The Sun.
London, England, 1856-11-14 00:00:00

THE BULLIOV ROBBERY.

'MANSION-HOUSE —YESTERDIY.
A. portion of tke following appeared in our impression

of yesterday :
William. Pierce and James Burgess, till recently guards
in the service of the South-Eagtern 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
sletropolitan police force, charged with having stolen
15,000/ worth of bullion from a package, in its transit
frcsn London to Folkestone, last May twelvemonth.
Mr. Bodkin, instructed by Mr. Rees, the solicitor t 3
the company, again appeared in support of the prosecu-

tion.
Mr. Wontncr attended on behalf of Pierce ; and
Burgess was defended by Mr. Lewis.
The prisoners were placed at the bar at 5 minu',ee to
2 o'clock, when
Mr. Bodkin said the circumstances of the case were
very remarkable. The witness adverted to yesterday
had arrived, and be hoped to be able to prove, d 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-
eons, the two prisoners, a man named Agar, now ander
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 bad 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 the 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, before he was com-
mitted for trial for forgery he deposited iwith Piers.
7,000 i. in gold for the benefit of this woman and child.
After A.gar'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.
'riot& in Septern'oer, 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
sad 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 Bargees 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 m maths before Ike rob-
bery. Before I went the last time to the Ilated 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
eecaeions, in the course of wuic'a he asked me if I bad
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 au arrange-
ment was made to meet a man to get an impressloa of
the keys, Pierce saying he knew a man who would do
it. Before I had this conversation with Pierce I had
gone to Folkestone 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 beat
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
cur 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. Alter Pierce left I mixed with Ledger, Cue.
tom-house officer, Uhapmau, 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 is 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 one
of the keys had been lost, and that the chest
had been sent up to be repaired. He said he knew
Tester, a ticket clerk in the company's employ, who
would bate possession of the keys when the safe was
repaired. Pierce said that Tester would get an impres-
sion of the keys. I said I would rather do it myself,
and I afterwards, with Pierce, met Tester by appoint-
ment, at a beer shop, at the corner of Tooley-street, on
the left-hand side. Tester had one new key with
I made an excuse to go up stairs to wash my hands,
where I took several impre4sions of the key in wax.
After that, I returned to Pierce, and Tester. who ware in
the coffee-room, and retained the key to Tester. Pre-
vious to this, I had met Burpts4 several tines
Sterna's public house, in Toley-atreet, and at the Green
Man, near the stalen. I hid ,net hire also at D
Sometimes Pierce was pr 'sent St2eue'e. Pierce used
the house, and ho was the first Ulan Rho to /6". ma tile.-.
No representations were made to the law:lord wrie I
was, but I vra-, generall,, supp,•se.l t i have b.,en a con.
mercial man. Burgers was rather against the robb,ry
when first it was prope.,ed by Pierce, but he was
over•taiked into It by Pierce. The four
persons engaged in the r ,bbery were myst.P,
Pitrev, Burgess, and Tester. Air er the keys were re-
turned to Tester he left the puieic-house. It sat then
arranged that I should go to Foilte,t,ne, awl ”t•ip
aT
the Pavilion Hotel, where Pierce was to tor o.ard in' a
latter, in the name of Archer, statieg that he had fir-
warded a box to ma to the value of or 7001. I ac-
cordingly went there and received the letter, which I
afterwards destroyed. The box was addressed " Mr.
Archer," to the care of Chapman or Ledger, railway
clerks, but which I can't say. Toe box did not arrive
en the Saturday, a I expected, and, on my going to
the station on Sunday, I had an opportunity of seeing
Chapman open the iron safe with a key he took from his
cupboard. The box had then arrive], and, on my sign-
ing a receipt, it wasgiven to me. It contained 200 seve-
reiguse,which I had obtained a few dayt before at the
Bank of Eogiand in exchange for notes I
had given to Pierce. I returned to Lo .don
on the Monday morning, and saw Pierce on n
arrival in town, who lived then in Walnut-tree-walkly
Lambeth, and I communicated to him what had taken
place. I did not at any time communicate it to Bur
gess. It WAS then arranged by me and Pierce that we
should go to Dover, and from thence to Folkestone, and
that as the railway clerks
wgeensehraolulyldlewftatthche oaffin coeppwo
rhteun.
office,,saonffid
coe.btain
Whilstthe kaeryraonfgitnhge
thus
the French boats arrived,
nit], go into the
at Sterna's, Burgess came in by accident, and it was
stated "It was all right for succeeding." I and Pierce
afterwards went down by a day train, but I'm not sure
if Bargees went down by it. We first went to the Rose
public-house at Dover. AV
hen I visite, t at thisd Dover
distance by myself
I patronised the Flenr-de-lia. I can
remember if we went to Folkestone that night. We
walked over the heights from Dover to Folkestone that
night or the following morning, and waited the arrival
of the Boulogne boat. We watched Chapman and,
• Ledger out of their office to examine the paseengers
luggage. Pierce went to the office whilst I stood at the
door, and seeing all clear, he unlocked the door of the
°Mc; went in, took the key of the bullion chest from
the elipboard, and gave it to me. I then took an im-
pression of it in wax, and it was replaced in the drawer.
We left the station, and afterwards returned to Landon.
This was done about three or four months before the
robbery. I frequently in the interval—about a &Jaen
times—saw the prisoners at various public-houses in
Thomaiestreet, the Borough-market, and the 3larquis of
Granby, near Burgess's residence at New-cross. I bave
visited Burgess at his own residence. After I had the
wez impressions I had a number of keys male in blank,
and I filed them down to the impression. It occupied
some
time. I did part of it at Pierce'e house,
in Walnut.tree-waik, and finished them at my lodgings
in Cambridge-terrace, Shepherd's-bush. After I had
finished filing
,the keys I went to Dover in the train
.conveying the sad, and of which Burgesa Was guard,
try
tam is
the
safe, and I want teTen or timeseight to