The Sun.
London, England, 1815-12-12 00:00:00

OLD 11A TT. Er.

11.01).13FICY ON. RIVER TEIANIES.

„ .
yestmlav ,Tohn.,Theg-thay, Thomas Taylor,- 4ohn
Hastings; John .111aCkwrel, and Samuel Spendlove,-
(the two latter of wiJoin had absconded were
capitally indicted for stealing 267 shawls, 2'4, dozen
of handkerchiefs-, and six pieces of cotton cam..
brics, the property of, Oliver Wilcock, from a
boat on the river Thames ;.:and John Ramage, John
Brown, and James Gates, with feloniously receiv-
ing th,e same, knowing them to'he stolen. This
trial lasted nearly the whole of the day ; but many
of the leading points of evidence appeared in oar;
publication a few days ago, when the subject was
first brought under investigation before the Ma-
gistrates-at the. Thames Police Office. The value
of the goods stolen was sworn to exceed the sutrt
of 004.—vt. GURNEY stated the case on the part
of the prosecution, and dwelt on the extreme im-
portance to the conmerce of the country of guard-
ing against the plunder of merchandize on the;
Thames.—The first witness be called was
Oliver Wilcock,. a ...Scotch and Manchester.ware-•
hotisentao in Watling-street, who depcised to the
package:and contents of three trunks, contain-
ing the goods iuiptestion, Thiel, were consigned
to a corresponOeut at Snrinatn. They wer;Lsent:
front his warehouse on the morning of the 30th,
and when he saw them on the followingdavi they
had. the appearanee of having been opened ; and
on exatnioation, about two-thirds of the contents,
were found tO'haie been taken .

Several other'wiinesses proved that the trunks I
were committed to the charge of John Fligar, set- I
want lo Jacklyn and Co. lighternmen, on the 30th,
with. directions to put them on 'hoard the Henry,
• Captain Moseley, wbo,'in conseyience, took them
in a lug boat, and
_carried them- from they quay.
?In e'ase he should be too late, he was ordered to
retort) to the quay; and wait till the next day.
John Fligar, an accomplice, .was then examin-
ed,.and gate an account in all.respects similar to
-his confesSion before the Magistrate. In the
cotme-of his evidence, he de.act•ibed the first. trunk
-to have been landed at the house of Ramage,'who
keeps a public house,. the hack part of which is
.close to the river side, and to have been there
opened- by Spendlove and himself. The boat•was
then taken,away,bySpendlove, and carried along•
side a barge, in .which were the prisOneu Hast-
ings and Ridgway, who worked onboard it.
gar followed,-and the other two trunks were broken
•and pillaged in the cabin of, the barge.
Pootozv and Mr. REYNOLDS, as Counsel,
-far Brown and Ramage, here observed, _that the
'evidence went" to prove two distinct felonies, with
-one-only of which the accessories after the fact
'could be connected.
-Mr. Just:ce La BLANC was of opinion, that he
must hear all the evidence, without requiring the
.prosecutor to.make his_ election in. this instance,
as it'waspossible for one 'part so to elucidate time
rest, as- to- prove -'one continued transaction to
which all the prisoners were parties.
Fligar's evidence was' then continued at great
length. -Oa his cross-examitintion, be admitted
that he load once been a Police watermau, itrul
-:lost his place by being detected in the imprqtr-
possession of sometum.
SamtudiNott, alighterman, employed the pri-
soners Ridgway and I-14stings ;
,found his htt,m'e
had, drifted from ber•proper-s-tation the.rnore-
big-of the 31st,. and, on going in pursuit of the
prisoners, tounti, them in Riunag-e!s, tap-rootn.---
,Several polite oflicers proved the: tinding:Narious
.articie§, which were identified by-the gm.osectitor,
in lime houses of Brown and ,Gates,
' "-Joseph Smith:and his wife, linen-drapers, at
.Poplay, depos.ed that they bought vveraLpieces'
of bine prints- from/the wine of Brown, for which
they paid 4/. l Os. .These goods were subsequently
prOved to have been taken from the first trunk.
For the defence, some persons were •catled to
pro-ye an alibi -on the'parc of Brown and Gates,
as to the.night of the 30th, and a munbey of
wit-
nesses gave-R.:linage an excellent character.
• Sir S.IMON LE lit.asc after summing
"up : the
evidence, stated to the Jury, that there were trar
main points for their Consideration : first, Whe-..
tiler there had been but one felony to.which
the prisoners were parties.; because in that case
-alone could the. persons charged as- receivers he
guilty, all the evidence that implicated them re-
•lating only to the first trunk ; •or \vbether
'had been two distinct robberies, in which rase the
•simple question womild'he, had the second rob-
.''..bery, which was sworn to have taken place, in -the
-cabin of time barge, been committed by the pri-
soners Hastings told Ridgway. • •
The Jtiry• without retiring from the box, ice-
- . quitted all the prisoners:

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

BOW-STREET.

FIRE 4-fSENTIsiI Tows.—At the back of the
SlAck's house is a,h9ase help. aginetsMr. '
Waller, which is. at so short a distance, that Mr.
:IVaD
er-was fearful that the bade 'part of ?4r.
laelt:ts house acid chimniea would..tall.and drive
in his front, and set fire to 'hit premises ; and in
consequence set about removing his most valuable
propertrin bis'.garden at' the back of his house',
but imOuld not 'admit of any strangers to .assist
'exeept a -nxn the name of Turnbull, a
shoemaker, whom he-considered a respectable ho-
ne,st man,; and for .rouble he made him a pre-
sefit' of twelve shillingS. Om Friday night Mrs.
Wallerdreamt (so at least our Reporter has been
. infdriaed) that a silver cretun jug, mind tea tongs
had been stolen. ' On Saturday morning she went
to look fOr them in the place where 'they were
usually kipt, but could not find them, and, they.
not having been nsed since the fire, suspicion
fell upon Turnbull, and in consequence, Mr.
Waller applied to Smith, the conductor -of the
Bow-street patrole- in that neighbourhood) who
went and searched Tetrnbnll's house, and found a
pocket-book belonging to Mr. Waller, ‘vhiCh
Turnbull aeknoWledged to have taken, b4,said
he intended to have brought it I:PaeL. Yestetaq
he was examined and conunitted:• -

•
QUEEN-SQUARE.
Yesterday being the day. appointed for, the fur-
ther examination of John Robert Roberts, charged
with stealing a parcel- trom the Windsor :vtage-
goad)" ja Picc..actilly, Wiadsok. :Rank