The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-22 00:00:00

DARING HIGHWAY ROBBERIES.
BRISTOL, JUNE 20.—The neighbourhood of Bristol has
within the last three days been the scene of some of the most
daring highway robberies, acompanied with violence, that have
been committed of late years in the entire kingdom. The whole
of these robberies have also evidently been perpetrated by the
same persons, an organized gang of ruffians consisting of seven
persons, three or four of whom are armed with large horse-pis-
tols, and who have attacked farmers and others on their return
from market, within even a single mile of this city, at as early
an hour of the night as 10 o'clock in the public road, and in the
' most daring'manner. 'The first of these robberies was com-
mitted on Friday night, on the person of a professional gentle-
man of Bristol, Mr. Francis Edwards, about two miles from
Bristol, on his return to his residence at Redland, about a mile
from Cote-house, Westbury. Mr. Edwards had not proceeded
farther than about one-eighth of a mile before, as he caste oppo-
site a place called Ilenleeze-lane, he saw two men sitting down
whom he had noticed following'him at a previous part of the even-
ing. tot having any suspicion, Mr. Edwards proceeded, and
when he had gone a little farther, three other men jumped sud-
denly out of the hedge, one of whom placed a pistol to his
month, and the other two a pistol to each side of his head,
threatening to shoot him if he made the least noise or offered
thu slightest resistance. Mr. Edwards then observed that the
other two men whom he had seen following him had joined the
party. Finding that the least attempt at resistance must prove
fatal to him, Mr. Edwards quietly submitted, when they pro-
ceeded to rifle his pockets of his purse, containing four or five
sovereigns and some silver, and of his gold watch, which being
suspended by a guard chain, they found some difficulty in getting
off, and twisted its chain violently round his throat, so as almost
to produce strangulation. After they bad thus robbed him,
they marched for some distance by his side, still holding their
pistols to his head, and threatening to shoot him if he gave any
alarm. When they got on a favourable part of Durdham-down
they suddenly darted off in different ways. Mr. Edwards im-
mediately ran back as fast as he could to Cote-house, and in-
formed Mr. Ricketts of the robbery, when that gentleman, who
is in the Commission of the Peace for the county, immediately
sent out his servants and raised the neighbourhood in pursuit
of the highwaymen, but unfortunately without success. Mr.
Edwards has offered a reward of 201. for their apprehension.
On Thursday night, a waggoner of Stoke, about three miles
from Bristol, was driving along in his waggon, when he was
stopped by evidently the same gang of fellows, two of whom
placed themselves at the horses' heads, while the othersjumped
into the waggon and proceeded to rifle his pockets, but, fortu-
nately, the sound of an approaching carriage being heard, they
made off. _

On Saturday night the same gang perpetrated one of the
most daring robberies we have ever heard of, accompanied
with the most brutal violence, within a mile of Bristol, on the
Horfield road, The following are the particulars :—A Mrs.
Collard, the wife of a respectable farmer at Aldermondsbury,
five miles, from Bristol, was returning home in her
covered cart, on Saturday night from the Bristol mar-
ket, accompanied by Mr. Smith, a carpenter, of Aldmouds -
bury, who was driving, Mr. Smith's son and a young woman
sitting behind. On at riving near the first milestone five men
. suddenly jumped out of the hedge, two ran to the horse's
head, a third pointed a pistol at them in the cart, and the
other two, who were also armed with pistols, got into the
cart and demanded their money or their lives. They then
dragged Mrs. C, Hard and Mr. Smith out of the cart in the
most violent manner, and having thrown them on the ground
proceeded to rifle their pockets. Having robbed them, they
beat them about the heads and faces with the butt-ends f their
pistols until they ceased to move, being reduced to a state of
total insensibility, and no doubt being thought dead by their
assailants. Mr. Smith's son jumped out of the cart, and, fall-
ing on his knees, begged them not to murder his father; they
then beat him in a similar manner, and baying left them all
lying in the road, made off.
The sufferers were in a short time afterwards found by some
persons coming up the road; they were removed to their re-
sidence, where they still lie in the most dangerous state. Mrs.
Collard has her teeth beaten out, with some very severe con-
tused wounds of the face and head. Mr. Smith is so beaten
about the head that he has lain in a state of perfect insensibility
ever since, and scarcely the slightest hope can be entertained of
his recovery.
On the same evening two labouring men, who were return-
ing from market on the same road were stopped and robbed,
and beaten by the same five men. As the men attempted some
slight resistance, one of the robbers attempted to fire his pistol
at them, but it fortunately flashed in the pan. They were
then robbed of their earnings and some groceries they had pur-
cliaged. The poor fellows were then bsaten about the head
with the butt-ends of the pistols and thrown into a ditch.

The five robbers are described as follows :—Three of them
are short men wearing smock-frocks, with Jim Crow hats ;
the other two are dressed like navigators, and have high
black bats.

The police are using the most strenuous exertions for their
apprehension.

TO SIR ROBERT PEEL.

A cruel attack upon me, Sir Robert, to attribute all my in.
terference with the arbitrary proceedings of railroads to per-
sonal fear. Nothing can he more ungrateful and unkind. I
thought only of you and for you, as many Whig gentlemen will
' bear me testimony, who rebuked rue for my anxiety. I said to
myself and to them, " Our lovely and intrepid Minister may be
overthrown on the rail. The locked door may be uppermost.
He will kick and call on the Speaker and Sergeant-at-Arms in
vain. Nothing will remain of all his graces, his flexibilities,
his fascinating, fa-•etious fun, his social warmth ; nothing of
his flow of soul, of his dear heavy pleasantry, of his prevailing
skill to impute disorderly wishes to the purest heart, nothing
will remain of it all but a heap of ashes for the parish church of
Taruworth. He perishes at the moment that he is becoming
as powerful in the Drawing-room of Court as in the House of
Parliament—at the moment when Hullah (not without hopes
of ultimate success) is teaching him to sing, and Melmotte to
dance."

I have no doubt of your bravery, Sir Robert, though you
have of mine ; but then consider what different lives we have
led, and what a school of courage is that troop of yeomanry at
Tamworth, the Tory Fencibles. Who can doubt of your cou-
rage who has seen you at their head marching up Pitt-street,
through Dundas-square, on to Liverpool-lane, and looking all
the while like those beautiful medals of Bellona Frigida and
Mars sine Sanguine, the very horseslooking at you as if you
were going to take away three per cent. of their oats? After
such spectacles as these, the account you give of your own
courage cannot be doubted. The only little circumstance
which I cannot entirely reconcile to the possession of this very
high attribute in so eminent a degree, is, that you should have
selected for your uncourteous attack enemies who cannot re-
sent, and a place where there can be no reply. I am, Sir,
your obedient servant, SYDNEY SMITH.