The Sun.
London, England, 1817-08-22 00:00:00

A GANG OF THIEVES.

Norwontiitnd its vicinity. have of late been hi'
rested with as infamous n band of riesptradp.es as
any that have plagued tht.country for many,years.
In the cotO-se of last winter, and when the, spring
had far Aiii:iti'eetf, the most daring and extraordi.
nary robberie§ wet e committed on the neighbour.
lug gentry; 'kt Ito were plundered wh,,leslle of their
live stock of every description, whether consisting

of cattle or fo-wls : farming utensils formed also
a principal 'object of their booty. ' Mr. Bruce Jost
several sherp, tittle!) were lilled and taken away
in carts in the night: pig styes were plundered of
all they cotttained ; Hod as for geese, (hicks, and
of hers•of the feathered tribe, a clean 'sweep was
made of them throughout the neighbowhomf
about otter or twice a month. One of their last'
Hod most.dariog outrages was contmitted on the
premises of Mr: Inglis; front this Gentleman the.
thieves took six pigs, a calf, a cart, a quantity
of harness;' and - variorts other things. The ser-
vants heard their proceedings, but were deterred
from interrupting them on account of the cha-
racter of. the gang in the neighbourhood fort
cruelty and desperation ; and in this opinion it
turns out they •were by no means mistaken. Mr.
Inglis was from home at the time of the robberv,,
.and on his return lost no time in endeavouring to:
trace otkt the villains. He employed police-of-
ficers, and Circulated
,Irned-bills, idlering a re-
tt ard, lint all to no purpose. By their deeds they
were next recognized at the house of Mr. Hol-
land, and a valuable . fatted 'calf became their
prey ; the ai:itual was ItaCtli to have been sold to
a butcher at Deptford. The prem:sys Of Mr. Gif- •
lord, the Nltgistrate', had been attempted:a Short
time' ago without success ; and them being good
grounds—for. supposing the thieves would again
r, peat then- endeaVotti,' that gentleman fiad the
precaution...to have his premises watched by a
police officer for several nights together. • About
a wevk ago part oft lie desperate. gang paid him a
second visit : fortunately for the neighbonrhood,
oiiibis occasion the -villain; who is consideted the
chief of the gang, was secured Hod detained in
ctistoily. The name of this -tellow is Hug/is, and
he (foci not, exceed IS yearS of age. Ile pro-
poies. to turn King's evidence against the whole
of his accomplices, provided his life shall be Spared.
His lather and mother live at Norw,ood, and are
considereddtonest and hard-wotking people. The
villain confesses that the gang consists. of tth in
number., and that their practice teas invariably to go
out, all property armed, with the intention to coin-
mit murder rather than betaken He acknowledges
himself a parly to most of the robberies at N6rwood
during the•winter; and especially :hat which took
place a short time ago on the pretniieS of Mr.
Inglis. The gang resided` •individually 'Several
miles apart, forthe purpose ot, obtaining intorma,
tion re;-,,arding booty ; and when any great pros-
pect of plunder was held,out, they all assembled.,
at some place of rendezvons, in order to con-
ceit measures for their cO-operation. The day
following the
,High: on. which Hughs was taken,
'a full meeting of the gang was to have been held at
some distance .from _Norwood, on the Tunbridge-
road. ,On learning this fact, Mr. Gifford, with
great promptness, sent to the spot several police
officers ; lint we have reason to believe that he.
was disappointed in the,hope•of securing any of
them, . from .the circumstance of their having-re-
Ceivtal information of the Caption of Hugh. by an
'accomplice who had accompanied hint to the pre-•
bikes of Mr.-Gifford, and succeeded in making
his escape. Although it is to be regretted that
the villains for the. present may . clinic the vigi-- •
lance of the Officers sent in quest of them, yet; as
their flames and persons are n 0.4, generally known,
it is &trams that tbvir
.power of . doing Mischief
iatust be exceedingly Jimited, if not entirely at an
end. •

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDES.—AWOUI month
since Mr. Guy, of Pahner's-terrace.,.'Holloway,
went to the sea-side, 'at Hastings, and Mt his
house iu possession of two Maid. servants, of the,
Dances of Sarah ;Croft and Maria Ayling. About
the beginning of last week some pairaers came to
a ne;ghbouring 'humse, and under pretence of
getting warm water•to snake tutu tea, introduced
themselves tikAirse girls, and finally, they not
only boarded with them, but cohabited with them.
On Saturday morning„,aboitt right o'clock, a
Carpenter, Who occupied the adjoiuing empty
house, sharply remonstrated with the girls on t heir
improper intimacy with the painters, and told them
he had wiitten to MY. Goy, .whom he expected
home that afternoou, They intimated much feel-
ing after this, and. before ten o'clock left the
house, with a child 13 months old,-belonging toS.
Croft, and were seen passing up Ilighbury-place,
towards the New River. The circumstance that
the house Was lett empty, excited attention
among the neighbours tilt Tnesday,•.‘Vhen it was
entered icy. Mr. Boucher, a relatiee.O.f Mr. Guy,
and nothing was missed from any part butt the
servants and the child. liinTible 'to relate, oil
Wednesday orie.,lf those, Maria Ayling, was found
the New River, near Stoke Newiteg:on, with a
bandage tied-over her eyes ;•and 'at four o'clock on
Thursday morning, the body of Sarah Crofts was
stopped by the grating at the Sluice-house, alt.()
about noun, her child was found on the Eliot
which the body of'Ayling had been found. Sarah.
Crofts also had it bandage tied over her eyes. It
is believed, therefore, that in the phrenzy excited
bY the accusation, they voluntarily destroyed
themselves, by weilking 'the river blindfOlded;
the mother with the child in her arnis. The:bon-
net of Aviing floated to thy :Sluice•house befae
three o'clock on Saturday. They trust therefore
have sought their late one or two hoots before
that time, or thtce or four hours atter it was an-
nounced to them that their conduct had excited
notice and suspiCion.

'file Assize Court at Perpig:na has -convicted :s
woman-of toorder..This wretch, it appekrea;
strayed a young; soldier who lodgt d in her 110.0 e,
for the sake of some money in his-posse,,sion.—
Shocking to relate, the art:eased proved to be her
own son This heart-residing eirenuistance was
nut nonle known to the ‘vfetelied mother.—
(French Paper.) •
•At the Assizes of Oinagli 15 perons were capi-
tally convicted and scntoleed to be hlinc;l,