The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-13 00:00:00

'CHARGE OF ARSON.

At the Mansion-house yesterday, a respectable-
looking young man, named Henry Coventry, was
brought befor the Lord Mayor, in custody of Mr.
Foulger, one of the inspectors of the City police,
upon the capital charge of feloniously, wilfully, and
maliciously setting fire to the Robin Hood public-
house, Skinner-street, Bishopsgate, persons being
therein at the time.

Mr. Humphreys, jun., of the firm of Humphreys,
Son, and Morgan, of Newgate•street, attended on
behalf of the prisoner. The case appeared to be one
of rather an extraordinary character.

Inspector Foulger said—At half-past three o'clock
on Monday morning, in consequence of information
I received I went to the Robin Hood public-
house, kept by Mr. Mawcr, accompanied by some
of the fire brigade, and when I arrived there I
observed smoke issuing from the cellar-flap, and
also an appearance of flames inside the cellar.
The cellar flap was forced open, and we went in,
and I then saw that the joists of the flooring above
the cellar were on fire in two places, 6 feet apart.
One portion of tho flooring on fire was over the
beer engine, and the other was in a corner under
the spirit pipes, and some of the latter were melted
by the heat, and five cf the pipes of the beer engine
were also melted and detached from the engine. I
examined the place carefully and found several of
the metal branches which conveyed gas to different
parts of the house were also melted, and the metal
had fallen upon the ground, and the gas blazing
from the main iron service pipe, and the flames ap-
peared to have set fire to the -Joists of the cellar.
From the examination I made I believe that a hole
must have been made in the lead service pipes, and
that the gas was ignited, and that it then consumed
the metal up to the iron main pipe; and if the fire
had not been discovered when it was the house
would in all probability have been destroyed.
The gas appeared to be turned on full, and it smelt
very strong when we went into the cellar. One of
the gas pipes appeared to have been unscrewed,
and this must have been done intentionally. The
prisoner was the potman at the Robin Hoed, but
he was not in the house at the time the fire was
discovered. The landlord and landlady and two
children had gone to bed, and the children were
taken out by means of the fire escape. I ascertained
that the back and front doors of the house were
properly secured, and there were no means of ob-
taining access to the premises except the oack, but
any person, in order to get there by that means,
would have to climb over a very high wall. O❑
Monday evening I went again to the house and had
a conversation with the landlady and a female ser-
vant upon the subject of the fire, and I afterwards
saw the prisoner and told him that there was some-
thing very suspicious about the fire, and that I was
about to put some questions to him, but he need not
answer them unless he pleased, as his answers
might affect him afterwards. I then said to him,
" This house was set on fire by some one in two
places ; your mistress says that you were the last
person in the cellar on the night before the fire, and
that she sent you down to turn the gas off at the
main, and ti at she knows you did turn it off, be-
cause while you were in the cellar one of the lights
in the bar was turned out." I then said there was
no one in the house but his mistress, himself, the
servant and the children, and that one of them
must have set it on fire. The prisoner then raid
that he knew nothing about it—he did not do it ;
and he added that he had fastened up the houso,
and saw all safe, and his mistress let him out at a
quarter to twelve o'clock ; and he then took a short
Nv a 1 k in Shoreditch, and got home about half-past
twelve o'clock. The inspector then produced the
pieces of gas pipe that had been detached
and burnt in the manner he described.

Tho Lord Mayor inquired whether there was any
evidence to connect the prisoner with the fire.
Inspector Foulger eaid he had no further evi-
dence to lay before his lordship at present.
The Lord Mayor inquired whether it was true
that the prisoner was let out of the house before
12 o'clock on the night previous to the fire.
Inspector Foulger said he believed it was.
Mr. Humphreys said there was no doubt of this
fact, and that the fire did not break out until nearly
three hours afterwards. If the prisoner had set fire
to the house before he left, a discovery must have
been made long before half-past three.
The Lord Mayor inquired whether there had
been any quarrel between the prisoner and his
master and mistress, er whether any ill-feeling
existed between them.

Inspector Foulger said he had not heard that
there was anything of the kind.
His Lordship then said that, however suspicious
the circumstances might appear, he did not see that
there was the slightest evidence against the pri-
soner, and he should therefore order him to be at
once discharged.

EXTRIOBDINARI _ROBBERY AND
CLEVER CAPTURE.

GREAT YARMOUTH, MONDAY.

evening last Mr. and Mrs. Barker,
residingßessborough-gardens, Pimlico, went
Or. Thursday
at 29
to the opera, leaving the house in charge of a
female servant, named Mary Newell. On returning
home, at half-past one, Mr. Barker was surprised
to receive no answer to his knock, and on
effecting a forcible entrance he discovered traces
everywhere that a robbery, if not a murder, had
been committed. A large amount of property was
lying about in the utmost confusion; plate, to the
value of £lOO, was packed up ready for removal ; a
hole was cut in the back door large enough to admit
a man, and the poker was found on the floor smeared
with blood, and with clotted masses of human hair
attached. On further search a quantity of miscel-
laneous property, including some valuable jewel-
lery, was missing ; but no trace of the domestic could
be found. Information was immediately given to the
police, and Inspector Humphreys and Detective
Sheen, of the B division, were employed to investi-
gate the matter. On examination of the premises
circumstances came to light which tended to cast
suspicion on the servant, which was confirmed on
discovering that the bloody poker was an artifice,
and that the hair had been glued on. They next
ascertained that a cab, containing a gentleman, with
a good sized box, had left the house that evening for
the Eastern Counties Railway station, and at the
station that he had taken a ticket and proceeded for
Brentwood. The officers followed on to Brentwood
next day, nothing doubting that the gentleman and
the good-sized box were the servant in disguise and
the stolen property. At Brentwood they learned that
a gentleman and box had passed the night at the
White Hart, but had left that morning by the down
train. Here the inspector returned to London, leav-
ing Detective Sheen to follow the clue he had ob-
tained. Sheen accordingly proceeded to work, his
route being determined by traces of a gentleman and
box, until it reached Yarmouth on Saturday, the
last place to which he tracked them. At Yarmouth
he procured the assistance of the sharpest detective
there, Sergeant Berry, and both spent the whole
of the day in fruitless inquiries. Next day, how-
ever, they ascertained that a gentleman and box
had taken lodgings with an old lady in Row 136,
and on proceeding there were told that a young
gentleman answering the description given, with a
box, had lived with her since Friday, but he was
then out taking a walk on the Marine Parade with
a young lady. On the officer gently insinuating
that the young gentleman might possibly be one
of her own sex, the old lady indignantly scouted
the idea, and was sure from the way he had behaved
that he was a real gentleman. They said they
would wait his return, and at five o'clock in walked
the lodger, shawled to the chin against the effects
of the storm he had to encounter on the beach,
vigorously puffing a cigar, and got up in the fast
style, with extensive pegtops, and everything en
suite, Ho found himself immediately in custody of
the police, and being charged with the robbery, and
being one Mary Newell, she admitted the offence
with no little sang froid. Her box was next ex-
amined andithe missing property found in it. She
was taken to the police station, and next morning
Sheen took his prise to London, still in her male
attire, as, not anticipating so early a necessity for a
change of apparel, she had left her female attire
behind her. It appears that while in Yarmouth she
acted out her assumed part with a spirit that would
'
have done credit to the original. She treated the

landlady both nights 'to the theatre, and expressed
herself much disappointed that she had not come
down in the summer when the town was gayer and
livelier. She attended St. Peter's church on Sunday,
but she pretended to no special piety, as she affected
a good deal of flirtation with the girls about, and
gave her landlady the idea of being quite a Lothario.
Among the articles found on her was a small fancy
tobacco-pipe. She told the police she had been dis-
turbed in the robbery, or she would have carried
off the plate. She is about 25 years of age, and her
make-up as a male character was pronounced to be
excellent.

Yesterday the prisoner was placed in the dock of
the Westminster police-court, in the attire in which
she had been captured. She is a common-looking
person about 22 years of age, with her hair cut
short to resemble a man's. She buried her face in
her hands, and endeavoured to hide herself from the
curious gaze of all around her.
Mr. Barker said she had been in his service since
the 17th of last month. The whole of his wearing
apparel, and other property, had been carried off on
the night of the robbery.
Mr. Heath, a gentleman residing with Mr.
Barker, said that all his clothes and linen had been
carried off, and some jewellery.
Sheen produced a watch, some bracelets, gold
pins, and other articles, including some money,
found in the prisoner's possession. He had recovered
everything stolen excepting about £3, which had
been expended on her journey.
Upon the application of Mr. Humphreys the pri-
soner was remanded till Tuesday next.
In the course of the day a change of clothing was
procured for her from Mr. Barker's, and she went
to prison in petticoats.
There is no idea of any other person having
been concerned in the robbery.