FIGHT WITH BURGLARS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLI, Issue 228, 26 September 1907, Page 6

FIGHT WITH BURGLARS.

A DETECTIVE STORY. -

, The following page of autobiography by ex-Inspector John Walsh, the tamous Scotland Yard detective,

appears in an American oontempor-

" "I have been in many tight places, ! but I think the adventure that brought my life into most periL -was the arrest of a gang of safe-breakers in the old Seven Dials of London, in the early days of my career. I was attached to the Bow Street station. > The Seven Dials, in these days, was i one of the worst, if not the very i worst, place for criminals in the' world. Every type of crcok sought! reiuge there. "One of' the worst gangs of this district included, among others, probably the most desperate special safe ■ man in the history of crime, "Blink- : ey Tim" Davey, and his partner, Morrison. The gang had committed a j series of bold and successful robberies : in the North of England, and hau | come to the Seven Dials to enjoy the ; proceeds. I noticed Davey at a race! meeting very flashily dressed, and, with plenty of money. I was known to him, so I put another man on to him, and he was followed to a house at, King's Cross. Subsequent watching showed that the men entered the house only from the rear, the front -being perfectly dark. "We finally decided upon a raid, and three of us repaired to the house one night after Davey had been followed there. One man remained on the outside while another man and I let ourselves in by a false key. As we entered we ran plump into Davey and four other men. Davey seemed to be the only one armed, and his gun stared me right in the face. ' " Tut your handcuffs on the floor," he said, 'or you're dead men.' "I saw there was no good delaying matters, so, making a bluff to obey, I jumped at Davey, and before he could pull the trigger knocked the revolver from his hand, and in a moment was rolling on the floor with ' him: My companion grabbed the gun rd held the othei: four men at bay. broke two of Darey's ribs in;the fight, and we finally handcuffed the men and took them to the station. "Davey was eventually identified as the man who, during a burglary in Birmingham, shot twice at a man and wounded him in the shoulder. Ho and another of the gang got 15 years, another 10, and another 7. Jerry Sehriven, the remaining member, was turned over to the Liverpool police, who.had something against him. "From an address book I found among Davey's things I rounded up ' Pumby' Jacobs, one of the most notorious receivers of stolen goods m the country, and recovered about 50,000 dols. worth of stolen goods. . "Another case in which I had a very narrow escape was the arrest of one Dempsey, who was wanted for highway robbery. He held up a man, robbed him of 250 dols. and a watch and chain, and left him in such a condition that his life was despaired of for some time afterwards. 1 located Dempsey in a house in Queen Street in Seven Dials and decided; to arrest him there. He got the tip from someone, and was prepared. Two or nis pals stationed themselves on the root of the house adjoining his, and, as 1 passed below, let a coping weighing about 300 pounds come down. Itmissed me by a couple of inches, and a flying piece broke the leg of a man at-my side. I did not get Dempsey that day. bat I did eventually, and saw him sent away for 10 years.