The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-22 00:00:00

RAILWAY ROBBERIES.

The following copy of a statetnent made by Daniel
Garrett relative the railway robberi,s, though hitherto
withheld, may afford some s rvice to the public:—
" On board the Barrette transport, Dec., 1845.
" These dishonest practices began with me about
thirteen months ago, when I was living in idleness close
to the railway station, and used to go on to the platform
to see the trains come in; and there it was I got into
conversation with the people of the railway, and joined
a connexion. My first parcel was a carpet bag,
which was taken on the arrival of a train as if I was a
passenger; but that mode of acting became dangerous,
as, on several occasions, the owners intercepted their
property, and, but for the timely assistance of a con-
federate, I should not have escaped so easily. Other
methods were hit upon, which if made known may pre-
vent such practices in future. We found it best to work
at dark. Sometimes a passenger would be watched, and
if any parcel of his promised well he would be dodged
through to the train, and, when he had passed on, with
the confederate we managed matters easil) ; for, where
practicable, he would put the luggage in the wrong
place, or with a wrong ticket on it, or boldly give it to a
confederate as his luggage to go with him in the train
instead of in the luggage van; a confederate would ride
a short or a long trip, and then claim the particular
article, or walk away with or without the conni-
vance of the guard, depending on his being
in the secret or not. It was by going as a
short passenger that we were able to effect these
things ; or else would, on the arrival of the train, boldly
seize anything, and if stopped, it could be etributed to
mistake. It was at the junction lines especially that we
were able to work as well without the assistance of the
railway man as with it. The passengers were gone out
into the refreshment-rooms, and there was another by
which we could start off to another place. In these va-
rious ways the game was played ; first one way, then
another on one line, then changed about to another, in-
tending to change from line to line in succession.

" Mr, Hartiey's box of scriP,-which was valued at
40,0001, and supposed to have never reached the line,
as not taken away from the train till we reached Wol-
verton ; and, if passengers will go away from their
luggage without having it labelled, or seeing that it goes
with the train, or leave it at refreshment-rooms, they
must expect to lose it. I was not a thief by profession.
I had been a valet and confidence of several noblemen,
travelling with them, and never wronging them of a
shilling. Unhappily for me I got into the debtors'
prison, Whitecross-street, three years ago, for a trim.
con., which I fear spoilt me for honest labour. Our
parcels we had before divided, and returned to the
owners any papers ; and although about twenty-five
have been traced yet there were very many
naore, and as fast as they were taken they
were sold at various places, the marks being erased
to avoid detection ; but this scrip sorry puzzles us.
My first impulse was to go to the continent, where
my extensive knowledge would disguise me. That
was opposed, and we determined to wait. A reward
was offered, but difficulties presented themselves, and
in the dilemma, Maynard's services offered, and he in-
troduced a friend of his, a ch) mist, from the neighbour-
hood of Brunswick-square, and they concocted the cor-
respondence and fictitious names with Bush and Mullins,
but they were very anxious to get possession of the scrip
and I believe that Mr. Hartle): is indebted to me for
its restoration. The " earnest' of our power to restore
was shown Mr. Hartley by returning him his keys,
which were the " first instalments." Mr. Bush paid the
1501. in gold, no notes, and was grateful to Maynard
and shook hands with him. He came to his house in
his carriage. This gave us boldness, and when the next
box of papers, Mr. Pranse's, turned up we had less hesi-
tation. Those small packages were the easiest to carry
off; but whether that was taken before the trains left, by
asking the porter fir it, to take into the train with any
person, or at the end of a short journey, I forget; for
those cases were so numerous, and the work of an in-
stant, and where the confederate was in the machinery,
the wrong labels put on, or wrong parcels so easily given
out, that I will not venture to say. Maynard negotiated,
hut unguardedly, and I told him so ; but he was head-
strong, priding himself on his " position," and appear-
ances. He arranged and went to his lawyer friend to
draw out the necessary papers for the restoration ; he
and I then went to the city together in a cab ; he left
me at Blossom's Inn, and went on to Guildhall to settle
the affair. I waited some hours, and than went home to
my lodgings, from which we had started. I felt quite
safe, as I was only known to six people in connexion with
Maynard, and they were in the mess ; and there was
nothing against me to show that I had not found it, as
was said. In the evening I was fetched out by Maynard's
man, and went to his lawyer friend about it and May-
nard's arrest ; but we all agrec d that nothing could be
done to him for negotiating a reward, and I went to him
next morning, with his ‘• Man Friday," to assure him
of support, and again went to him, and provided
a criminal lawyer ; but finding myself watched, I
did not go again, but took means to prevent any evidence
against myself, and felt secure in my incognita and
change of dress every day. When the discovery of
other matters, and especially Bush's, was made, and I
was " wanted," as I thought, but not known, I resolved
to leave England, and began quietly to realise ; but
then came the squabbles between the agents of the com-
panies, and their disapproval of what had been done
against Maynard, and stoppage of other investigations ;
that gave me confidence, and I determined to remain.
but forsook my lodging and old pals, and traded by
myself on several lines, even under the very eyes of the
police who wanted me, yet did not know me, except
as a gentleman's servant, and above suspicion, whilst
I have spent hours in their company, and sent
spies to volunteer information and assistance. I felt
certain all further pursuit was cooled down and stopped,
and went on for weeks at the old game; we also resorted
to various expedients to put them on wrong scents, and
deter them from pursuit, if they were intent on it, and if
possible to get Maynard off, as we certainly should on
the charge of negotiating. We believed those had suc-
oseded too; but I found out that I was again watched,
and I resolved to raise cash and leave England, but I had
as my share the most troublesome things, because if any-
thing happened I was more safe than the others (the
railroad men), so that I had to realise and cautiously,
and had done so to a large extent, and should have been
off in a couple of days, when I was arrested six weeks
after Maynard; then I foolishly thought my physical
strength would release me, and offered two bribes, for
which I am very sorry, as I believe those persons only
did their duty under very discouraging circumstance.
" I have said enough to put persons on their guard;
the past cannot be helped, and I hope my end will be a
warning to those who hate honest labour. " D. G."

THE LOST CAUSE of PROTECTION

(From the Prussian Universal Gazette)
In spite of the deep obscurity which still envelopes
the plans of Sir Robert Peel in reference to the abo-
lition of the corn laws, both parties in the coun-
try have, nevertheless, lost no time in arming
themselves for the combat. The League is deve-
loping its immense and far-stretching power in the
greatest subscription list that has ever been opened in
a country, headed by the names of all the considerable
manufacturers of Lancashire, with sums of 1,000/. and
500/. each ; whilst the smaller contributors of 1001.,
50/. and 201. are lost in the gigantic sheets of the Times.
It is worthy of remark, that the League, the more
powerful it becomes in its furtherance of the cause of
free-trade, by means of the support of the most eminent
manufacturing and mercantile names in the kingdom,
appears so much the less dangerous as a democratic body,
which might be led astray from its lawful object to the
pursuit of less praiseworthy ends.
The meetings of the agriculturists have, on the other
hand, only served to proclaim the passion, the stupidity,
and the weakness of the party to which they belong ;
whilst the " protective duty" advocates have not been
more fortunate in a ridiculous and ineipid corn-law mani-
festo which appeared in the last Quarterly Review, and
emanated from the pen of Mr. Croker.
The corn-laws must be repealed, even if no argument
could be established in favour of such a measure, merely
on account of the unexampled absurdity of the grounds
adduced in defence of the existing system.
The protective duty advocates make war like the Chi-
nese, not with sharp weapons and heavy bullets, but with
painted cavalry, and fearful threats against their firmly-
advancing adversaries; they lay down certain disastrous
events as the inevitable consequence of a repeal of the
corn-laws, and proceed on the ground of these assump-
tions to build arguments, as if the same were established
facts—ay! and as if they were the objects for which
the free-trade party were contending. Tbus they affirm
measure. would be the un-
avoidable
. To all this a
that half the corn lands in the kingdom would be
thrown out of cultivation, and that the entire downfall
of agriculture
ulturreesulatnodf thesoufeha comuenatsr
short but decisive answer may be returned. What effect
had all this agitation, and what effect has the impend-
ing abolition of the corn-laws, upon the value of land
in England ? Its value has never been higher than
at the present moment ; the investment of capital
in landed property has never been so much sought as
now ; never has land been mere readily purchased ; and,
generally speaking,
there has never been less land offered
for sale at low prices thin now. If, accordingly, the
arguments of the protectionists were correct, they might
still hasten to avail themselves of their own foresight, and
sell their landed possessions before Sir R. Peel has ruined
the country; and in a few years after the repeal of the corn •
laws, they might even (if their prophecies should be con-
firmed) buy in these landed estates again at a clear
profit of 30 per cent.! Not one of them, how-
ever, notwithstanding all their outcries, will under-
take such an operation upon this assumption ; the
landed proprietors know full well that in a densely
populated country like England, small in extent but
colossal in wealth, the value of land regularly rises, with-
out reference to the price of an individual production of
the soil ; and they even acknowledge that the phantoms
raised by themselves are only phantoms, whilst they
wish by their instrumentality to frighten others, but
make no attempt to escape themselvesAssuming the
very worst contingency—viz., that the profit arising
from land, viz., rent, might be somewhat diminished—
the landed proprietor would only be placed in the same
position as the fundholder, who, after the reduction
of the interest of the national debt, finds
himself in
possession of the same, or even a still greater, amount of
capital, although the annual :ncome has been reduced.
There is, nevertheless, no doubt that, both in and out
of Parliament, the contest will be a hot one. The ses-
sion, which commences on the 22d, will be
unusually
animated, and it is not impossible that Sir R. Peel, after
being overthrown in the present House of Commons
upon the corn-law question, may find himself compelled
to dissolve Parliament before Easter, I can only
hope
that the universal dread of the public inconvenience
arising from such a measure, and the universal con-
viction of the necessity of a final decision of the corn-
law question, will in some degree weaken the opposition
and moderate the passions of the ultra-Tory opponents
of the Administration.