The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-09 00:00:00

The Great Stamp Robbery at Manchester.

-r.

• BOW-STREET--(THIS DAY).
Charles Batt, who stands charged on suspicion of being
concerned in the robbery of £12,000 worth of stamps from
the office of the Hon. Henry Howard, distributor of
stamps for Manchester, was this morning again placed be-
fore Sir T. Henry for further examination.
It will be'recollected that the prisoner was given into
custody on the occasion of his attending before Mr. R. P.
Walker, the examiner of spoilt stamps, at Somerset House,
on the 12th July last, to obtain the return of £1 upon a
spoilt stamp for that amount, which had the appearance of
being wilfully damaged, and which on close observation
was found to be of the same class of stamps recently
issued to the distributor at Manchester, and of which he
had been robbed.

The only witness examined this morning was

Mr. William Drewitt, of b 5, High-street, Marylebone,
who sai I—On the 17th of May last I obtained two £1
inland bill stamps from the head-office, Somerset-house.
The stamp now placed before me is not one of them.
Mr. Jacobs.—l now intend to call Inspector Potter to
prove that the description given by himself in the affidavit
at the Stamp Office in London was untrue.
Inspector Potter said—The description given by the
prisoner was ft lse when he attended at the Stamp-office.
I have known him for 13 years.

Mr. Wontner, who appeared for the prisoner, objected to
the inspector giving evidence as to the prisoner's ante-
cedents.

Sir T. Henry—Except for the purpose of proving that
he name was false.

Mr. Woutner—Yes. He could not give evidence of any

ortner conviction.

Sir T. Henry—Yes, he can. He might be indicted for
this robbery having been previously convicted.
Mr. Wontner—But that would be kept back until ho had
been indicted for the simple offence.
Sir T. Henry—The judge is entitled to know it, and
the clerk of the arraigns must know it in order to prove
the indictment.

Inspector Potter's evidence was then continued—The
prisoner's right name is Charles Martin. I have known
him go by the name of Charles Roberts and Charles Angel.
I was present at the Old Bailey on the 17th of August,
1863, when tho prisoner was sentenced to three years'
penal servitude for stealing from a d welling-house. It
was a jewel robbery of between £4OO and £5OO. I gave
evidence against the prisoner on that occasion. His time
on that sentence will not ho up until the 13th, of this
month.

Sir T. Henry—ls ho the holder of a ticket-of-leave at
his present moment ?

Inspector Potter—He is.

Mr. Jacobs--That is all the evidence I have to offer,
Sir Thomas, and upon it I ask you to send the prisoner to
Manchester for trial.

Mr. Wontuer trusted that as there had already been
three remands for the prosecution he would not be refused
one for the prisoner. He was instructed to ask the post-
ponement of the committal for a few days, because in that
time he believed he should be in a position to prove an
alibi of so complete a character that the evidence of Allan
would fall to the ground. He should also he was informed
be able to show that the prisoner was not in Manchester
either on Friday or Saturday.

I will under those circumstances remand
1E8) iprrTisOnleerilrYfor—a week.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

LONDON, Aug. 9.—Wind this day at noon —South-
Westerly; moderate breeze and fine weather, but rather
cloudy.
COWES, Aug. 6.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Allemania,
from New York, and left for Hamburg.
BRISTOL, Aug. B.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Susan,
from New York.
QUEENSTOWN, Aug. 7.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Annie
Whitburn, from Jamaica ; Eliza Taylor, from Havannah ;
G. W. Harris, from Phiadelphia.
FALMOUTH, Aug. B.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Char-
lotte, from Havannah. Aug. 9.—Arrived—Ada Carter,
from Havannah.
CLYDE, Aug. 7.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—J. M. May,
from Huelva.
OFF PLYMOUTH, Aug. 8.--Wind N.W.—Arrived—
Mary Croot, from New Zealand.
BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

PLYMOUTH, Thursday Morning.

The hired transport Mary Shepherd, Capt. Croot, from
Auckland May Bth, with 358 men belonging to the 40th
Regiment, has arrived off this port, and received orders to
proceed to Portsmouth.

GRAVESEND, Thursday Morning.

Arrived, August B.—Yorkshire, steamer, from Lisbon;
Philo, from Port Morant ; Frances Poole, from Tarragona ;
Nereus, from Now York ; Hiram, from Quebec ; Giraffe,
steamer, from Boulogne ; Holland, steamer, from Ostend.
Arrived, Aug. 9.—City of Hamburg, steamer, from
Havre ; Leopard, and Baron Osy, steamers, from Antwerp
Cologne, steamer, from Boulogne ; Foam, from Rangoon ;
Ellen, from Guernsey; Ann Law, from Archangel.
Sailed, Aug. 9.—Star of Albion, for Calcutta ; Regia,
from Jamaica.

DEAL,' Thursday Morning.

Passed, Aug. B.—Dublin, screw steamer, from London,
for Bordeaux ; Star of the Mersey, from London, for Bris-
bane; Lord Cardigan, of Grimsby, screw steamer, from the
north, for tho west.
Anchored, —Nina, from London, for Antigua.

THE SLADE BARONETCY.--.The trial in connec-
tion with the Slade baronetcy, which was to have taken
place at the present assizes at Wells, has been removed to
London,

REIGATE ELECTION COMMISSION.—Mr. Sergeant
O'Brien, Mr. J. T. Smith, and Mr. Allen, the commis-
sioners appointed to inquire into the alleged acts of bribery
and corruption at the late election for the borough of Rei-
gate, have announced that they will commence their sit-
tings at the Old Town-hall on Wednesday, the 22d inst.
Many of the electors have been summoned to give evi-
dence.

HEALTH OF Mn. BASS,
M.P.--we regret to an-
nounce that the senior member for this borough has suf-
fered from a se Vero attack of illness. Mr. Bass left Burton
for Scotland yesterday week, and on Monday wo received
the painful intelligence that the hon. gentleman was
seriously ill. Exaggerated rumours were soon current, but
on Tuesday an authoritative telegram was received an-
nouncing that he was " progressing favourably."—Derby
Mercury,

An accident, which might have been serious, oc-
curred to Mr. D. S. Ker, M.P., on Saturday last at Black-
man's hunting ground. His horse, which had, refused
some jumps, became irritable, and eventually rushed at
full speed out of the grounds. A van happening to pass at
the same moment, a violent collision occurred. Mr. Ker
was considerably bruised but not seriously injured. He is
now staying at the South Kensington Hotel, Queen's-gate-
terrace.

FLOGGING OF GAROTTERS.—During the assizes
which terminated on Monday six prisoners, convicted of
robbery with personal violence, were ordered, in addition
to their sentences:of penal servitude, to be flogged with the
cat-o'-nine tails. In his charge to the grand jury, and sub-
sequently in sentencing the prisoners, Mr. Justice Lush re-
marked that the fullest power of punishment allowed by
the law would be inflicted, with a view to the repression of
1 his species of crime ; and on Tuesday the first batch. of
offenders underwent the lash at the New Bailey Prison,
Manchester, in the presence of several of the visiting jus-
tices, Captain Mitchell, the governor, and Dr. Braddon, the
newly-appointed surgeon of the gaol. The place selected
for carrying out the punishment is a small enclosed
yard near the Irwell-street end of the gaol. The prisoners
were stripped to the waist, their legs fastened in a kind of
box, and their arms secured by straps at the wrist,
leaving the hands free to clutch two rings to which the
Flaherty,
18 years of age, who had been
with other persons, robbedgether
straps are attached. The first brought to the post was
Johngeoincvhiacetledofh
aFvlianhge,
William Bradshaw on the 12th of February, and John
Watson on the following day. Ile was to receive 18
lashes. The prisoner had fortified himself with a piece of
leather, which he rolled into his mouth, and at every fall of
the "cat" compressed between his teeth. He writhed and
howled piteously, and at the twelfth stroke cried, " Oh
dear, oh dear, tell me whether that is eleven or twelve."
The stolid and stalwart gaoler who handled the whip vouch-
safed no reply, but repeated his blows at the signal from the
surgeon, With about half a minute's interval between each
infliction. The suspense between the strokes seemed to add
to the agony of the torture, leaving time for the dreaded
apprehension of the renewal of the stroke. On 'being re-
leased) the prisoner) who had howled so fearfully before,
turned totind, and add With the most consummate impu-
dence, "Thank you) gentlemen; my mother often gave me
worse with her apron strings.' The next mounted was
Feta Kelly) Who Was a tenth about 20 years, tall in
.
stature; and muscular in frame. lie had been convicted of
highway robbery with violence; and of an attempt to
1‘ cholte and strangwi an old man, He bore the first
three or four strokes with perfect composure, but through-
out the rest of the castigation groaned repeatedly at every
stroke. Once, turning round he said, " I'm innocent of
this, gentlemen ;" and when taken down he repeatedly
protested his innocence of the offence for which ho
had been condemned. He also received 18 lashes. The
third prisoner was William Wright, thirty-four years
of age, who was the companion of Kelly in the offence.
He also received 18 lashes, He was brought into
the yard as Kelly was taken away, and, turning round,
ho saw the unsightly lacerations on his companion's
back, and shuddered at the anticipated pain of under-
going a similar disfigurement. Though he uttered no cry
or groan, every muscle and fibre of his frame shook
throughout the operation. On being removed he also de-
clared his utter innocence of the crime imputed to him. A
refractory youngster, who had refused to work, was next
hoisted. At the first stroke he howled, danced, and
shrieked, and continued to do so throughout, protesting
that ho would willingly do any work if allowed to go.
The remaining three prisoners sentenced to bo whipped
WM to tilltiOrP Onir sizightunt p§tuday.