Star.
London, England, 1830-08-28 00:00:00

PLAN FOR EXTEN•IVE PLUNDER DEFEATED.

A desperate plan was laid by a gang of thieves for robbing tlo
miles of Mr. Cleland, who keeps an extensive shawl warehouse at No.
19, Ludgate.hill. The property with which, if the gang had suctee,ted
they might hare decamped, amounts, it is understood, to between:l,oml:
and 4,0001. and is of so light and portable a nature, that the wardiouse
might, by a few active fellows, have been cleared of it in less than a
quarter of an hour. It is only to be tegretted that the chief officer, of
the City police were not put in possession of the suspicions of the master
of the establishment at an early hour; for if that had been done, thing,
would have been, no doubt, so managed, that all concerned in the enter_
prise would have been apprehended in the actual commission of the
robbety. The circumstances are as follow :

As the whole of Mr. Cleland's family do not reside at Ludgate-hill,
it was thought advisable to let two rooms in the house, which arc not
occupied by the inmates. Bills were accordingly exhibited, and in die
course of last week a man and a woman, who appeared to be his wife,
called to look at the lodgings. After having attentively examined the
rooms, they descended to the coal cellar, about which they were very
inquisitive, and, having viewed It scrupulously, talked of terms, but
were not satisfied with Mr. Cleland's proposaL They then left the
house without giving reason to suppose that they would renew the nc.
gociation. The coal cellar is, as may be supposed, just below fife
kitchen railing, and there is ose to it a dust bin, well adapted for tht
concealment of a robber. On the Monday following, about two o'clock,
a man called at the warehouse to look at some goods, and spoke as if he
was likely to become a purchaser. As the warehouse in which the
shawls are deposited is up one pair of stairs, the shoproan, when the
bell is rung, opens the door by pulling a string attached to the latch to
save himself the trouble of going down. The pretended customer
entered by this process, but not alone. He had with him a companion,
who walked softly down stairs, and betook himself to the dustbin,
where lie covered himself up, and patiently waited in expectation of
three taps,which were to summon him at midnight to open the door fur
his accomplices. The pretended customer went up to the warehouse,
and after looking over some articles, retired, and closed the door
with a bang after him. His comrade, however, had not exercised suffi.
dent caution in groping his way below stairs. One of the establishment
thought he heard an unusual movement, and a creaking of the cellar
door, but it was thought nothing of for some time. Mr. Cleland, how.
ever, mentioned the circumstance to two or three friends, and they re.
commended his immediate application to Mr. Cope, the marshal. It was
half-past 10 at night before the marshal was informed of what was by
that time very strongly suspected. Masked :11 r. Cleland whether he bad
informed any one of his suspicion?—to this Mr. Cleland replied in the
negative ; but he said, that he had, as he approached the Mansion-
, house, perceived a person who had lived with him as porter, following
him. This Intelligence prevented the execution of a plan, by which
the conviction of the gang would have been insured. The mar.
shal conjectured that the porter was one of the gang, and that he
would, as a matter of course, inform the accomplices of a visit to su
ominous a place as the Mansion-house, and he advised, under those
circumstances, that the canoe should be searched. This was done ;be-
tween 11 and 12 o'clock, and an ill-looking ruffian was found in the dust
bin, provided with a phosphorus box, a centre.bit, and other thieves'
tools. While Mr. Cope was searching for this adventurer, Renshaw
and Ridgley, two active officers of the night patrol, kept a look-out in
the neighbourhood. At about half-past one o'clock they saw a man
move up to the door of the house and gently tap with his knuckles,
looking round at the same time with an inquisitive eye. As he tapped
in vain, he left the spot and walked down Ludgate-hill, followed at a
distance by the two officers, who observed him go up to a hackney-coach
that stood on the Bridge-street stand, and tap at the door of it ; the
coach-window was immediately let down. and a man appeared inside, and
after exchanging a few words with his visitor, quitted the coach, and
they walked up Ludgate-hill. The moment he reached the door of
Mr. Cleland's house he tapped at it with his knuckles. Not receiving
any answer, he scraped his shoes over the iron-grating, and stamped
upon it, as if he fancied that his accomplice within had fallen asleep.
The officers then rushed upon him, but he knocked them both down,
and took to his heels. They, however, soon overtook him, and placed
him in safe custody. In the scuffle the ruffian's hat dropped off, and
from it fell two screw-drivers. a centre-bit, and a phosphorous box. 11:s
companion succeeded in getting away in the confusion.
he two prisoners were taken to the Compter, where they said their
names were George Smith and John Wilson. It is said that they have
both been in the Penitentiary. It was afterwards thought necessary to
apprehend Thomas Phillips, the person who bad on a former occasion
acted as porter to the concern, and whom Mr. Cleland believed he
saw following him on his way to the Mansion-house, to give informa•
tion to Mr. Cope.

A writer in the late number of the Edinburgh Review,
alluding to the bitterness which too often distinguishes the writings of
theological disputants, has the following very just remark :--" Even the
most pious man may sometimes be angry; but when a religion breath.
peace and gentleness is defended in the worst spirit of its enemies, the
cause of truth is but imperfectly promoted."

DREADFUL EXECUTION IN JAMAICA!—(From a Cor-
respondent.)--By the Hector trading vessel, just arrived in the
Thames, we have received the following interesting but painful nun.
live of the execution at Montego Bay of a noted criminal, whose nu-
merous atrocious offences had rendered him the terror of that part of
the colony:—Yesterday, states the account, wu the day appointed
for the execution of John Thomas Bent, a most desperate cite.
teeter. convicted of horse-stealing. At an early hour in the morn.
ing, his reverence the Rural Dean, the Reverend John Smith, and
the Reverend Peter Duncan, a Wesleyan. missionary (the whole of
whom had been unceasing in their endeavours to reconcile the culprit
to his fate), attended ; and shortly after] 9 o'clock, Bent was permitted
to leave his cell, and pay a farewell visit to the other two unfortunate
convicts senreneed to death for the same offence, but for the execution
of whom no authority had been received. After taking leave of his un-
fortunate fellow-prisoners, and receiving the sacrament, the mournful
procession moved from the gaol, attended by a party ofthe light infantry
and 4th battalion companies of the St. James's regiment, to the usual
place of execution at River Bay, where the gallows was erected,
Bent being dressed in white, and walking between the r:verentt
divines. On arriving at the foot of the scaffold, he gazed wildly around,
and appeared callously indifferent to his fate. In endeavouring to ascend
the fatal ladder he slipped, front being pinioned and the steep mar.:
of the steps. The cords by which he was bound were loosed, and he
gained the platform after an indecorous manifestation of hard timed and im-
patience, and called out to a boy named Tom, in the crowd, to COME and
take his shoes, which he kicked off with cool indifference. During the
reading of the funeral service, Bent cried out for water, and requested the
cap to be removed from his eyes. A bottle of water was offered to him, but
of which he refused to drink. The signal for drawing the bolt was given.
and the drop fell, when, horrible to relate, the miserable sufferer can
to the ground, the rope by which he was suspended proving nriqual
to sustain the weight of his body and the sudden jetk of his fall; a
simultaneous shriek of horror resounded front the spectators, ard ming-
led with the momentary cries of the sufferer for •• help," as he lay
writhing in agony on the ground, half straaglett ; after a short time in
re-adjusting the necessary apparatus, during which the rev. gertlemsn
consoled Bent, a rope was again put around the unhapey man's neck,
and he remounted the scaffold, and with very little delay was bunched
into eternity, expiring after a slight convulsive struggle. A great con.
course of person* attended the execution. Bent, while in pri.,tn, con.
fumed to having committed a great many heinous offences, but denied
he bad been guilty of murder.

BIRTH.
The 26th inst. at Hinde-street, Blanchester.synate, Mrs. J. Dur.lop.
of &son.

MARRIED.
The 2Gth inst. at Streatham Church, Mr. C. Loat, of Balhatmittil, to
Jane, eldest daughter of the late Mr. J. Lost, of Clapham.— 1t
day, at St. George's, Hanover-square, Mr. J. W. Day, of ll'Llteg,
Kent, to Ellen, youngest daughter of Thomas Waghorn, Egq. of ti
same place.—Tt.e 26th inst. at Little Hadham, Herts, C. E. grocer.
Rsq. of Hemel-Hempstead, Herts, to Susanna, only daughter of .I,ano
Chaplyn, Esq. of the former place.

DIED.
DEATH or J. R. HARRIS, ESQ. M. P.--Yesterday
afternoon, about five o'clock, the new Member for routhwark, after ten
days' severe and agonising indisposition, departed this life, regretted b'
all who had the happiness to knaw his humane and manly virtues. To
the electors of Southwest( he will be a severe loss. He was a man t:
active and industrious habits, of intelligent mind, and firm and unshak.
able integrity, and a hater of jobs in every shape. A warm and sin-
cere friend, and noble opponent for although he pursued his object
with a firm conviction of his own independence and honesty, he alvv3
conceded the same dignified conduct to whomsoever he was oppoil.
lc
and thus acquired the respect, esteem, and friendship of all.
is needless to say, the family of such a man is in the greatest atti!etton
for the loss of such a husband, parent, and friend ; and his premature
death is rendered more acute by its coming at a time when the value
his high character had just become known, and he had consented to
drawn from the domestic habits he was wont to enjoy, and by too acute
excitement for several weeks has fallen a sacrifice to his desire to be met,:
extensively useful —Morning Paper.
The 2Stb inst. at his house at St. Peter's, Kent, T. Lett, El. of
Lambeth—The 24th inst. at Herne-hill-cottage, Herne-hill, Surrey.
Mr. N. Cohen, in the 97th year of his age—The eSth inst. at South-
sea, Mrs. Augustine Crease, daughter of W. Browne. Esq. of his
Majesty's Customs, London—The Orth inst. Letitia, the wife of W•
Ranson, Esq. of Woburn-place, Russell-square—The 46th inst. in the
81st year of his age, Mr. T. Egerton, of Whitehall, bookseller--Wed-
nesday, at Thame, Oxfordshire, Mr. T. Stone, sell. in the 67th year of
his age—The 96th Inst. at Camberwell, L. Pingo, Qaq. agrd 87' late
of the Royal Mint.

Lownox: Piloted and rubliahed by JOIFIN at the t'rah-
Orrice, No. 1, Pickett-place, Temple Bar•