The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-29 00:00:00

DARING - BURGLARY, GALLANT

CAPTURE, AND SPEEDY CONVICTION.
Information having been received by Mr. Goodyer,
thief constable of the Leicestershire constabulary,' that
a number 'of burglaries were contemplated in the neigh-
bourhood of Leicester, by a gang well known to the bo-
, rough police, he immediately took steps to secure the
burglars in the very act of committing the offence, and the
.result shows the signal success attending his plans, the
whole of the gang being captured and convicted within a
few hours after the perpetration of the burglary. The
first house which it was intended to plunder was that of
Mr. Davenport of Evington. On Sunday, the 24th inst.,
constables Rowley, Allard, Iliffe, Wardle, Dawson, and
special constable Widdowson, were sent over singly to Ev-
ington, and arrived at the house at different periods to
prevent any suspicion being entertained of the premises
being watched. A little after six o'clock, Mil. Davenport
and her servants went to chapel, leaving the, police in the
house, who- then divided themselves into two parties,
agreeing on a signal which Allard was to give when he
required their. assistance, Allard, Dawson, and Wid-
dowson secreting themselve's in 'the drawing mein, and
Rowley, Wardle and Iliffe locking themselves up
in the servants' bed-room. In a feW minutes they.
heard a smart rap at the door, and • shortly
after two men came, up stairs into the drawing-
room. When they had , got into the room two
others followed, and having procured a light, imme-
diately broke open the escruitoire, from which they began
to remove the plate, one of the gang remarking, "Look:
here, you ----, here's plenty of swag.", The burglars
(whose names are. John Boulter, James Merrall, Frede-
rick Noon, and Edward Gibbons) had removed ready for
carrying away, the following articles of plate :—Coffee-
urn, 2 decanter-stands, cream jug, 13 dessert-spoons, 5
table-spoons, pepper castors, toast racks, wine strainers,
pint cup, candlestick, snuffers, and extingtiishers; and a
prettily-ornamented work-basket, when they were dis-
turbed by Allard, who gave the signal previously
agreed upon. The lamp which the thieves had with
them was immediately extinguished, and they made
a rush 'at Allard, whose lamp was put out in the scuffle,
and who was knocked . down on the stairs, but
kept, his hold of the burglar nearest to him, which
proved to be Noon. The other party of police ar-
rived .on the spot at this juncture? -fife tripping
Merrall's heels up as he passed him, and Rowley seizing
him as he was rising at'the bottom of the stairs. Boul-
ter then made , a rush, but was seized by Wardle, and
the two rolled together down two flights of stairs,
where, after a desperate resistance, Wardle succeeded
in • securing him. The • only remaining burglar,
Gibbons, sprang at Iliffe, and struck him a severe
blow on the back with a "jemmy." On Iliffe turn-
ing upon him with his staff, he retreated into the bed-
room and crept under the bed, from which place he was
dragged by Iliffe, and conveyed to his companions in cap-
tivity. Underneath the bed where he had beeri concealed
were found -a number of skeleton keys, a jemmy, and a
quantity of silver spoons. The police having now got pos-
session of the whole gang, secured them, and brought them
over to Leicester. Ox the following afternoen they under-
went an examination before the Rev. J. M. Cooper and
J. D. Burnaby, Esq., and were fully committed for trial.
In about an hour afterwards they were arraigned before
Baron Gurney, -when they pleaded Guilty. The next
morning they were sentenced as follows :--Merrall,
Nqon,
,and Boulter to transportation for life ; and
Gibbons (who received a good character), to 12 months'
imprisonment to hard labour.—Leicestershire Mercury.

' AN OLD. TRICK SUCCESSFULLY
• PLAYED-. OFF.
On Friday last two men, named John Lee and John
Johnson, were 'brought up at the Borough Court,
charged 'with obtaining two 5/ notes by the old practice
of " megging."
The. prosecutor, a middle-aged man,, named Edward
Marsh, a, nail-maker, from Chowbent, stated that, On the
Ist inst. he came toManehester on buiiness ; and, as he
Was passing the. Infirmary Mee accosted him,'saying that
he' had just. arrived from America, and was intending to
purchase goods in Manchester to take back with' him.
Proiecutor remarked that he was in the nail trade; and
the prisoner said he would purchase any thing Upon
which-he could Make a profit, ;riddingthat business was
very brisk in New York, and that there was.a great deal
of building going. on.. He. then': invited the prosecutor
to .go to the Brunswick Hotel, Piccadilly, arid take a
glass of ale. They.went into a private room, and had not
been:therelong when the prisoner Johnson. came in, when
Lee saidto him, "Landlord; willyeu fill me a glass Of ale?"
Johnson 'replied, "I am not the landlord, Sir; I wish
I wis." Immediately afterwards, Johnson said, " I have
been:a working man all the days of my life; but I have
lately received a fortune, and same land is come to me.
'My consin, has been holding it from me for three or
four years, but I have got it at last ;" and, he then
drew from his pocket a roll of papers, resembling bank-
notes, saying,-- "Here. I have got some of the money
-with me, and I will now enjoy myself." He appeared
very careless about the papers, and
-Lee offered to assist
him to wrap them up; he consented to-this,• and the
roll was afterwards safely deposited in his fob. Lee
then took out of his pocket a similar' roll, and per-
formed- the same office- for himself as he had done for
Johnson;, after which, as the prisoners' had exhibited
their money; the.presekitor thought -he - would show
his also, - and • took from his. pocket, -two 51
notes. • These. Lee'
.took from his hand, wrapped
them up in -a:paPer, as the prosecutor thought, and, then
placed there"in his pocket, beok,telling him to•take care
of it... Proseeittor : having. returned the book :to his
pocket, Lee proposed that, as Johnson had obtained.*
fortune, he should treat each of them with -a handker-
chief, and he took them out for that purpose; but the pro-
secutor was soon left alone, and, on examining his pocket-
book, he foUnd That the two '5l 'notes had disappeared.
Nothing.was heardof either of theprisoners until Thurs-
day east when the prosecutor met 'Lee in High-street and
charged him with the robbery.- He denied the charge, and
said that'he wits. landlord of the Turk's Head, Shudehill,
The prosecutor accompanieds,him to the Turk's Head,
where the _prisoner /ohnsori, Was :found, and both were
given into the custody of Inspeoto_r APEIroy: and, police
:constable Wm,' Sutcliffe; rßoth, the ;prisoners denied the
_charge; but, the prosecutor swearing positively. to them,
they were committed for trial at the sessions.—Manches-
ter Guardian.-..

IMPROVEMENTS IN THE' CITY.
Those who hive been absent:ft-bin the "-City end" of
this great metropolis for a'series of years will: be some-
what startled if they-have occasion to pay a visit to that
pact
,of London. " Stands the qty where it aid?"
may peihips be their exclamation of astonishment
on contemplating the march of improvement, which:is
now rapidly approaching its climacterii Point. To say
nothing of the immense advantages"- obtained some
ears back by the removal of Old-London-bridge and
its contiguuous abominations, the abolition-Kif Crooked-
-lane and. the
”purlieus of the One famons "Boar's
Head Tavern,' 'and the opening of a new bridge.across
" Old rather.Thames,"-withhandsonie and spacious ap-
proaches, it- is only necessary to :.make a ,circuit of
half a mile round the Royal Exchange, in order to be
made .in some r degree Acquainted with. the refohns
effected from time to time in that important com-
mercial locality. Some of our more elderly readers
may perhaps 'have a faint recollection of old Princes-
street, on the west side of .the Bank of England, which
some'ls'years agci'vras not wider; it we rightly remem-
ber, than Finch-lane is at present. Now, on the other
hand, we r have a fine wide street, which, continued
by , Moorgate-street,, forms one grand :and direct
line of cogiumniqation : from the Mansion Hmise
to 'lalitigton. On, the eastern side of the Bank;
Bartholomew-lane has been latterly most con-
veniently 'Widened, and the old Alined tower -Which.
formerly reared its head at the north:Western
corner; flanked by a boot-;niaker'S 'stall (for it could.
hardly to be dignified by the -term "Shop") has given
place to-n handsoine'foeade of buildings, which very
worthily hold -up their- heads by the side of the new
Royal -Exchange. Going still further, it will be found
that the old and ugly -little church of St. Benet Vinck is
now on its last legs, and on the eve orfinal. extinction.
The unsightly heap of bricks and mortar yclept " hank-
buildin
" is •alreadY.leyelled with the ground, and the
elegant "portico ofthe' 'ExChange may now, be
viewed. to Some advantage. By the encroachment of
this edifice, two very ancient City thoroughfares,
Castle-alley and Bank-street, have been utterly
annihilated, -hat of course, WithOilt any.'disadvantage to
the public. The alley of " chop and steak" 'houses,
cigar shops, ttc., which' formerly ran- along the east
side of the old Exchange, has also been destroyed,
although Finch-lane still, remains intact and unimproved.
In Threadneedle-street the, .increased width of the
thoroughfare will shortly be . carried
.out , along its
whole length by the removal of the, houses and shops
in, front of Werchant ; and the Hall of
Commerce" (as it is termed)' bas been erected, since
1842, upon the site formerly".occupied by the old
French Protestant nhureh—as ugly a building, per-
haps, as architect ever devised. It had stood, how-
ever; for nearly 000• years, and some curious antiqua-
rian • discoveries were :made: beneath the foundations
when it was pulled down by Mr. Moxhay. These are
a few of the principal improvements recently effected,
and it seems a pity they have not been, extended much
further. The view of the new Royal Exchange from
the large open space in front of the Mansion-house, will
be grand in the extreme, especially when the, Welling-
ton statue is erected, as no less than six great thorough-
fares pour their Stream of traffic into that central point.
—Times. • -

•
SmOan.-=-In the voluminous report On smoke,
lately made to the House of Commons, by a Seledt Commit-
tee, some curious Acts .are • Mentioned.; for example, Mr.
Chandler, camellia grower at Wandsworth, states that on
account of the great increase of chimneys from manufacto-
ries in that vicinity,,plants which formerly might be handled
without any bad effect, now:soil, the hands to the greatest
extent:- Among other plants which formerifflourished, but
will not now grow in the neighbourhood of the metropolis,
ire China roses, rhododendron hirsutum, rhododendron vir-
ginium, and many others of the prettiest varieties; now quite
extinct. Mr. Anderson, the curator of the Physic Gardens at
Chelsea, testifies to the noxious effects of what he calls the
"bitter smoke" upousthe trees' of that establishment, parti-
cularly on evergreens, and on two magnificent cedars which
have so long been an ornament to the gardens, and form a
:very conspicuous object from the river. • It appears that the
sooty-particles are attracted to and attached' by tiie resinous
etudations of the leaves, while the large-siirface of the foliage
above prevents their being washed away by the rains, so
that the functional action of the leaves is disturbed, if not
entirely neitroyed. • •
THE CONVICTED MURDERER.---The execution of
George Lowther, who is now lying in York Castle, under
sentence of death, for the murder of the gamekeeper of the
Marquis of Novmanby, will take place on Saturday, ,the 13th
ofApril, should a reprieve not be received in •the
York Courant.
Much curiosity has been "excited during the last
week.' by the
.coMmencement of the laying down.o?flie India-
rubber pavement ever the court-yard .at- the..Adrokiralty,
Whitehall. 4.301.111=