The Sun.
London, England, 1815-01-11 00:00:00

BOW--,TREET.

MAIL -ROBBERY.—TiIe, extraordinary case of
William Heller, Guard to the Swansea Mail, and
thus employed to protect public property, blitwho
was a short time since apprehended by Adkins, on
a charge of himself , robbing the mail of a parcel
containing Bank notes and Bills to the amount of
upwards-. 23001. was fully investigated on Mon-
day. It appeared that in •the month-6f October,
1813, a parcel, containing, notes and bills to the
abOve amount, troin the house of Foreman,
and Monkhouse, Bankers, .of Newport,
in Monmouthshire, was sent by the mail, ad-
dressed to Messrs. Dowse, Tholuton, and Free,
Bankers in London, in a box ; and to guard
against suspicion of the value of its contents, the
box was put into a coarse canvas-bag, and-direct-
ed to Mr. Richard Fothergill, a relation of one of
the partners in the Bank at Messrs. Joseph and
Thomas Shee's, Merchants, Lawrence Poulteney-
Lond6n. It was booked at the King's Head
Inn, at Newport, to be forwarded by the Mail.
The box and canvas bag arrived as directed, hat
without their contents. On the discovery being
made, an express was sent off to Newport, and
every possible exertion was made to recover • the
property •autt detect the robber. Vickery, -the
Bow-street Officer, was one of the Ofiieers em-
ployed on the business. He met with the pri-
soner at Bristol, who admitted that he vvas ptartL
to the mail on the 3d of October, 1813; being the
(lay after it was hooked to go to London ; he also

admitted his having seen the parcel, and that he
saw it conveyed from the King's Head Inn, at
Newport, to Bristol, on its way to London.' The
prisoner, atter this, was discharged, and ab-
sconded, there not. being sufficient evidence then
to detain hiin in custody. - Viekery, howe‘vr,
pursued his inquiries, and learned that some bank
notes had been concealed during the week after
the robbery of the mail, near Bristol, at a place
called Tot terilawnfi ill, by a woman, named Hick-
man, whose daughter the prisoner was particularly
intimate with ; the Officer went to the house, and
found that the old woman had absconded, soon
after the robbery.
The-prisoner was a short time since diseovered
by-Adkins, the Officer,- at the house of Jacobs, a
Jew, in Duke's-place, where he went in the name
of‘ Green, but admitted to the Officer on his ap-
prehension, that his name was. Weller. After be
had undergone a private examination, he Was
committed to the House of Correction in Cold-

bath-fields.
Mrs. Hicknzan was also discovered in her- con-

cealment, and conitnittecl, but I,ls since been ad-

. . -
John Willoughby, Taunton, Soluersetshire, shopkeeper, I nutted an evidence.
Veb. 8, J, and :21, at twelve, at the White
Dartiel and I Early In last month, Adkins, the officer, and
sons, Bristol, or 31e.srs. Pearson and Son) Pinup-court: Mr. Fothergill, one of the partners in the banki.
Temple, London. - visited the House of Correction,. when, the pri-
William fallen, Shaftesbury, victualler, , Feb. 13, 14, and •
---- .2.1. i*t eleven, at the Red Lion Nu, Shaftesbury. Attor- soner voluntarily confessed to them that he' stole
Hies, Nlr. RF.-vorrviTsto,ft..agary, ki...,..0rz lay.. and_,,__llke. bank notes anti_bilb___ollt of the parcel, having
Son, Lincoln's pm-fields, London. taken them out between Newport 2.11(1 pristot, /MU
'nobt.t t Friend, ord n'indior, duater in hay,' Jan. 21, Feb. 7, that Inc fastened the box again, and covered it
And 21, at. ten, at Guildhall, Lolidon: Attorney, Mr.
Stokes, Golden-square. . with the canvas bag, as before, to prevent disco,
P/idip Lusconibe, Ontvesend, tailor, Jan. 14, 28, and Feb. 21, very,. till it reached London. On the day
rence-lane, London. after
w
nt ten, at Guildhall, London. Attorney, Mr, Hurst, La:-
. the robbery he gave the notes and bills to Hick-
John Owlett, Chinihainc, Kent, farmer? dun.. 1 7, 28,4u.dF,e.b. man, at her house, who contrived to circulate

. . „ .
7 .
ii, at ten, at Guildhall. Attorney, .Mr. Abbott, .I.bclanth-
yard, Lombard-street.

some of the notes in Bristol ; but she became ap-
prehensive of being taken into custody,. and can
herself in Bath. "the pound notes which
he bad entrusted her • with, were buried by one
of her daughters in a deep hole in the prden.
attached to her house, and so remained till 'the
month of July following ; . titey were 'then dug
up, and found to be in a Very damaged state,
but he resolved to bring thew to London to
;nuke the most of the'. ',He agreed with fliek-:
nutirt6 him to London to assist him,
which she accordingly- did. They wpm to a wo-
inAtt" Who resides at Aferlin's-cave, Spa-fiehh, who

DI:IPENDS:

Feb. 21. D.Tobinflud B. J. Mitchtdl, .Litneliottsc,
seN, and Broad-street buildings,
Loudon,copartneis, at trii,
at Ouildliall—Jan. ;1. W. Cousins, (iicat Alie-street, Good-
inan's-Geles, middlesex, broker, at ten, at Guildhall.---Feb. 4.
J. 14inde, C. P. %Vvatt, and T, Teyq,t, Blorslvdown-,' Surrey,
lead-manufacturers, at one, at Guildhall—l-70). t 1. R. (ir;:e-it
drid Cribb, Lisle•strect, Leiceter-squitre, sadlcrs, at
tleveti; at u
Gildhall—Feb. 4. 'l'. Bag'Vat ilbg,strek;
ch'e„;,,,ide, butcher, at twelve, at (iuilifltall—Veliv. 4. .1.
-wei,,,httagir,-Mnor-street, Liryanston-square, car-
pent;er, at twelve, . at Gpildln.ll-I'eb. 4. J.. 1). Ninlett,
Ileet-street, tiver,tainer, at one, I 14. S.
11cr, 47.0,w, brewer, attweive, at •.21. .1.
Barliam-nt-stre-ct, our, ar.
31. M. ilav,e, theshtmt, t web,-e, at
chihdhem—,Trio. Dorrin4loa,
broker, at twelve, nt P. oN,
ford-street, bookseller, itt r.vei% 0, at Cipild ,1.
Lamle, London, merchant, at twelve, a; 1411...tt1aa!1---3,!,,
c, ;ay!, C. lit:Mil:luta, Soutbnopt,-;,!
c.oni-tavalters, at tr.-civet at
Atictvh,,, kiet rtl, at the (ieurge
IV.-I',;n-chard, Bury-street, ritcr
—Peh• I. T. s,,igwicit, ialie,
5., Guildhall—amt.
chant, al twelve, at, Ci hew, Vt-i,.;ua,

•
.‘v:-is.t•Ceottinientled to-her hv rektioll of tuiek-
, tuna's as alto could digimse of the owes;
p.utl they g.r.ve tioictito the amount, of 600/..
tidut purpo-e. She pitssett some of IhEutt,.atul,said
die Ltd uttered thew tit' 0 liuvu-dr:Ter's in (31d-
stret ditd or. another 'in the
imrriia,:e.l)fs(inte Thii proefl
ihy the Itueu-titorters. Thev ificrw:lrds me! two
tutu] at a -ii4lWe iii Purtpool -lane, of Lite

. .
•
tarna t dwarti's and Nlarelt, t disport cr iome
notes.; bot.tbt.v received nothing Ii oat tin2m. '
bast Angust,, a Mr. Butler., a dentist, of the
Kent tot conipany, at Paris-, with a
person Who ealled himself Ca litOin .Johnsbn,
-whom he purchased one 51. tutte-of iht Nlopmouth
Bitola, and toar 'Chepstow Bank-notes for 51. each,
for time purpose of Making a profit by diet?) '; With
that-view he offered them for sale to several mo-. 1
nev_chaogers in Paris, but they declined the 'offer,
and said they 'would .only purchase Bank of Eng-
land notes. On his return to I.._;ugland, be.gave
them to a man of the name of 'Crouch, to dis- '
pose of. Ali these notes Were part of those
stolen .front .the Swansea mail. About two or
three months since the prisoner called upon a
wonian of the name of Porter, who then under,
stood hiM to 1w the guard of the Momnooth
coach ; he enquired for her husband, who was
not•theo at house;, he then asked permission to go
into a room for a short time ; she sheaved him
into one, and soon after he called Mrs. Porter.into-
the room, and delivered to her a small paper
parcel, des;ring her to take great care of it,
as it contained Bank-notes to the amount of 2001.
While she was in the room with him she observed
him to have a great number of other'notes, many •
of which appeared to be torn ; he-told her he had
taken the notes in the course of his trade. The
next day he called again, and gave her a 51. note
to get changed, telling her what she bought she
was -to have for her trouble, only to give hint the
change ; she got the note changed at a linen-
draper's in Old-street-road, for' a gown-piece.
The prisoner 'called upon her again in a short
t;tne atter, when she 'got another note changed
for him at the sane shop ; amt utter that she
got-. another five pound note changed for hint
at a linen-draper's in' San-Street, but he never
called for the change. She took a parcel, sup-
posed to . contain Bank-notes, for him, to the
White • Horse publie-house,. in Portpoal-lane,
where he met her ; two men were with him. He
told her to give the parcel to. one• of them, and
`to'take care that nobody saw her do it ; site ac-
cordingly. handed 'the parcel to one of the men
privately-.
. The prisoner confessed to Mr. Fothergill, that
he was guilty of taking the parcel, but said he
would have returned it, lint could not' get it hack
front Hickman, at, whose , instigation he took it.
At the time he wished to, 'return it, there were
only 20/. of the mites disposed of.
The notes uttered by MrS.- Porter to the linen
drapers were proved to be part of those stolen
in the parcel. Some of the stolen notes, consisting
of those of the Molunouth and Chepstow banks,
have been traced to Mr. Nichols, a surgeon den -
iist, who received them of one Crouch, to take up
some bills for hint, he having accepted them, to
enable Crouch to go abroad to procure some teeth.
-Crouch said be had the notes from a man' called
Butler, who told him he bought them in Paris-.
T. Hickman confesses,' that about 14 or 15
months since, the prisvmer came to her luittse,
and bad some Conversation with her daoghter,
who communicated to her what 'had passed be-
tween them, and after that site
.agreed to go to
Bristol, to get some notes changed for the pri-
soner. lie gave her two parcels, each contain- -
ingnotes to the amount of two hundred pounds.
When she got to Bristol the Banks were shut.
The prisoner then told her he had no time to
stop, as he must go 'with the 'mail, which was
setting .off •immediately; upon this 1)6 gave her
a parcel containing notes to the amount of 7001.
and took froM his pocket ol.her Dotes to the
amount of 551. which he said she thialit pass in
Bristol; but it most he done in the coUrseolthat
day, as the robbery tecitdd he found out on the
Monday
_following • in. London. She• after :that
Passed a variety of the notes at a number of shops
its Bristol. On her return home at niOtt,.*he
and her daughter dug a hifle in the garden, and
balled the notes that she had not -an opportunity
of getting changed. 'Hand-bilis being 'poblished
soon after, describing her person as hating passed
the notes stolen front' the'maii, she went to'Ballt
and lived., in cOncealtnent. 'The prisoner called
on her there, and she .vent with hint -up to Lon-
don.--The:prisoner wits fully coin tni red for trial,
and the parties bound over to prosecute.