The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-29 00:00:00

DARING BURGLARY.

A brutal attack was made on Friday last at the re-
sidence of a very respectable couple, Mr. Fairley and
his wife, natives of Scotland. Mr. Fairley has been
a farming bailiff in Cambridgeshire and Huntingdon-
shire for many years, and has lately had the manage-
ment of large farms, the property of R. H. Hussey,
Esq., and lives at the Holborn Farm, situate about a
mile from Upwood, and about the same distance from
Wiston and Great Ravely. About eleven o'clock on
Friday, the -24th instant, Mr. Fairley heard footsteps
sear his house; he immediately seized his fire-arms (a
horse-pistol and a revolver), and told the robbers,
whom he saw through his bedroom window, that he
would shoot them if they attempted to enter. The
robbers immediately smashed the shutters and glass of
the parlour window, and also the back door. Mr.
Fairley stationed himself at his bedroom door, at
the top of the stairs, and waited the approach of the
robbers, who had now got lights, and seemed very
cautious. Mr. Fairley aimed at one with his horse-
pistol, which unfortunately missed fire. He then took
his revolver, and, whenever he got sight of any of the
robbers, fired at them, and they in return fired at him.
Mr. Fairley fought the robbers for upwards of an
hour, his wife encouraging him by telling him re •
peatedly to " take steady aim ;" the robbers being
foiled in their attempt to get up stairs, procured a
quantity of straw and articles of furniture, which thsy
laid in the passage at the bottom of the stairs, to which
they set fire, shutting the side doors so as to force the
smoke up the stairs. Mrs. Fairley now opened the win-
dows of the bed-room to allow the smoke to escape,
and when doing so received a violent blow on the head
from a stone. When nearly suffocated, Mr. and Mrs.
Fairley surrendered. There were five robbers in

the house, and others were outside ; they were all
masked, and were armed with four guns and three
horse-pistols. After Mr. and Mrs. Fairley sur-
rendered they recived several violent blows. The
robbers ransacked the house, broke open drawers
and boxes, scattered about linen and wearing
apparel, and destroyed furniture, glass, earthenware,
eatables, and drinkables. They afterwards regaled
themselves with bread and meat and cheese. Mr.
Fairley told them where to find a bottle of good
Scotch whisky, and invited them to partake freely of
other spirits; they left about three o'clock in the
morning, when Mr. Fairley gave the alarm at Up-
wood, and farmers and others were soon scouring the
country in all directions. Near daylight two of the
farm labourers discovered two of the robbers asleep in
a ditch about half a mile from the house, with three
guns by their side and some of Mr. Fairley's wearing
apparel upon them. They were drunk, and smelt
strongly of whisky. They were taken off to St. Ives
loek-up house for examination
it is hoped that the whole
of the robbers will soon
be in custody. The missing articles are two watches,
silver plate, consistingdessert, and oftable,
tea-
spoons, &c., marked T. F., and nearly 5/. in cash.
The windows and doors of the house are a complete
wreck, and the plaster on the walls riddled with shot
and bullets. _ _ _

DESTRUCTIVE FIRES AT3447.1vc
A fire broke out on Saturday evening, about half-past
seven o'clock, in the works of Mrs. Scholefield,
dyer,-a
---past
of Cornbrook, Huline, and did damage to the extentB:o
.
between 2,000/. and 3,000/• before it was extinct. ri?e'
violence of the destructive element was confined
mainly
to a portion of the works in which it was first seen, ,z,,.
cupied as a store—a part of dyers' premises which is
usually, as in this instance, totally destroyed when once
ignited, from the dry and combustible character of the
materials it contains. The fire burnt very fiercely at
first, but the great exertions made by a body of the 16th
racks e' who went with a small engine from their bar-
the hurtling %want
near at hand, kept it within check until the larger
force of the t cagiues arrive:l, and opened play upon
brigade and th,:idings. The conjoint efforts of the fire
tfl,n,ion and in military soon reduced the limits of ex-
titrTyadestroygeodt
were
.and two
abort space of time the
One large building was en-
-3,0001, is coveted by insurance '
amounting,
i%. two others
have
said,
to were injured.. The loss
office. The Of • ein the West of England
o'clock, a
between 2,000/. and
Dhe premises o origin of the fire
morning, about half-past nine .
vered on ... ,la unknown._ On Sunday
kinson?,macbine maker" of
Mews, Wren
was disco-
street, and information Navin
naillwrightslnein and Hop-
to the police-yard, Mr. Rosen havin beenAltrincham-
and a body of men, the rest started_,.. off with aconveyed
from the other fire, and theirelen?e brigade, ililistengine
found a three-story building, used as following, They
NEWSpAp 4 he property stored in it. Three eYn.giiareea the drynes,
, and four jets from high pressure ins:ere got into
-_,-, Ei,
~ "I' and t e
--r--- - 0\ . • nts poured by them into the building at different
ri. 'IS; '-' •' A* proved very effectual in quenching i
\ 1, . : what bad
cl z
~,.. 2.110, ~ and saving what appeared to be likely to catch,
• ' . ',' •. , ildin in which the fire broke out was
I.
g completely
4 -
•-•- ' ~ ,!.' • .yed, with its contents—valuable patterns of ma-
ii--es::"CnillerY, which had been accumulated during a b •
usiness
'-- '•''' of thirtl Years. The damage altogether will be from
• a s