The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-20 00:00:00

THE UCKFIELD BURGLARY.

TUNBRIDGE WELLS, JAN. 18.—The prisoners charged
with being concerned in the burglary at Downland-
h ouse, the residence of the Misses Farncombe, were
again brought up this morning for ;re-examination, at
the Town-hall, Tunbridge Wells. The court was, as
before, densely crowded.
It will bo recollected that in the former examination
six prisoners had been identified as being concerned in
the robbery, and having portions of the stolen property
in their possession; and a female prisoner, named Eliza-
beth' Oiliver, who also had some trinkets and money,
part of the proceeds of the robbery, was subsequently
apprehended. To-day another prisoner, named William
Brookes, who is said to be the captain of the gang, and
to have given some important information to the police,
was added to the number. The seven male pri-
soners were all handcuffed together, and were guarded
by ! several police. The magistrates considering
these precautions sufficient, their irons were re-
movpd. They all exhibited the same reckless-
ness and indifference as in the previous exa-
mination. Hillyer, whose hand was injured by himself,
and still remains bandaged up, looked extremely pale
and attenuated, but his manner was as daring as before.
As soon as all the prisoners were placed at the bar, the
woman 011iver, who appeared very nervous and anxious
in her manner, applied :to the magistrates for leave to
state how she became possessed of the property, but the
chairman, Mr. Deane, said that was not the time.
On the bench were James Deane, Esq., W. Elers,
Esq., John Price, Esq., and Alderman David Salomons.
After conferring together, the bench directed that
Broglie, the last prisoner apprehended, should be re-
movid. The feeling of the other members of the gang
may he gathered from the fact, that when he was passing
Hiller gave him a desperate kick on the leg.
Miss Susan Farncombe was sworn and examined.
She said—l live at Downland-house, in the parish of
Uckfield. On the morning of Thursday, the 2d of
Jantiary, about three o'clock, three men came into
my room and demanded my money or my life. One
remained at the door, and one came to the side of
my bed, and another to the foot of my bed. I was
alone. I gave him my purse, and, hearing my sister
scream, I got out of bed and went to her. I think
there was about four sovereigns and a half, and some
silver, in my purse. It was a purple silk purse, with
steel beads. When I came back I missed my watch.
The .men were masked—one of them wore a white one.
I was too agitated to observe the colour of the others. I
did not recognise any of the men. The men at first
tried to prevent my leaving the room; but when I told
them I was going to my sister they allowed me to pass.
So far as that went they were very civil. I found two
or three men in my sister Mary's room, and they made
the same demand. She told them her watch and money
were on the table. They took a box oil' the table con-
taining sovereigns and silver; I cannot tell hoer much.
They also took a trinket-box. They said they would
have money; they know we had more money, and money
they would have—that they wanted breadZand cheese to
eat with it One of them saw the key of a bureau in
the leek, and went to examine it. They took 50/. out of
two pocket books, in notes, from the bureau. They
scattered the other papers about the room. The notes
t
were all of the Lewes Bank—one 10/. note, and l here
the
51. notes. Our attorney, unfortunately, did V take_One
of
numbers when ho got them from the ban
them took my sister's gold watch. MY sieter 0
Mary
bad some very valuable things, but I don't see any of
them hare.
Miss Futily Farncombe was then sworn, and stated

that on the morning in question two men entered her
room. Three others followed immediately afterwards.
My sister Charlotte slept with me. One man came to
the foot of the bed and said, " Money we want, and
money we will have." He repeated that twice. I said
I had got none. They were going to move the clothes
at the foot of the bed, and I said, take my dressing-
case. There were three boxes on the table; he asked
me which. I pointed it out to him and he demanded
the keys. I gave them to him, and begged of him not
to destroy the case. He said he would not. He opened
it and asked how much money was in it. I said 201.,
but I recollected there were 251. in it. The money was
in a small silk purse, four 5/. Lewes Bank notes and five
sovereigns. They ransacked tho drawers and threw
everything about the room. There were only two men
in the room when the purse was taken. They opened a
trinket-box and took a gold chain and seals, several
valuable rings and brooches, and other trinkets. The
men came in and went out occasionally. I cannot say
whether there were five men or seven, but I saw five at
once. They were all masked, and I was so frightened
that I could not identify any;of them.
The prisoners declined to ask any questions,
The Chairman then addressed the prisoners, and
again asked if any of them had anything to say, cau-
tioning them that anything they might state would be
used in evidence against them at their trial. The pri-
soners were then severally interrogated.
James Smith answered, " I have nothing to say."
Joseph Carter said he was not guilty. John Smith said
he was innocent of what he had been brought there for.
Thomas Morgan said he had bought the goods and paid
the full value for them. William Hillyer said he knew
nothing about it, which occasioned a burst of laughter in
the court. James Hamilton had nothing to say; and
Elizabeth 011iver said she had found the articles at the
Leech pit pond, and the money found upon her (fifteen
sovereigns) was her own.

Thesix-prisoners were then fully committed to Lewes
Assizes for the burglary and robbery, and the woman
Oliver for receiving a portion cf the stolen property.
The Misses Farncombe were bound over in the sum
of 401. each to prosecute, and were permitted to with-
draw from the court. They ;expresbei great anxie*y to
get away early, as they had a journey of fifteen miles
and a wild common to cross.

The property hitherto found is of very trifling value,
the plate, valuable gold watches, diamond rings, Bc.c., not
having been discovered, although, calculating the time
that had elapsed between the commission of the bur-
glary and the apprehension of the prisoners, the police
aro of opinion that it has not been sold, but lies con-
cealed in the neighbourhood.
Miss Fnrncombe, while giving her evidence, after
glancing over the articles lying before her on the table,
exclaimed, "I don't see the forks or spoons." The
family plate was old and curious, and was much prized
on that account by its owners. The police of the dis-
trict have evinced much zeal and industry in tracing
the prisoners, and if the information they are milder-
stood to have obtained, and which it would be at
present injudicious to refer to more explicity, can be re-
lizd upon, much of the property may yet be recovered.
That the whole of the gang are not yet in custody is in-
ferred from the circumstance of Mrs. Morton, the wife
of the constable, overhearing a conversation between
three of the prisoners in their cells, in which one of
them expressed a hope that " they would send ,eoun-
sel," and another replied that " they might do so at all
events."

After the termination of the above case the bench pro-
ceded to investigate a case of burglary committed on
the night of the 31st of December, only twenty-four
hours previously to the Uckfield burglary, in which all
the prisoners except Carter were implicated. The
offence was committed at Hartfield, in the White Hart
public-house, of which Elizabeth Kennard is the land-
lady. The property is not of any great value, bat por-
tions of it were traced to the possession of the prisoners.
Another case, which is only yet in its preliminary stage,
is the finding of several boxes of linen•drapery, B:e., at
a lonely cotta4e not far from Uckfield, in which the
uncle and aunt of the prisoner Elizabeth Oiliver reside.
These persons are at present in custody, and the whole
are likely to turn out members of the same gang, one
portion plundering, and the other secreting and dispos-
ing of the booty. Their formidable and desperate cha-
racter may be easily judged of from the statement of the
butler, although the question was not asked him before
the magistrates, that after his room had been burst
open some of them were heard debating outside his
room-door whether they ought not to shoot him at once
in order to prevent his making any resistance or giving
any alarm.