The Sun. — 1868-12-26 (London, England)

DARING ROBBERY ON THE RIVER.—SUSPICION OF A FOOL MuLDEß.—George Legou, described as a labourer, aged 36 years, was brought before Mr. Benson charged with assaulting and robbing Andrew Duthie, a seaman, on the river Thames.  The prisoner is a well-known and desperate thief, with a sullen and morose air about him, who has been in prison twelve months for a robbery similar to the one with which he is now charged. The prosecutor is a respectable Scotchrnan, who had lodged in the Sailors' Home, Well-street, Whitechapel, for a few days, until Saturday, the 19th instant, when he made preparations to leave for Scotland, and he proceeded to Union-stairs, Wapping, with a porter who had his baggage on a barrow. It consisted of a chest and a bag containing a large quantity of wearing apparel and stores. Ile engaged the prisoner and another man, not waterman, to convey him and his chest and bag to the Dundee steamer, moored in the stream, and very generously said to them, if you will go with me across the water I will treat you with some ale. They landed at Horsleydown on the Surrey side of the water, and the seaman's luggage and kit were left in the boat. Of course the prisoner and his companion well plied the sailor with drink, and he was returning to the boat when the two villains knocked him down on the plying place, within a few yards of the tide-way, and ripped open his pockets, from which they took seven sovereigns and some silver, all the money he had. He was stunned for a short time, and when he partially recovered he saw the boat with the prisoner and his confederate in it being rowed away from the stairs. His chest, emptied of the whole of its contents, was found on the river floating with the tide by the Thames police, and that was all that was recovered. The sailor valued his lost property at £lO, and his money upwards of 17 more. Ho was prevented from prosecuting his journey to Scotland and spending his Christmas with his friends. Yesterday the prisoner was apprehended by Joseph White, a pollee-constable, at the Hermitage-stairs, 'Wapping. The prisoner made a most determined resistance, and if it had not been for the courage of the officer, and the in&maitable perseverance of a waterman, who came to his aid, he would have been killed.  In answer to questions by Mr. Benson, Duthie said he was left on the Surrey side of the river after the assault and robbery. lie lost everything he possessed except his chest and what he stood upright in. The prisoner and his companion were pulling away as bard as they were able after the outrage and robbery. Mr. Benson remanded the prisoner until Wednesday.  It was stated that a gang of miscreants who have obtained possession of watermen's boats in the night time have been guilty of scandalous extortions on passengers crossing the river and proceeding to steam ve3sels, and that some of these villains have comrelled persons to part with their money by for cc. A few weeks since a seaman was found drowned in the river with marks of violence upon him, and without a farthing upo❑ him, lie was known to have a considerable sum of money in his pockets when he was last seen alive. It is suspected that he has been robbed and foully murdered. The ease is still under investiga• ion.