Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-03-20
LONDON CRIME.
A Leaf from a Burglars Note-Book---An
Extraordinary Robbery.

jeweler' shop, though protected in what
was thought secure fashion, was found
on a Monday morning rihed Of its pre-
| cious contents. The premises them
selves, after being locked up on the Sat.
urday night, were left unattended for
six and thirty hours, but the gas was
kept alight, the shutters were pierced
with holes so that the police could see
into the shop at all times, and the most
valuable part of the stock was lodged in
an iron safe, believed to be thiefproof.
When the proprietors, however, returned
to the shop on the Monday morning, this
safe was found open and the jewelry
gone. The speculations and controyer-
sizes which followed, and the arrests,
trials and convictions which ultimately
ensued, will not have been forgotten; but
the whole story has now been revived
and explained to its minutest particulars
| in the course of certain legal proceedings
| Just reported. Mr.. Walker, the jeweler
who was plundered, brought an action
against the manufacturers who supplied
him with his safe, and one of the wit
nesses produced in court was the chief
operator in the robbery His frank and
| circumstantial narrative of the affair
gives us an insight into matters more in
| teresting than the niceties of iron work.
The robbery had been elaborately
schemed, and was only accomplished by
regular expedition of well equipped
thieves. The cleverest of the gang had
taken Mr.. Walker, his family, his habits
and his doings under the closest surveil-
lance for seven weeks before, night and
day, until at last everything connected
with his going and coming, his business
and his practice, was thoroughly known.
This information being complete, party
of five of the robbers repaired to the
premises at ten minutes past six on the
evening of Saturday, the 4th of Febru-
ary, 1865 The house was let and occu-
pied in floors, Mr.. Walkers shop being
on the ground floor, Sir Charles Crosse
leys Offices Immediately above, and
other Offices above these, while below Mr..
Walkers shop was room tenanted by
tailor, The occupants, when the thieves
arrived on the spot, had not yet all left
for the night, but the offices on the second
floor were empty, and to these three of
the robbers at once ascended by means
of the com mon staircase, and there took
up their first position, the other two re-
manning in the street to watch and give
signals. At twenty minutes to eight the
signal was given by the confederates
outside that Mr.. Walkers foreman, who
appears to have been the last on the
premises, was gone, and their operations
were at once commenced.
The three robbers concealed in the
house first went down to Sir Charles
Croseys floor, where, more for pastime,
as it seems, than anything else, they
opened the safe The chief object of
the expedition was still postponed, nor
was it until past midnight that they be-
gan the work Mr. Walkers shop ap-
pears to have been secured by iron doors
or partitions, but the thieves directed
their attack against part which had
not unnaturally been left with less pro-
lection. They got into the tailor's room
on the lowest floor, mounted upon his
cutting board, and then forced their way
through the ceiling and flooring into Mr.
Walkers shop above. Having thus effect
ed lodgment against the real point Of
attack, they distributed the duties of the
night. OF the two thieves stationed on
the street, one was to watch lest Mr..
Walker or any of his people should re-
turn to the house, while the other was to
keep guard over the police, and give
warning whenever any constable ap-
preached the shop. Inside, one of the
gang sat up stairs, in Sir Charles Cros-
ley's arm chair, at the window Of the
second floor, to correspond with the SEN
tries in the street, and the signals of
these men he communicated, by means
of string to his comrades below One
of these, placed in hole half way be-
tween the shop and the tailor's room,
handed up such instruments as were
wanted for use, the other did the work -
and it is he, now asconvict undergoing
his sentence Of penal seryitude, who tells
the story.
The first proceeding of the operators
was to test the safe in which the booty
was secured, and this experiment was
conducted by the insertion of thin
wedge of steel into the almost impercep-
tible chink left between the door of the
safe and its side Supposing a wedge
holds when so driven it is taken as evil
dence that the operation is practicable,
inasmuch as something or other is clearly
yielding to pressure, and that pressure
may be gradually and dexterously in
creased up to the point desired. If the
wedge, instead of holding, rebounds from
the plates and files of, it is proof that the
affair cannot be managed, or, at least,
not in this manner In this instance
the wedge held, and so the operation was
continued. First, O little bar was in
serted to release the weoge, then another
wedge little larger to release the bar,
then another bar little larger still to
release the second wedge, until after ten
or a dozen such steps the cbink was
opened sufficiently for the Introduction
of 1.-THE alderman" The instrument
thus dignifed in name is long iron bar,
sometimes as much as FIVE feet in length,
Joined together in pieces, so as to be
carried in a small case. With the end
of the alderman fairly introduced and
the arm Of strong man acting on the
other extremity Of the lever, the safe has
no longer any chance; and so it was on
this occasion. The door was pryed open
by the force Of this powerful lever, and
the booty was won. At quarter before
four on Sunday afternoon the thieves
were "up in Sir Charles Crosley's Office,
washing their hands, and by twenty
minutes to FIVE they were " miles away