The Sun.
London, England, 1829-09-02 00:00:00

MARLBOROU GH-STREET.

Yesterday a man named John Monter was brought
before Sir G. FARRANT and Mr. ROE, the Magis-
trates, charged with being the ringleader in a despe-
rate attack made upon Clements and Goddard, two
of the officers belonging to this office, while in the
execution of their duty.
It appeared that a few days ago a gentleman
named \Vhitehead, residing in Saville-place, put an
advertisement in a morning paper offering a reward
of two guineas for the recovery of a small but
beautiful spaniel dog, of the Marlborough or Blen-
heim breed, which is now almost extinct. On Fri-
day last, in consequence of this advertisement, a
man named Sergeant waited upon Mr. \Vhitehead,
and said, that from the description given of the dog
in the advertisement, he was sure that he knew the
men who had it, and if he (Mr. Whitehead) would
give him (Sergeant) something for himself besides
the two guineas for the man who really had the dog,
be (Sergeant) did not doubt but he would be able
to recover the animal. Mr. Whitehead said, that he
would not hesitate to give something more than the
two guineas if Sergeant would proAuce the dog ;
and asked him how he happened to know the man
who had the dog. Sergeant replied, that to tell the
truth he saw the man who had the dog steal it, and
he knew who he was very well, but at the same
time it would be quite impossible to recover the dog
without the reward. Mr. Whitehead then de-
manded of Sergeant to know who the man was that
had the dog, and told him that as he had seen it
stolen, he was a particeps criminis, and if he did not
tell where the dog was, he himself should be taken
into custody. Sergeant still refused to tell who the
man was that had the dog, and he was in conse-
quence given into the custody of a constable by Mr.
Whitehead, and brought to this office, where, before
the Magistrates, he also positively refused to divulge
where the dog was, although Mr. Whitehead was
still ready to pay the two guineas. After being
locked up, however, until Saturday, the prisoner
Sergeant sent for Mr. Plank, the chief officer, and
told him that if an officer were sent with him to
a certain place in the city, he had no doubt
he could produce the dog, if the two guineas were
there paid for recovery of it as advertised; and ac-
cordingly the Magistrate directed Goddard arid Cle-
ments to accompany the prisoner in a hackney-coach
to the place in question, but still to hold his com-
mitment, and whether the dog were recovered or
not, to bring the prisoner back to the office, in order
to his regular discharge. When the officers arrived
at Shoreditch with the prisoner and one of Mr.
Whitehead's servants to identify the dog if pro-
duced, the prisoner led them to a public-house called
the Feathers, near Shoreditch church ; and on en•
tering the house the prisoner led the way on throe;
a long passage to a bark parlour, situate in a very
retired part of the premises. The prisoner now, as
a preliminary to any proceeding for the recovery of
the dog, insisted that the two guineas should be
placed in the hands of the landlord of the house, to
be paid by him to the person who should produce
the dog, and Clements accordingly gave the two
guineas to the landlord, telling him, however, not to
part with them without his (Clements's) sanction.
The money thus deposited, Sergeant called to a man
who was at the other end of the room, and told him
to go and bring such a dog, describing it, and that
. " was all right," time landlord had the reward.

The man thus spoken to went out for a short time,
and coon 'returned with Mr. Whitehead's spaniel,

which immediately recognized Mr. Whitehead's ser-
:int, :it'd jumped and fawned upon him with the
'1 a.l.ed who was entitled
But t hi, ipiestion neither Ser-
;:ealit tini the ;:,ln rho brougllt 'he flor, in would re-
ply in heir ok, a fawn;, hecaase that ,‘ wild be an ad-
mission.of their having stolen the dog, and in this state
of things the officers said that the most satisfactory
way would be for all parties to go again before the
Magistrate with the dog, and then the atrair could
be arranged without further difficulty. Sergeant,
h lwever, declared that he would not go again before
any Magistrate for all the police in London; and
Plomer, the present prisoner, who brought in the
dog, declared the same, and making a signal at the
door, in rushed between twenty and thirty of the

most desperate thieves in London. The officers
now saw that they were in a most peculiar situation,
knowing the desperate characters they had to deal
with, and they attempted to remonstrate and reason
with the gang; but this only made the latter more
resolute, who were now coming to close quarters
with the officers. The entire efforts of the officers
were directed to securing their prisoner Sergeant

and the dog; but even in this they had to encounter
obstacles which they feared would be attended with
the loss of life. A general rush, led on by Plomer,
was made by the gang to rescue the prisoner Sergeant
from the officers, using the most horrid imprecations
and threats. The officers still held their man, while
the prisoner himself fought and kicked in the most
deSperate way to escape : and so entirely were the
officers engaged in defending themselves and holding
their prisoner against the dreadful efforts made to
rescue him, that they could not manage to handcuff
the prisoner, nor could they gain a moment's t►me to
draw out their pistols or their staffs. Over and over
again were the officers brought to the ground, but
as often did they bring their prisoner down with
them, and kept fast their hold. The thieves now
made a desperate attempt to destroy the poor dog,
and drew out knives, with which tl*y. ,were all
armed, to cut off its bead, and die officers soon ex-
pected to have these frightful weapon's directed
against themselves. It is only doing justice to Mr.
Rymer, the landlord of the house, to state, that in all
this conflict he took a decided part with the officers,
and fought most manfully in their aid; but the gang
was so numerous that they kept Mr. Rymer sepa-
rated in a great degree from the officers, so that his
assistance could not be so availing as it otherwise
would have been. His threats, however, and his
bold language to the thieves, evidently daunted
them, and to Mr. Rymer's conduct the officers
mainly attribute the preservation of their lives,
and the gang not having used their knives.—
When the conflict was renewed in the passage, and
the officers nearly exhausted, but still holding their
prisoner, who every instant struggled to get at his
own knife, to " stick" them, as he said, they called
to a soldier of one of the regiments of Life Guards,
who was standing at the bar in the passage, to assist
them in the King's name,—that they were officers,
and that their lives were in danger; but instead of
attempting to aid them, although they only required
him to hold the prisoner for an instant, while they
handcuffed him, the soldier clapped his arms a-kimbo
and told them he would see them first. The
officers were now nearly overpowered, and must
soon have relinquished their hold on the prisoner,
and one of the villains had just, too, got hold of the
dog to cut his head off, and was forcing it from the
servant's aims for that purpose, when Mr. Rymer,
with a desperate effort, rushed between them, and
suddenly opening a side door that led another way
into the 'street, he shoved the officers and the pri-
soner, followed by the young man with the dog out
that way, and the whole tumbled headlong into the
kennel, while Mr. Rymer at the same time closing
the door, and clapping his back against it, shut the
thieves inside ; and to this presence of mind and
adroitness on the part of Mr. Rymer, the officers
owe their ultimate success. The officers, now
in
the street, hurried off as well as they could with
their prisoner, dragging him along, for he would not
walk a single step, but kicked at them still in the
most furious manner, while they held his hands to
prevent his getting at his knife, and endeavoured to
get him to a coach-stand, and force him into a coach,
but the gang of thieves here overtook them.. having
got out at the front door, and came up with them
fortunately as the officers got near the door of a
livery stable-keeper's premises, and instantly re-
newed the attack. The officers called for assistance to
the livery stable-keeper .who stood at his gate, and
begged to be admitted inside. At first the owner
of the place refused to let any such in, he said, but
very much to his credit, the moment the officers told
him who they were, he admitted them and their pri-
soner, and shut the gate against all the others, the
young man having in the mean time made his escape
with the dog. The officers now, being the first mo-
ment that they could loosen their hold of their pri-
m soner, clapped a pair of handcuffs on him, and send-
ing for a hackney-coach, they determined to get him
into it. In doing this, however, they were again
attacked by the gang who waited for them outside;
but the officers by this time had prepared their pis-
tols, with which they effectually kept the mob at
bay, while with the assistance of the livery stable-
keeper and his men the prisoner was thrust into the
coach, which drove off at full speed towards the
office, leaving the gang behind. Even in the coach
the prisoner renewed his desperate violence, and d►d
all he could to kick the officers in a most dangerous
place, until at last Goddard was obliged to seize one
of the prisoner's legs while they bad him on his
back in the bottom of the coach, and hold it by main
force over his shoulder, while Clements held the
other leg down ; and in this position they kept him
until they got to the office, the prisoner bellowing all
the way from the pain of cramp.
The prisoner Sergeant being thus secured, a war-
rant was forthwith issued against Plomer, the leader
of the gang who attacked the officers, and Clements
and Goddard, accompanied by Garton and another
officer from Worship-street-office, went to execute it.
After a great deal of difficulty, they traced out the
fellow's lodgings, but he was not himself at home
when they got there, but they found, tied up in his
room, another fine spaniel dog and a valuable terrier,
both of which, a woman told them, had but recently
been brought in by Plomer. The officers brought
away these two dogs with them, which no doubt are
stolen ; and en their next visit, which was yesterday
morning, they found Phonier himself, and brought
him away, too, in spite of a desperate resistance;
and both himself and Sergeant were fined 101. each
for the assaults upon die officers, and in default of
payment were committed to the House of Correction
for four months.
Mr. Rymer returned the two guineas to the
oflicers, and Mr. Whitehead has got his dog : so
that the thieves lost the reward, the dog, and two
of their gang.