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

A R E KETS

bridge, arrived at the scene of the d;sa,ster the same
evening, and a large body of workmen were soon
busily engaged in removing the wreck. By great ex-
ertions one line was sufficiently cleared to enable the
traffic to be resumed next morning, and all the trains
were worked under Mr. Stevenson's personal direc-
tions between Harling-road and Thetford with a pilot
engine. In the course of Monday the other line of
rails was cleared, and the usual arrangements were
resumed.

S

L-'-7 A Y-F,,

•rdh97.lV-,

Closing Prices
this day.

Vastness done
this day

The breaking of the tire, the cause of all the mischief,
seems to have been wholly accidental. The iron of
which it was made was of the best possible quality, and
no flaw could be with certainty detected iu it on its
being examined after the accident. The wheel to which
it was attached was supplied to No. 91 engine in Jan.
of the present year, and was afterwards shifted to No.
92, which has been in constant work for the last four
months, and was considered to be in very good repair.
All the wheels of the engine were examined by the de-
ceased before the journey from Cambridge was com-
menced, and no defect was perceived in any of them.
The deceased, who was a very steady driver, had been
for some time in the service of the company, and appears
to have been much respected by his companions. He
was married nine months since, and his wife is now near
her confinement.

The jury at the inquest, after hearing the evidence of
several persons, returned a verdict to the effect that he
me`, his death accidentally.
The spot where the accident occurred was some time
since the scene of another serious casualty, and the dis-
tric.; of the line has been especially unfortunate. The
line is slightly curved at the place, and in January,lBs4,
during the prevalence of the very severe snow-storms
which then occurred, witnessed a terrible collision,
which resulted is the death of six persons. Within two
or three miles of the Thetford station another collision
also took place in December, 1855, when two passengers
in the night mail train were killed ; and in December,
1845, a train also ran off the rails and the driver and
fireman lost their lives. The locality has consequently
acquired among those who treasure up these coinci-
dences, as they term them, a very indifferent reputation.

rHE SUN, 1..0.N fION, TIIURSDA EVE.' 1 G, NOVEMBER 13 1856

No representations were made to the landlord who I
was, but I was generally supposed to have been a com-
mercial man. Burgess was rather against the robbery
- when first it was proposed by Pierce, but he was
over-talked into it by Pierce. The four
persona engaged in the robbery were myself,
Pierce, Burgess, and Tester. After the keys were re-
turned to Tester he left the public-house. It was then
arranged that I should go to Folkestone, and stop at
the Pavilion Hotel, where Pierce was to forward me a
letter, in the name of Archer, stating that he had for-
t warded a box to me to the value of 6001. or 700/. 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. The box did not arrive
ou the Saturday, as 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 arrived, and, on my sign-
ing a receipt, it wasgiven to me. It contained 200 sove-
reigns, which I had obtained a few days before at the
Bank of England in exchange for notes I
had given to Pierce. I returned to London
on the Monday morning, and saw Pierce on my
arrival in town, who lived then in Walnut-tree-walk,
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 tailway clerks generally left the office when
the French boats arrived, we should watch an opportu-
nity, go into the office, and obtain the key of the iron
chest kept in Chapman's office. Whilst arranging thus
at Sterne'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 Burgess went down by it. We first went to the Hose
public-honse at Dover. When I visited Dover by myself
I patronised the Fleur-de-lis. I can't at this distance
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 passengers'
luggage. Pierce went to the office whilst I stood at the
door, and seeing all clear, be unlocked the door of the
office, went in, took the key of the bullion chest from
the cupboard, and gave it to me. I then took an im-
pression of i> in wax, and it was replaced in the drawer.
We left the station, and afterwards returned to London.
This was done about three or four months before the
robbery. I frequently i❑ the interval—about a dozen
times—saw the prisoners at various public-houses in
Thomas street, the Borough-market, and the Marquis of
Granby, near Burgess's residence at New-cross. I have

visited Burgess at his own residence. After I had the
wax impressions I had a number of keys made in blank,
and I filed them down to the impression. It occupied
some time. I did part of it at Pierce's house,
in Walnut-tree-walk, and finished them at my lodgings
in Cambridge•terrace, Shepherd's•buele. After I had
finished filing
.the keys I went to Dover in the train
conveying the safe, and of which Burgess was guard, to
try them in the safe, and I went seven or tight times
before they would fit. After that I met Burgess and
Pierce at the Marquis of Granby, and informed them that
the keys fitted, and said it was time now to effect the
robbery ; it was then arranged that about two cwt. of
shot should be got and put into bags to make up for the
weight of gold to be abstracted, 12,0001. in value. The
safe was in a van in which Burgess rode. The shot was
purchased at different times by vie and Pierce at the
shot works near the Suspension-bridge. On the first
purchase I waited outside whilst Pierce made the
purchase. The shot was placed in carpet bags,
and we each carried one on our shoulders across
the bridge to Charing-cross, where we took the
omnibus, and went to my lodgings at Shepherd's-bush.
A. female named Fanny Kay was living with me at the
time as my wife. I have a child by her about two years
of age. I was first introduced to Fanny Kay by Burgess.
Kay was at home when Pierce and I got to Shepherd's.
bush with the bags of shot. She asked what we hal in
them, and we replied it did not concern her. The con-
tents of the carpet-bags I afterwards emptied into a
trunk, and about a week afterwards Pierce made a
second purchase of shot, which he brought to my lodg-
ings in a carpet-bag ;it was emptied with the other lot
into the same trunk, and which trunk was found in
Pierre's possession when I was apprehended. I don't
think Fanny Kay knew at the time the bags emptied
into the trunk contained shot, but she noticed the trunk
was very heavy. She had no opportunity of seeing them
emptied that lam aware of. Pierce afterwards brought
a third lot, which made up 2 cwt. The shot was not
taken out of the carpet-bags. After the soot was put
into the trunk I locked it and kept the key. The
trunk and shot were afterwards moved to
Pierce's residence, is Crown-terrace, where the
shot was made up into Sib. and 41b. check bags for the
convenience of taking it to the railway. I had a ser-
vant living with me at this time, named Charlotte.
I and Pierce calculated the gold would weigh about
1961b5. We afterwards procured carpet bags and also
four courier bags, which latter we had made at a shop
at the corner of Drury-lane after a pattern I drew on
a board. They were ordered to be made strong to carry
heavy weights. After they were made they were taken
to my house, where their strength was tested by their
being filled with shot, and struck violently. Some of
the stitches gave way, and I repaired the bags with a
wax end and an awl. The carpet bags were filled with
hay end some shot, to pass for luggage—the courier bags
with shot. They put them on their shoulders, and took
the carpet bags in their hands to a coffee shop near
the Eagle, Camden-town, from which place we hired a
cab and drove to St. Thomas-street, when I got out,
leaving Pierce with all the bags in the cab. I went to
the incline, between the station entrance and the office,
where I met Tester. From him I u oderstood there
was no chance of their effecting the robbery that night.
I returned to the cab, informed Pierce of it, and they
went home. This was repeated nightly for a fortnight
before the robbery. On some occasions I saw Tester,
and at others Burgess, and I used to go up to the station
and look round and see if the chest was in front of Mr.
Wetherbead'soffice,and marked by the train it was to leave
The signa:, between me and Burgess was that it he could
not speak to me, and that if it was all right, and the gold
was there, he wag to lift his cap and wipe his face. On
the night of the rubbery, we went to a coffee swop in
Camden-town, where Pierce called a cab, the same that
had taken us on one or two former occasions, and we
proceeded with our bap and capes, or short cloaks, on
eebere we saw Tester, who said it
to St. Thomas-street,
was all right. Toe .cabman, at my direction,
then drove to the station fter the Dover train. Tester
then left. We each had two. the Doe on, and each
carried a carpet bag in our htends. We took two
first-class tickets and gave our carptet bags to Burgess,
who was the guard of the train. On tie° platform I saw
Mr. Wetherhead, the present Governor of Newgate, who
was then superintendent of the station. The carpet bags
were put into the van communicating with the guard's
seat. Pierce then took his seat in a first-class
carriage, and I waked towards the engine. Pre-
vioue to the train starting I watched the op-
poreunity of Mr. Wetherhead's back being turned,
and I jumped into the guard's van, and Burgess shut
the dour. The train started about five minutes after ;
Burgess accompanied the train in the van with inc. 1
saw in the van the two iron chests containing bullion.
Burgess said there was epwarde of 12,0001. wort
n-
in
these. As soon as the train started I got up and u
locked one of the chests with the keys I had made.
In it I found a wooden box hooped with iron, and with
a wooden mallet and some boxwood wedges Thad with me
I forced open the box, which I found contained gold
bars. I took them all out, filled up the box with shot,
replaced the came nails, and fastened the box up. It?e-
vious to my finishing the box we arrived at Red-hill,
where the train stopped. Pierce there got out of the
first-class carriage and came to me in the van. Arrange.
ments had been made that Tester was to lighten their
load at Red-hill by returning to London with some of
the Sold. One bar was placed in a courier bag which
had been made for Tester and left for him at Red-hill,
and I afterwards understood from Burgess that Tester
returned with it to London. The box so emptied was
replaced in the chest, and the second box I opened with
the assistance of Pierce, was found to contain American
gold coins arid some coupons of foreign railways. There
was no bar gold in that box. The box was filled up with
shot and replaced, and the chest locked. I then opened
the other chest, which I found contained one large box
with ropes at the ends with which to lift it. I
opened it and found it to contain small short bars
of what I believed to be Californian gold. I
6id not take all the gold from the box,
because I had not shot enough to make up
the weight. The box was filled up, replaced, and locked
up in tue chest. Whilst opening the boxes we broke
the seals on them, and afterwards resealed them with
seals. Wax and a taper we had provided ourselves
• with. The seals were bought at a shop in Shoe-lane.
No particular choice was made of the letter or device on
them. After fastening up the boxes we swept up the dust,
&c , by which time we had arrived at Folkestone.
where the chests were put ont, and I and Pierce con-
trived to get back to the first-class carriages and pro•
ceeded on to Dover. When we arrived there we went
to Burgess and had our bags. We went to the Dover
Castle Hotel, went into the coffee-room, and placed our
carpet-bags in a corner. I did not see Burgess again
that night. Pierce was disguised in a, black wig and
whiskers. We had our supper at the Dover Castle,
and we were asked by the waiter if we intended
to remain there that night. I replied no ; that
we had been driven in from Deal, and were going
I up to London by the mail train which left at
btwn
o
o'clock in the morning. The courier bags ha
bags
'rimed iu the corner of the room with the other
dags
'rimed over with our cloaks, and as there was a
di-