:
duct should be visited with the punishment the Statute .P,l,
scribes in such cases. He would beg to inform the MagisuL,
that the prisoner Farm was at the time he engaged him a Pl'ij
per on the parish of Rotherhithe; and the other prisoner !let
been receiving parochial relief the whole of the summer W
make their conduct the more aggravated. He would also
to state, that in the parish- of Rotherhithe there wasif
Vestry, of which he was Chairman ; and that at the last 111
ing, it was found that there were no less than four' hundred
persons receiving parish relief, one hundred of whom wen
able-bodied men as the prisoners; and he therefore had r:ie
induced to proceed against them more for the sake of exanEk
to others, than for the inconvenience he had su,tained by.tmi
misconduct. The worthy Alderman produced Taylor's Be'
of Prices, by which it appeared that the usual price allowed,,
builders to sawyers was 3s. per hundred. which is a shilling
than the priioners were paid. • •
_A-.
The Magistrate said the offence Lad been dearly prtl7
against them, but as it had been committed in Kent, be.
sidered the case ought to have been agitated before a MAD(
strate for that county.
The. Alderman explained, that the prisoners haying. Lbtf,
found in Rotherhithe was the reason they were brought 10017
him.
The prisoners said, in their defence, that they had not left
their work incomplete, and that they had made no ageerlibst
with the Alderman to work for any specific time, and: t,
their earnings had been greatly mis-stated. yea
The Magistrate told them that the offence had been 13.,,r°
on oath, and therefore he should commit them for one u".""
each to Maidstone gaol.—Committed accordingly.
the
Bow-ST REYesterday Alex. Strinzi, the landlord of
ared
Star and Garter public-house, in St. Martin's-lane, Bilin the
to a summons, charging him with suffering tipplinc:inday
Lord's Day.—Benj. Ibberson, a cutler, stated, that on ,
evening,- the 17th inst. about nine o'clock, he, acoompanieu4,
friend, went into the above house for some refreshinent.
proceeded to a room on the first floor, where a youngSaan'Ttil
in an arm chair at the head of the table, who had a hammer !it,
which he knocked on the table to call for a song, Sil6Ce,pas,
Twq songs were sung while he was in the room, viz. Peq,tt,e
a comic song, and a military song, which was explained 1;11. se
March Away.—Strinzi saying a Gentleman who was .irt,
room at the time was on the Exchequer Jury, or he would .0
been present, Mr. MixsnuLL postponed his decision, WO
time for him to attend.
Wonsurp-STREET.—John Bailey, who seduced and .bree...
trayed the, affections of Lydia_ Church, was brought up on lip
examination before WM. BENNETT, Esq., for stealing a
ber of boards. Lydia Church was led by her mother, Teo
another female friend, into the parlour, and, on the apPear,ct
of the prisoner, evinced the same agitation and distress of 11P,',1se
as on the former day. After being sworn, she was asked bktouse
Magistrate if she knew any of the boards produced as tv,s?
which were br ough t bY the prisoner to the house near her mothe!..,„
She looked at several of them, and exclaimed; "I know they
too well ; the name 1, Kitchen' is written in pencil upo eln 3 011-i,
boards which he brought last Monday night week.° Her Te j
ings were highly agitated, and she said, " 0 take him avnt
cannot bear to see him." It was proved by John Brettell•
e
the three boards with " Kitchen" on them in pencil) were
property of Messrs. Lawrence and Cover.—The prisonercf•
committed to Clerkenwell for trial for the petty larceny le
dia Church being bound over in the usual way to appear to be
evidence, could just articulate " I will, I will, if I sil
then alive."

It is a singular fact, that as the keeper :of
Tharp, Esq., of Chippenham Park, Suffolk, was •gginsAns,
round to see the guns and traps were safe in the plantativil-h
a pheasant flew against the wire of one of the F pring-811
snapped it asunder, and was shot dead upon the spot.

COAL-MARKET, Nov. 27.
Ships at Market. Ships sold Price. ,„t
5 Newcastle - - 3 -40 s Od to 439 fi
3 Sunderland - . 3 -38 s fid to 415_.%"

BIRTHS. of
On the 2fith inst., at Wootton Basset, 'Wilts, the .1./00/
the Rev. T. H. Ripley, of a son.
On the 21st instant,' the wife of Edward Greenhow, 914.
surgeon, of Dockevray-square, North Shields, of a daughter. t,
At the Shield-field, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on the 234 itt
Mr. Grey, wife of Joseph Grey, Esq., wine-merchant in w"
town.
At Christ's College, Carnbrige, the lady of the Ili& .a
the Lord Bishop of Bristol, and Rigius Professor of Viv"'"
in that University, of a son.

MARRIED.
• On the 27th inst., at St. Pancras, Middlesex, by the
Dr. Moore, William Davidson Blair, Esq., of Gla4go9/1_,.,
Miss Jane Bruce, of Upper Gower-street, . Bedford-stpW"'
only daughter of the late Dr. Bruce.
trie
At Danzig, on the 31st ult, John Simpson, Esq. t 0.0..-10,
Konopacki, relict of the late Mr. Charles Fredrick Konopac
merchant, of that city.
•
On the 27th inst. at Camberwell, Edw. Welchman iVr,ff if
M.D., of Shipston-upon.Stour, to Martha Anne, the &tile
daughter, of Abraham Kirkman, Esq., of Pedtharn,
county of Surrey.
Lately, at Gibraltar, by the Rev. R. Curtois, J. 031414
Esq., surgeon of his Majesty's 64th regiment of foot, to
Elizabeth Pritchard, of the above place.

DIED. I. J.
On the 25th inst, at Camberwell, Ann, wife of Mr. I
leg
Lindgren aged 28, only daughter of the late Captain J3l'
Calvart, of Stokesly, Yorkshire.
On Friday, in his 18th year, at his seat, Elysium- in the
Southern Liberties of Waterford, Alexander Alcock, Esq' ref
Lately, at Aonachan, Lochaber, Mr. william macin!Ybi,
late tacksman of Druimfour, aged 101 years, He e,%tbe
bited, in manner and language, a striking specimen 01
patriarchal dignity of the Highlanders of the preceding ag'y of
He always wore the mountain garb, and was a living hister,
the feuds of the last century. He was a superior deer stab'iir
and killed his roe at the age of 90. His mind retained its YIP; tl..
to the last. His remains were conveyed to the grave by ii;lll„uers
her of his clan, of which there were present, of his own clew
dants, a number more than sutncient for that purpose.

•
Printed and Published for the Pnornivions,.. at the ger
• Office, NIL 112, Strand, by J. B. CAng:TAiirs.