The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-25 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY ROBBERY.

On Monday morning last, it %vies di,covered that the
offices of Messrs. Harrison and Gel-, land aril commis-
sion agents, No. 5, Bed Lion-street, St. Ann's-square,
had been broken open, an iron safe therein blown open
with gunpowder, and a considerable sum of money taken
thee. from. Suspicion alighted upon William Gaskell,
whose father, a machine ruler, occupies an office und, r
the same roof, and almost immediately over Mr. Har-
rison's office. and George Lear, a companion of the
younger Gaski!l, who resides with his mother in Lloyd-
street, Huluie ; and they were apprehended and brought
up at the Borough Court yesterday, on this charge. The
prisoners are both yttting men, under 20. Mr. Sowler,
barrister, defended tins prisoner Gaskell.
It appe wed that on Monday morning, when Mr. Har-
rison eent to his office, he found that the door had been
broken open. On going to an iron safe, in which he
kept mon. y. he found that, too. bad been forced open,
and three 10/. bank notes, a half sovereign, an Ameri-
can coin, and some silver and copper taken away. On
Saturday List, about half-past one o'cleck in the after-
neon, he put money into a cash-box, which he locked,
and deposited securely in the iron safe, and then left
the premises, to which he did not return until Mon-
day. Access was had to Mr. Harrison's office by a
street door, which was common to himself, the pri-
.soner Gaskell's father, Messrs. White and Jones, Mr.
Varty, a letter press printer, and ape rson named Knowles,
ad of whom had offices there. The street door was
fastened at night by a padlock, of which each of he oc-
cupants had a key. The prisut er Gaskell had been in
possession of the street door key latterly, though he does
not appear to have been entitled to one ; but his father,
having lost his key some time since, procured another ;
the lost key, however, having been aft,riverds found.
the pri-oner possessed himself of it. The party
by whom the robbery had been committed had effected
an entrance by the street door, the padlock of which
had been opened by a key: Mr. Llarrisoe's office was
secured by a padlock outside, at d a stock lock inside
the door ; the former had been opened apparently
without vielence, and in the ordinary way ; end the
door, as it would seem from certain appearances which
it presented, had then been wrenched open by means
of a crow-bar, or some iron instrument. The iron safe
bore marks of having been forcibly opened, by exploding
eunpowd, r in the key-hole ; the lock was smashed in
pieces, and the appearance of some of the fragments
confirmed this surmise.

A girl in the service of Mr. Parsons, St.
Ann'e- square, the back part of whose house runs
into Red Lion-street, and is immediately opposite
the premises where the robbery was committed,
heard a report like that of the explosion of powder,
%hilt, she was in a bed-room in the back part of the
hote,e, between eleven and twelve o'clock on Sunday
morning last, during the thee of divine service ; and on
lug king out of the window, immediately after the re-
port, she observed smoke issuing out of the window of
Mr. Harrison's office, sad some one standing near the
window. She knew the two prisoners very well, par-
ticularly Gaskell, bath of wh, m she bad often be: ire
seen entering and going out of the door leading to the
elder Gaskell's office; but she could net state whether or
not Gaskell the prisoner was the person whom she saw
at the office window whence the sineke issued.
Another of Mr. Parson's servant girls, to whom the
former shortly afterwards related what she had seen
and heard, saw the prisoner Gaskell on Sunday morn-
ing, between eleven and twelve o'clock, -standing
about four or five minutes near the outer door
leading to the office. He asked her for a drink of water,
and she gave him one. She had seen Gasketl at
the door before her fellow-servant told her of the explo-
after
sion. She did not see in what direction he went
she gave him the water ; nor did she notice 'se)" thing
remarkable about his clotties.
o'clock
Pslice-officer A 22 went on duty at nine
on Sunday night at the coroner of St. Ann's'square.
A quarter of an hour afterwards he tried the street door
leading to Mr. Harrison's office, and it was secure.
About ten minutes past eleven, on the same night,
he tried it again, when he found the hang-
leek was open ; he entered the door and proceeded
up stairs, but found no erson in apy of the
offic
s, which were all fast. He then informed the in-
spector en Cuty. who sent him to inform Mr; Varey,
the occupant of one of the offi.-es, of the circumstance.fiti
Mr. Varey accompanied him to the premises, and _ d
irg the offices all fast, hacked the street door. They
hared, however, that the hang-lock on Mr. Harrison's
ffic- door was unlocked, though the door itself was
still le Id fast by a stock-leek inside. About halfapast
en o'clock on Sunday night, as the police-officer was
turning out of Red Lien-street into Back-square, he saw
rhe prisoner Ga-kell cross over the square and sit down
~n the step of Mr. Armstrong's warehouse. A young
noanan, between w, ore and the prisoner Gaskell an at-
achment existed, parted with him, a few minutes after
'all o'clock, on Sunday night, at the corner of Byrom-
street, n ar Hardman-scree , when be went towards
St. John's Church, in tho direction of Hahne. The
prisoner Gaska II was apprehended on Monday morn-
tes, in Red Lion street, near his father's office,
when, on being informed of the charge against him,
.•.e said he had been to the office on Sunday morning,
but that he knew nothing about the robbery. Among
..they things found in his pceket, was a key which
tilted the padlock of the street door in Red Lion-street;
sn iron bar was al,o found at the office of his lather.
Lear was apprehended at his mother's house, in Lloyd-
.treet, Hubne. Ou being charged with being concerned in
he robbery, he stated he was at the office in Red Lion-
-tra et, with Gaskell, on Sunday morning, for a pair
of trousers belonging to the latter ; that they
afterwards went to bathe together, and, after bathing,
came homewards, when Gaskell left him between
twelve and one, near St. Matthew's Church, and
he (Lear) went h.)me. From the elder Gaskell's
account it appeared his son left home between seven and
eight o'clock on Sunday morning ; returned home to
.linner at one o'clock ; went out again about two ; re-
turned to tea between five and six ; went away again
utter tea; returned a little after ten at night ; and then
went to bed. His father described him as a steady boy
stud stat. d that he was a teacher in the Sunday
School
at St. Matthew's Church. On Sunday, after dialler.
he asked his mother for is. 6d., which she did not
give to hie]. On Monday morning he welt to his
work as usual. When he he. rd of Mr. Harrison"
office having been broken open, he was anxious .to
gD
down stairs and see the ffice; but his father
prevented him. The father, who was examined
by Mr. Sowler, as a witness on behalf of his
~,n, said Mr. Harrison had been in the habit of
Leaving his office on a Saturday afternoon in charge
of a woman to be cleaned, and be thought there would
be opportunity for a person to secrete himself in the office
between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Re
also said that Mr. Harrison's premises had, some 3 eare
before, been attempted to be broken open, and an in-
strument had been carried out of his (Gaskell's) office
to effect an entrance. Of this, however, Mr. Harrison
denied all knowledge.

Thomas Daniells, a boy who attends the Sunday
school at St. Matthew's Church, said he saw the pri-
soner Gaskell at the school at about half past two o'clock
on Sunday afternoon ; he did nut see him at church in
the morning.
No part of the money abstracted from Mr. Harrison's
safe ha. yet ben found. The pri.oners were remanded
to Saturday.—Manchester Guardian.

DEATH OF THE Ray. Da. MOORE.—We have to an•
nounce the death of the Rev. James Moore, LL.D, vicar of
the opulent and extensive parish of St. Pancras, which took
place on Friday, at his residence in Gower-street, after hold-
ing the living for nearly half a century. The demise of the
rev. rector, who is stated to have been in his 82d year, was
announced to the parishioners by the tolling of the bells of New
St. Pancras, and those of the various district churches, and
as a mark of respect to his memory all the churches on Sun-
day last were hung with black cloth. Dr. Moore has,been
in bad health for some time past, and unable to perform any'
public religious duties, occasioned, it is believed, from tba
effects of a paralytic stroke, with which he was seized whilst
preaching at the New Church four or five years ago. Not-
withstanding his affliction, the Rev. Gentleman preserved his
mental faculties, and at the period when the metropolis was
agitated about the white surplice question, and other alleged
innovations, he issued his prohibition to all the local clergy
under his control to indulge in them, and two curates were
dismis'ed for disobeying the order. The nominal value of
the living, which is in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of
St. Paul's, is 1,9104 but there are other advantages per-
taining to it. It is rumourel that either the Venerable
Archdeacon Hale or the Rev. Thomas Dale, folh of whom are
canons d St. Paul's, will have the presentation conferred ore
them.

At Maynoo.h the improvements under the new. Pa-
rliamentary grant are surprising. Grand walks are now to be ...en
where a tew months ago stagnant pools emited their fetid 'smell ;
del, ware has been substituted for the " pewter platter," by the in-
spectors, and the new wings are to be commenced next month. The
exercise-ground has been also improved ;
ball courts, &e in ex-
cellent order. All the porters, &c., have livery now tor the first
time.— Irish paper.

BIRTHS.
mr. • J, D. Jackson, of Saffron Wel-
On the 20th inst., the wife of
den, of a daughter.
. Esq., of Ends-
of John A. T. Smyth
Leigh-street, Tavlstock•squ.
Airs. C. Dresser, e
lust at Coventry. , t.,.. a son, still-bons.
Oil the 21st inst., the lady of
On the 2 ist 'in Norfolk-street, Park-lane, 31rs. Pearce Sere-
On the 21st inst.,
cold, of a daughter.
On the Lis inst., at Sussex-place, Hyde-park, Mrs. Doves, of a son.
in Upper Harley-street, the wife of Henry Lance-
On tne 22d daughter. Wilton-street, Grosvenor-place, Mrs. Heighten
Wilkins, of a
taWs'anliham-crosii, Mrs. John Sharpe, of a eon.
:tilt! the zed n222d22:1411E1 snnni,:o ala
t orme•s q u a r e *
, Bayswater, the lady of Captaks
On the 23,1 iiist., the lady of Charles Ring,
loDit:aotniliti:liew Dixon, of a daughter.
On the 23d lust ,at Lavender-hill, Surrey, the wife mons and Mitcham t' d
Esq., of a son.
, 0 a daughter.
iorof Doof cct oeorisr'-gceot:-.
Ellis,

On the 9th inst MARRIED.
, at Winkfleld Church, Wilts, William Wickham.
ming, Esq
of Trowbridge. Wilt., to Emma Sophia, eldest daughter ofJohn Rum-
., 4)1 Wlnkfleld, Wilts.
011 the 10th ins ~ at Florence, the Signor Nlcolo Antonio Clout
(Florentine noble), to Jersey Georgiana, eldest daughter of General
Sir Colin Halkett, K.O B. and G.C.H.
On the 19th in t., Ellen, the wife of Henry Davis, Esq., of Upper
Iledfi.rd-plaee, aged 48.
On the 20th inst., in Cheapside, Mr. S. Butler, aged 23.
On the 20th inst., at Lim+ ood Lyndhurst, in the New Forest, Lieu-
tenant-Gen. rat it Cha, les Phillips.
On the 20th init., Itohert Benson, Esq , of Sussex-square.