HOME CIRCUIT.—SUSSEX ASSIZES:—LEWES, AUGUST 18.
CROWN SIDE.—EXTENSIVE COACH ROBBERY.
JOHN WILSON, a man of respectable appearance, describing himself as a coal-merchant, was indicted for stealing Bank-notes and cash to the amount of 1605l. from the Hero, Portsmouth coach, on its way to London, on the 16th January last.
The prosecution was conducted by Mr. BRODRICK and Mr. THESSIGER, and Mr. ANDREWS and Mr. ADOLPHUS were for the defence.—It appeared, from the evidence of several witnesses, that on the 15th January last, Messrs. Hector and Bancroft, bankers at Petersfield, made up a parcel, containing the property in question, for the purpose of being transmitted to their agents, Messrs. Williams and Co. Birchin-lane, Cornhill. On the following day this parcel was given to Faulkner; the driver of the Hero, Portsmouth coach, which passes through Petersfield on its way to London, and he, according to usual custom with parcels of that description, locked it up in a small box, under his seat on the driving box. It appeared that on the morning of the 16th of January three men in company came to the Fountain Inn, at Portsmouth, and sent for the book-keeper of the coach-office, who waited upon them in the coffee-room. They said they wanted to go to London, but unless they got the three front seats on the roof of the Hero, they would not go by that conveyance. One of these men was sworn positively to, by the book-keeper to be the prisoner, his attention being drawn to him by the particular manner in which he was looked at by a gentleman in the room. Front seats were secured for the three men at their request, and the prisoner rode on the off side, immediately behind the coachman. Another man took the box, who seemed to be of their party. The coach stopped 20 minutes to dinner at Ripley, and about 3 minutes at the Stags public-house in Lambeth. One of the men set off at the latter house, and the others at the Elephant and Castle in St. George’s-fields. The coachman, on arriving at the Spread Eagle in Gracechurch-street, discovered that the box in which he had placed the parcel in question was open, the parcel gone, and part of a skeleton key remaining in the lock. Notice of the loss was immediately given to the bankers, and active steps were taken to trace the notes and detect the offenders; but no discovery was made until the 19th of March last, when a man, sworn to be the prisoner, went to the shop of a Mr. Tooth; of Hastings, bought two pair of gloves at the price of 4s. 2d. and gave in payment a ten-pound Chichester bank-note, and received the change. Mr. Tooth took the note to the Hastings Bank, and was there informed that it was one of the stolen notes in question. He went in pursuit of the prisoner, found him in the High-street, and told him that he had given him a bad note, to which the prisoner replied, “It can’t be a bad note, but if it is I’ll change it for you.” Mr. Tooth then took the prisoner to the bankers’, who told what he saw, said he was a coal-merchant, and lived at Burton Crescent, London, and that he had taken the note at Brighton, from a Guernsey merchant. A constable was sent for, and the prisoner searched, whereupon a pocket-book was found upon him, containing several notes and some sovereigns. He was then asked if he had any more money about him, which he answered in the negative. A stricter search was then commenced, and in doing so a roll of paper fell from the prisoner’s person, which he put his foot upon immediately, to try to conceal it; but upon being seized by the officer, it was found to contain, among other notes, a ten-pound note, one of those which had been stolen. Upon searching the prisoner’s person more closely, another of the stolen notes in question, of the value of 5l. was found in the seat of his drawers. Upon the proof of these facts the case for the prosecution rested.
The prisoner, in his defence, said, that he was a general dealer, going around the country, attending fairs and markets, and received the notes in question in the course of business; and under the circumstances in which he was placed, he had had no opportunity of taking the necessary steps to trace them to the persons from whom he received them.
He called no witnesses.
The Jury, under the Learned Judge’s directions, found the prisoner Guilty, and he was sentenced to seven years’ transportation.
It appeared that the prosecutor had experienced great difficulty and incurred enormous expence in the furtherance of this prosecution; more than 1,500l. was stated to have been incurred in the pursuit of this object, and that overtures had been made to them to forego their duty, but which they determined not to listen to, preferring to let the law take its course in a case in which every banker in the kingdom was interested.