The Chronicles of Newgate, vol. 2/2Griffiths, Arthur
History
The Chronicles of Newgate, vol. 2/2
Griffiths, Arthur
Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England); Prisons -- England; Punishment -- Great Britain
The police were of opinion that these robberies were both the work of
the same hand. But it was not until the autumn that they traced some of
the notes stolen from the Custom House to Jordan and Sullivan. About
this time also suspicion fell upon Huey, one of the clerks, who was
arrested soon afterwards, and made a clean breast of the whole affair.
There was a hunt for the two well-known house-breakers, who were
eventually heard of at a lodging in Kennington. But they at once made
tracks, and took up their residence under assumed names in a tavern in
Bloomsbury. The police lost all trace of them for some days, but at
length Sullivan's brother was followed from the house in Kennington to
the above-mentioned tavern. Both the thieves were now apprehended, but
only a small portion of the lost property was recovered, notwithstanding
a minute search through the room they had occupied. After their arrest,
Jordan's wife and Sullivan's brother came to the inn, and begged to be
allowed to visit this room; but their request, in spite of their earnest
entreaties, was refused, at the instigation of the police. A few days
later a frequent guest at the tavern arrived, and had this same room
allotted to him. A fire was lit in it, and the maid in doing so threw a
lot of rubbish, as it seemed, which had accumulated under the grate, on
top of the burning coals. By-and-by the occupant of the room noticed
something glittering in the centre of the fire, which, to inspect more
closely, he took out with the tongs. It was a large gold brooch set in
pearls, but a portion of the mounting had melted with the heat. The fire
was raked out, and in the ashes were found seven large and four dozen
small brilliants, also seven emeralds, one of them of considerable size.
A part of the "swag" stolen from the bonded warehouse was thus
recovered, but it was supposed that a number of the stolen notes had
perished in the fire.
The condign punishment meted out to these Custom House robbers had no
deterrent effect seemingly. Within three months, three new and most
mysterious burglaries were committed at the West End, all in houses
adjoining each other. One was occupied by the Portuguese ambassador, who
lost a quantity of jewellery from an escritoire, and his neighbours lost
plate and cash. Not the slightest clue to these large affairs was ever
obtained, but it is probable that they were "put up" jobs, or managed
with the complicity of servants. The next year twelve thousand
sovereigns were cleverly stolen in the Mile End Road.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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