A BURGLAR’S CONFESSION.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9142, 11 May 1908, Page 7

A BURGLAR’S CONFESSION.

HOW A GREAT ROBBERY WAS WORKED. PLUNDER REMOVED IN OWNER’S CARRIAGE. The burglar known as “The Bantam” and XH 511 during his term of penal servitude tells in the London Mail how he made an audacious raid on a mansion at Blackheath. The owner was overpowered after a fierce fight, [and • £ISOO worth of loot was carried off by the burglar genius and his accomplice in the victim’s own carriage and pair. I made up my mind to carry through a daring burglary at Blackheath, known to history as “The Blackheath Mystery,” which I planned along with” another young fellow, who knew everything worth knowing about the game. ‘lt was nearly 10 o’clock at night before wo started on our expedition. We proceeded on foot to the^i ‘ Elephant, ’ * and walked for some distance down the New Kent Road. Turning up one of the side streets on the right beyond the railway bridge, we came to a beerhouse, before which a fourwheeler was standing. The driver was sitting'ou the bos, as though waiting for his fare. I coughed in a”peculiar manner as I approached, and then struck a match, whereupon the “cabby” got off his seat and inquired whether I wanted his “growler.” “Yes,” I drawled, “but I most first have a drink.” Then all three of us entered the little beerhouse. The cabman and I were not unknown to each other. This meeting and these signals were part of a pre-arranged plan.. Presently we left the house. I bundled my companion into the cab, took my seat beside him, and we started on our journey. The leisurely motion of the cab sent me off to sleep, and I did not awake till we arrived at Shooter’s Hill, It I had been stopped by the police, nothing of an incriminating nature would have been found upon me, because I had taken the precaution to secret my burglar’s tools a few days before under a particular elm tree. Quickly and silently I reached the spot, and, stooping down, felt under one of the gnarled roots of the tree. I drew out a small bag. . I then produc'd two pairs of thick woollen socks, the smaller of which I handed to my mate. We drew these over our boots, and, placing a piece of black crape upon our faces, we crept stealthily towards the house. I may here mention that the house itself was a fine old Elizabethan mansion. All the lower windows were heavily barred with iron shutters, and, in short, the 'place seemed to be impervious to the attack of the burglar fraternity. In the wall, however, adjoining the kitchen, was a small window or flap, which when opened allowed coals to be shot down into the cellar. This, of course, was fastened on the inside, but as the flap was made of wood it did not take me many minutes to cut out a hole in it sufficiently wide to insert my hand and unfasten the chain that held it. The aperture was very small, and my mate had difficulty in wriggling through into the cellar. With the aid of a small bull’s-eye lamp which I handed to him he scrambled over the iieap of coals to the door, which had been left unguardedly on the latch. He soon found his way to the kitchen door, which he unbolted and unbarred as i softly as he could and let me in. BUTLER GAGGED AND BOUND. I unlocked this door, and then we made our way towards the butler’s pantry, but found, to our chagrin, that the butler slept close to it, so that it was impossible for anyone to open the door without waking him. I was prepared for every emergencv, and, taking out of my bag a small vial of chloroform and a piece of cotton wool, I sflftly opened the door of the room, and, guided by the stertorous sounds which proceeded from the sleeper’s nasal organ, I applied the saturated cotton wool to it. The butler opened his eyes, made an effort to sit up, and then fell back, overpowered with the fumes of the drug. I soon had him bound hand and foot, and after gagging him carried him into the nantry. We now proceeded to collect all the silver plate, which we put into two carpet-bags, breaking [some of it up for convenience sake. We looked the butler in his strong room, and, taking the bags, we carried them out of the house into the wood and hid them some distance away. We then returned to the house and went upstairs to the drawing-room and the library. In this latter apartment I perceived a large safe in the corner standing some five feet in height, A LUCKY ESCAPE. Safes in those days were not like what they are at the present time, aud could be easily opened, but the operation took time, and consequently we began a search for the key. We emptied the contents of all the drawers of the writing table, but found nothing in them except bundles of old letters, some account books, and other useless documents. For a few minates I stood in deep thought, aud then, brightening up, I motioned my mate to follow me. We entered the passage and crept upstairs, and, gently turning the handle of the first door we came to on the landing, we found ourselves in a bedroom. There was a large four-poster bed, heavily canopied, and in it were two persons Tying fast asleep. I walked over to “the dress-ing-table aud picked up all the jewellery upon it. My accomplice had just taken up a gentleman’s waistcoat, and was just ou the point of searching the pockets, when I was startled by a woman’s voice—“Wake_ up, Harry! There’s someone in the room.” At the same moment my mate and I went gently down ou our hands and knees, [Jand crept out of the room as quickly as we could, pausing outside to listen. “Harry! Harry! Wake up! I’m sure there is someone in the room.” “Nonsense, Maria,” replied the gurff voice. “You are always [thinking there is someone - in the house. Go to sleep; you frighten yourself for nothing.” There was some further expostulation and grumbling, and then the voices ceased. My mate, in the scarce he had got, had forgotten all about the waistcoat and it was only when we got to the bottom of the stairs that he saw .it was still in his hand. Mechanically-he felt in the pockets, aud in one of them there was a key. He slipped it into my hand. I turned the bull’s eye on the key, and my experienced eye at once recognised it to he the key of the safe. We turned back to the library, where the safe was, forgetting in the

excitement of the moment to lock the door after us. I soon had the safe. open. The contents seemed at first to consist only of a number of documents, but beneath them was a large sum of money in gold and bank-notes, aud a jewel-case lying in a corner. I was glancing over some of the documents to see if they were of any value, when we were startled by hearing a voice behind us saying: “You scoundrels! Give me those papers.” I sprang up, and in a moment had thefspeaker covered with my revolver. I found myself face to face with a man about 85 years of age. A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE.

“One step further, and it will he your last!” I cried raenaciously. He drew hack hastily and stood still in utter amazement. Turning to my mate I said: “Make for the door aud close it, while I keep him covered.” He did as I directed him, while the gentleman and I stood gazing at each other with a chair between us. Suddenly the latter seized the back of the chair, and lifted [it up, with the evident intention of hurling it at me. But I was not the man to he easily taken off my guard, and, before the gentleman could bring down the chair,;;on my head, [I flung myself upon him and the chair, bringing both with a crash to the floor. With the force of the collision the revolver was knocked out of my hand, one of the chambers exploding as it fell upon the floor. And now a desperate struggle began. Over and over we rolled ou the floor. To add to the confusion, shrill cries of “Murder!” and calls for help came down from the rooms above, “Pick up the pistol,” I shouted to my mate, “aud prevent anyone,from coming downstairs. ” He was just in time to stop two women who were scurrying down shrieking at the top of their voices. At the sight of a masked face and the barrel of a revolver pointed threateningly towards them, they scuttled upstairs. THE FAMILY LOOKED UP. In the meantime £1 had overpowered my antagonist, and was holding him pinned down. “Here,” I cried to my mate, as he entered the room, “cut down the sash cords from the window sashes and bring them to me.” With these we tied the prostrate man hand and foot, gagging his mouth with the woollen muffler he was wearing round his throat; aud then we carried [him down to the pantry audjfastened him to a chair opposite the scared butler. After this we hastened upstairs. In the front bedroom, which we had previously entered, we found four women huddled together in a terrified group. I covered them with my revolver—an unnecessary precaution, as they were too panic-stricken to offer any resistance. Collecting all the sashes, belts, and cords we could find, with which to secure our prisoners, we marched them down to the pantry, where we fastened them to four chairs, two on each side of the gentleman, the whole five facing the butler. We locked the pantry door upon them, and, .throwing the key away, we went back and cleared the house of everything we could take away. We then left. “Wait here forme,” I said to my mate, pointing to the shadow of a heavy laurel bush, and I made off towards the stables. BOOTY SOLD FOR £ISOO.

I had shrewdly guessed from the absence of any alarm raised from that quarter of the premises that there was„no one in the loft over the stables, and consequently I had no difficnllty in harnessing a pair of horses and putting them into the brougham. With lamps lighted, I drove up to the front door. I had also token Ihe precaution to don the absent coachman’s livery aud cockaded hat. I pat all the “swag” into the carriage, not forgetting the silver plate, which I had deposited in the plantation. Then I mounted the box, while my mate jumped inside and shut the door after him. It was a few minutes past six when I emerged upon the heath and turned towards London. About half-way down Shooter’s Hill I passed a mounted policeman, who, seing a gentleman’s cairiage with a coachman in livery on the box, took no notice of us. I did not draw rein again till I got into the Liverpool road, where, long before the robbery was discovered, 1 had disposed pf the brougham, the [horses, and harness for £3O, and* the other stolen property I sold the next day for £ISOO. FROM ALL SOURCES. NELSON—Mr S. P. Bolton says:—“Have suffered for some time from FLATULENCY. One bottle of IMPEY’S MAY APLPE afforded very great relief. ’ ’ WANGANUI.—Mr J. Robertson, Storekeeper, says;—“Some time ago I was suffering acutely with BILIOUS SICK HEADACHES. I used a few doses of IMPEY’S MAY APPLE, and I have had no return of the trouble since.” NEW PLYMOUTH.—Miss A. Nichol says :—“I have derived great benefit from IMPEYS’ MAYiAPPLE. It is the most beneficial preparation I have used. ’ ’ WAIKATO—Mr G. Churches, Farmer, says :—‘ ‘ For FLATULENCY and INDIGESTION IMPEY’S MAY APPLE is a specific, aud for CONSTIPATION I cannot speak too highly of it.” LYTTELTON—Captain G. M. Balfour says:—“l have suffered from DYSPEPSIA for nine years. No medicine did me permanent good till I used IMPEY’S MAY APPLE. Am taking six bottles with me on my voyage. ’ ’ OTAGO —Mr E. P. James says ; “IMPEY’S MAY APPLE is the only remedy I know of for restoring a “mna with a liver’ to good health. ” IMPETUS MAY APPLE, Price 2s fid per bottle at Chemists and Stores.