Kingsmill escaped for a time, and became the leader of the famous attack on the Poole Custom House in October 1747.  Another of the gang was named Perin and belonged to Chichester.  Perin was really a carpenter by trade, but after being afflicted with a stroke of the palsy, he became attached to the smugglers, and used to sail with them to France to purchase goods that were to be smuggled, such as brandy, tea, and rum.  Now in September of 1747 Perin went across the Channel in a cutter called The Three Brothers, loaded up with the above commodities, and was approaching the English coast when he was met with a rebuff.  For Captain William Johnson, who held a deputation from the Customs to seize prohibited goods, got to know of Perin’s exploit, and on the 22nd of this month, whilst cruising in the Poole Revenue cutter, sighted The Three Brothers to the eastward of Poole.  Whereupon the smuggler began to flee, and, running before the wind, fled to the N.N.W.  From five in the afternoon till eleven at night the Revenue cutter, with every stitch of canvas set, chased her, and after firing several shots caused her to heave-to.  Johnson then boarded her, and found that the tea was in canvas and oil-skin bags, but Perin and the crew of six had escaped in The Three Brothers boat.  However, Johnson captured the cutter with her cargo and took the same into Poole.  The two tons of tea, thirty-nine casks of brandy and rum, together with a small bag of coffee, were conveyed ashore and locked up safely in the Poole Custom House.  Such was the introduction to the drama that should follow.

Enraged at their bad luck, the smugglers took counsel together.  They assembled in Charlton Forest, and Perin suggested that they should go in a body and, well-armed, break open the Poole Custom House.  So the next day they met at Rowland’s Castle with swords and firearms, and were presently joined by Kingsmill and the Hawkhurst gang.  Till night had fallen they secreted themselves in a wood, and eventually reached Poole at eleven o’clock at night.  Two of their members were sent ahead to reconnoitre, and reported that a sloop-of-war lay opposite to the quay, so that her guns could be pointed against the doors of the Custom House; but afterwards it was found that, owing to the ebb-tide, the guns of the sloop could not be made to bear on that spot.  The band, numbering about thirty, therefore rode down to spot, and while Perin and one other man looked after their horses, the rest proceeded to the Custom House, forced open the door with hatchets and other implements, rescued the tea, fastening packages of the latter on to their horses, with the exception only of 5 lbs.  The next morning they passed through Fordingbridge in Hampshire, where hundreds of the inhabitants stood and watched the cavalcade.  Now among the latter was a man named Daniel Chater, a shoemaker by trade.  He was known to Diamond, one of the gang then passing, for they had both worked together once at harvest time.  Recognising each other, Diamond extended his arm, shook hands, and threw him a bag of tea, for the booty had been divided up so that each man carried five bags of 27 lbs.