[ London Times ]
This newspaper, most correctly known simply as The Times, began publication in 1785 and continues to this day.
The edition of June 7, 1856, carried a police report regarding the trial of two men accused of stealing a Newfoundland:
BOW-STREET. — Charles Roberson, Henry Wade, and Laurence Doyle, alleged to be members of a gang of dog-stealers, were brought before Mr. HENRY, having been several times remanded, on charges arising from a negotiation for the restoration of a valuable Newfoundland dog, stolen from Mr. Latty, a gentleman of property, residing in Glocester-gardens, Baywater.
The report explains that Charles Roberson called on the dog's owner, Mr. Latty, a couple of weeks after the dog went missing, and explained that he knew the man who had found Mr Latty's dog, which would be returned for "a consideration of two guineas" (about $250 US in 2020). Mr. Latty balked at that amount since Roberson also bragged about stealing dogs, but Latty did say he would give them some payment if his groom could verify that the dog really was his. With a plaincothes policemen accompanying him, Mr. Latty's groom went to the designated meeting place, "a public house called the Sugarloaf ... a known resort of dog-stealers." There the plainclothes policeman and Mr. Latty's groom were beaten by the accused dog-stealers; the beating was savage enough to put the policeman in the hospital for several weeks. The dog stealers were later apprehended (one of them, Roberson, had slices of liver, a sheep's tail, and a cord with a noose in his pocket). The three accused dog-stealers pleaded innocent, but the judge didn't buy it. Roberson was sentenced to six months in prison and all three were fined 5£ (about $600 US in 2020).
The report neglects to mention whether or not the dog was safely recovered.