The following recent instance is extracted from the London Papers.
“A most extraordinary attack for above two months past has been made upon the windows of Mr Hodgson, a large army-clothier in Soho square, and still continues. The attack by breaking the windows of the back front, which looks into Dean-street, begins about dusk. They are broke with coals almost invariably, and sometimes the coals have been so extremely well heated, that they have set fire to the linen furniture of some of the rooms. The coals have entered the rooms with such velocity that they have been suspected to have been let off with an air-gun.
The mystery of the perpetrators of this wanton act of mischief is considerably increased by Mr Hodgson’s premises in Soho-square being completely covered by a house and premises in Dean-street, which are exactly opposite to those in Soho-square, which he uses for his business, and at the time his windows of the house in Soho-square are broke, no person is in that or any of the premises in Dean-street. There have been about 130 squares of glass broken.
Mr Hodgson has had some of the Bow-street patrole, to attend to endeavour to detect the mischievous persons, but in vain. At the time they have been watching when the windows were broke, they have frequently received violent blows from the coals although they could not conjecture or suspect from whence they came. Mr Hodgson is in an equal difficulty, not being able to suspect any person, not having had a difference with any person or any of his neighbours, so as to induce them to do him such injuries.”
Liverpool Mercury, 21st January 1814.