The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-04 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENC'E—Sept. 3.

WANDSWORTH.—DESPERATE ENCOUNTER
WITH BURGLARS.-ONE MAN SUPPOSED TO BE
DROWNED.-Mr. Ingham, the presiding magistrate,
was occupied for some considerable time in the in-
vestigation of a very serious charge of burglary,
attended with violence, which occurred early on
Sunday morning, near Battersea Old Church. A
vast amount of interest was attached to the case and
the court was both thronged inside and out, and
many were unable to gain admittance in conse-
quence of the court itself being so exceedingly small,
' and totally unfit for hearing a judicial inquiry.
The prisoners were all young men, and gave the
names of John Mahoney, William Hayward,
Charles Barton, William Willis, and John Cor-
mack, and they were all charged with being con-
cerned in burglariously entering the premises of Mr.
Thomas Dives, a miller, at Mill Wharf, Battersea.
The prisoner Mahoney was further charged with
violently assaulting police-constable Baker, of the
V division, in the execution of his duty, by striking
him on the head with a heavy bludgeon.
The following certificate was appended to the
charge-sheet :

" St. George's Hospital, Sept. 2.
" This is to certify that William Baker is an in-
mate, suffering from a severe injury to the head.
" DANIEL SEATON, House Surgeon."
A clerk from the office of Mr. Fletcher defended
the first three mentioned prisoners ; Mr. Superin-
tendent Fenn, of the V division, watched the case
on behalf of the police.
Henry Stirling, police-constable 289 V, deposed
that about half-past one o'clock on Sunday morn-
ing he was on duty in Church-road, Battersea,
when the three first mentioned prisoners and an-
other man, not in custody, passed him in the direc-
tion of the church. He followed them for some
distance to the river by the side of the church,
where they turned the corner, and when he came
up he could not see them. He then went back to
Phoenix-wharf, and looked along the river, and he
then saw five men in a boat. He immediately re•
turned for assistance, and in Church-road he met

Sergeant Payne, and he communicated to him
what he had seen. The sergeant accompanied him
back to Pheenix wharf. They saw the five men in
a boat at the rear of Mr. Dives's flour mill. They
watched them for a few minutes, and then Mr. Ser-
geant Payne directed him to remain while h e went
for further assistance. During the absence of the
sergeant the five men entered through a door
which he afterwards found was forced open, into
the mill, where they remained about ten minutes.
When they came out Barton and another got into
the boat, but at that time Sergeant Payne had
rowed up in a boat, and upon landing on the barges
all the men ran off in contrary directions. Witness
saw Barton jump out of the boat and make for Mr.
Bridge's wharf, adjoining the flour mills, and he
immediately went after him, and apprehended him
in Mr. Bridge's yard. Witness had his staff
drawn, and when the prisoner saw him he ex-
claimed," For God's sake do not hurt me." He

took him into Church-road, and while waiting for
assistance the prisoner Mahoney jumped over the
church wall and ran to the back of the Swan-public-
house, where he lost sight of him. Witness after-
wards took the prisoner to the station, and in the
morning he discovered a life-preserver in Mr.
Bridge's yard, close to the spot where he caught
Barton. He also found another formidable life-
preserver in the churchyard.
This was one handed up to the bench, and it
appeared to have been made out of the butt end.of
a carman's whip, and loaded with lead.
The witness said he found the life-preserver in
the churchyard, about 50 yards from the wall

where he saw Mahoney jum-p over. Mr. Dives's
premises are near the church, and are only sepa-
rated by Mr. Watney's mill.
In cross-examination the constable further said
that he was standing near a lamp-post when the

four passed him, a11,,cl he had every- Opportunity of
seeing their faces. Besides, it was a moonlight
night. He could swear to the three first-mentioned
prisoners.
Jas. Payne, police-sergeant 19 V, said that about
two o'clock he met Stirling, who told him that he
suspected something was wrong. He accompanied
him to the waterside, and saw five men in a boat.
He stood watching them for two or three minutes,
when they came closer to the bank, between the
barges and the mill. He saw one man take hold
of the chain which fastened a barge to the wharf,
and then Barton ascended the wall of the mill. He
had something like a stick in his hand, about two
feet long. Mahoney and Hayward followed with
another, leafing the fourth standing up in the boat.
Witness then directed Stirling to remain while he
went for assistance. He afterwards called up a
waterman, and he rowed him gently along from
the White Hart. He laid down at the bottom of
the boat in order that he should not be observed.
When he got to the mill he found two men in the
boat, and upon his landing on the barge one jumped
on to the shore and ran along by the water's edge ;
the other ran across the barge, and he pursued him,
but he fell into the Thames and disappeared.
Mr. Fenn said it was supposed that he was
drowned.
The sergeant, in continuation, said he then heard
the voice of Baker, who was a plain-clothes consta-.
ble , calling from the direction of Mr. Dives's pre-
mises, " Look out, there are two men swimming in
the water." He then took the waterman's boat
again and he discovered Hayward sitting on a post
under Mr. Watney's premises. His clothes were
dripping with water, and he appeared as if he had
just come out of the river, He was shivering, and
said, " For Gcd's sake do not hurt me." Witness
took hold of him and endeavOured to get him into
the boat, but in consequence of the tide running
very strong he (witness) was capsised into the
water and was drenched. He however caught hold
of Hayward's leg, and with the assistance of the
watermen he was pulled in the boat. He at last
secured Hayward in the boat, and they were rowed
to the shore.- He took him into the road where
Stirling was standing with Barton, but he was ap-
prehensive of leaving them both in the charge of
Stirling, so they had to wait nearly twenty
minutes before assistance. While they were
standing in the road he hgard fearful cries in
the churchyard, at the back of the church, as if
some one was being ill used. Witness then ob-
served a constable named Jennery get over the w all
from the church, and some one cried out, " Look
sharp, you will catch him," and another voice said,
" Come on." Mahoney appeared, and then jumped
over the wall to the water's
edge. Witness called
out " There he goes; he is in the water again."
The prisoner then went through the water to the
back of the Swan. Witness fastened the two pri-
soners together, and left them in charge of Stirling
and other constables who came up. He then went
with Jennery in the waterman's boat, and rowed to
the back of the Swan, but they were unable to find
Mahoney. However, after searching several pre-
', mises, they discovered him concealed in a coalhole
in a backyard, which was enclosed by a wall eight
feet high. After a struggle they succeeded in get-
ting Mahoney into the boat, and he was conveyed
to the shore, and afterwards to the station with the
other prisoners. The witness added that while he
was standing in the road with the prisoners, and
after Mahoney had disappeared at the back of the
Swan, Constable Baker came out of the churchyard
bleeding profusely from the head. He could scarcely
stand, and two gentlemen assisted him to the doc-
tor s,and he was afterwards taken to St. George's
Hospital. He saw him at the hospital on Sunday
night, and he had nine severe cuts on the head.
He was very ill, and could scarcely speak. Wit-
ness examined Mr. Dives's premises, and found the
outside door facing the river forced open, and a
lucifer match laid just inside. The counting-house
door had been forced open, and a large iron
" jemmy," which was afterwards found upon the
premises, corresponded exactly with the murks on
the door post.
William May, and elderly man, said he was fore-
man and manager at Mr. Dives's mill. He locked
up the place about half-past eight o'clock on Satur-
day night, and when the police called him at five
o'clock he found , the counting-house broken open.
All the property he missed consisted of a few re- 1
ceipt stamps, order stamps, some coppers, and a
counterfeit half-erown•—(Laughter.)
Thomas Neath, police-constable 113 V, said that
about three o'clock on Sunday morning he went to
Mr. Bridge's coal wharf, accompanied by Inspector
Lovelace, and saw Willis and Cormack in two dif-
ferent boats. They watched them for some time,
and they kept rowing to and fro, and he could bear
for some them speaking to each other., After waiting
time another constable came up, and believing they
were connected with the same party,they
them. When they were brought to the shore they
were asked to account for being there, and the only
they gave was, they were only there for their
pleasure.
In answer to questions from the Bell* the eon-
went after