“WHAT’S THE GAME?”

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2094, 31 May 1907, Page 1

“WHAT’S THE GAME?”

EXCITING BURGLAR HUNT IN

A LONDON STREET

Details of an exciting -adventure with burglars was given at Maryleliono when, Edward Johnson, 40',. and William Blackwell, 30, both well dressed, were charged with' being concerned with two others in committing a burglary at a jeweller’s and pawnbroker’s shop in Edgewqre'r.oad, and stealing jewellery, etc., to the value of £365 19s, the property of Messrs Benjamin Bosher' and Son, The same shop was broken into some yeas ago by two burglars. On that occasion one of. them effected his escape by climbing through the skylight, but his companion concealed himself, and the shop assistant who discovered him shot linn with a levolver. The shot entered his bojiy, hut was not fatal, and the man subsequently took his trial. In the present case it was alleged that about three o’clock in the morning j’fj. Boplelt saw prisoners and two other men standing in a group on the pavement near prosecutor’s shop. He j watched them for some time from the recess of a doorway, and when, OH being j pined Ijy Sergeant Dowson, he proceeded to arrest them, three of them sprang into a trap that was standing close by and drove off at a furious pace. The officers rushed forward and succeeded in checking the horse, but were unable to slop it. Their efforts were, however, attended with some success, for prisoners, taking fright, jumped out of

tho trap and ran away. They were pursued, and after a heated chase were caught. When tho officers returned to the Kdgeward road they discovered that tho bolt which se-

cured the revolving shutter at prosocutor’s shop had been cut, tho window had boon broken, and a quantity of jewellery was strewn about tho pavement. William Thatcher, an assistant in prosecutor's employment, living on the premises, said tho outside shutter of the shop was up, the window was broken, and in addition to tho jewellery STREWN ABOUT THE PAVEMENT,

there was a quantity lying in a heap at the bottom of the window. A quantity of jewellery was also missing. Since the remand he had taken stock, and discovered that the total amount of jewellery stolen was worth £514 10s. Articles, however, to tho value of £l5O were found in tho window *nd on the pavement, but nearly £4OO worth was still missing. None of the 253 gold rings had been discovered: At this point both prisoners pleaded guilty. P.C. Poplett, recalled; said prisoner’s hands were sticky when they were arrested. Upon Blackwell he found a horseshoe nail and a skeleton key, and upon Johnson a pocket knife. Neither of them, however, had any of the stolen property. Sergeant Dowson stated that as prisoners and their confederates were dashing past him* in the trap ho seized the horse’s head, and was dragged for some distance. “What’s the game?” he /shouted. They, made no reply, but at that moment prisoners jumped out of the trap and ran away. Witness pursued Johnson, and, just as he was about to seize him, he wheeled sharply round, struck witness a blow in tlio chest, and then doubled back and ran away again. Ho was arrested, however, with the assistance of P.C. Kneones. Witness added that beneath tile broken window he found a large jiiece of brown paper covered ■with a sticky substance, which had j evidently been stuck on the. window ito deaden the sound when it was /broken. Sticking to tho brown paipor was some glass and several articles of jewellery. Both prisoners’

: hands were cut and sticky. Sergeant 1 Burch, of New Scotland Yard, stated j that in March, 1900, Jjohnson was 'sentenced to five years’ penal servitude for larceny. P.C. Beagley said that Blackwell, at the Middlesex Ses■sions, in October, 1902, was sentenced to three and a half years* penal Servitude, with three years’ police supervision, for larceny from the person, after liiho ’previous convictions had been proved against him. Both prisoners were committed for trial to the Central Criminal Court.