The Sun.
London, England, 1868-12-26 00:00:00

lIAMES.

DARING ROBBERY ON THE RIVER.—SUSPICION OF
A FOOL MuLDEß.—George Legou, described as a
labourer, aged 36 years, was brought before Mr.
Benson charged with assaulting and robbing An-
drew Duthie, a seaman, on the river Thames.

The prisoner is a well-known and desperate thief,
with a sullen and morose air about him, who has
been in prison twelve months for a robbery similar
to the one with which he is now charged. The pro-
secutor is a respectable Scotchrnan, who had lodged
in the Sailors' Home, Well-street, Whitechapel, for
a few days, until Saturday, the 19th instant, when
he made preparations to leave for Scotland, and he
proceeded to Union-stairs, Wapping, with a porter
who had his baggage on a barrow. It consisted of
a chest and a bag containing a large quantity of
wearing apparel and stores. Ile engaged the pri-
soner and another man, not waterman, to convey
him and his chest and bag to the Dundee steamer,
moored in the stream, and very generously said to
them, if you will go with me across the water I will
treat you with some ale. They landed at Horsleydown
on the Surrey side of the water, and the seaman's
luggage and kit were left in the boat.
Of course the prisoner and his companion well plied
the sailor with drink, and he was returning to
the boat when the two villains knocked him
down on the plying place, within a few yards of the
tide-way, and ripped open his pockets, from which
they took seven sovereigns and some silver, all the
money he had. He was stunned for a short time,
and when he partially recovered he saw the boat
with the prisoner and his confederate in it being
rowed away from the stairs. His chest, emptied
of the whole of its contents, was found on
the river floating with the tide by the Thames
police, and that was all that was recovered.
The sailor valued his lost property at £lO, and his
money upwards of 17 more. Ho was prevented
from prosecuting his journey to Scotland and
spending his Christmas with his friends. Yester-
day the prisoner was apprehended by Joseph White,
a pollee-constable, at the Hermitage-stairs, 'Wap-
ping. The prisoner made a most determined re-
sistance, and if it had not been for the courage of
the officer, and the in&maitable perseverance of a
waterman, who came to his aid, he would have
been killed.

In answer to questions by Mr. Benson, Duthie
said he was left on the Surrey side of the river
after the assault and robbery. lie lost everything
he possessed except his chest and what he stood
upright in. The prisoner and his companion were
pulling away as bard as they were able after the
outrage and robbery.
Mr. Benson remanded the prisoner until Wed-
nesday.

It was stated that a gang of miscreants who have
obtained possession of watermen's boats in the
night time have been guilty of scandalous extortions
on passengers crossing the river and proceeding to
steam ve3sels, and that some of these villains have
comrelled persons to part with their money by for cc.
A few weeks since a seaman was found drowned in
the river with marks of violence upon him, and
without a farthing upo❑ him, lie was known to
have a considerable sum of money in his pockets
when he was last seen alive. It is suspected that
he has been robbed and foully murdered. The
ease is still under investiga• ion.