The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-04-10 00:00:00

LONDON POLICE REPORT.

M ARYLEI3ON'E=OFFICE.

Qn Monday WilHain Hall, a man about 50 years of age, of
very respectable -appeeirance, and a shoWily attired young wo-
man, named Martha Handcox,. the former g.t. whom, lived as
butler upwards two years, and the latter seventeen years, in
the service of Mrs. Charlotte Collins; a widow lady, residing at.
Np. 26, Manchester-square, were 'deceit est the leer 'befere the
sitting magistrates, Messrs. Rawiinson and Shutt, ~charged with
having plundered their mistress of a diamond necklace and ear-
rings, au ear-top set with ilia:110111s, an emerald necklace, a
ruby necklace, and a valuable gold watch and appendages, to:
getlier with rings, brooches, and other splendid articles of jewe
'ellery, &c., to the amount of upwards of £2,000. • •
The investigation Occupied the magistrates a very consider
able time, and in consequence of the uumeroui robberies of'a
like nature which within the last ten Or twelve months have been
effected at the west-end, the greatest anxiety was Manifested by •
the populace to obtain a sight of the prisoners. • •
The prosecutrix, Mrs: Collins, was the first who was examined,
She stated she had been robbed of more than £2,000 worth pf
diamonds, Sze, and that the fact of the robbery was communi
cated to her. by her maid and housekeepe* Ilandeux (who slept..
in her room adjoining the dressing-refine where the setid valu-
ables, of which she had the sole charge, were regularly keprin
.a hex iu one of the 'draitters,) on Sunday morning laA, about
two o'clock, when she (Handcox) awoke her, 'gay ing that thieves
were. in the house,und that the jewels were all gone • she at then
same time expressed her great grief at the loss, and' in an in-.
stant the other servants were 'called up; when :a*;,,,eneral search
commenced, but no intruder• could' be the police also
sought over the premises, arid gueirded every place by which:ae
escape might be attempted, and jength asserted that, to the
best of their judgMent and belief, Ito entrance had been made,
by either of the windows or doers. .; Hall, on being questioned,
said he, was as Muriel:int of anything svrong as the child unborn,
and Hahlcox, seizing a bible, kiseed it, and declared her inno-
cence also; she (prosecutrix) however, discharged them both
from her service, and both of them bad snbsequently, under cir-
.cumstances.which would be• detailed- by Other witeesses, been
take.o into custo. ~
'Mr. William Collins, son of the prosecutrix, deposed that he.
was at.present on a visit to his mother, and between two and'
tbree..W.clock on the iticirning- earned he Was alarmed by the
lady's maid Haudcox, who awoke him 'with -reporting, that rob-
bers were concealed.about the:house • he imtnediately ran down
stairs and foetid a wiudOw, on the landing orate first door, opete,e
and a ehawi hinging partly out. Ile then rang the boa, and on
going into the kitchen met ,Hall -in his night cl6thes; he (wit-
ness) directly told,-him that there, were thieves iu the 'house,
when he said nothing in reply but ruin up stairs. The police
by this time came up, when he (witness) while they were going
over the premises, examined' the dressiug4uOmelhor, and was
quite convinced; that -although there were marks of, a Chisel
thereon, the lock had never been forced. - • .
Police-conitable David ,Copper„Bl 1), said that hearing the.
cry • Of polies.; he Went,'4in the morning lii,questioil, to
.-I‘llll.
Collins's house,.. and •Was; told by Mrs.`Colliase Who was at the_'
window, to. wait at the door ein. order to prevent the egress
of any one who might attempt ..to escape; in about bait': a
minute the doer was opened, and the first person heesave was.
the prisoner. Hell, who *as 'aimed With a large kitchen poker;
the footmen had. also in his hand' fur proteetme an instrument.
called a salamander, •and the other. eprisener, Handcox, was
standing in her dressing-gown by their side; they all appeared
greatly alarmed, end the .latter, on seeing him-, exclaimed,'
" Qh, policeman, here'selestruetiOn in' the house;' follevr
we've robbers here, and I'll show you .what they've done.",
Witness accompanied her to the .drawing-room (other police-
men having by this time arrived) and there saw knurnber of
.papers lyingscatteted'about the floilie'-and a desk broken open;
she appeared much., agitated; and " Now Caine with ill 0,
and I'll show you still more destruction in the dressing-room."
She'then teak me thereeaud producing a chisel, said, " Look
here, this is what they'ye broken open the door and the drawers
With." Witness having examined the
.chisel, and remarked ,
that there was some mystery in the business, as it did not look
like a regular housebreaker's instrument, asked her if.she kneW
wbich way the-thieves could- have come in ? To 'which she
replied, " I'll show you," and accordingly he followed her to
the Open staircase window on the first iloOr. Witness directly
looked out, and was quite certain that Without ladders no one
could have entered that way, on account of the high walls and
chevalix de frise below. He afterwards accompanied Ihspector
Tyrrel over the house, and he (the inspector) was'of the same.
opinion as himself with regard tone entry havingbeen made.
The housemaid, Mary Sumpter, the most important witness
in the case, was admitted as evidence against her fellow-ser-
vanti (the prisoners), and, after being duly cautioned, was
sworn, when the following particulars relating to the planuigg
and executing of the robbery were gone into. • • . -
Mr. Rawlinson.—You have been concerned in the robbery
of this lady. Now, as you are sworn to tellme the whole truth;
do so, and disguise nothing.
• Witness.-111 tell you truly all about it, your worship. I
first heard of the plan about a fortnight before the diamonds
were takeh, when Hall said to Handcox, one day in the back
parlour, " How much do you think the jewels of the mistress
are worth ?" Handcox said she didn't know exactly, but should
suppose about' £2OOO. Hall then said, at some future period
he would turn some of them into money, if we were,agreeable.
We all three said that we were, and nothing more was then
mentioned about it. •
Mr: Itawlinsone—,-How was the robbery to be effected?
Witness.—We all thought that the best plan would be to
open the dressing-room door with a chisel, and put up the stair-
case window, in order' to lead the mistress. to suppose that some
one had got in that way.
Mr. Ra.wlinsotte--Was there to be anything placedoutside the
window ? •

Witness.—Yes, a trunk and other things.
Mr. Rawlinson.—How were you to settle about sharing the,
money the diamonds produced ?
Witness.—lt was to be divided equally amonsgt us, and Hand-
cox was to cut the door with a chisel, as a sham to make believe
that it had been broken opqn. On Saturday.week, about six
o'clock in the evening, I and Handcox went into the dressing-
room and took dut the jewel-box:. We then put the diamonds
and all the rest of the jewellery into two separate papers, and
placed the,box under the bed, after which we came down toge-
ther, iiitd Itaildcoit gm,' thorn to Hat. As soon as he had got
them.; he-said; '"l'have you both now," or " I've done for. you
both," I can't say which. . .
Mr. ltaiilinson;—Did you ask what he meant by the.expies-
sion ?
\Vitness.—l did not, but I stippose• he meant that he' could
hang us, if he liked. 1-le then went out at the front door with
them, Lut without saying where he was
.gang, and I don't
know to this time where he took' them to; in about ten minutes
afterwards he came in, and said to me, " Thank God, they 're
gone." I was very much agitated, and said, " I'm glad of it
too."

Mr. Rawlinsou.—Did Tou wait at the door for him all the
time he was gone?
Witness.—l did, in order that there should be' no ringing or
knocking when he returned.
'Mr. Rawlinson.—Where was Handcox all this time ?

Witness.—Dressing my mistress up stairs.
Mr. liawlinson.—What was done with the box yot. took the
property. out of ?
Withess.—lt was burnt—part of it in the dressing-room, part
in the kitchen, and the rest in Hall's pantry.
Mr. RaWlinson.—Where was the cook and footman while this
was going 0n?...

Witness.-Hall sent them out of the way.
• Mr.* Rawlinson.—When Hall came back, did he tell yon'
what was property produced ?
Witness.—He did not.
• .Mr.'ll.awlinson.—Will you swear that you don't know now
where the jewels were taken to? •
Wituess.-1 will. I know nothing more about them, but • I
planned the robbery with the other two, and am as much to'
blaMe as them.
My.-Rawlinson.—Who planned about giving the alarm ,of
thieves in the morning?
Witness.—Bandcox herself. Everything respecting that was'
quite settled before the articles were taken.
tiivlinson.---llall and Haudcox • were after the 'disco-
very, turned away, and you were kept. Was it so? .
Witness.—lt was, sir; 'but after they were gone my con.
science would not let' me rest, so yesterday I:went up stairs and
told Mrs. Collins all about il. On Friday, last my mistress said
Utile, "If Hancicox would only.CLinfess.l'd freely forgiVe her."
After this I Went' toler lndgini;S at NO. 5 southystreet, Man.:
cheater-souare, and to-day she yruslo, have called upon me at
my niiitti.!ss'S hou'se:' • ••
'fhe evidence' of InsPector Tyrell, of the D division, and
several others; was then gone into, from,which it ay:peared that
at the lodgings 'of Hall, at No. 23, Paddington,-street, was found
a box contaming•l73 sovereigns; which he had given'to.a fellow
lodger named Borland to take care of for him, and that on.the
previous morning (Sunday) he was taken into custody, while
walking along the Square near his mistress's house. On Hand-
cox being retaken, and told that the housemaid.bad,confessed,
she said, '" I can only say that I didn't take them." In one of
the boxeS at her. lodgings were found some bracelets, a cross,
and a buckle of no great value, together with 15 sovereigns and
a coronation methil in a purse. At neithernitheit apartments
was any portion of the missing valuables discovered.
The nrisoners,'who said nothing in. their defence, were then
committed to the New Prison, Clerkenwell, from whence they
will be brought up again on 'a future day; and the witness,
Mary Sumpter, was ordered to be taken to • the Haute of Cur 7
rection; there to remain in safe custody until the next exarai-
.
nation." ' • .

FRE LATE EXTerNSIVE FORGERY-IN THE CITY.

It appears by letters received in toWrithat the apPreherision
of Foster and his associates is solely owing to the praiseworthy
conduct of the American captain of the -Josephine, in which
they had engaged their passage to America. it seems that on
Busain, the inspector of police, who had pursued the delin-
quents, reaching Belfast, he found that the Josephine had left
the port and gone out to sea; but having every reason to sus-
pect that Foster and his associates were on boara, he employed
a fast sailing boat, and in company with a young gentleman,
the son of a merchant, from whom Foster br;d obtained £l5OO,
and to whom the persons of the parties wanted were well
known, went in quest of the vessel, and after some time suc-
ceeded in boarding her. Qn the officer making known the
object of hia Visit to Captain Britton he at once ordered all the
persons ou board on deck, but neither Foster, his brother, or
Murphy, were there. Busain, with the young gentleman be-
fore alluded to, then returned on shore; but some time after
they had left the vessel the captain observed at a distance a
boat beating about and apparently waiting fur the vessel. He
in consequence steered towards her, and, on coming up with
her, Foster and his two associates got out of her, and mount-
ing the vessel's side, got on board, and announced-themselves
as passengers for America, and paid £lOO for their passage.
After they had made all things as they thought right they en-
tered the cabin, and the first thing they saw was one of the
large bills descriptive of their persons, and in which a reward of
£250 was offered for their apprehension. Captain Britton, hav-
ing no doubt whatever they were the persons wanted, tacked
about and got-back to Belfast, were messengers were sent in all
directions fur Bugain, who was at last found, and they were
secured.
The following certificate was given to Captain Britton by
Inspector Busain, previous to the prisoners being delivered up
to him:— " Belfast, March 31, 1835.
" I certify that Captain Alexander Britton, commander of the
ship Josephine, was the only person who gave me information
whereby I was enabled to apprehend Christopher Charles Fos-
tei and Jonas Murphy, tor whom a teward -of £250 wan offered,
as per printed bills, dated Lambeth-street office,„2lst March,
183), and I further certify that the said Alexander Britton is
the only person entitled to the above reward. •
(Signed). - " BIJBAIN,
r Inspectoot the G division of the
Loudon Metropolitian Police."

DISCOVERY OF A ROBBaR'S CAVE.—A few days since Lord
Petre's gamekeepers discovered, in a wood near 'Farley Com-
mon, a cave which there is no doubt has been the retreat of a
gang of thieves, several of whom have been recently aPprehend-
ed. It was most carefully concealled with furze and bushes, and
capacious enough to hold about 12 person's. There was a fire-
place in it, n leg of mutton, and a gun; but being so near the
metropolis' it seems they did not use it as, a depotdepotfor their
plunder.—Esiei Herald.