The Sun.
London, England, 1856-11-13 00:00:00

MANSION•HOUSE-(THIS DAY).

TVKliam Pierce and James Burgess, Eill recently guards
in the service of the South-Eastern Railway Company,
were again placed at the bar, upon remand, in custody
of Sergeant Smith and Sergeant Thornton, detective
officers attached to the Scotland-yard division of the
metropolitan police force, charged with having stolen
15,0001. worth of bullion from a package, in its transit
from London to Folkestone, last May twelvemonth.
Mr. Bodkin, instructed by Mr. Rees, the solicitor to
the company, again appeared in support of the prosecu-
tion.

Mr. Wontner attended on behalf of Pierce ; and
Burgess was defended by Mr. Lewis.
The prisoners were placed at the bar at 5 minutes to
2 o'clock, when
Mr. Bodkin said the circumstances of the case were
very remarkable. The witness adverted to yesterday
had arrived, and he hoped to be able to proceed with
the case and prove the guilt of the prisoners. The
learned counsel then detailed the position of the pri-
soners when in the South-Eastern Railway Company's
employ, and said that for some time suspicion had fallen
on Burgess, but it was thought advisable not to pro-
ceed
against him on it. The robbery was one com-
mitted with great adroitness and deliberation by four per-
sons, the two prisoners, a man named Agar, now under
sentence for forgery, and another man named Tester
who had been in the company's service, but was not now
in this country. The evidence of Agar was of course
tainted with crime, and he was ,a man who had for years
been following crime as a source of profit; but he had
been induced to make this communication not from any
desire to shirk his part of tio responsibility. It ap-
peared that Agar cohabited with a woman, by whom
he had a child, and, having a _natural affection
for the woman and child, and before he was
committed for trial for forgery; he deposited with Pierce
7,0001. in gold for the benefit of this woman arid child.
After Agar's committal Pierce turned the woman adrift,
and she being penniless gave what information she knew
to the south Eastern Railway Company. After some far-
ther remarks the learned counsel called

Henry Agar, who deposed—l am at present a con-
vict
in confinement at the Portland Works. I was con-
victed in September, 1855, and sentenced to
transportation for life for forgery. I am one
of the persons by whom a very large quantity of
gold was stolen in transitu in May, 1855, on the
South-Eastern Railway. I know the prisoners Pierce
and Burgess. I have known Pierce about five or six
years, and Burgess not quite so long. Pierce, when
first I knew him, was out of employ ; but Burgess was
a guard on the line. I have several times been to the
United States. The last time was about three years
ago, and I returned about twelve months before the rob-
bery. Before I went the last time to the United States
I had a conversation with Pierce relative to a robbery
of bullion, and on my return from America I met him by
accident somewhere at the West-end, and entered into
conversation. That led to my seeing him on several
•ccasions, in the course of which he askei me if I had
thought anything more about the robbery. I declined
having anything more to do with him. He said he
thought he could get an impression of the keys of the
iron safe, and that might manage it. I said it was a
matter requiring consideration, how many were to be
engaged in it, and so on. He said if I would undertake
it, that whatever was got should be divided into four.
I replied that I had no objection, and an arrange-
ment was made to meet a man to get an impression of
the keys, Pierce saying he knew a man who would do
it. Before I had this conversation with Pierce I had
gone to Folkatone with Pierce. We there took private
apartments on the right hand side leading from the up•
station to the town, a sitting room and two bed rooms.
I then went in the name of Adams, and while I was
there a letter so addressed to me was delivered to an-
other person of that name residing next door. We resided
in the lodgings about a fortnight or three weeks. We
used to walk each day to the station when the boat
train arrived to look about and see where the keys were
kept. We saw the train arrive several times, and the
iron chest in which the bullion was carried, and on some
occasions I saw it opened there. The keys were at first
taken from the ticket collector's drawer, but afterwards
they were removed. A town policeman having noticed
•ur frequent visits to the station, and mentioned the
circumstance, Pierce left, but I remained about a week.
No other arrangement was made between me and Pierce
before he left, except that I was to meet him again in
London. After Pierce left I mixed with Ledger, Cus-
tom-house officer, Chapman, and other servants of the
company, and visited with them Medhurst's, in Upper
Folkestone town, and played a game at billiards and had
a glass of grog with them. I occasionally visited the
station after Pierce had left. There were two keys to
the safe, and the other used to be kept in a cupboard in
Chapman's office. Neither Ledger, Chapman, nor Shar-
man, the company's servants, participated in the robbery,
nor did I get any information from them. On my return
to town I had a conversation with Pierce, and I told
him I thought it impossible to get an impression of the
keys at Folkestone. He said he could get one, and that
would be something towards finishing it. This went on
for some time, and afterwards Pierce told me ono
of the keys had been lost, and then. the chest
had bee❑ sent up to be repaired. He said be knew
Tester, a ticket clerk in the company's eseploy, who
would have possession of the keys when the sate was
repaired. Pierce said that Tester would get aes
impres-
sion of the keys. I said I would rather do it .myself,
and I afterwards, with Pierce, met Tester by a,s
point
meat, at a beer shop, at the corner of Tooley-etree3t, on
the left-band side. Tester had one new key witty.
I made au excuse to go up stairs to wash my ha ands,
where I took several impressions of the key in sax.
After that, I returned to Pierce and Tester, who wei 'e in
the coffee-room, and returned the key to Tester. Pre-
vious to this, I had met Burgess several time; at
Sterne's public house, in Tooley-street, and at the Green
Man, near the station. I had met him also at Dover,
Sometimes Pierce was present at Sterne's. Pierces used
the house, and he was the first mast who took m o there,