The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-23 00:00:00

you, William?' I said, ' Yes, it is William, mans,
don't be frightened; nothing is the matter.' Carter was
at the door with a pistol in his hand, and when I made
answer, It is William,' he turned round and was
zoing to shoot me, only I sung out, ' It's all right.'
Then I returned back to the door again to mind the'
two ladies, and there I remained until they were all
ready to leave the house. Isaacs returned back to the
room where I was, and said, Take that little box under
your arm.' The ladies had before that begged that it
might not be taken, because it belonged to their grand--
father, I think they said. I took the box down stairs,
and we all went away together. This was between four
and five o'clock in the morning. When we came out
we turned to the left and went up the road. We all
eight kept together until we came to Crowhorough-
common, to the forest near the road as we came. We,
turned off the main road at the top of the hill to the-
, left, and went across the common and a wheat-field and
down into a wood, and there we all eight sat down, and
had some breakfast from what we had brought from the
house, consisting of some hare, veal, roast mutton, and
I think some hug's-meat, some leaves of bread, two
e hole cheeses, and two raw hams. We all shared this
after breakfast, a sovereign and is. each in money, but
there was a deal more money smuggled amongst them-
selves. I (Hamilton) had a Si. note also, which I got
out of a pocket-book which Isaacs gave me as we went
along to carry, and put it into my pocket. There was a
good many more notes in the book. I gave him the book,
and Isaacs took out the notes and gave me the book
agsin, because the others knew I had got the book. He
said be would give me half what he got for the notes. -
This, was going along before our breakfast. After the
breakfast and after the sharing of the money we looked
the plate over, and broke up what we thought was not
silver. There were two gold watches and two silver
ones; the two gold watches were along with the plate,
and the silver plate which came from the Old Pie public-
house was put along with it. The two silver watches
were put up amongst us for those who would give most
for them. Carter was the highest bidder at 11s. for the
small watches; and the other one, a double-cased one,
was taken by Morgan for 255. The trinkets were .all •
tied up together and put with the plate. Isaacs took all
the plate, &c. in a flag basket. A cutlass was taken from -
the house, and a tree chopped with it. Hillyer took the
cutlass. We stayed in the wood until nearly ten o'clock in -
the morning. We parted at the wood that Thursday
morning. rand Jumes Smith and John Smith came away
and parted from the other five, who went another way up
through the wood. We agreed to meet at another place,
and before Isaacs took the plate to London we were
all eight to meet at Wallingham on the Friday night.
We three went on to Groombridge, and John Smith was
so tired that we could not get him along the road. We
went into the public-house at Groombridge, where we
had a good deal of beer. We there got tipsy. I dropped
a sovereign, and John Smith picked it up and put it into
his pocket, and took a shilling out of the other pocket
and offered it to me. I had him taken by the constable.
The sovereign I dropped was what was given me in the
wood. Tho constable took John Smith into custody
upon my charge to Tunbridge Wells that (Thursday)
atternoon. I slept at Groombridge that night in the inn,
and James Smith was put into the stable. When I was
tipsy the landlord took 18s. 6d. from me to take care of.
In the morning, when I got up, I asked the landlady for
my money, which she retused to give me until she had
seen the constable. I went to the constable, and told
him I would rather lose the sovereign, and pay
his expenses, than go on with it. The constable
told me the expenses to make it up would be a so-
vereign; and if so, I thought I had better leave the
18s. 6d. in the landlady's bands, and get away as
fast as I could, rather than go to the Wells. I and
James Smith started on the road for Tunbridge Wells,
and then turned into a wood; and after we had got two
miles half a dozen persons were after us, and took us.
The beginning of all this was I was living at Woking-
common with my wife, and Hillyer lodged with me.
About a week before Christmas a man named Thomas
Gaines came to me at Woking-common, with a message
from Isaacs to send Hilly or after Tom Toot, alias
Morgan, to Shotter's mill, at Sarsams. Hillyer started
away the day after Christmas-day after Toot, and re-
turned with Toot to my house on the Saturday, and
Isaacs was to come himself by the first third-class train
from Reading to Woking, and I was to meet him. I met
him there. He came to my house the same Saturday
afternoon, expecting to find Hillyer and Toot that Satur-
day night. They did not come. Isaacs stayed with me
all Sunday night. Isaacs went alone on Sunday morning
to Edenbridge, and on the way met the two Hones, alias
Smiths, and asked them to be of the party. Toot and
Hillyer were there before us. Brooks and Carter were
there also. That made eight."
It is estimated that the amount of property stolen by
these men during the last two years cannot be less than
1,5001. When Isaacs was apprehended at Frome Mr.
Morton, the superintendent of the Tunbridge Wells
police, succeeded in tracing to the possession of the pri-
soner a valuable diamond ring, a gold chain, and a silver
hunting watch, which were a portion of the property
stolen from the Misses Farncombe in December last.
These articles were on his person, and in the house
where be was staying. Mr. Morton immediately seized
them, and the friends of the prisoner forthwith applied
to the county court at Frome, and procured a summons,
which has been served on Mr. Morton for the amount of
101. 105., the alleged value of the articles.
It will be seen, from the statements above given, that
the band of burglars known as the " Fritnley gang" is
now c ,mpletely broken up. At the last sitting of the
tatl“istrates, the Chairman of the bench publicly stated
thuG tbo whole credit of the capture of there dsrtng men,
aid the exposure of their system, was due to Sir. Bid-
I tleicoabe, the superintendent of the Surrey police.