The Sun.
London, England, 1826-09-28 00:00:00

berately opened every drawert except one that %vas ,locked,
of a chest that stood in the room, and took out the whole
of their contents : he then deManded of the girl—placing
the knife again on her throat--to give him the key of. the
drawer that was locked, if shewi4ied to save' her life. He
then asked where her uncle 'Was, and where he kept his
money. She., assured him that she knew not where the
money was kept, and said that her unele 'was in bed up
stairs on the first floor. Just at this time•the watchman
was heard going his rounds, and calling two o'clock, but
until he was out of bearing, the villain stood holding the
girl with one hand, while with the other he held the knife
ready to despatch her if she made the slightest alarm. No
sooner had thd watchman got out of hearing, than three
distinct knocks were given with the hand, by some
person- on the outside of the window-shutter of the
parlour, in , front Of the house, but which in fact is
the shop, and the villain inside, on hearing these knocks,
left the girl alone in the, back-room, and went into the
passage to the street-door, which he opened, no doubt to
let in some accomplices. The moment the poor girl heard
the Street-door opened she mustered all of nerve and life
that belonged to her, and rushed from her room to the
staircase in the passage, and getting up nearly a flight of
stairs before the ruffian perceived her, she called out—
" Uncle ! murder ! robbers !" as loud as her strength
would permit of: the villain, still holding the knife in his
hand, on hearing the girl's cries; turned back into the
passage, and pursued her up the stairs, on the first land-
ing of which he overtook her, and inflicted two stabs upon
her neck, and no doubt would have despatched her, had
not Mr. Knott, at: that instant, been heard opening his
room door, the. noise of which made the villain dart down
the passage, leaving the street-door open, and all his col-
lected booty behind him : an instant alarm was given in
the street, but the fellow effected g his escape. At day-
light, Pepper, an active constable belonging to Saint
James's parish, who lives in the immediate neighbour-
hood, was sent for, and on examining the premises, dis-
covered that the burglar had come over , the roofs of
three houses adjoining that of Mr. Knott, traces of his
progress being observable, and from the.roof of Mr. Knott's
house he effected an entrance by a trap-door, from which
Mr. K. had formerly been in the practice of flying pigeons,
and which trap had accidentally been left unfastened'. From
this place the robber must have proceeded down the stairs,
through the entire body of the house, passing the door
of the very apartment in which Mr. Knott slept, until
he came to the back-room of the ground-floor, where
the girl was in bed; the door of this room he had evi-
dently tried to -open from the outside ; but it being bolted
within, and probably afraid to use, much force, he could
not succeed : he then proceeded down to the kitchen,
where he found the knife and a ladder belonging to the
place, which he reared against the window of the girl's
room, from the yard into which it looked. In' opening
this window he must have used remarkable caution, as the
girl's bed was close up, against it : and to get into the
room where she first perceived him; the fellow must ac-
tually have stepped across her in the bed without awaking
her. Besides the property taken from the drawers in this room,
he had collected a number of sheets and tabl&eloths, toge-
ther with a silver tea-pot, and several other articles of
plate, from different other parts of the house, before the
girl was disturbed, the whole of which, however, he was
obliged to leave behind. There can be little doubt that
he must have been previously acquainted with some of
Mr. Knott's private affairs.
The girl had several times a full view of his person by
the light of his own lantern, but she could see no part of
his features, except his lower jaw and his teeth, as he wore
a black crape over his face, reaching down to his mouth.
She describes him as slight made, dressed shabby genteel,
wearing a black coat, &c., and having a remarkably white
and soft hand. The girl, although she received three
wounds on her neck, is not seriously injured.