CHRONICLE. 



87 



drawn aside his curtain, one of 

 them seized hold of him, and, 



showing a knife, threatened to 

 " do for him," if he made tlie 

 slightest noise. The other placed 

 a pillow upon his face, and pre- 

 vented his crying out. They then 

 asked him for the keys of his 

 desk, money chest, &c. He said 

 he did he did not remember 

 where he had placed them ; and 

 finding that he was not willing to 

 satisfy them, they dragged him 

 ' from bed, and brought him to the 

 landing place of the stairs. Here 

 one of them proceeded to tie his 

 neck, hands, and arms, to the 

 banisters, while the other fastened 

 two handkerchiefs about his eyes. 

 One of them then proceeded to 

 search for the keys, and soon 

 after called out to his companion, 

 who had remained with witness, 

 that he had got them. The par- 

 ties then informed him, that they 

 would soon leave the house, but 

 that if he attempted to call out 

 pi'evious to their closing the street- 

 door after them, they would have 

 his life. They tlien left him, 

 X when, after remaining a sliort 

 I time, he lieard the door shut, and 

 instantly called for help. One or 

 two persons, who slept at the top 

 of the house, immediately came 

 to his assis;;ance, and he was re- 

 leased from his situation. During 

 the whole of the outrage, he never 

 distinguished the faces of eitlier 

 of the persons, not even in his 

 room, where he usually burnt a 

 rushlight. He thought, how- 

 ever, from their voices, that the 

 one was an Irishman, and tlie other 

 an Englishman. Connelly was an 

 Irishman, and one of his day 

 porters, who had lived in his ser- 

 vice some years. Suspicion fell 



upon him ; and Harrison, the 

 officer, having gone to his lodg- 

 ings, in Cow-cross, he. found 

 Dixon (an Englishman). Con- 

 nelly was apprehended at the fire, 

 but nothing of a suspicious na- 

 ture was found either at their 

 lodgings or on their persons. 



A porter and two of the ser- 

 vants of Mr. Dunkin deposed to 

 the alarm given by the latter, and 

 the state in which they found him. 

 After releasing him from his 

 situation, they opened the win- 

 dows which looked into the street, 

 and discovered a smoke, as if 

 from a fire, issuing from the 

 cellar. They instantly gave an 

 alarm ; but the night being wet, 

 it was some time before assistance 

 was procured : and notwithstand- 

 ing every subsequent exertion of 

 the engines and inhabitants, the 

 fire continued to burn until the 

 whole of the interior was destroy- 

 ed, including every article of fur- 

 niture, &c. and leaving merely 

 the walls standing. The iron 

 chest in which were deposited the 

 book s, money, &c. was fou nd to 

 have been opened, and a quantity 

 of bank-notes, and 400 gold Na- 

 poleons, were stolen therefrom. 

 A bag, containing a considerable 

 sum in silver, was left behind ; as 

 were also the account-books, five 

 of which were saved. During the 

 fire, about three o'clock in the 

 morning, the flames having com- 

 municated to the house of Cocker- 

 ton and Son, next door, where 

 some combustibles were deposited, 

 an explosion took place, and the 

 top rooms and roof were blown 

 into the air. Nearly the whole of 

 the furniture in the latter, how- 

 ever, was saved. The fire was not 

 completely subdued till .5 o'clock. 



After 



