The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-31 00:00:00

NORFOLK ClRCUlT.—lpswich, July 29.

CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Baron ALnEasorr.)
Frederick Holmes, aged 21, and ffilliam Wright, aged 29,
were charged with having burglariously entered the dwelling-
house of Joseph Gibbs, at Bilderton, and stolen therein a
quantity of sugar, tobacco, and currants.
Mr. Prendergast appeared for the prosecutor, and Mr.
Power defended Holmes.

The prosecutor is a grocer, carrying on a large business at
Bilderton, about six miles from Hadleigh, where both the
prisoners live. For some time past Mr. Gibbs' premises have
been robbed to a considerable extent, and yet no clue has been
gained to the thief, whoever he might be ; while the ser-
vants and family of the prosecutor were each and all beyond
suspicion, he was utterly unable to divine how access was gained
to his property, as his premises never presented any marks of
violence. Being bent on doing his best to clear up the mystery,
Mr. Gibbs on each night made particular note of his shop and
its contents, and at last, en the morning of the 20th of April,
he was aroused at six o'clock by two policemen, who asked
whether his home had been robbed in the night. On getting
up he found that a quantity of sugar, currants, and tobacco
had been removed in the night time, but he was for some time
utterly at a loss to divine how the burglars had effected an
entrance to his house, till a searching examination having been
made on the premises, it was ascertained that the back house
door 'might very easily be opened by the introduction of a bent
wire through a hole which happened to lie most conveniently
under a wooden bar, its only safeguard. By turning the in-
strument round, any one from the outside could lift up the bar
from its socket, and on retreating from the house with his
plunder, he could as easily replace the bar, and so cut off all
traces of his proceedings. In order to connect the two pri-
soners at the bar with the commission of this offence it ap-
peared, on the testimony of a po iceman and a constable be-
longing to Hadleigh, that as they were on the look out on
Hadleigh-heath on .the night in question, they saw the two
prisoners cross it at one o'clock in a cart, and go four miles
along the road to Bilderton, after which they lost sight of them.
Towards three, o'clock, however, they saw the same cart and
men returning, and deeming that the time for their intervention
had arrived, they ordered the driver Holmes to pull up and
let them see what he had got in the cart. As he refused to
comply with this request, the constable laid hold of the horse's
head, while his companion proceeded to examine his cart.
This, as might have been expected, led to a skirmish, which
resulted in the escape of Holmes, while the other prisoner and
the cart, with its contents, fell into the hands of the assail-
ants, who, finding among the latter a sack of sugar, and several
pounds weight of currants and tobacco, drove on to Bilderton,
and alighted on the true owner before he was aware of his loss.
Both the prisoners, having been found Guilty, were trans-
ported for ten years.
A RSON.—E,lward Albon, aged 25, was charged with setting
fire to a barn in the occupation of John Snell, at Lawshall, on
the 28th November, 1842.

Mr. Gunning conducted the ease for the prosecution ; Mr.
Prendergast defended the prisoner.
It appeared from the evidence of Mr. Snell, that his barn
had undoubtedly been maliciously fired on the day in question,
and the evidence mainly relied on for the purpose of affiiting its
guilt on the prisoner arose from the testimony of one Lad-
broke and others, to vvhqm he was alleged to have made certain
statements admitting of but that interpretation. According to
Ladbroke it seemed that he and the prisoner, who had been
eharoed in 1840 with saw ofroace by Mr. Snell's son, a~ farmer,