The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-28 00:00:00

WANDS WORTH.

On Saturday Frederick Clark and John Langford, two
notorious river pirates, the former only just released
from a twelvemonth's imprisonment, were brought up
charged under the following extraordinary circum-
stances :

During the last month several robberies, of a very
daring and extensive character, have been committed at
the wharfs and warehouses lying on the Surrey side of
the river, above Battersea-bridge, and also upon craft at
anchor or moored in the same neighbourhood. The
property stolen was invariably such as would find a
ready sale amongst the marine store dealers, consisting
principally of metals of all kinds, new ropes, &c. That
the robberies on the wharfs were perpetrated by parties
in boats there could be no doubt, as in all cases it was
proved that the access had not been obtained inland, and
they were executed with great facility, because the land
police had no opportunity of detection. The nearest
Thames police station is at Arundel-stairs, and any
person at all acquainted with the river, will know the
tediousness of a row up from thence against tide, and the
consequent loss of time entailed. The very great neces-
sity that exists for a Thames police station higher up
the river was fully proved in this case. On the 3d of
June Messrs. Spiller and Wenham, engineers, at Batter-
sea, had their premises entered from the water, at or
about high tide, and the thieves having broken open the
counting-house, took therefrom 5 cwt. of gun metal and
copper, all of which had been manufactured at a great
cost. The succeeding night the same party (as it was
supposed) revisited the premises and carried off what
must have been a boat load of flanges, stop cocks, and
other articles in copper and gun metal. In a week or
nine days afterwards these premises were again plun-
dered. This time the boiler house, which is flush with
the river wall, was broken into, and five copper steam
pipes of four-inch bore, and between five and six feet in
length, as also other valuable property, were stolen.
The marauders during this period of time did not
confine themselves to Messrs. Spiller and Wenham's
premises, but carried off a large quantity of pro-
perty from the Rodney Iron Works, and a
leaden pump from York House Private Lunatic
asylum, besides committing petty robberies upon
craft. Messrs. Spiller and Wenham, finding that
they were being robbed to such an alarming extent, de-
termined upon having their premises watched, and
accordingly Sergeant Reid, 18 V, was selected for this
duty, assisted by Police-constable Stedman, 317 V.
These officers had watched for several nights without
any further attempt being made, when on the previous
night, about half-past ten, the tide being then up, Ser-
geant Reid and his brother constable were in the act of
concealing themselves in the boiler house, as the sound
of a boat coming alongside the wharf became distinct,
and they presently distinguished one with three men in
her. The officers lay quiet for some time, and two of
the men then landed, went up the yard, and came down
loaded with something which they then threw down
close to the embankment wall. They went back and
returned at least half a dozen times. At last, when
they appeared to have got as much as their boat would
carry, one of the men jumped over the fence, and, re-
ceiving the articles, handed them to a third man in the
boat. The officers let them proceed until they per-
ceived they were about to go away, when they rushed
out with their truncheons. Sergeant Reid struck at
the prisoner Clark, who was in the garden, but missed
him. He then struck the other prisoner Langford,who was
standing on the wall, and he rolled into the boat, and
out into the river. Reid then jumped into the boat to
secure Langford, and the other man, who was previously
in the boat, deliberately dived and swam away towards
some old steam-boats. The constable Stedman seized
Clark and struck him twice with his truncheon, but
Ulark broke away from him, leaving most of his clothes
in Stedman's hands. The prisoner Clark then jumped
into the boat and into the water, and also attempted his
escape, but Stedman pursued him, and when he was
endeavouring to effect a landing, struck him on the head
and took him. When Clark jumped into the boat it
caused her to careen, and Sergeant Reid, who was
hanging over the 'gunwale looking for the prisoner
Langford, who had not yet risen, was precipitated into
the water. He succeeded in catching hold of the steam-
boat alongside, and called loudly for assistance.
Mr. Spiller heard the cry, and by dint of
great personal exertion succeeded in rescuing
Reid. The prisoner Langford, who remained
near the spot, alternately swimming and hiding in the
mud, was taken about half-past two o'clock the follow-
ing morning •by Police-constable Parrott, 71 V, who
heard him hailing a fisherman. The constable warned
the fisherman not to take the prisoner on board. The
prisoner, however, got into the boat. The policeman
cautioned the fisherman that if he did not put him
ashore what the consequences would be, and he did so.
The prisoner then swum out into, deep water,,but being
exhausted frora wodlitit and 'long exposure, swam
back to shore, and suffered himself to be taken. The
man who has at present escaped stole a boat from Mr.
Cownden, a boat-builder, at Battersea, and rowed him-
self down the river to a convenient landing place, and
then set the boat adrift, which was picked up by the
Thames police. There was found in the boat belonging
to the prisoners Bcwt. lqr. 191 b. of iron furnace bars,
which were identified by Mr. Spiller as his property.
The prisoners, who said nothing, were remanded for
a week.

The case excited an extraordinary interest, and the
court war& crowded.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

SENTENCES AND SESSIONAL RESULTS.

The following are the adjudications and sentences
passed on the prisoners tried during the session, which
commenced on the 14th instant, and terminated on Tues-
day last, the 22d instant. The whole have been revised
and corrected from the official returns:—
Sentenced to be Transported for Life—Gilbert Mac-
donald and Henry Jones Harrison.
For Ten Years—John Sulfur, John Sullivan, John
Collins, and William Geeves.
For Seven Years—lsaac Levy, John Free, George
' Mitchell, George Smith, John Nason, George Henry
Herman, Mary Ragan, John Andrews, James Feitham,
Alfred Hayswood, Gays Lacy, John Williams alias Pop-
lar, Henry Carroll, Robert Hagan, William Bastin,
Joseph Taylor alias Arthur Payne, Jacob Peretz, Mary
Gordon, William Willcocks, Eliza Davis, Thomas John.
son, William Swain, John Ambrose, and William Sum-
mers.—Total, 24.

To be imprisoned, with or without the adjunct of hard
labour, for
Two Years—John Elms and William Price.

Eighteen Calendar Months—Benjamin Bettison, Chas.
Simpson, James Caughee, Robert Tubbs, and Mary
Anne Marshall.
Fifteen Months—John Gorman.

Twelve Months—William Knight, Robert Nettleton,
John Davis, William Jones, William Costellow, George
Howden, George Jones, Charles Hicks, James Price, John
Brown alias Lisk, Ann Roberts, Hannah Mally, Robert
Bruce, William Cook (and to enter into recognizances
and find sureties to keep the peace for five years), Dennis
Gorman, John Gilbert, Sarah Smith, John Haywood,
Thomas Neal alias Rich, Margaret Bower, Thomas
Stratford, John Whitbrook, William McWilliarn, Sarah
Cooper, Johu Leahy, John Carr, Harriet Griffin, Fre-
derica Asge alias Baroness Karlstein, William Francis,
Charles Pembury, Thomas Tims, James Harley, Wil-
ham Turner, George Stevens, Frederick Nugget, and
James Harley.—Total, 36.
For Nine Months—Alfred Waters, Alfred Lloyd,
James Jones, William Brown, James Jone,,, James
Ewart, Matilda Lydia Barber alias Lydia Gray, Peter
Coghlen, Robert Dalton, Robert Thompson, and James
Atkins.—Total, 11.

For Six Months—Henry Brown, George Gibson, John
Shaylor, James Pyefinch, Edward Hemmington, Henry
Williams, James West, James Williams, Robert White,
Joseph John Battaill, John Jones, Catherine Sheehan,
Mary Herbert, George Daniels, Henry Ivory, John
Deal, Catherine Moody, John Leonard, Charles Clayton,
John Robert Brien, George Love, Mary Ann Hoy, John
Connell, Evan Davis, William Edwards, George Burnett,
William Carpenter, William Griffin, Robert Hayes,
William Waterson, and William George Lipscombe.—
Total 111.

For Four Months—John Wilson, Thomas Best, Eliz.
Macey, Thomas Dale, Henry George Collins, Mary
Learning, William Atkins, Eliza Ridley, William Ruddy,
Mary Hogan, Ann Dwane, William Moore, Caroline
Morris, George Hoffin, Sutherland Marshall, Westley
Appleton, John Charlish, Henry Mays, Thomas Francis,
James Lee Jones, and William Dyballs.—Total 21.
For Three Months—Catherine Gorman, Elizabeth
Bean, William Powell, John Courtenay, Eliza Alderman,
Richard Hogan alias Michael Kelly, Joseph Mills, John
Spence, Arthur Leary, Thomas Wyatt, Sarah Ryder,
Alfred Baynes, Thomas Paynter, John Croft Towns-
bend, George Holmes, James Cooper, Charles Crudg-
ington, George Collins, Phillip Crawfurd, William Clark,
Andrew Scott, Richard Linwood, James Blake, Henry
Shacker, Henry Henly, Thomas Paddington, and Cathe-
rine Donovan.—Total 28.
For Two Months—Thomas Pickett, John Pain, Ed.
wars Taylor, Ittel-La,l T.iylor, Mary Taylor, Robert
Clark, Daniel Smith, Sampson Israel (in Newgate and
251. fine); James Magnus (in Newgate and 251. fine);
Elizabeth Magnus (in Newgate and 101. fine) ; and
Thomas Bates.—Total 11.