"WHAT'S THE GAME?"

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13497, 25 May 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

"WHAT'S THE GAME ?"

EXCITING BURGLAR HUNT IN A

! LONDON STREET. J Details of ah exciting adventure with burglars were given ; at Marylebone 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 arid 'pawnbroker's shop in Edgware Road, and I stealing jewellery, '', etc., to the value of I £365 19s, the property of Messrs. Benjamin Bosher and Son. The same shop I was broken into some years ago by two burglars. : On : that occasion one of them ieffected his escape by climbing through the ! skylight, 1 but his companion concealed himi self, and the shop assistant who discovered i him shot him with a revolver. The shot entered, bis body but: 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 P.C. Poplett saw prisoners and two other men standing in a:, group \ on ■ the r pavement near, prosecutor's shop. He watched them for some time from the recess of a doorway, and when, on being joined by 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 stop it. Their efforts were, however, at-j tended with some success, for prisoners, taking fright, jumped out of the trap and ran away. ! They were pursued, and after a heated chase "were caught. When the officers returned to the Edgware Road they discovered that the bolt which secured the revolving shutter at prosecutor's shop had) been cut, the window had been broken, and a quantity of, jewellery : to strewn about the pavement. William Thatcher, an as- j sistant in prosecutor's employment, living! on the premises, said the ; outside shutter of the shop was up, the window ' was broken, and in addition to the 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, arid discovered that the total amount of jewellery stolen was worth £514 10s. Articles, however, to the value of £150 were found injthe window and : on the'pavement, but nearly £400 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 pocketknife. V-' ; 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 he 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, 5 and,: just as he was about to seize him, he wheeled * sharply round, struck witness a blow in the chest, and then doubled back and ran away again. He was arrested, however, with the assistance of P.C. Kneenes. Witness added that beneath the broken window: he found a large piece of brown paper covered with a sticky substance, which had evidently been stuck on the window to deaden the. sound when it was broken. Sticking to the brown paper was, some glass and several articles ,of jewellery; Both, prisoners' hands were cut and sticky; ' Sergeant Burch, of New Scotland ! Yard, stated that in March, 1900, Johnson was sentenced'to five,years' penal servitude :for larceny. P.C. .Beagley said that Blackwell, at the Middlesex Sessions, in October, 1902, was sentenced to three and a-half years' 'penal' servitude,- ; with three years' police supervision; for larceny from s the person, after nine , previous convictions bad been, proved against him. Both prisoners were committed for trial to the Central Criminal Court.'!, :