Police.
The Times, 1824-04-21T00:00:00

BOW-STREET.- Yesterday Johnl Gibbs. the man in custody for robbing the hot-house of the Right Hon. George Canning, was brought up for another examination, before AIr. HAT.r.s, the sitting magistrate, when ,the following additional evidence was adduced against the prisoner :-James Dark, gardener to the Duke of New- castle, at Grove-house, Chiswick, said, on the morning of the rob- beryhe met a man resembling the prisoner going towards town, and had some conversation with him respecting some grapes. 'Witness finding he wanted to dispose of themn, referred him to Mfr. Grange, the fruiterer, in Covent-garden, where he afterwards saw the fruit exposed in his shop. Witness subsequentlv met Mr. .Tohnson, the gardener to the Right Hon. (3eorge Cannirie, who told him that his master's hot-house hIad been robbed: he then referred him to the shop of Air. Grange, where he identified the grapes. Johnson was positive, from many circumstances, they were the property of his master. Afore than one person must have been engaged in thte plun- der, as the footsteps of three persons were traced some distance. On Ferd, the ganler, bringing the prisoner to the office yesterday morn- ingfrom Tothill-fields prison,hetoldhim where agreat quan'tity had been left, which the officer went and secured, in a public-house in Covent-garden. The prisoner said nothing in his defence, and was fullv committed for trial. MAIRLaoROUGH-ST REET.-Jon Tonzkins alias Wlliams, who stated himself to be a gentleman's servant out of place, and Thonos Power, who described himself as a carpenter out of work, both of whom havebeen some daysin custody, upon suspicion of being con- cerned in a daring burglary and robbery, committed under the fol- lowing circamstances, were yesterday finally examined. On the 17th of Mlarch last, as the watchman was going his rounds in Soho-square. about six o'clock in the morning, he perceived that the large boardled flap which covers the entrance to the extensive cel- lars of MIr. Lumley, the wine and brandy merchant, at the cor- ner of Bateman's-buildings in ihat square, had been forced open and was then laid back upon the pavement. -although when he passed about an hour before, he said he found it all safe. He immediately gave the alarm at the house, and en examininD the cellars, it was discovered that 40 gallons of brandy, valued bv ir. Lumley at a guinea a quart, it being 20 years old, together with a large quantitv of various sorts of wine in bottle, thewhole forming a most extensive iisortment to be conveyed away in so sliort - liine,;ad b6en car- ried olff AlMr. Lumley gave immediate information of the robbery at this othlce, and WPales and Serfield, two verv active officers, were di- rected to take the necessary measures. From that time up to the present, they have been activelY engaged in endeavouring to obtain sonie elhe to the perpetrators of the robbery, and in consequence of some information they received, they procpeded in the early part of last week to the heuse No. 4, Pear-tree-strect, Duck-lane, West- minster, in scparate apartments of which ther apprehended the two prisoners-the former living with a woman' of the town: and on searching the rooms, the officers found concealed the largest collec- tion of house-breaking imnplements they had ever seen together, which were produced at the office, and consisted of nearly 100 skeleton keys, suited to every description of lock, several crow-bars, or " jemmies," upon a new principle, dark lanterns, phosphorus .bottles, matches, centre-bits, &c., out of nunmber, the whole filling a large basket; and on the officers making inouiry at the house in Pear-tree-street, they learned that the two priSon'ers 'had cime to lodge there on the day after the robberg at MIr. Lumley's. The officers next proceeded to compare the crow-bars and other im- olernenpt found with the marks mAde in forcing the celler-fiap and doors, to whicl they exactly fitted. The officers also, in the coursc of their vigilance, succeededl in tracing out an Irish labourer, rork- ing at the London-doeks, who was employed at a very early liour on the morning of the 18th of Alarch, by two men, to carry a verv heavy load in a hamper, whic,. in his opinion, containedf wine or spirits, from a place m $t. Giles's to Finsbnry-square. On the first discovery ofthis porfW the officers gave him aniopportunity of seeing the two prisoners: and the moment he saw Tomkins aliasMWilliawis, he sai(I he was one of the men who so employed him, and helped the load on his back. At the present examination, however, on being questioned as to this point by the magistrate, lie declared that the prisoner had not employed him, but that lie was accidentflly pass.- ing at the time, and assisted the other man in lifting the lo;,d on his I back, and in this statement hc persisted, although the officers de- clared that it was very different from his first account, whatever his I mnotive was for the change. Sir OEORGE FARRANT said that it was certainlv very curioncs that the prisoner, in whose apartments sucl implements were found, shoald have passed by at that identical mnoment. Tomkins, with the most violent gestures, and the laudest manner, decla)red his entire innocence of that and all other robberies. He could not, he said, tell how the implements produced fouind tVneir wvay into lils apartment, nor did he ever know they were there and it was a most shameful and cruel thing to keep him, as he h'd been for several days, starving among tbieves Upon bread and water, to the great injury of his health, and the ruin of his good character. He lhad often, he said. .s a sailor, encountered many dangers, and lie would rather be at that moiient blowvn up at the bar, thIan again. sent back to prison. Walec, the officer. here jnterrupte. lhin, and remintled him that he need not be io delieate about his character, athe knew him to be the constant associate of thieves. The prisoner Power, when called upon to account for his posses- sion of the imnilements found in his room, -said, that thev were depo- sited with him by a Chelsea pensioner, to wIhonl he lad lent 3s. on them, but lie did not knoTv the man. Sir GEORGE FARTA2'T Maid, that. this wss amostunlikelv story- bu:, whbatever his opinion of the whole case might be, he was bound, in tbe present state of the evidence, to discharge both the prisoners, and desired Power, if he found the ChelFea pensioner, to send him to the office for his property, where, in the mean time, all the imnple- mients of burglary should be detained. H4ATTos-o A)ntDE-.-cstertlavyj,1itei Mlforris, a giganitic black- smith, was charged, by a respectable professional gentUenan, with committing a most scandalous and wanton acsault on his person. It appeared, that about nine o'clock the precedingevening, as theconi- plaindnt was on his way home fronm Spafields, he met the prisonar in abeastlystateof intoxication, just after getting upoutof a filthy pool into which he had fallen on complainant attenipting to leave the way the prisoners rasped hin in both arms, and pressed him to the wall, and began to clean himself by rubbing against him: the watelmati coming up, he gave the prisoner in charge.-Ordered to find bail. A. lad, named lowell, onlv tbirteen years of age, (who bad been remanded), was brought sip tipon a charge of forgerv tinder the fol. lowing circum-stances :-_t avpeared that lie hail been about thrZe months in the eniploYment of M1r. Anderson, lawr-stationer, South- ampton-buildings, Holborn; andsome days ago, he wassent to the baiik of MSessrs. Brooks aHid Dixon., CGancery-lane, for a blank echeck-book. 0in receiving it, he coitriiedl to take out some of the blank leaves, and accordin gly went on Thursday last, aBl present- ed a check with Mir. Anderson's signature to it for 121. 7s. The clerk to whomn he had ofFered it, suspelting its genuineness, sent for Mr. Anderson's chief clerk, who pronounced it a palpable forgerv. The boy was immediatelv taken into custody, and brought to this otlice on Thursday night last. As, however, iMr. Andefton wasriot in town. the investigation of the case was defc.ed till this day, that Mlr. Anderson should personav attend. Aft .waiting, however, a considerable timle, intimation was given that the prosecutor would not come forward, and the Lby ves accordingly discharged. POTrJCR.