The Sun.
London, England, 1847-10-11 00:00:00

THAMES.

A stout young man, named Charles Colan, aged
20, described as a corn porter, was brought before
Mr. Yardley, charged with stealing a silver watch,
the property of Mr. Thomas M'Gowen, the master of
the screw steam-ship Connaught Ranger.
It appeared from the evidence of Mr. M'Gowen
that his ship was lying in the river, off East-lane,
Bermondsey. On Friday morning, about two o'clock,
he was awoke from his sleep by hearing some one
moving about his cabin. He called out, " Who's
there ?" and no answer being returned, he jumped
out of his berth, and while groping about the cabin,
seized a man with a moleskin jacket on. A struggle
took place between them in the dark, and the mate,
who also slept in the cabin, leaped out of bed, and
soon clasped both captain and thief. A fearful
struggle took place, and several blows were ex-
changed. At length the intruder called out several
times, and the captain and mate " sung out"
for the police. Directly afterwards a man came run-
ning down the companion with something which
appeared like a staff in his hand, and exclaimed " I'll
secure him, I'm a police-officer. I have been look-
ing for him a long time." Both captain and mate
supposing the man to be a Thames police-constable
resigned the prisoner into his hands, and they went
upon deck. Mr. M'Gowen followed, and saw the
two men jump from the rail into a boat alongside,
which contained two other men, who commenced row-
ing away as fast as they were able. The prosecutor at
once saw the boat was not a police galley, and raised
a cry of " Stop thief." The boat made towards
Fountain-stairs, and was soon lost sight of. Mr.
M`Grewen on returning to his state room missed his
silver watch, which was hanging up when he went
to bed on Thursday night. The evidence to connect
the prisoner with the robbery was chiefly circum-
stantial. He wore a moleskin coat, and on the morn-
ing of Friday, shortly before two o'clock, he was
seen with three other men in Vineyard, Tooley-
street, by a police-constable named Haylett,
No. 51 M, who knew them to be thieves. He
overheard one of the gang say, " Shall we take
a boat here ?" and they proceeded down a lane leading
to Pickle-herring-stairs, Horselydown, where the
whole of the party got into a boat and immediately
rowed away in the direction of East-lane. Haylett
aroused a waterman named Hipkins, who was asleep
in a watchbox at the stairs, and who soon ascertained
that his boat was gone. The policeman and Hipkins
jumped into another boat, and gave chase to the
thieves, but soon lost sight of them among the tiers
of coasting vessels on the Surrey shore. They then
proceeded to the Thames police-station, at Wapping,
and gave information that the boat was taken away.
While ay.
While they were on the opposite shore the robber
was effected. A few minutes past two o'clock a
watchman, named Brown, in the employ of Mr. Wil-
liams, of Fountain-dock, about 200 yards below
where the Connaught Ranger was moored, heard the
cry of " Stop thief," and directly afterwards saw four
men, one of whom was bareheaded, in a boat, pulling
towards the wharf on which he was stationed. He
immediately ran towards the gates of the wharf, and
called to a policeman in the street to intercept the
thieves as they came up the lane. The police-con-
stable had to go round some distance, and before he
could reach Fountain-stairs, alongside Fountain-
dock, the thieves had landed from the boat and
made their escape. Information of the robbery
was given to the Thames police, and In-
spector Everest, on searching Hipkins's boat,
which had been left at Fountain-stairs, dis-
covered a man's cap and a thick iron rod, which one
of the thieves had flourished on board the Connaught
Ranger as a stair, and deceived the captain of that ves-

sel into the belief that he was a police-officer. The
prisoner was apprehended by Inspector Everest at a
public-house called the King's Head, in Tooley-
street, on Friday night. He denied all knowledge of
the robbery, and said he had heard that some one had
been to his mother's house, and kicked up a row about
the affair. He was distinctly identified by Haylett as
one of the men who got into Hipkins's boat just before
the robbery was committed.
The prisoner, in defence, said that he met with
some friends on Friday morning, and they were
afterwards joined by a sailor, who said he was
anxious to get across the water. He (the prisoner)
was also anxious to reach the Middlesex shore, and
they hired a boat at Pickle-herring-stairs, and crossed
the river.

Mr. YARDLEY said he should remand the prisoner
for a week, and the police would be enabled to give a
very good account of his companions when he was
brought up again.
On its being represented to the Magistrate that
Mr. M'Gowen would leave that day with his vessel,
and not return for a fortnight, Mr. YARDLEY ordered
his deposition to be taken, and bound him over to
appear at the next sessions of the Central Criminal
Court.