The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-14 00:00:00

G UILDHALL.

THE. LATE EZTENSIVE ROBBERY ON THE GREAT WESTERN
RAILWAY.-Tuesday, Mr. Chas. Maynard, an estate agent,
of No. 10, Howland-street, Fitsroy-square, was brought before
Alderman Hughes Hushes, for re-examination, charged with
unlawfully attempting to take a reward on account of helping
Mr. V. Prance, solicitor, residing at Bridgewater, to recover a
writing-care, containing bills of exchange to the amount of
2,0001., which had been stolen on the Great Western Railway
the early part of last month.
Mr. Clarkson, with Mr. Nash, from the firm of Swaine,
Stevens, and Co., solicitors to the railway, appeared to con-
duct the prosecution, and Mr. Humphreys defended the
prisoner. _ . .

• On the 7th ult., a Mr. Prance, solicitor, residing at Nether
Stowey, near Bridgewater, was a passenger from London by
the Great Western Railway, and hell delivered his luggage to
ong of the porters, who placed a label on it. He mentioned
to the porter that it contained valuable property. When the
train arrived at Bridgewater, about two o'clock in the morning,
the writing case was missing. On the 12th ult. Mr. Prance
received an anonymous letter, stating that the leather case
containing the notes and bills were safe, and that a
Liberal reward must be paid for its recovery. The
holders would seek a person highly respectable to act as
agent in the affair, and the prosecutor was to advertise in the
Morning Post, thus :—" Alpha will give pounds, if all
the papers are returned safe." The letter concluded by
stating that " none but principals would be allowed to inter-
fere in the matter." Mr. Prance immediately handed the
letter to the manager of the Great Western Railway Com-
pany, who consulted Mr. Clarkson on the subject. The de-
sired advertisement not being sent to the Morning Post, on
the 18th of July a second letter was received, stating
" That if no answer was advertised in the Morning Post of
the following Tuesday, the papers would be out of the
holder's hands, and irrevocably lost." This letter was in
the same hand xriting as the first. An advertisement was
then sent to the Morning Post, dots instead of figures
being placed after the Z. Another letter was then re-
eeived, dated from Murley's Hotel, Charing.cross, July
23, which seated that the agent appointed to arrange the
matter referred to was unfortunately at Sandhurst, and
would not return until the following Saturday ; but that
he t, he writer) would address a letter to him, and that
Mr. I'rarce should receive an answer from him at his re-
si.lence, at Bridgewater. The letter also said that the
amount of the reward must be named in figures after the X.
in- the next advertisement. On the following day Mr.
Prance received at Bridgewater the promised communication
from the agent, Mr. Charles Maynard. It was dated July 24,
Mr. Paine's Farm, Sandhurst, Kent, and was to the effect
that a stranger bad called at his office the previous week, and
said that he had found a travelling-desk and contents, which
appeared to belong to Mr. Prance. The individual said that
he had not obtained it dishonestly, and proposed that the owner
should state what amount he would give for the recovery of
the property, and address his communication to his (the
writer's) office, No. 19, Howland-street, Fitzroy-square. It
also said that the finder thought he should receive 1001., hut
that he would take 501. with a redemption on the part of the
prosecutor that no ulterior proceedings should be taken. The
cash was to be deposited in the writer's (Maynard's) hands,
and the papers would be left at his office two hours after for
Mr. Prance. The letter concluded by hoping that the affair
would be settled between the following Saturday and Wed-
nesday. and that he (the writer) was of opinion that the
finder of the desk was under the tuition of some sharp prac-
titioners. These communications were all handed to Mr.
Seymour Clarke, manager of the Great Western Railway
Company, and under the advice of the solicitors to the Com-
pany a meeting was courted, and their clerk, Mr. Nash,
was appointed to attend to the business. On the 2d of
August another letter was received from the prisoner,
stating his regret that he could not meet Mr. Clarke, on
account of great press of business, and urging on Mr. Clarke
to agree to terms at once, as the man who had the desk did not
appear to be in needy circumstances, and it was not in his
(Maynard's) pewer otherwise to give the aid required in re-
covering the property. It also stated that it would be a useless
waste of time to scrutinise his (the prisoner's) conduct, as
he knew no particulars, and the affair could only be concluded
through his agency. The last letter, dated August 4, said the
things could be obtained for 401., and that he ( Maynard)
would see Mr. Clarke on the following morning, from nine to
hail-past nine o'clock. A meeting took place at the railway station
on Tuesday last, when an appointment was made to deliver up
the property at the Guildhall Coffee-house, and there, after a
little negotiation about the amount to be given, the property
wa restored, minus 10/. in gold and a bill of exchange for
1201. The writing-case, however, was not given up. The
prisoner, at the railway station, agreed to take 25/., but on
his announcing the loss of the 1201. bill, Mr. Prance beat
him down to 221. 10s. The prisoner was then given into
custody.
At the conclusion of the examination of Mr. Prance and
Mr. Nash yesterday,
Mr. Clarkson said he hoped the Magistrate would again
adjourn the case, as he had an appointment, which, on account
of the length of the present examination, he found very in-
convenient.

After some discussion, it was agreed the amount of bail
should be reduced to himself in 4001., and two sureties of 2001.
each.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
Michael 211urphy, Thomas Garriewan, John Mullins, and
Benjam n Wildey, were charged with picking pockets in Lei-
cester-square. A person named Moore had seen them pick the
pocket of a woman, and had given an alarm, when they ran
off. He saw them again in the evening, and pointed them out
to a policeman, who took them into custody.
The police said the prisoners had been known as thieves for
many years, and had been convicted of various robberies.
Wildey was concerned in an extensive burglary, committed
about twelve months ago, but escaped with only three months'
imprisonment.
Air. MALTBY ordered the prisoners to be remanded until
Friday next, when more conclusive evidence is expected to be
brought against them.
LAMBETH.

INCENDIA RISNI, ASSAULT, AND ROBBERY.--On Tuesday
George Humphery Bryant was charged before Mr. Henry
with being drunk, and wilfully setting fire to the house of Mrs.
Odell, No. 59, Hill-sheet, Walworth. _ _

Mrs. Odell deposed that on the evening before the prisoner,
who had lodged at her house for upwards of twelve mouths,
came home intoxicated and ill-used his wife, shamefully abused
her ( witness), and threatened to burn the place down. He then
went up stairs, but after stopping a few minutes returned, and
exclaimed, " I have set a light to your house." Witness
ran up stairs, and on entering the apartment occupied by the
prisoner and his wife she found the bed and bedding on fire.
She instantly flung some water on the bed, and, with the as-
sistaiice of her servant, succeeded in extinguishing the fire be-
fore it had done any serious mischief. The prisoner returned
in about a quarter of an hour, armed with a large club, and
swore with most desperate oaths he would have the lives of both
his wife and witness ; and so violent was his manner that they
were both obliged to lock themselves up in the first instance,
and then escape by getting cut of the front windows, while the
prisoner was in the back part of the house.
Police-constable William Staggill stated that he went to
take the prisoner into custody. and proceeded up stairs for that
purpose. The prisoner gave him a violent blow on the arm
with the tongs, and knocked him down a flight of stairs, by
which his spine and arm were injured. He, however, followed
the prisoner, who had effected his escape by the back way from
the house, and ultimately secured him.
The prisoner, in his defence, said he was so drunk at the
time 'hat he was almost unconscious of what he did, but he
said hi- had not wilfully get the bed nn fire.
Sergeant Pritchard, P 22, informed the magistrate that there
was a third charge against the prisoner eif having stolen
a large ingot of tin from the premises of Mr. Coad, a
plumber and painter in High-street, Camberwell, on Saturday
night last.
II- was remanded to a future day to give the officers an op-
portunity of tracing the property.
UNGRATEFUL THIEF —John Hutchinson, a young fellow
of shabby genteel appearance, and who was described as a
cabinet-maker, was charged with stealing a writing-desk con-
taining plate to the value of 301., a bank receipt for a 1001.,
and a Bank of England note for 51., the property of Mr. James
Lanyard, a barrister's clerk.
t o
ht
eh e
wasdaughter
The prisoner had been paying his
of the prosecutor, and being out ofaddresses employment
and fed at the house. On Monday evening the prosecutor went
to his society in the 13Iackfriars-road, and at about ten o'clock
his wife and daughter went to meet him on his return home,
leavinis the house in the prisoner's care. On their return they
missed the prisoner and also the writing-desk, and ifound the
prisoner had gone out the back way. At a quarter to twelve
o'clock the prisoner was stopped in High-street, Poplar, with
the box unopened, and the whole of the property in it.
The prisoner was committed for trial.
WORSHIP-STREET.
THE SWELL Mon IN A CEMETERY.OH Tuesday a young
man of smart appearance, who gave his name and address as
Alfred Page, Victoria. terrace, Camberwell, was charged
with attempting to pick pockets in the Abney-park Cemetery,
Stoke Newington.
The wife of Mr. Mechi, the well-known razor and strop
manufacturer, was buried on Monday afternoon, and the
funeral being a rather ostentatious one, attracted a very great
crowd to the cemetery. Many pockets were picked, and the
prisoner, whose motions had excited the suspicion of many
persons, was given into custody. He, however, made such a
violent resistance, that he was conveyed from the cemetery to
the Kingsland police-station in a wheelbarrow, and thence to
the court upon the police stretcher.
A witness named Storer stated that he saw the prisoner
press against persons in the crowd, particularly ladies, in a way
hat excited his suspicion. A friend of his, also one of the
undertakers, pointed out the prisoner to him, and said he was
one of the swell mob. He therefore watched, and saw the
In isoner, atter pressing against several, actually put his hand
into the pocket of one lady. He presently afterwards lost
sighs of the prisoner in the crowd; but he spoke to the lady,
and aassirtained from her that she had been robbed of soine-
thing, aid some time afterwards the prisoner was taken into
custody.
Policeman Miles, 273 N, said he saw the prisoner feel the
pockets of several ladies, at the very brink of the grave; and