The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-08 00:00:00

before it was put back to the Exeter shed. Two or
three minutes after that the train proceeded. It con-
sisted of two second-class carriages next to the engine,
then the travelling post-office, then the post-office
tender, and then one first-class travelling carriage.
I rode in the travelling post-office, and there was no
guard in the post-office tender. There are two roof
lamps in the tender. The train did not stop till it
reached Bridgwater. I then went to the tender, and
on unlocking the door I found the Plymouth bag
had been removed from the spot on which I had
placed it ; and, on examining it, found it had been
opened. It was tied with a piece of string, but the
ends were cut off close and not sealed. J. then went
out of the tender, shut the door, and went back to
the travelling post-office and acquainted Mr.
Burchell, one of the Post-office railway clerks, with
what had happened, and he accompanied me to
the tender. Mr. Silk, another clerk, also came.
Mr. Silk and I examined the Devonport bag, and
found that that also had been opened and tied again.
The string with whihh the bags were tied was very
thin string, differing from that ordinarily used by
the Post-office. I left Mr. Silk in charge of the
tender, and then walked down to the first-class car-
riage, and saw a gentleman in the first compartment
covered up in a corner : I should not know him again.
The next compartment was appropriated to ladies,
the blinds were pulled down ; in the third compart-
ment the blinds were also pulled down very close,
so close that I could not see the light at all; and in
the last compartment was a gentleman, also covered
up. I then called the railway guards Rheynheart
and Thomas, and the policeman on the platform. I
communicated to them what had taken place, and then
went again to Mr. Silk and further examined the
bags, and found that five or six bags had been opened.
Mr. Silk gave me two pieces of string, which I pro-
duce; they have been in my possession ever since. I
again returned to the platform and found the guards
at the door of the third compartment of the first-class
carriage. I opened the door and found two persons
sitting in the division next the platform ; they were
the two prisoners. In the other division was a gen-
tleman named Andrews. Poole was dressed in a

cloak, with a collar nearly up to his eyes ; he wore a
green Jim Crow hat, and he held up a pocket-hand-
kerchief to his face with his left band. The other
wore a sort of Chesterfield, buttoned up closely to his
neck. Previously to seeing the prisoners I had made
a communication to Mr. Barlow, one of the directors,
who was travelling in the ladies' compartment. Mr.
Barlow came to the door of the carriage where the
prisoners were. He called "Poole" three times, but
he received no answer. Poole was still holding up the
handkerchief to his face. He then took hold of Poole's
hat, and shook it. Poole still remained silent, and
Mr. Barlow took off the hat altogether, and said—
" Ah, Poole, you are very sleepy to-night." Mr.
Barlow then left the door, and Rheynheart got into
the carriage. The witness Gibbons then came up
and said—" I'm a policeman ; the superintendent of
the Plymouth police. I have been to London with
prisoners."•l then told him that " a robbery had been
committed in the mail tender, and I was quite certain
the persons there were the parties who had committed
the robbery, as it must have been done from the first-
class carriage, no one else being at all able to get near
the tender.". This was said within the hearing of the
prisoners, who made no reply. Mr. Gibbons then
entered,the carriage with Rheynheart, and Williams,
the policeman from the Bridgewater station, and the
train proceeded to Exeter. The prisoners, on our
arrival, were removed from the carriage, and taken
into a room at the station. While there a shawl was
brought into the room, which was examined by Mr.
Silk, and it contained a number of letters. I pro-
ceeded the same morning to Plymouth with the train.
On arrival at the Plymouth Post-office I saw the
Plymouth bag opened. Inside was the Tavistock
bag, which I examined, and found that it also had
been opened and tied up with different string
to that used by the Post-office. I have known the
prisoner Poole four or five years. He was one of the
Great Western Company's railway guards, and alter-
nately with the other guards he used to travel with
the night mail train up and down on a Sunday night.
The key used for the Post-office tender was similar to
that used by the company's servants. The lamps in
the tender are not the same now as they were when
Poole was a guard. They were then fixed at the side,
and any person might open them and get to the light,
which they could not do now. (A candle and wax
being found in connexion with the prisoners, it is
believed that they intended to re-seal the bags so as
to preclude all possibility of detection until the bags
reached London. The roof lamps, however, could
not be opened, and they could not therefore light their
candle.) I made a trial yesterday morning at the
Bridgewater station to get from the first-class car-
riage to the tender, and succeeded. I went from the
third compartment of a first-class carriage, along the
step across the buffers between the carriage and the
tender, taking hold of the handles of the parcel
compartments, on the step of the Post-office ten-
der. I then let down the window from the
outside by shoving up the glass with my nail, and
got through the window into the tender. I produce,
besides the string I had from Mr. Silk, three other
parcels of string. Two of them were taken from the
sacks and bags broken open, and by which they had
been re-tied. The third was given me by Thomas or
Williams, and it was of the same kind as the other.
A fourth parcel of the same kind of string was picked
up in the tender, as also some wax. I have also a
wool-comber's hook, which was found in the first-
class carriage at Laira, by which a firm hold would
be secured by a person hanging on the train.
Joseph Gibbons examined—l reside at Plymouth,
and am a superintendent of the police there. I was
a passenger by the down mail• train from Bristol on
the night of the Ist of January. On arriving at
Bridgwater I heard from the mail-guard that the
mail-bags had been robbed. I then entered the car-
riage in which the prisoner Poole sat with Rheynheart
and Mr. Andrews ; and Williams was in the other
compartment with the other prisoner. I told the
prisoners they must consider themselves in custody on
suspicion of having robbed the mail bags. They re-
plied, both of them, that they knew nothing about it.
I asked Poole if he knew the other man, and he said
no, he did not. I said to the other I thought I knew
him ; and be replied he had never seen me before ;
and, also, that he was a respectable person, and had
fifty men in his employ. I asked his name, but he
made no answer. I proceeded to Exeter with them,
and as we went along Rheynheart gave me a pocket-
book taken from Poole, which I produce. I examined
it, and it contained a 51. city of Exeter bank. note, No.
926, dated February 11, 1848 ; also a pair of mus •
tachios, some crape, a gold chain and key, and a piece
of string. (Poole here appeared very considerably
excited, and communicated earnestly with his soli-
citor.) On arriving at the railway station at Exeter,
I searched the other prisoner, and found upon him a
gold watch and chain. The maker's name is " Newton,
London, No. 817 ;" the letters " G. M." are engraved
on the back. There was a gold pin in his cravat ;
and he wore a diamond ring on his finger, and had in
his pocket 11. Bs.
The prisoner-11. 15s. there should be.
Witness—l received from Rheynheart two pieces
of crape, which might be used as masks. (The wit-
ness here put one on his head.) They were gathered
at one end so as to fit the bead, and the four corners
had all pieces of string, by which they might be tied
behind the head and around the waist. I also received
fire pieces of red sealing-wax and a wax candle from
Rheynheart. I also produce a knife which Poole gave
me. Shortly afterwards a bundle was brought into
the waiting-room at Eieter. I produce it. The
contents were thirteen packets of letters : they were
wrapped in a striped handkerchief. The person who
brought them in said—" There they are; I found
them under the seat of the carriage under which they
were sitting." Poole made answer—" Where is that
Bridgwater ,policeman ? He should be here to view
the carriage searched. Why were they not found
then ?" He also said—" you saw the carriage
searched ; didn't you see them hold the light down ?"
I replied—"
was not searched in my presence."
Silk and Burchell then made out a list of the letters
in presence of the prisoners, and marked them. I
took charge of them. The prisoners were then taken
to the Guildhail station-house at Exeter, and they
were there charged with the robbery.
Joseph Rheynheart said—l live at Plympton, and
am a guard in the employment of the Great Western
Railway Company. I was the guard of the night
down mail train on the Ist inst. Just before the train
left the Exeter shed at Bristol I observed the two
the
prisoners on platform. I wondered where they
came from, as they could not have come by me from
the office. I let a passenger into the compartment of
a first-class carriage next the tender, and then held
the door open for the two prisoners to go in. They
looked in, but would not go in. They went back to
the third compartment. They hesitated there; but
the time being short, I grumbled, and they went in.
There was a gentleman already in the carriage, named
Andrews. This was about forty minutes past one.
On arriving at Bridgwater the robbery was disco-
revered ; and I went to the tender and saw the bags
scattered on the floor differently to their usual orderly
disposition. I saw pieces of string and sealing wax,
which I picked up and gave to Gibbons. I went to
Mr. Barlow, a director of the company, who was in
the train, and told him. I then went to the compart-
ment where the prisoners sat, which was next the
platform, and asked them to produce their tickets.
They immediately produced first-class tickets from
Bristol to Exeter. Mr. Andrews was beyond the
division in the compartment, and I saw his ticket. I
am certain I was the first person who opened the door
of the compartment in which the prisoner sat at
Bridgwater; they were then quite awake, and did
not affect to be sleeping. I shut the door, but shortly
after wards went to that compartment, and I saw the
door open, and Mr. Barlow standing near it upon the
platform. The carriage was not searched in my pre-
sence. I got into the carriage. We did not search the
prisoners, as it was so small. After a short time