The Sun.
London, England, 1828-10-17 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

BOW- ST RE CT.—Yesterday Joseph Mohony, alias
Leonie, and John Morris, two well-known thieves, were
charged before Sir R. BIRNIE with having entered the
dwelling-house of Mr. Barron, a builder, residing in St.
Martin's lane, and stolen therefrom several articles of plate.
The prosecutor stated, that about two o'clock that morn-
ing he was awoke by his servaut-maid, who informed him
that there were thieves in the house. He immediately got
out of bed and proceeded to the lobby, and on looking over
the bannisters perceived a man on the basement story,
with a lighted candle in his hand. Witness asked the ser-
vant how she had been aroused, and she replied that she
was awoke by the bursting open of a door about ten
minutes before she gave him the alarm. Fearing that
there were several men in the house, the woman said she
hesitated at first to go up stairs, not knowing but she might
have been met by the robbers. Witness, recollecting that
the street-door had been barred and chained on going to
bed, returned into his bed-room, where he threw open the
window and called the watch. Perceiving that his call was
attended to, he proceeded down stairs, making as much
noise as he cauld, and opened the street-door to admit the
watchman, six or seven of whom entered. Being satisfied
that the house was entered from the rear, and judging that
the burglars would endeavour to escape in the same manner,
witness directed Wardley, one of the watchmen, to go
round through Hop-gardens in Chimister's-alley, while one
of his colleagues was posted in May's-buildings, to ensure
a capture of the robbers in case they were still on the pre-
mises. Witness then, with the other watchman, proceeded
to the front kitchen, where he discovered that the doors of
the kitchen dresser had been broken open, and the drawers
rifled. The back kitchen-door, which had been bolted on the
outside, was forced open, a piece large enough to admit a hand
to draw back the bolt having been cut mit of it. The window
was open, and witness at once saw the manner in which the
robbers had of an entrance. From the manner in
which the piece had been cut out of the door, witness was
convinced that the thieves must have had some acquaint-
ance in the interior of the house. At first he supposed
the robbers to be some of the men whom he had employed
to work for him, and therefore, on hearing that a man had
been taken in Chimister's-alley, he went round, accom-
panied by the female servant, to see if he could identify
him. Ile there found the prisoner Mahony, and the ser-
vant woman, on being questioned, admitted that she knew
him, and that in fact he was the husband of a relation of
hers, whom she had recommended to supply her place at
a time when she was obliged to keep her bed. The woman
also acknowledged that the prisoner had been twice or three
times in his (witness's) house, although she was aware
that he was reputed to be a thief.
Sarah Manser corroborated her master's testimony, and
added that the prisoner and his wife had taken tea with her
on last Twelfth-night. She also said that the prisoner had
been frequently in the house during her illness.
Sir R. BIRNIE—Pray, my good woman, did you know
the prisoner's character when you admitted him to your
master's house ?
The witness said she knew the prisoner's character was
not very good.
Mr. Barron—During the illness of the woman I pro-
vided her with medical attendance, and every thing neces-
sary for her situation ; notwithstanding which she abused
my confidence by admitting such a man to my house with-
out my knowledge.
Sir R. BIRNIE (aside to Mr. Barron)—Are you quite
certain that this woman did not herself admit the robbers?
Mr. Barron said he had no reason whatever to suppose
that such ball been the case. The woman had certainly
acted ungratefully ; but still he believed her to be perfectly
honest.
Sir R. BIRNIE observed, that this woman's conduct
was very culpable. After the kind manner in which she
had been treated by her master, the fact of her admitting
secretly a reputed thief deserved the severest censure. The
public could never be safe if servants were to act as she
had done.

The witness went on to state, that several tab!e and
w-spoons, the property of her master, were missing. The
hack kitchen-windows she herself saw closed before she
went to bed.

John Wardley stated that he was a watchman, and by
the directions of Mr. Barron he went round to Chimistees-
alley, when he discovered the prisoner (Mahony) about to
descend from the wall of Mr. Barron's yard. He waited
until Le reached the ground, and then took him inte cus-
tody. He was without shoes. Witness left the prisoner
in charge of another watchman, named Noss, who took
hiM to the watch-house, while he (witness) returned to the
house, in the yard of Thiel' he found a pair of shoes, a
dark lantern, two jemmies, a centre-bit, and other imple•
meats of house-brelking. On going into the privy wit-
ness heard a cough, and said to Bosher, one of the pro-
secutor's men, and a watchman, that there was some
person concealed in the adjoining yard. They accord-
ingly got over the wall, and took the prisoner Morris from

the dust-hole, where he had endeavoured to conceal himself.
Sir RICHARD 13txxts told the prisoners that this was
the evidence against them. If they wished to say any
thing, he would hear them.
Alahony said he had no desire to say any thing at
present, and Morris denied that he had been on the pre-
mises at all.

The prisoners were fully committed on the capital charge.
Soon after the above case was disposed of, two gentle-
men presented themselves to the magistrates to give infor-
mation of a daring attack and highway robbery that took
place about the same hour that morning. One Qf the ap-
plicants, a stout elderly gentleman, stated that he was pro-
ceeding to his lodgings at No. 23, Arundel-street, Strand,
between one and two o'clock that morning, when, in
passing through Greyhound-court, within a few doors of
his lodgings, he saw seven or eight men, two of whom
sprung upon him, and he was laid senseless from a violent
blow upon his head. On coming to his recollection he
found himself stretched upon his back in the passage he had
named, and he also discovered that the thieves had robbed
him of 350/. in hank-notes, which he had concealed in his
fob, to get at which his pantaloons were cut in two places,
as were also his drawers and shirt, and the knife had pene-
trated even to his skin, inflicting a severe wound, which had
bled profusely.
Sir R. BLKNIE asked the gentleman if he knew the
numbers of the notes of which he had been robbed ? The
gentleman replied that he had no memorandum of the
numbers of the notes, all of which were of the Bank of
England. He received them, he said, from Mr. Kent, an
Irish money-broker, who resides in Dublin.
Mr. HALLS asked the gentleman if he had been to
the Bank to describe the notes, with a view to their being
stopped ?—The gentleman said he was told at the
Bank that there was no use in his applying there unless he
could give the numbers of the stolen notes. The gentle-
man added, that on the back of the notes Mr. Kent had

written his name. One of them also bore the signature of
Captain Skinner, who commands one, of the Holyhead

steam-packets.
Sir R. BIRNIE—Was no watchman near when you
were attacked ?—The gentleman answered, that he could
see no watchman near the spot, although it was quite evi-
dent that they were more needed there than in a more
public thoroughfare.
In reply to a question by the Magistrate, the gentleman
said he did not think he could identify any of the men.
Sir It. Btx.xlit told the gentleman to go to the clerk's
office, in order that his statement might he entered in the
robbery-book, with a view to the detection of the thieves.