The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-24 00:00:00

CAPTURE AND CONFAETTAL OF

- - - - -
TWO LADY THIEVES AT BRISTOL.
Two females, dressed in the Fast style of fashion, and
of lady-like manners and "addeess, were apprehended
yesterday by the Great 'Western Railway Company's
police, at Bristol, upon a charge of robbing a lady named
Barnard of a parse-, containing bank notes of the value
of 251. Mrs. Bal-nartl, who is the wife of a gentleman
residing at CheAtenham, was proceeding to a watering- 4
place on the, line of the Bristol and Exeter Railway,
called Weston-super-Mare. She had stopped in Bristol
for a abort time, and finding when she got to the Bristol
and Exeter station that she was a little too late for the
train she had intended going by, and having to wait for_
the departure of the next, she sat down and began
amuse herself by making entries of some payment s for
purchases which she had made. Soon after her`Arrival
.
she observed the two females in question enter the
waiting-room where she was, and commenem a con-
versation. In a few minutes Mrs. Barnar.d felt her
person pressed against, and upon lookin% round she
saw the ladies whom she had seen ent',-,r, and whose
elegant dresses and manners had str.nek her atten-
tion, close behind her. She did not for a moment
suspect them, and supposing that they had pushed
against her accidentally, she v. ent on with her calcula-
tions. Soon afterwards they again pushed against her,
and as she observed that ur?on her looking up they re-
tired rather hastily, and at once quitted the office, she
thought that some'ching was wrong, and upon examining
her pocket, four.c: that she had been robbed of a bag and
notes of the value of 251. She gave information of what
had occurred, to the company's officers, who immediately
went ir. search of the thieves, whom, after a while, they
found in the London booking-office, where they were
probably looking for fresh plunder. They were cap-
tured, and expressed great surprise and indignation that
ladies of their appearance and respectability should be
suspected. The police, however, removed them from
the London to the Exeter booking-office, and on their
way one of them was observed to pass her hand behind
her and drop the bag and notes, which, upon being
shown to Mrs. Barnard, were at once identified es having
been stolen from her. The prisoners were conveyed
before the Bristol magistrates, by whom they were com-
mitted to take their trial for felony. There is reason to
believe that they have been earning a handsome living
by picking the pockets of passengers by the different
railway trains.

A BRACE OF MAGSMEN, OR
SHARPERS, OUTDONE.
On Wednesday last about noon, as Mr. John Harris, a
respectable Suffolk farmer, was standing on the north
side of St. Paul's, and silently contemplating the beauty
and grandeur of that splendid edifice, his attention was
somewhat arrested by a person of respectable appear.
ance, who stood close to him, and who, evidently address
ing him, exclaimed, " Eh, Loord, beant it be a foin
building." Mr. Harris replied in the affirmative, and
the fellow at once asked him if he had not come out
of Suffolk? This question was also answered in the
affirmative, and the man instantly said that he was a
native of that county, and talked about different parts of
it with much apparent freedom. He then proposed a
walk as far as Hyde Park-corner, to view the statue of
the Duke of Wellington, which, he said, he understood
from some of his friend in town, was well worth seeing,
and Mr. Harris having no particular engagement, and not
having previously seen the statue, said he had no ob-
jection to accompany him that far. They accordingly
walked together to Hyde-park-corner, and having spent
some time in gazing at the statue, they bent their course
along Constitution-hill ; they next viewed Buckingham
Palace, the Horse Guards, Westminster Abbey, and the
House of Lords and Commons. and ultimately crossed
Westminster-bridge, to go to the Borough. In the
London-road Mr. Harris's acquaintance recommended
some refreshments, and took Mr. Harris into the Duke
of York public-house close by ; there they had some
ale, and were joined by a third person. The subject of
the danger of carrying large sums of money about the
person in London, from the great number of thieves
who congregated in its streets, was started, and by great
ingenuity and tact the sharpers, for such they were, suc-
ceeded in learning from Mr. Harris that he had upon his
person thirty-five sovereigns and five 51. notes. One of
the fellows, the person ho had met in St. Paul's then of-
fered to put a similar amount of money in a bag provided
Mr. Harris agreed to do the same, and leave all in his care.
The proposition appeared so fair and so disinterested on
the part of a stranger, that Mr. Harris at once consented
to comply with it, and a canvas bag was produced. The
stranger counted out those which appeared to be real
sovereigns, and five notes, which seemed to be for 51.
each, and, having put both into a green silk purse, de-
' posited the latter in the canvas bag. Mr. Harris in his
turn did the same, but the instant he placed his purse
in the bag he was seized with a strong misgiving that
he was about to be done, and fortunately seized fast hold
of the bag itself. The parties made a great effort to get
it away from him, but he kept fast hold, and one of them
exhibited a second bag, and exclaimed that it was the
one which contained the money. The object of having
the second bag was clearly to ring the changes as soon
as Mr. Harris placed his money in one, and instead of
the bag with the money, they would carefully place in his
pocket one containing a few pence, or farthings, per-
haps, and pieces of paper. Mr. Harris was fortunately
not thrown off his guard by the production of the second
bag. He carefully grasped and held the first, and having
disengaged himself from his new associates, he rushed
into the street to look out for a policeman to give the
parties in charge. They, however, were out of the place
nearly as quickly as himself, and scampered off in differ-
ent directions. On seeing a policeman Mr. Harris made
him acquainted with the circumstance, and the officer
having ascertained that the thieves had started, took
him to the station-house, where he gave a most accurate
description of them ; they are the same parties who suc-
ceeded a few days before in the City tricking a country-
man out of a large sum of money. In the present in- 1
stance, however, they were not only disappointed in their '
object, but obliged to submit to a loss ; for in the green 1
purse in which the thirty-five counterfeit sovereigns and
the five " Bank of Elegance " notes were placed, there
were also eleven good shillings; so that,instead of losing 1
his 50/., which, by the way, he was within an ace of
1 i
doing, he was a gainer by the attempt of eleven shillings
and sundry treats in the course of the day.

MILITARY COURT-MARTIAL AT
CHATHAM.

The troops of this garrison assembled on the general
parade ground on Saturday afternoon, the 19th instant,
and the following sentence of the Court Martial, of
which Colonel Samuel Burdun Ellis, Royal Marines,
wss President, was read in the presence of the troops
and the prisoner, a private in the Rifles :
"Field Marshal his Grace the Commander-in-Chief
having had the honour to lay before the Queen the pro-
ceedings of a General Court Martial, held at Chatham
Barracks, on the 13th of April, 1847, for the trial of
private James Flanagan, No. 2,212, of the second bat-
talion 60th Royal Rifles, who was arraigned upon the
under-mentioned charges—First, for having at Chatham,
on the evening of the 27th of March, 1847, when on the
Brompton-gate guard, disobeyed the lawful commands
of Lance Corporal James Fish, of the Second Battalion
60th Royal Rifles, his superior officer, in having re-
fused to go on sentry, although ordered to do so by
the said Lance Corporal Fish. Second, for highly
insubordinate conduct at the above-mentioned time
and place in having drawn his sword and wil-
fully broken a pane of glass in the window of
the officers' guard-room of the aforesaid guard, amount-
ing to the value of 10d.; upon which charges the Court
came to the following decision:—The Court having duly
weighed and maturely considered the evidence in sup-
port of the prosecution, together with what the prisoner
has urged in his defence, is of opinion that he, the pri-
soner, James Flanagan, is guilty of both charges. The
Court having found the prisoner guilty of both charges,
which being in breach of the Articles of War, and
taking into consideration his former convictions and
general bad character, does in virtue thereof sentence
him, the said prisoner, to be put under stoppages, not
exceeding two-thirds of his daily pay, until the articles
enumerated in the second charge be made good, and to
be transported as a felon for the term of seven years.
Her Ifajesty was pleased to approve and confirm the
finding and sentence of the Court, and to command that
the prisoner be transported accordingly beyond the seas
to such place as ker Majesty, by the advice of her Privy
Council. shall think fit to nominate and appoint.
(Signed) "J. MACDONALD, Adjutant-General."
The prisoner was then removed to the custody of the
main guard, and the troops marched to their quarters.

DARING ROBBERIES OF PLATE, &C.—Yesterday
the police received information of the following robbe-
ries:—On the 21st instant, from No. 43, Mount-street,
Lambeth, a japanned cash-box, containing a chased gold
neck-chain, with gold locket and key, a mourning ring,
3 fancy gold ring set with turquoise and pearls, a chased
stre°e3. in
gsiollvderr,inig,i,tiu4r/q.uolise in the centre, a gold garnet ring,
a handsome bead purse, containing ten shillings in
gold. On the 20th, from 59,
Great Queen_
plain silver forks, three dessert
ditto, two salts4tpt'xseairaaster, must trd spoon, a double
cased gold anti
outside, sixty silver-hatch.
dith the royal arms on the
knives (crest, a cat's head,
gn drinking cup, two 1
with mouse in mouth), a silver
_ mg medals of dif-
c,insedyen teaspoons, a
(crest
silver table-spoons,
silver table-spoons, two
silver milkjug, and other articles,
four
an arm in
ferent orders. On the 20th, from 57, Lower Grosvenor-
street, Grosvenor-square, five
silver teaspoons, pair of sugar-tongs
armour, with a ring in the hand).
Mr. Mac Donnell, from the Gambia, had an interview
with Earl Grey yesterday, at the Colonial office.