Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-12-05
tFrom the Toronto (Canada) Leader.1
Extraordinary Case of Robbery in Eng
laDd--One of the Most Singular Cases
in the Annals of Crime.

lFrom the Toronto (Oanada) Leader.l
Extraordinary Case of Robbery In Eng
laDd--One Of the Most Singular Cases
in the Annals of Crime.
A robbery accompanied by some extraordi-
nary novel features, has just been committed,
and deserves to be recorded, as showing O
clever scheme to avoid capture we'll carried out,
and only failing TO be successful by neglecting
a precaution that would have struck any one
1t appears that family residing at Vauxball
agreed to accompany some friends to the the
ater one evening lately, only leaving the mas.
ter, Mr. Barker, and the servan. girl, Mary
NeHhall, at home. Some time after their de.
parture, Mr.. Barker went out, say ing he should
return soon. On arriving home about niue
o'clock in the evening, he could get no attention
paid to his repeated assaults on the door
knocker, although the gas was alight in several
Of the rooms, which were apparently occupied.
Thinking this strange, he applied to his neigh
Dor, and with the latter's assistance, succeeded
in entering his own house by means of an open
window. Once inside, a most extraordinary
scene presented itself. In the passage poker
broken in TIVE, with a quantity of blood aud
human hair adhering to the thick end, was
found on the floor, and near IL some more hair
and pail full of what appeared to be blood.
The whole house was in q most diserdsrsd
state, property being streTn about in all direc'
tions, Mr.. Barker, whose surprise al the tragic
appearance OF his house can be imagined,
sought for bis servant, but fruitlessly-she was
not to be found. He then called in policeman,
and the search was resumed, with no farther
result than the discovery of the girls two
bonpets, which proved that she had either been
taken or had departed out OF the house without
ore. All over the house property was either
packed up, readyfo for removal, or actually re-
NOV cd, and the servants boxes we're open and
the clothes thrown about the floor, like the
rest. Two trunks and a carpet bag were miss
ing, and IL was evident that the thief or thieves
had taken the stolen property out of the house
by these meaps Among others, box made
up into the shape of a settee, belonging to a
Sir. Heath, a gentltm man residing in the house,
was taken, and by the popularity of the
form of this box was the hief eventually
traced. Su, pciUn first alighted upon the
servant, but on inquiry among ths cabmsu, it
appeared that one of them had driven young
gentleman from that street in which Mr.. Bar.
Bers house is situated, to the Eastern Counties'
Railway, who had luggage exactly correspond
irg to the trunks stolen. Inquiry at the station
elected the further facts, that after walking
about the platform for An hour, smoking cigars,
this individual had taken the train for Brent
wood. Here he had slept all night in an
| apartment TO himself, having declined to share
double bedded room with person he had
| picked up an acquaip tance with while en- route.
In Iue IL was IOuDu AudL Tue
SHAPED box and its owner had departed for
Great Yarmouth, where he was after
traced by detective, living in furnished lodg-
ipgs, VI der the name of Mr.. Heath. He had
made himself very agreeable, aud had smoked
continually, dressed himself out in handsome
clothes, and got so much into the good graces
Of the IApdlaay as to take her to the theater on
the night of his arrival.
The detective arrived on the following Sun
| day morning at Yarmouth, and soon discovered
where this my steIioUs gentleman lodged. He
| found him out, having escorted his landlady to
church-but quietly taking up his quarters in
the new lodger's apartment be awaited his
return-previOusly satisfying himself that he
was on the right scent, by discovering the
settle. shaped box among the luggage. On Mr..
Heath's return he found himself arrested, an d
a very cursory examination enabled the prac
ticed eye of the detective to discover his pris-
oner was not he at all, but member of the
softer sex, and no less person than Mary
Newball, the servant herself. She was brought
| TO London and examined in her male attire.
It was clearly proven that she alone had car
ried cut the robbery, evory thing stolen being
| found in her possession. On the application
| Of the detective she was remanded until next
week, when The chain of evidence will be COM
plete.
How she learned to smoke cigars with i'm
| punity, and accustOm herself to trowsers and
coats, in so short time, is a mystery. But
| for taking that unfortunate box, possibly she
might have made good her escape. However,
in these times, such well devised and novel
mode of rObeery rarely occurs and Mary
Newhali deserves some credit for her ingenuity
The idea Of breaking a poker, covering it with
hair and blood, to throw suspicion off herself
| and lead people TO suppose she had been mur
dered, was something quite out Of the common.
Possibly some poor cat had to provide these
| tragic accessories.