Marylebone – Mysterious Affair.
An affair of an extraordinary nature, and one which has caused as much consternation, alarm, and perplexity as any Cock-lane or Hammersmith ghost, has for some days past occupied the care, time, and watchful attention of the inhabitants of Arlington-street, Camden-town, the windows of whose houses have been in a most unaccountable manner shattered to pieces by flints, glass bottles, brickbats, stones, &c., both by day and night.
Many persons have been seriously injured by these formidable missiles, with which some of the rooms have been completely strewed, and although the inmates, as also several constables of the S division of police, have been indefatigable in their exertions to discover who are the perpetrators of the wanton and malicious outrage, the subject is still involved in the most impenetrable mystery.
At No. 7 no fewer than seventeen squares of glass have been completely demolished, at No. 6 seven have shared the same ate, and No. 8 has also suffered in a similar way. The stones, &c., invariably come with such velocity that they are not seen till they enter the apartment, and there is every reason for supposing that some of them are shot from an airgun or crossbow.
To such a degree has the nuisance arrived that many of the inhabitants have deemed it necessary to have their windows barricaded, as well as to adopt other precautionary measures for their personal safety.
Yesterday morning a lad named Gray, residing at No. 39, Clarendon-street, Somers-town, was brought to this ofice in consequence o it having been alleged that he had in the course of conversation with a person stated that he knew who were the perpetrators o the outrage; but he was discharged, as it did not appear that he knew anything about the matter.
The greatest excitement continues to prevail in the neighbourhood, and crowds of persons are continually visiting the scene of this mysterious outrage.
Morning Post, 16th July 1834.
Marylebone.
John Pear, a brush maker, residing at No. 9, Caroline-street, Camden-town, and a boy in his employment, named Thomas Burrows, were yesterday brought before Mr Rawlinson, charged with having been concerned in the late extraordinary and mysterious outrage in Arlington-street, Camden-town, where a great number of windows, as if by some supernatural agency, have been recently shivered to pieces, the particulars of which outrage have already appeared.
From the evidence of Thomas Drury, a lad residing near the spot, who had been employed to look out for the offenders, it appeared that while watching in an empty house, on Tuesday, he saw Burrowes deliberately take a stone and hurl it at one of the windows. On a subsequent occasion he (Drury) got up a poplar tree, and after watching there for two hours, he at length saw Mr Pear walk into his garden and pick up several stones which he threw with all his force at other windows, and then hid himself.
The defendants, who denied the charge, were held to bail.
Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser, 17th July 1834.