The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-07 00:00:00

This case created a good deal of interest, from the
fact of the prisoners being the remaining members of the
desperate gang of burglars who for so long a period in-
fested the counties of Surrey and Sussex. The prisoner
Samuel Harwood was tried with his brother Levi Har-
wood and a man named James Jones for the murder of
the Rev. Mr. Holiest at Frimley, at the last assizes for
Surrey, and upon that occasion he was acquitted, his
two companions being convicted and executed.
Mr. Jounsote, in opening the case, said he felt it
would be idle for him to suppose that the jury had not
heard the names of the men at the bar in connexion
with many desperate outrages that had taken place in
this and the adjoining county, but he hoped they would
do all in their power to prevent what they had so heard
from affecting the present inquiry, and that the
decision they came to would be founded solely upon
the evidence he should lay before them in support of
the present charge. He then proceeded to describe
the particulars of tee offence, and said that he should
call as a witness a man who was one of the party of ma-
rauders, and although his evidence was of course open
to observation and suspicion, he should so confirm him
by the evidence of other persons, that he apprehended
the jury would entertain no doubt that he was telling
the truth, and that the charge was completely made out
against the prisoners.
James Hambleton, the accomplice, who was brought
from the gaol to give his evidence, was the first witness
examined. He said—l have known the prisoner Isaacs
for ten or twelve years. I have only known the other
prisoner some twelve months ago last spring. I re•
member the burglary being committed at Mrs. Stoner's
at Kirdford; on the 3d of June, 1850. About a month
before I was encamped in a tent on Farnham-common,
and Isaacs came there to me and planned the robbery,
and he told me he r;Should go to Guildford to get two
other men to join in it, and I was to take his old clothes
and a dark lantern to a place called Hyden's-ball, where
we were all to meet. A man named John Holmes,
or Smith, accompanied Isaacs to Guildford. I went
to Hyden'e-ball, as it had been arranged, and Isaacs
came there accompanied by the prisoner Samuel
Harwood, Levi Harwood, and Jones. (The two
latter were executed for the Frimley murder.)
Our party at this time consisted of six persons—my-
self, the two Harwoods, Holmes, Jones, and Isaacs.
The place where Mrs. Stoner lived was ten miles
from Hyden's-ball, and we arranged to go there by twos,
and Samuel Harwood and I went together. We were
all to meet in a wood not far from Kirdford, and we did
so, and all six went to a lonely barn by the side of the
road, and about 50 yards from Mrs. Stoner's. Isaacs
and Holmes, then went to look at the house, and see it
all was quiet, and when they returned we stripped and
disguised ourselves and put OR masks, and proceeded to
the house. I believe it was about twelve o'clock when
we got there. We found the house was secured, and we
went to the back part of it, and a hole was cut in the
shutter with a centre-bit, and the piece taken out, and
the shutter: opened. A portion of the window-frame
was then removed, and either Samuel or Levi Harwood
got in, and went to open the front door, and we all went
in, except Jones, who was left outside to take care of
our clothes, and to give an alarm in case any one should
approach. We searched the shop and the lower part of
the house, but could not find anything of value, and we
then proceeded towards the upper rooms of the house. The
stairs foot-door was fastened, and when we got to it I heard
a woman's voice call out, " What are you after there?"
or some such expression, and we immediately burst the
door open and ran up stairs. The woman ran out of her
bedroom into the passage, and I went into her room
end remained there. I saw Isaacs seize hold of Mrs.
Stoner, and drag her to her bedroom, and he at the same
time demanded money of her, with heavy threats. The
other men also got round her, and were searching about
for property. I and Isaacs and Holmes were armed
with a bludgeon, and the Guildford men, Levi Harwood,
Samuel Harwood, and Jones. each had a pistol. Soon
after this, I saw Isaacs take Mrs. Stoner's pocket, and
we then all came down stairs. By this time it was
getting daylight. We found Jones outside, where we
had left him, and we all proceeded to a wood, whore we
shared the money. Only 3s. 6d. was given to me at this
time. While we were in the wood Isaacs said that he
could not see the woman quite so well as he wished, and
that he had slipped off this mask on purpose to do so.
After we had divided the money I went back to Farn-
ham-common. Isaacs at this time did not reside in any
particular place, and I understood that ho used to go
about the country in a travelling waggon.
This witness was cross-examined at some length by
both the counsel for the prisoners, but he persisted in
his story, and nothing whatever favourable to them was
elicited.
Mrs. Harriet Stoner said—l keep a shop at Kirdford,
in this county, and did so on the night of the 3d of June,
1850. On that night I secured the fastenings of the
house myself, and went to bed about half-past eleven
o'clock. Between one and two o'clock on the following
morning I was awoke by hearing a noise at the bottom
of the stairs, and I called out to know who was there,
and the moment I did so the stair door was burst in,
and I heard the footsteps of several men ascending the
stairs. I went out of my room into the passage, and saw
two'neen with masks on and each with a pistol in his
hand. They seized hold of me and threw me into a
corner, and at the same time exclaimed, " Deliver your
money, or we will blow your brains out." I then ob-
served another man. He also had a mask on, and a
chisel was in his hand. This man held me down on the
ground and flourished the chisel over my face and throat,
and he used very violent language to me. I tried to
struggle, and one of the men pressed my chest and also
put his hand over my mouth, and some one called out
Stop her noise." All the men who were about me re-
peatedly demanded my money, and threatened to blow my
brains out if I did not tell them where it was kept. I
was kept in this position for several minutes, and I
then heard a man's voice from an adjoining room say
" Blow her brains out if she don't tell." One of the
men who had a pistol then put his finger on the trigger
and said, " I will blow your brains out it' you don't tell
us directly where your money is. A man who had
round frock on , said, " Don't kill her." The mask of
this man fell off at that moment, and I had an opportu-
nity of seeing his face distinctly. I am sure the pri-
soner Isaacs is that man. I have no doubt whatever of
it. After his mask was off he fell back to some distance
from me, and I exclaimed, " Spare my life! Lord have
mercy upon me!" One of the men who was holding me
said to the man who had fallen back, " Come on, you
fool!" Isaacs looked very pale at this time. Another
man then came up to me with a light, and he handed
me the keys. I saw five men in the house altogether.
When the keys were brought to me they told me to
go and get the money, and said they knew I had
money, and that they had come for it, and were deter-
' mined to have it, and they would blow out my brains if
I did not give it to them. One of the party, after this
had been said. called out, " Blow her brains out, if
she don't tell." I then said that I had got a little
mone, and they told me to find it, and again threa-
tened-me with violence if I did not do so. One of the
men then seized me by the nose and dragged ree
towards my bedroom, and the others pushed me behind,
and I saw the muzzles of two pistols close to my head.
When I got into my bedroom I took my pocket from
under the pillow, and two of the men made a snatch at
it, and one of them got it. I paid particular attention to
the voice of one of the men who stood over me, and
after the prisoner Harwood was in custody I had an op-
portunity of hearing his voice, and Irecognised it imme-
diately as the same. It was a peculiar voice. It was not
rough, but very shrill, and I can speak positively to tha
prisoner's being the same. The size and general appear-
ance of the prisoner also correspond with those of one of
the men who stood over me with a pistol. There was
about 71. 103. in gold and 31. or 4/. in silver in the
pocket. When the men had got possession of it they
all went down stairs, and I followed them, and as the
last of them went out at the back door he put a pistol
in my face and said, " Silence l" and I then saw them all
jump over the hedge into the lane. • A man named En-
tickness was in my service, and at the time the men
wereeleaving the house I saw him at another part of the
premises:
Enticknessi' the person referred to, identified one of
the prisoners as being among the party whom he saw
leaving the house after the robbery, and several wit-