A DEFIANT RUFFIAN.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1183, 31 October 1884, Page 3

A DEFIANT RUFFIAN.

{ London Correspondent. > Ton’ may remember my sending yon epme mails ago a description of the pnrsnit and capture of a burglar named Wright; who; after shooting two policemen, ran up a la bier on to the housetops at Hoxton and wa« chased. from roof to roof by three plucky constables. They eventually caught bind, but not till his revolver got disabled. Well, on Thursday last, when this ruffian was committed' fur- trial, a most extraordinary scene took place. The Magistrate, as usual, asked the . prisoner if he had any. statement to make, upon which Wright flung down his cap and defiantly entered into a Ing statement of his proceedings when committing the burglary. But his first observations were, that as he had pro* inised to tell the' Magistrate the truth of the matter, he wished to show him what a lot of perjury was in th»case, and if he had cro«*ex imined the witnesses as be muhfc hj . v.j done that would have been shown. He added: “When I tell yon my experiences of penal servitude you will see why I car.ied a, revolyerrrhot to frighten there.bold constables, but to. tight them.” He then entered into a narrative of the mode by which be entered the prosecutor’s house ,on the night in question, detailing how he had tried-a book door, bat found it would make too much noise to force it; how be tiadgot to a parlour window, forced back the catch, and opening the window entered the mom, which, he said. “ 1 thoroughly s-arehol, and took what 1 thought worth having.” After that, when engaged break, itig open a plae cupboard, be hea.d someone descending the stairs, and so left the house. He bid himself in the grounds of the church and waited there for two hoars, at the end of which, time he heard footsteps approaching, and saw a constable walking Up the grounds. Then (as if with hesitation) he said : "T must now admit that this man (with a sneer at Wheatley) was sih me." He to say that on. the couatable getting near him he challenged him to stand off, or he wonld send a bullet through him.'” The constable, he ad. mitte I, proceeded undete-red to climb the gate and approach them. Then be (Wiighi) climbed the railings to get out. He saw tue constable (Garner) rush for Wheatley, who, he said, had no revolver out, or 1 shouldn’t lie here. On that he (Wright) fired a bullet at the constable’s shoulder from a distance »f about.fifteen yards. As tbe prisoner proceeded in his narrative, which was a repetition of the' facts in evidence, he spoke in the mo t cations manner of his attemp's to take life, remarking that he threatened ha would put a bullet into this or that man or constable. Whenever lie referred to Wheatley it was afways with a sneer, as this man, -Some of the witnesses lie laiwhed at as be detailed how they got oat of the way nf h'S revolver; an i Wheatley, he a.d I, when the o instable struggled with him for bis revolver, seemed t. give it up very quickly. Garner, he said, pointed the revolver he had secured to shoot him (Wngh ), and then, be added, I deteimined to ’give him one where I lOild drop him. These latter words e-caped the e-.rof the clerk, and Mr Po'and repeated them, whereupon Wright, wi hj an access of insolence, said ‘Shut your mouth.’ Pioceeding, he Slid that after he had shot Garner he thought it was no'use fighting any more fir Wlieatley, and that ho should ' have a try (or his own liberty. Thereupon he ran. hut.f-tuud .that Soma, light m n and two co stithies were after him, though none of them Would get near him. Proceeding to describe how bo mounted'to the roof of a ho ae, he said, this is where the fun comes in. He admitted that he cleared his revolver and put iii iretb cartridges, and Wont on over the rods. A man, sik ’fe-t high, be said, got up after hint, and hq(rh“ prisoner) told him to go down, oi he won d" shoot him. The man, lie adde I, went down quicker than be got up, and was the only wise man of the. lot. Liter mi, he found himself pursue I by eight or ten men on the roof, Mid when ho threatened to put a I uljetinm them they hung on to the o dmney pots and trembled like leaves in the wind. Ho cleared the roof,' he said, and was in iking his way to escape in another ,direction, when, a little . bov from lielow cilledouß, “There ho go s,” and pointed him out acain, “Such a li tle boy.” said the p-isimer, “tint I could eit him if 1 .fra l him hero,” l)e-cr tong the accident to his revolver hos.iiach't he was jumpig f oin one roof to a lower when one f«ot Went through the roof, and his revolver struck on a ledge, and he found he could cot mend it—worse luck, he added, or I I shoul n’t lie here. •' fttr that, although h's revolver w s about as good as a penny pop gun, he still pointed it when the men and constables got up on the .roof, and they oie.ired off at once. Then from helow they began to pelt him with stones an I bricks, and he retaliated, with the same fnralmut half an hour. When he had tried mio hurjump and hart himself, n man got hold of nim ; an I then they ad fell on him to,ether, one man splitting his hea i open with a gun stock another s riking him with an iron bar, and others heating and kicking him Ha thought, he sai “ That that was bmtal and unnecesiary.” What he had . done was for their lioerty, for he could hav.-s mt half a dozen of them from the rod. He could have shot Garner, only he was afraid of shooting Whenley. Cnnolu ling his narrative, he said : “1 have done this knowing what was before me, for I have ha I two terms of {enal servitude, and knew what chance I hail. And now. your Wor-h p, if you listen to me I’ll tell you why 1 should make up my mind not to go back, if [could help it,” Mr annoy : No, Ido not think so. It has noth ng to do with this case. If it were any answer to this charge 1 would listen to it, hut it is not.

Wright: No, y n don’t want the public to know how they treat th ■ convicts—half stirve them, while the governors are liviny on the fat of the land, ari l making money out of the po>r conv os. I should liko the public to kuowthe Ufa they have to endure, and then when they are turned out they are hunted by the police, and have no ohame of ea'nicg an hnnret living. If 1 had plenty of gold I shield get out c? this as others have done. But you will not- let the pub.ic know. Mr Hannay . 1 will listen at any length to anything you have to say in answer to the charge, but that has nothing to do with it. Wheatley- simply said that he would reserve his defence

Mr Hannay then told them that they were fully committed for trial at the Central Criminal Court. - -

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