The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-08 00:00:00

ANOTHER JACK SHEPPARD.

There is at present in Portsmouth gaol a young
man named John Smith, alias George Baker, whose
deeds as a burglar, though not so extensive in
their nature, are quite on a par as re-
gards management with those performed by
the Ainsworth immortalised Jack Sheppard.
This candidate for Government patronage is by trade
a bricklayer, and apparently about 19 years of age,
slim in make, with a small head and hard features, with
a simplicity of expression, which, but for the strong-
est evidence, would go far towards impressing an
ordinary jury with an opinion of his incapacity for the
performance of such deeds as we are about to mention.
His first exploit in this locality was breaking into the
house of a clothes salesman, named Byerly, situate in
Hanover-street, Portsea ; this he accomplished on the
evening of the sth March (Sunday), by removing
some bricks in a systematic and workmanlike way
from the outer wall of the dwelling; the hole thus
made led into a passage communicating with the shop.
But the thief was not rewarded with a rich booty—
merely a few articles of wearing apparel and carpenter's
tools, with which he got clear off, notwithstanding
the bundle they formed was a very large one. He
decamped to Southampton, and there offered some of
the articles for sale; but Southampton becoming un-
comfortable, he returned to Portsmouth with some of the
articles from Byerly's on his person, which were re-
cognised by a local police-officer, as those described
by Byerley as having been stolen from his house.
'1 he prisoner was lodged in gaol, and brought up be-
fore the borough magistrates on Thursday the 14th of
March, when, the evidence being very conclusive, he
was committed to take his trial at Winchester next
assizes. On searching the prisoner, at Portsmouth
gaol, about 30s. in silver and halfpence were found
upon him, which led the authorities to suppose that
he had been robbing some till at Southampton during
his short stay, which circumstance being published in
a local paper, speedily brought two persons from
Southampton, who recognised the prisoner at once as
the man who had entered the house of Mr. Maurice
Batchelor, called the Queen Charlotte, in Simnel-
street, Southampton, on the night of the 10th of
March. In this case the prisoner had secreted him.
self in the house, and remained concealed until the in-
, mates were all gone to bed, when he stole forth, and
after arming himself with a cleaver and a carving
knife, proceeded to the till, which he broke open and
emptied of its contents; he then collected what other
property h. e could, with the assistance of a lantern, which
he found in the kitchen, and made good his escape.
The money and property was the same as found upon
him when captured by a local sub-inspector of polioe
who searched him. These desperate robberies be-
coming known through the local press, on Thurs-
day evening last a sergeant of local police from
Greenwich arrived at Portsmouth gaol, and asked to
see the prisoner. He was conducted to his cell by
Mr. Hunt, the Governor, and immediately identified
the prisoner as the noted George Baker, who, with
three others, already in custody, have been the terror
of the peaceable and loyal good men of the western
part of Kent. They have committed no less than
three burglaries, and one sacrilege, all in the neigh.
bourho3d of Lewisham. At one of the houses broken
into a booty of 2001. rewarded their desperate exer-
tions; they broke open the Post.office, cut open the
mail bags, and scattered the letters about, and stole
others supposed to contain money. The Portsmouth
prisoner has also, in emulation of his celebrated pro-
totype, made a bold stroke at an escape from the bo-
rough gaol. He had possessed himself of a piece of
iron hoop- about six inches long, which he sharpened
upon the stone sink of the pump in the yard, and notched