Alexandria Gazette

Arrest of one of the Rioters, who turned out to be a thief.—A short time since, a fire occurred at the house of Mr. Madden, in Chatham square, by which a large portion of his property was destroyed. In endeavoring to save a portion of his furniture, he brought two valuable clocks into the street, and left them there whilst he returned into the house. On again coming out, he found that the clocks had been taken away, and he could at that time find no further trace of them. The ensuing day, a young man named Henry Steward, alias Wood, called at the shop of Mr. Abrahams, a pawnbroker, in Chatham street, and offered to pawn a clock; but as they could not agree on the sum to be lent, the young man went away, saying he would call the ensuing day with his aunt, a Mrs. Aimsby, who resides in Madison street. Mr. Abrahams having some suspicions that the clock was not honestly come by, called at the Police Office and examined the record of lost and stolen property, amongst which he found an "account of the two clocks stolen from Mr. Madden." Mr. Abrahams then informed the Police of Wood's having pawned the clock with him, and accompanied Mr. Homan, the Police officer, to Mrs. Aimsby's, and asked to see it. She had, however, already parted with it, and gave the ticket of the pawnbroker's where it was pledged.

They then searched her house, and found the skeleton of the other clock, from which the interior works had been taken out. Mrs. Aimsby refused to give the officers any information about it, except that it, and the clock which was pawned, had been brought to her house by a young man named Reed, who had since left the city. Finding that the matter could be no further sifted at that time, Mr. Homan went away and got the other clock from the pawnbroker, and gave it up to the City Insurance Company, who had paid Mr. Madden the amount of his losses by the fire. In this state the matter remained until yesterday morning, when Mr. Homan, having information that Wood had been concerned in the late riots, went in search of him to Mrs. Aimsby's house, where he understood he lodged. On his arrival at the house, he was informed that no such person was there; but not satisfied with this information, he proceeded to search the house, and went into Mrs. Aimsby's bed-room, who had not yet risen.—After having thoroughly searched the bed room, and received the strongest assurances from Mrs. Aimsby that the person he was in search of was not in the house, he was about to leave the room when it occurred to him to search the bed, and on doing so he found Stewart, alias Wood, dressed, and snugly entrenched under the clothes, beside his aunt, in whose bed he had sought a hiding place from the search of the Police officer.

Mr. Homan immediately pulled him from his hiding place, and brought him down to the Police Office. Knowing that he was a fellow of bad character, and companion of the fellow who was caught the other evening under Mr. Tappan's sofa, and finding him also in Mrs. Aimsby's house, it occurred to him that this Mr. Wood might turn out to be the identical Mr. Reed, who, as Mrs. Aimsby said, had brought the stolen clocks to her house. In order to ascertain if his suspicions were correct, Mr. Homan went for Mr. Abrahams, to whom the clock was first offered for pawn, and also for the other pawnbroker at whose house it was found, and as soon as they saw the prisoner, they at once recognized him to be the individual who came to their houses to pawn the clock. He was accordingly committed for the larceny; so that, between the two charges that are now against him for rioting and larceny, he stands a good chance of spending some time in the State Prison.—N. Y. Jour. Com.