UXBRIDGE PETTY SESSIONS.
[Before Sir Wm. Wiseman, Bart. and T. T. Clark, Esq..]
BURGLARY AND HORSE-STEALING.—Yesterday having been appointed for the final examination and committal of William Smith, alias Sydney Smith, alias William Cox, alias John Cocks, and William Gardiner, alias William Boutson, alias Bill Skreenes, on various charges of burglary, horse-stealing, and highway robbery, the front of the King's Arms inn, where the magistrates hold their sittings, was during the whole of the day surrounded by a large concourse of persons anxious to obtain a sight of the prisoners, and to hear the evidence against them.
Although there are a variety of charges against the prisoners, the only cases entered into were for burglaries committed by them on the premises of Messrs. Grainger, and of Mr. Money, in the town of Uxbridge, about Christmas, 1834.
After hearing the evidence against the prisoners on this charge, they were fully committed for trial.
The second charge, of having, on the night of the 27th of December, 1834, burglariously broken into the premises of Mr. John Money, the George inn, Uxbridge, and stealing a number of silver and plated cruet stands, knives and forks, and a variety of other articles, was then gone into, when it having been proved by Mr. Allum a miller at Watford, that he had purchased some of the knives and forks of the prisoners, they were also fully committed on that charge.
Lacey, one of the constables of St. Albans' local police, then said he had a charge of highway robbery committed, with much violence, a few nights before their apprehension, on the person of Mr. Young, of the George public-house, Watford, who was in attendance to bring it forward, and
Mr. James Meeres, the high constable of Petersfield, Hants, said he had also charges of horse-stealing to prefer against the prisoners, whom he described as most desperate characters, and connected with the most experienced horse-stealers in the kingdom. He had himself pursued them full 1,100 miles about the country, but, although several times nearly capturing them, they always managed to escape. At Barnet fair they once got off by creeping under the bellies of a long train of horses; and at another time, near Birmingham, Gardiner escaped by swimming across a river. his companion, a man named Spearman, was, however, captured and convicted. They have been known to steal five horses in one neighbourhood on the same night.
The Bench said, those offences not having occurred in the county of Middlesex, they could not enter into the cases. Detainers could, however, be lodged against them.
The prisoners were then removed from the bar, and shortly afterwards conveyed, safely secured, to Newgate.