The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-30 00:00:00

EXTENSIVE ROBBERIES AND

COMPLICATED FRAUDS AT ABINGDON.

51/s

21%

9%
211/2

At-the conclusion of the inquiry, the whole of the
prisoners were remanded for further examination (war-
rants having been issued against several other parties not
yet in custody), and conveyed to the borough gaol.
The case excited the greatest interest. The mayor
and magistrates have expressed their determination to
adopt the most inefatigable means to bring the whole of
the guilty parties to justice.
Warrants have been issued against three men who
were amongst those who were the most actively engaged
in removing large portions of the stolen property in
boats from the premises of the corn dealers and malt-
•sters contiguous to the river. They are now supposed
to be engaged as navigators on some railway works.
Their names are:—William Butler, alias Turkey, alias
'Piney, aged 40, about 5 feet 4 inches high ; Thomas
Giles. 40, 5 feet 5 or 6 inches high; and William Faulk-
ner, alias Perch Faulkner, 40, dressed in a shooting
jacket. _ _

The prisoner Benjamin Blagrove, who was one of the
first of the batch who was taken into custody, has con-
fessed to several robberies in which he was engaged,
connected with the cases against the other prisoners.

THE REWARDS OF FRANCE.
(From Punch.)

Parade thy chain, high-hearted Spain, that all the world
may see
The Castle and the Lion crouched beneath the Fleur-de-
Lys!
Bresson, within the Castle, to each lacquey dollars throws,
And Christina leads the Lion by a cordon through his
nose.

Nor sword nor lance wields sly old France, gold righ
and left he tosses,
And with a match lets off a batch of ribbons, stars, and
crosses ;
For his Majesty has changed the plan that used to be
in vogue,—
The rogue once hung o' the cross, but now the cross
hangs on the rogue.

" Come, Conde, try ; come, Buque, buy ; here is a title
for disgrace,
" A star to blaze upon his breast that should blush to
show his face ;
" Here's the cross of Honour's Legion for dishonour's
foulest stain,
" And the Golden Fleece for him that aids to filch the
wealth of Spain.
" Come,—Mon,—Pidal, my Ministers, ye've been a
servile crew.
" Here's a cross, big knave, and bigger knave, here's a
bigger cross for you !
" But thou, my own Beraldo, there be Duqnes, Condes,
higher,
" But take thou the biggest cross of all that art the
biggest liar."
So spake old France, as grinning he distributed his graces
To the gentlemen with hollow hearts, forked tongues,
and brazen faces.
There were Ministers and writers who had vied which
could lie louder,
And Field-Marshals that gun-cotton never smelt, much
less gunpowder.
But round about the Palace, as those honours were
bestowing,
In shadowy mail, with woe and wail, were Spain's old
heroes going ;
Ruy Diaz shook his ghostly fist—the grim old Cam-
peador—
Gonzalez's hand grasped airy brand, Del Carpio's spirit
swore.
" The foul fiend sieze, both necks and knees, these
recreants to Spain !
" My old bones ne'er in Burgos will rest at peace again—
" Thu' dead and dry, when France crows high, and Spain
is in the dust,
" Confound them if they don't get up and walk off in
disgust !
" I was a gladsome stripling wizen Islew the CountLozan;
" Winn I w.-dded fair Ximena I was a merry man ;
" When on five necks of Moorish kings I set my mailed
heel,
" I felt what, in such cases, a gentleman must feel.
" But of all the thrashings e'er I gave, and they've not
been a few,
" As you know, Fernan Gonzalez, and so, Carpio, do you;
" No task would so delight me, killing kings nor wedding

wives, - -
" As to thrash these rogues within, at most, an inch of
their low lives !"
So apake the Cid, Gonzalez chid, Bernardo shook his lance,
That once, at Roncesvallez, stayed the onward stride of
France,
And sadly thought those noble ghosts of the Spanish
days of old,
Ere knightly faith was grown a lie, and good steel
changed for gold.

OWEN MAGILL. This hard-hearted desperado,
who has rendered himself so notorious latterly by the
prominent part he took in tile prosecution for murder of
his aged father, has for some time back been prowling
about in the neighbourhood of Forkill, and committing
many depredations upon both person and property. In•
formations against him were lodged by his uncle, whose
life he had threatened, and a warrant was issued for his
arrest, but he eluded the vigilance of the police until
Saturday last, when he was encountered alone, and cap-
tured at Midvale, near this town, with a loaded pistol
in his hand, by sub•constable Robert Miiinley, of Casa-
lough police station, to whom too much praise cannot
be ascribed for his courageous conduct in this affair.
Magill is now safely incarcerated in Armagh gaol.—
Newry Ttlegraph. _ _

BENEVOLENT SOCIETY OF BLUES.—Wednesday even-
ing the half. yearly general meeting of the members of this
society, which is composed of gentlemen who received
their education at Christ's Hospital, was held at the
London Tavern ; J. Perkins, Esq., in the chair. The
report stated that the receipts for the half-year amounted
to 4281. 18s. 6d., including a previous balance of 1071.
subscriptions, 1641. 17s. interest on. stock (amounting to
6,1000, &c., and deducting the disbursements, a balance
of 1151. remained. There are at present 14 pensioners
on the funds. The report stated that his Royal High-
ness the Duke of Cambridge had consented to preside at

the next annual festival. -
LORD HARBOROUGH AND THE MIDLAND RAILWAY
COMPANY.-Those disputes which have for the last two
years occasionally amused thel public, have now happil7
come to a close. His Lordship and the Company
agents have agreed ; the tunnel line towards the south
of Stapleford Park is to be abandoned, and the railway
made across a small portion of the park, at no great dis-
tance from the celebrated " battle field" of Saxby
Bridge ! Lord Harborough is to receive from the com-
pany, for this privilege, and the land taken for the rail-
way through his estates in Leicestershire and Rutland,
25,000 L—Leicester Mercury.
ROYAL ARTILLERT.—A Sergeant Hawkes, of the
2d battalion, who was tried two or three months since,
charged with having forged the signatures of tradesmen
to some bills, and reduced at one time to the ranks, has
been restored to his rank, in consequence of some ille-
gality in the proceedings of the court-martial, in their
not having the tradesmen before the court to prove that
they were not their signatures to the bills. The ser-
geant bore a most high character whilst at Corfu:it.!
Captain Nevett's company, and was particularly noticedas
whilst there by his Royal Highness Prince George,
well as by his own commanding officer.
LAND.—We tex ON TpaeßrieVncAeLoyfE Mr.Or
areOl' gladnEtEo
fiTndnit
thnant
effects of free-trade
pro-
fessed to entertain as to the probableT
rs were
W. W. Simpson the celebrated auctioneer, tunlliyasshowa
intheeasaubtseusrdc:ntythoef tvhaleufeearosf wlahnicdh. theheprfroeteecttrioade.
always convinced of the absurdity of these fears, but the
protectionists would listen to no argument, they were
determined to be ruined, they would not be comforted.
What has been the result of these dreaded measures.
Listen to Mr. Simpson himself at one time a protec-
tionist. As long ago as last April in a speech at Nor-
wich, he said that—" Although he had been a thorough-
going protectionist, he was proud to say, that sliding
and all other scales had fallen from his eyes ;—that it
was his firm and honest conviction, that rents which had
been set on fair and liberal principles within the last
seven years would be permanent ; that the year's pur-
chase on such rentals had risen within the last six
months, and in all probability would continue to rise ;
and that in adopting free-trace measures, Sir Robert
Peel had proved himself to be one of the most talented,
far-sighted, and fearlessly honest Ministers that had
ever lived in the tide of time." The present circum-
stances of the country, as Mr. Simpson justly observes
in one of his advertisements, fully justify the opinion
above expressed, and if higher authority were wanted
we have it in the person of the late Sir Charles
Wetherell, who, high Tory and ultra-protectionist as he
was, determined, on reflection after the free-trade mea-
sures of last session were passed, not only to retain all
the land which he possessed, but to add largely to his
real estate by investing all his surplus capital in she
purchase of landed property.

ABINGWIN, WEDNESDAY.—Considerable excitement
has prevailed in this town for some days past, in conse-
quence of the di,,covery of several extensive robberies
end frauds, in which have been enraged many persons
holding respectable positions in the town and neighbour-
hood. The depredations have been principally com-
mitted upon the corndealers, rnalsters, and brewers, re-
siding in Abingdon and its vicinity; the property stolen,
amounting in value to several hundreds of pounds, con-
sisting chiefly of malt, hops, barley, and wheat. Several
examinations of the persons engaged in the plunder have
taken place before the mayor and borough magistrates,
the last of which was held yesterday, before D. Belcher,
Esq., in the large room at the Rouse of Correction,
which was crowded during the lengthened proceedings,
which occupied upwards of five hours.
No less than seventeen persons, some of whom were of
apparent respectability, holding respectable positions in
society, were brought up in custody, and placed in three
rows, before the sitting magistrate. Their names are :
—William Hazel!, John Mizell, Jeseph Edney, Charles
Trinder, Benjamin Blegrove, William Peed. Richard
Jones, George Bowler, George llaycrnfr, John Seymour,
William Westbrook. Joseph Dutton, James Edney, Geo.
Pi el:, Thomas Pryer, John Huggins, and Mary Iluggins,
his wife ; the whole of whom were charged us either
principals or accessories.
Mr. J. J. Williams, hal rister-at-law, of the Oxford
Circuit, was specially retained on the part of the Crown.
It appeared from the examination of the numerous
witnesses, that ;he brewing establishment of Miss Spen-
love had been pitied,: e I or large quantities of malt and
hops, and that n, tnoAt deeply funned system of robbery
pi)
epeena rdeids p
(t,hs
eadt
ot It'. et
o persons principal
nportionp
eoeft
atbl
ee
had begin in existence fur the past three or four years.
phlunfudretrhehrad''
way of business residing within a circuit of ten miles of
Abingdon.