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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d697189 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #53112 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53112) diff --git a/old/53112-0.txt b/old/53112-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d7c97c3..0000000 --- a/old/53112-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9305 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Half-hours with the Highwaymen, by Charles G. Harper - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Half-hours with the Highwaymen - Picturesque Biographies and Traditions of the "Knights of the Road" - -Author: Charles G. Harper - -Illustrator: Paul Hardy - -Release Date: October 11, 2016 [EBook #53112] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HALF-HOURS WITH THE HIGHWAYMEN *** - - - - -Produced by deaurider, Christian Boissonnas and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Note: - -This book was published in two volumes, of which this is the second. -The first volume was released as Project Gutenberg ebook #53111, -available at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53111. - - - - - HALF-HOURS WITH - THE HIGHWAYMEN - - - - -WORKS BY CHARLES G. HARPER - - - =The Portsmouth Road=, and its Tributaries: To-day and in Days of - Old. - - =The Dover Road=: Annals of an Ancient Turnpike. - - =The Bath Road=: History, Fashion, and Frivolity on an Old - Highway. - - =The Exeter Road=: The Story of the West of England Highway. - - =The Great North Road=: The Old Mail Road to Scotland. Two Vols. - - =The Norwich Road=: An East Anglian Highway. - - =The Holyhead Road=: The Mail-Coach Road to Dublin. Two Vols. - - =The Cambridge, Ely, and King's Lynn Road=: The Great Fenland - Highway. - - =The Newmarket, Bury, Thetford, and Cromer Road=: Sport and - History on an East Anglian Turnpike. - - =The Oxford, Gloucester, and Milford Haven Road=: The Ready Way - to South Wales. Two Vols. - - =The Brighton Road=: Speed, Sport, and History on the Classic - Highway. - - =The Hastings Road= and the "Happy Springs of Tunbridge." - - =Cycle Rides Round London.= - - =A Practical Handbook of Drawing for Modern Methods of - Reproduction.= - - =Stage-Coach and Mail in Days of Yore.= Two Vols. - - =The Ingoldsby Country=: Literary Landmarks of "The Ingoldsby - Legends." - - =The Hardy Country=: Literary Landmarks of the Wessex Novels. - - =The Dorset Coast.= - - =The South Devon Coast.= - - =The North Devon Coast.= - - =The Old Inns of Old England.= Two Vols. - - =Love in the Harbour=: a Longshore Comedy. - - =Rural Nooks Round London= (Middlesex and Surrey). - - =The Manchester and Glasgow Road=; This way to Gretna Green. Two - Vols. - - =Haunted Houses=: Tales of the Supernatural. - - =The Somerset Coast.= [_In the Press._] - - - - -[Illustration: SIXTEEN-STRING JACK.] - - - - - HALF-HOURS WITH - THE HIGHWAYMEN - - _PICTURESQUE BIOGRAPHIES AND - TRADITIONS OF THE "KNIGHTS - OF THE ROAD"_ - - BY CHARLES G. HARPER - - VOL. II - - [Illustration: [++] Man and woman talking.] - - _Illustrated by Paul Hardy and by the Author, and - from Old Prints_ - - - LONDON - - CHAPMAN & HALL, LIMITED - 1908 - - - _All rights reserved_ - - - - - PRINTED AND BOUND BY - HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD., - LONDON AND AYLESBURY. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - NEVISON: "SWIFT NICKS" 1 - - JOHN COTTINGTON, _alias_ "MULLED SACK" 26 - - THOMAS RUMBOLD 35 - - "CAPTAIN" JAMES WHITNEY 41 - - TWM SHON CATTI 65 - - JOHN WITHERS AND WILLIAM EDWARDS 75 - - PATRICK O'BRIAN 81 - - JACK BIRD 86 - - WILL OGDEN, JACK BRADSHAW, AND TOM REYNOLDS 98 - - JACK OVET 105 - - JOHN HALL, RICHARD LOW, AND STEPHEN BUNCE 110 - - "MR." AVERY AND DICK ADAMS 121 - - JONATHAN WILD 126 - - NICHOLAS HORNER 148 - - WALTER TRACEY 158 - - NED WICKS 166 - - DICK TURPIN 173 - - WILLIAM PARSONS, THE BARONET'S SON 241 - - WILLIAM PAGE 249 - - ISAAC DARKIN, _alias_ DUMAS 264 - - JAMES MACLAINE, THE "GENTLEMAN" HIGHWAYMAN 271 - - JOHN POULTER, _alias_ BAXTER 301 - - PAUL LEWIS 316 - - THE WESTONS 320 - - JACK RANN: "SIXTEEN-STRING JACK" 340 - - ROBERT FERGUSON—"GALLOPING DICK" 353 - - JERRY ABERSHAW 361 - - JOHN AND WILLIAM BEATSON 370 - - ROBERT SNOOKS 376 - - HUFFUM WHITE 384 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - SEPARATE PLATES - - PAGE - - SIXTEEN-STRING JACK _Frontispiece_ - - NEVISON'S RIDE TO YORK 11 - - "SWIFT NICKS" BEFORE CHARLES THE SECOND 17 - - "MULLED SACK" ROBS THE ARMY PAY WAGGON 33 - - WHITNEY HUGGED BY THE BEAR 42 - - WHITNEY AND THE USURER 53 - - TWM SHON CATTI AND THE HIGHWAYMAN 73 - - JACK BIRD FIGHTS THE CHAPLAIN 95 - - THE ROBBERY AT THE HACKNEY BAKER'S 115 - - JONATHAN WILD ON THE WAY TO EXECUTION 147 - - HORNER MEETS HIS MATCH 154 - - TURPIN AND HIS GANG IN THEIR CAVE IN EPPING FOREST 177 - - TURPIN HOLDS THE LANDLADY OVER THE FIRE 189 - - TURPIN MEETS TOM KING 1201 - - TURPIN IN HIS CAVE 212 - - WILLIAM PARSONS 242 - - WILLIAM PAGE 252 - - MACLAINE, THE LADIES' HERO 275 - - JAMES MACLAINE 276 - - MACLAINE AND PLUNKETT ROBBING THE EARL OF EGLINTON ON - HOUNSLOW HEATH 289 - - MACLAINE IN THE DOCK 292 - - NEWGATE'S LAMENTATION; OR, THE LADIES' FAREWELL TO MACLAINE 299 - - PAUL LEWIS 316 - - - THE WESTONS ESCAPING FROM NEWGATE 337 - - "SIXTEEN-STRING JACK" AND ELLEN ROCHE IN THE DOCK 348 - - "GALLOPING DICK" 354 - - JERRY ABERSHAW ON PUTNEY HEATH 365 - - SNOOKS ADDRESSING THE CROWD AT HIS EXECUTION 381 - - HUFFUM WHITE ESCAPING FROM THE HULKS 384 - - - ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT - - Nevison's Leg-irons, in York Museum 23 - - Jonathan Wild in the Condemned Cell 136 - - Satirical Invitation-card to Execution of Jonathan Wild 139 - - Turpin's Baptismal Register, Hempstead 174 - - Bold Dick Turpin 197 - - Tom King 206 - - Dick Turpin 207 - - Tom King 209 - - Tom King 211 - - Dick Turpin 215 - - Sir Ralph Rookwood and Simon Sharpscent 219 - - Turpin's Cell in York Castle 222 - - Ralph Ostler 225 - - Turpin's Waist-girdle, Wrist-shackles, and Leg-irons 226 - - Maid of the Inn 229 - - Highwaymen carousing 229 - - Innkeeper 231 - - Turpin's Stone 237 - - Portmanteau, formerly belonging to Turpin, discovered at - Clerkenwell 240 - - William Parsons 247 - - James Maclaine 272 - - Jack Rann 345 - - Snooks's Grave 383 - - - - -[Illustration: HALF-HOURS WITH THE HIGHWAYMEN] - - -NEVISON: "SWIFT NICKS" - - -When Harrison Ainsworth wrote _Rookwood_, that fantastic romance of -highway robbery and the impossible exploits of the Rookwood family, he -did a singular injustice to a most distinguished seventeenth-century -highwayman, John Nevison by name, and transferred the glory of his -wonderful ride to York to Dick Turpin, who never owned a "Black -Bess," and who never did anything of the kind. Turpin, by virtue of -Ainsworth's glowing pages, has become a popular hero and stands full in -the limelight, while the real gallant figure is only dimly seen in the -cold shade of neglect. - -John or "William" Nevison, by some accounts, was born at Pontefract, -in 1639, of "honest and reasonably-estated parents." Sometimes we -find him styled Nevison, at other times he is "alias Clerk" in the -proclamations issued, offering rewards for his arrest. Occasionally, -in the chap-books, we find John Nevison and William Nevison treated -as two separate and distinct persons, no doubt because the recorded -adventures of this truly eminent man were so widely distributed over -the country, that it was difficult to believe them the doings of one -person. But there seems to be no reasonable doubt that one and the -same man was the hero of all these doings, as also of the famous Ride -to York. Of course it is now by far too late to snatch from Turpin the -false glory bestowed upon him. A hundred romances, a century of popular -plays, have for ever in the popular mind identified him with the Ride -to York, and with all manner of achievements and graces that were never -his. Lies are brazen and immortal; truth is modest; and the Great -Turpin Myth is too fully established to be thoroughly scotched. - -But let us to the career of Nevison, as told in the pages of what few -authorities exist. He seems to have been a precocious boy: precocious -in things evil. Indeed we must needs regard him as a _wunderkind_ -in that sort, for between the ages of thirteen and fourteen, and -when still at school, he is reported to have been the "ringleader in -rudeness and debauchery." He stole a silver spoon from his father, who -delegated the thrashing so richly deserved to the schoolmaster, who -seems to have "laid on" in the thorough manner suggested to Macduff. A -vivid picture presents itself to us, of William (or John) occupying a -sleepless night, rubbing the parts and meditating revenge. As a result -of his deliberations, he arose before peep of day and, cautiously -taking his father's keys, stole to the domestic cashbox and helped -himself to the ten pounds he found there. Then, taking a saddle and -bridle from his father's stable, he hastened to the paddock where the -schoolmaster had a horse out to graze. Saddling it, he made off for -London, which he reached in four days. He dared not sell the horse, for -by that means he might have been traced, so he killed the unfortunate -animal when within one or two miles of London. - -Buying a new suit of clothes and changing his name, he soon found -employment with a brewer. In that situation he remained nearly three -years, and then left suddenly for the Continent, incidentally with -£200 belonging to the brewer. Holland was the country he honoured -with his presence, and there he found a fellow-mind in the person -of a young Dutch woman who, robbing her father of all the money and -jewels she could lay hands upon, eloped with him. They were soon -arrested, but Nevison broke prison, and with some difficulty, made his -way into Flanders, and enlisted in the troops stationed there under -command of the Duke of York. It is not to be supposed that such a -restless temperament as his would allow him long to remain subject to -restrictions and the word of command, and accordingly he deserted, made -across to England, and, purchasing a horse and arms, and "resolving for -the Road," blossomed out as a full-blown highwayman. As his original -biographer prettily puts it, he embarked upon "a pleasant life at the -hazard of his neck, rather than toil out a long remainder of unhappy -days in want and poverty, which he was always averse to." Who, for -that matter, is not? Let us sigh for the days that were, the days that -are no more, when such adventures as the highwaymen sought were to be -found on every highway. A short life, so long as it was a merry, was -sufficient for these fine fellows, who desired nothing so little as -a gnarled and crabbed age, and nothing so much as a life filled with -excitement, wine, and the smiles of the fair. Those smiles were apt to -be purchased, and generally purchased dear, but in that respect the -highwaymen were never disposed to be critical. - -Nevison's success, immediate and complete, proclaimed his fitness for -the career himself had with due thought and deliberation chosen. At -first he kept his own counsel and haunted the roads alone. Sometimes he -went by the name of Johnson. - -At this early stage he met one evening on the high road two farmers, -who told him it was dangerous to go forward, themselves having only a -few minutes before been robbed of forty pounds by three highwaymen, -scarce more than half a mile off. - -"Turn back with me," he said, "and show me the way they went, and, my -life to a farthing if I do not make them return your money." - -They accordingly rode back with him until they had come within sight -of the three robbers, when Nevison, ordering the two farmers to stand -behind, rode up and spoke to the foremost of the three. - -"Sir," said he, "by your garb and the colour of your horse, you should -be one of those I look after, and, if so, my business is to tell you -that you borrowed of two friends of mine forty pounds, which they -desired me to demand of you, and which, before we part, you must -restore." - -Two of the men then made haste to ride off. - -"How?" quoth the remaining highwayman. "Forty pounds; d—n me, is the -fellow mad?" - -"So mad," replied Nevison, "that your life shall answer me, if you do -not give me better satisfaction." - -With that Nevison drew his pistol and suddenly clapped it to the man's -chest; at the same time seizing his horse's reins, in such a manner -that he could not draw either sword or pistols. - -"My life is at your mercy," he confessed. - -"No," said Nevison, "'tis not that I seek, but the money you have -robbed those two men of. You must refund it." - -With the best grace he could, the highwayman parted with what he had, -saying his companions had the rest. - -Nevison then, making him dismount, and taking his pistols, desired the -countrymen to secure him, while he pursued the others. In the gathering -twilight, as he galloped up, they, thinking it was their friend, drew -rein. - -"Jack," said one to him, "why did you stop to argue with that fellow?" - -"No, gentlemen," said Nevison, "you are mistaken in your man; though, -by token of his horse that I ride and his arms I carry, he hath sent me -to you, to ransom his life. The ransom, sirs, is nothing less than your -shares of the prize of the day, which if you presently surrender, you -may go about your business. If not, I must have a little dispute with -you, at sword and pistol." - -One of them then let fly at him, but his aim missing, Nevison's bullet -in reply took him in the right shoulder. He then called for quarter and -came to a parley, which ended in the two surrendering not only their -share of the two travellers' money, but a total amount of a hundred and -fifty guineas. Nevison thereupon returned to the farmers and, handing -them their money, went his way with the balance of one hundred and ten -guineas. - -This, it will at once be conceded, was by no means professional -conduct; and was indeed, we may say, a serious breach of the highway -law, by which thieves should at any rate stand by one another, shoulder -to shoulder against the world. - -Nevison, however, like a true philosopher and a false comrade, improved -any occasion to his own advantage, without scruple. You figure him -thus, rather of a saturnine humour, with an ugly grin on his face, -instead of a frank smile; but probably you would be quite wrong in so -doing. At any rate, the ladies appear to have loved him, for we learn -that, "in all his pranks, he was very favourable to the female sex, who -generally gave him the character of a civil, obliging robber." He -was also charitable to the poor, and, being a true Royalist, he never -attempted anything against those of that party. - -After many adventures, our William, or John, as the case may be, one -day secured no less a sum than £450 by a fortunate meeting on the road -with a rich grazier who had just sold, and been paid for, some cattle. -He resolved to let the road lie fallow, as it were, for a while, and to -seek, in a temporary retirement in his native place, that repose which -comes doubly welcome after a period of strenuous professional endeavour. - -He was joyfully received by his father, who still was living in the -old town of Pontefract, although some seven or eight years had passed -since his son had levanted and disappeared utterly from the parental -ken. He had long given up all hopes of seeing his boy again; and now -he was returned, a young man of twenty-one years of age, and with a -respectable sum of money; the savings of a frugal and industrious life -in London, according to his own account. - -Here is an idyllic picture: the highwayman returned home, soothing the -declining days of his father, and living as quietly and soberly as -though he had never emptied a pocket on the King's highway! - -After the death of his father, he left the quiet existence at -Pontefract, and opened the second part of his career upon the road. He -now so far departed from his former practice as to become the moving -spirit in a numerous band whose headquarters were long situated at -Newark. They particularly affected Yorkshire, and inspired the drovers -and graziers who used the Great North Road with dread. - -At times, however, he would range southward again, by himself, and -one of these expeditions resulted in the marvellous feat that made -him famous at the time, and should have kept him so for all time. His -well-earned laurels, unhappily, have been snatched by a heedless hand -from his brow, and placed on the unworthy head of Turpin. Such are the -strange vagaries of fame! - -Nevison's all-eclipsing exploit originated in a -four-o'clock-in-the-morning robbery upon Gad's Hill, near Rochester. - -For some reason, Nevison appears to have been particularly afraid of -being recognised by the traveller whom he stopped and relieved of his -purse on that May morning, and he immediately, for the establishment of -an _alibi_, conceived the idea of riding such a distance that day as to -make it appear humanly impossible he could have been near Rochester at -that hour. He proposed to ride to no less distant a place than the city -of York, two hundred and thirty miles away from that "high old robbing -hill." To the modern commentator, writing with even pulse, it would -seem that, unless that traveller's purse had been very well lined, -the proceeds of the robbery would not be nearly worth this tremendous -effort, after the taking of it. - -It would seem that in being so rash as to rob a traveller in the -dawning of that May day, he had indeed been so unfortunate as to happen -upon some one who knew him; and there was nothing else but to put as -many miles as he could between the dawn and the setting of the sun. -So behold him, mounted upon his "blood bay" mare, galloping away for -Gravesend. He crossed the Thames to Tilbury, and so went, by way of -Horndon and Billericay, to Chelmsford, where he halted an hour and -gave his gallant steed some balls. Thence through Braintree, Bocking, -Wethersfield, Fenny Stanton, Godmanchester, and Huntingdon, where he -halted another half-hour; and so, straight down the Great North Road -(but avoiding the towns) to York. Of course he must needs have had -several remounts on the way. It is unthinkable that one horse could -have performed such a journey. But Nevison was no lone unfriended -knight of the road, and, in his extensive operations, had excellent -friends in different parts of the country, who could help him on -occasion to a good horse. - -[Illustration: NEVISON'S RIDE TO YORK.] - -Arrived at York, he halted only to put up his horse, and to remove the -travel-stains and signs of haste from his person, and then made his -way to the nearest bowling-green, where it chanced that so important a -personage as the Lord Mayor was playing bowls with some friends. - -Nevison took an early opportunity of asking the time, and was told -it was just a quarter to eight. Having done this, and thus fixed the -time and the incident in the Lord Mayor's mind, he was satisfied, -and after-events proved the wisdom of his flight; for he was shortly -afterwards arrested on another charge of highway robbery, and, among -those who were present, in an effort to identify him with other -charges, was none other than the early morning traveller upon Gad's -Hill. - -The _alibi_ on that count was triumphantly established. Nevison called -his York acquaintances, and the Lord Mayor was appealed to. That -civic dignitary readily deposed to the fact that this falsely-accused -gentleman was on the York bowling-green on the evening of that day: and -in the end, Nevison was acquitted on all charges. - -But the highwaymen of that age had a good deal of the braggart in their -composition. They could not do a clever thing without taking the world -into their confidence; and so, heedless of the danger to his career, -Nevison told the story of the ride to delighted ears. Instead of being -arrested on what was practically a confession, he became the hero of -the hour. The tale even reached the ears of Charles the Second, who -had him presented, and, loving a clever rogue as he did (and possibly -with some fellow-feeling, in the recollection of how himself had been a -harassed fugitive), pardoned him, and christened him "Swift Nicks." - -Elsewhere, we read that the robbery took place at Barnet, and that -it was thence Nevison rode to York. The traveller, it seems in this -version, had set out from the "Blossoms" inn, Lawrence Lane, in the -city of London, and lost five hundred and sixty guineas on this -monumental occasion. - -According to one account, this was "in or about" May 1676; but it -is difficult to fix the dates of many of the seventeenth-century -highwaymen's doings within a few years, and this would certainly -appear to be an error, for it can be proved that he bore the nickname -"Swift Nicks" years before. For example, we find in December 1668 a -proclamation offering £20 reward for the arrest of several specified -highwaymen, including Swift Nicks; and another in the _London Gazette_ -of November 18th, 1669, in which "Swift Nix" is again mentioned. This -proclamation is in itself an interesting and valuable sidelight upon -the social conditions of that age: - - WHITEHALL, _Nov. 17th._ - - His Majesty having been informed that divers lewd and disorderly - persons have committed great and heinous Robberies, Murders, - and Burglaries, imboldened thereto either out of hope to escape - the hand of Justice, or by the carelessness and negligence in - keeping due Watches and Wards, and the pursuit of them by Hue and - cry, or the concealment of them and their Horses by Inn-keepers, - Ostlers, and others, and that some which have been indicted for - these offences, and others not indicted but guilty of the same, - continue their wicked practices in spoiling his good subjects, of - which number are said to be Lewis, alias Lodowick, alias Claude - de Val, alias Brown, Swift Nix, alias Clerk, Humble Ashenhurst, - Martin Bringhurst, John Spencer, William Stavely, William - Stanesby, Thomas Stanley, Nicholas Greenbury, William Talbot, - Richard Wild, William Connel, Nicholas James, and Herman Atkins, - are notoriously known to be such, and of one party and knot, - etc. His Majesty minding to preserve all His loving Subjects in - their Lives and Estates from all Rapine and Violence, was thus - pleased to order His Proclamation to be issued out, Commanding - all His Subjects and Officers of Justice to use their endeavours - for the apprehension of the said persons, and all others who have - been, or shall be guilty of the offences aforesaid, that they may - be proceeded against according to Law and Justice, declaring His - Will and Pleasure, - - That all Justices take Order, that due Watches and Wards be - kept by Horse and Foot for the apprehension of such offenders; - Commanding all Vintners, keepers of Common Ordinaries, Gaming - Houses, Inn-keepers, Horse-keepers, and other persons where - such persons shall be or resort, to apprehend or cause them to - be apprehended, etc., or otherwise themselves to be proceeded - against as far as by due course of Law they may, declaring that - whosoever shall before the 20th of _June_ next, apprehend or - cause to be apprehended any of the said persons above-named, and - brought into custody, and prosecute them to a Conviction, shall - have a reward of Twenty pounds for every such offender, and for - every other notorious Robber, Burglar, or Murderer, the sum of - Ten pounds within 15 days after their Conviction, to be paid by - the respective Sheriff of the County where such conviction shall - be had, upon the Certificate of the Judge, or under the hands of - two or more Justices of the Peace before whom they were convicted. - -And so forth. This official proclamation clashes discordantly with -the kindly, forgiving character of the King's interview with Nevison. -Of course, there would naturally be all the difference between a -proclamation and a private act of clemency; and not even in those days, -when a King might do strange things, was it possible, or thinkable, to -give a highwayman liberty to rob as he pleased. We may, perhaps, not -without justification, surmise that this highwayman's continued and -notorious activity wore out the easy-going monarch's patience. - -[Illustration: "SWIFT NICKS" BEFORE CHARLES THE SECOND.] - -Nevison was arrested on one occasion and lodged in Wakefield prison, -but he broke out, and was again holding up the lieges. At another time -he was released on giving a promise that he would volunteer to serve in -our newly acquired colony, Tangier; but he promptly deserted. Once he -was thrown into Leicester gaol, heavily ironed, and strictly guarded; -so well-advised were the authorities of his slippery character. Among -those who visited him in his cell was a friend in the disguise of a -doctor. This person, affecting to be struck with horror at the sight -of him, declared he was infected with the plague; and added that, so -far as the prisoner himself was concerned, he might die and be d——d -for a rogue, and welcome; but a more serious thing was that, unless he -were removed to a larger room, not only would he die, but he would also -spread the infection over the entire prison. - -Nevison was very speedily removed to another room, and the gaoler, -implored by his wife, went no further than the door. The physician, -meanwhile, came twice or thrice a day to see the patient, and at last -declared his case to be hopeless. The highwayman's body was then -artfully painted over with blue spots, and he was given a powerful -sleeping draught. The physician was shocked, the next time he called, -to find him dead. An inquest was hurriedly held: the jury keeping a -considerable distance away, with vinegar-saturated handkerchiefs to -noses. "Dead of the plague," they declared; and hurried home to make -their wills. - -The friends of the dead highwayman proved to the local world the -strength and fearlessness of their friendship by claiming the body, and -were allowed to coffin it and remove it. The coffin was duly interred, -but not Nevison, for he stepped out at the first opportunity, and that -very night, in the character of his own ghost, was robbing wayfarers, -doubly terrified at this "supernatural" reappearance. - -It was not long before the whole story leaked out. Then ensued perhaps -the busiest period of his career. The drovers and farmers of Yorkshire -were put under regular contribution by him and his gang: the carriers -paid a recognised toll, in the form of a quarterly allowance, which at -one and the same time cleared the road for them, and offered protection -against any other highway marauders. Indeed, Nevison was in this -respect almost a counterpart of those old German barons of the Rhine -who levied dues on travellers, or in default hanged or imprisoned them. -The parallel goes no greater distance than that, for those picturesque -nobles were anything but the idols of the people; while Nevison was -sufficiently popular to have become the hero of a rural ballad, still -occasionally to be heard in the neighbourhood of his haunts at -Knaresborough, Ferrybridge, York, or Newark. Here are two verses of -it, not perhaps distinguished by wealth of fancy or resourcefulness of -rhyme: - - Did you ever hear tell of that hero, - Bold Nevison, that was his name? - He rode about like a bold hero, - And with that he gained great fame. - - He maintained himself like a gentleman, - Besides, he was good to the poor; - He rode about like a great hero, - And he gained himself favour therefor. - -A curious pamphlet survives, entitled _Bloody News from Yorkshire_, -dated 1674, and telling how Nevison and twenty of his men attacked -fifteen butchers, who were riding to Northallerton Fair, and engaged in -a furious battle with them. - -As an interlude to these more serious affairs, there is the story of -how Nevison alone, going on a southerly expedition, met a company of -canting beggars, mumpers, and idle vagrants, and proposed to join their -"merry" life. Their leader welcomed his proposal, and indicated their -course of life. "Do we not come into the world arrant beggars, without -a rag upon us? And do we not all go out of the world like beggars, -saving only an old sheet over us? Very well, then: shall we be ashamed -to walk up and down the world like beggars, with old blankets pinned -about us? No, no: that would be a shame to us indeed. Have we not -the whole kingdom to walk in, at our pleasure? Are we afraid of the -approach of quarter-day? Do we walk in fear of sheriffs, sergeants, and -catchpoles? Who ever knew an arrant beggar arrested for debt? Is not -our meat dressed in every man's kitchen? Does not every man's cellar -afford us beer? And the best men's purses keep a penny for us to spend." - -As a preliminary to electing him of their band, they asked him if he -had any _loure_ in his _bung_. Seeing his ignorance of their cant -phrases, they said the question was, "Had he any money in his purse?" - -"Eighteenpence," said he, "and you're welcome to it." - -This modest sum was, by unanimous vote, allocated for the purpose of a -general booze, in celebration of his admission. The ceremony, the "gage -of booze," as the historian of these things terms it, consisted in -pouring a quart of beer over the head of the initiate, and the captain -saying, "I do, by virtue of this sovereign liquor, install thee in the -Roage, and make thee a free denizen of our ragged regiment, so that -henceforth it shall be lawful for thee to cant, and to carry a doxy, or -mort, along with thee, only observing these rules: first, that thou art -not to wander up and down all countries, but to keep to that quarter -which is allotted to thee; and, secondly, thou art to give way to any -of us that have borne all the offices of the wallet before; and, upon -holding up a finger, to avoid any town or country village where thou -seest we are foraging for victuals for our army that march along with -us. Observing these two rules, we take thee into our protection, and -adopt thee a brother of our numerous society." - -Having ended his oration, the captain bade Nevison rise, when he was -congratulated by all the company hanging about him, like so many dogs -about a bear, and making a hideous noise. The chief, silencing them, -continued: "Now that thou art entered into our fraternity, thou must -not scruple to act any villainies, whether it be to cut a purse, steal -a cloak-bag or portmanteau, convey all manner of things, whether a -chicken, sucking-pig, duck, goose, hen, or steal a shirt from the -hedge; for he that will be a _quier cove_ (a professed rogue) must -observe these rules. And because thou art but a novice in begging, -and understandest not the mysteries of the canting language, thou -shalt have a doxy to be thy companion, by whom thou mayest receive -instructions." - -Thereupon, he singled out a girl of about fourteen years of age, which -tickled his fancy very much; but he must presently be married to her, -after the fashion of their _patrico_, the priest of the beggars. The -ceremony consisted of taking a hen, and having cut off the head, laying -the dead body on the ground; placing him on one side and his doxy on -the other. This being done, the "priest," standing by, with a loud -voice bade them live together till death did them part. Then, shaking -hands and kissing each other, the ceremony of the wedding was over, and -the whole group appeared intoxicated with joy. They could hardly, at -any rate, be intoxicated with booze, if eighteenpence had been all they -had to spend on liquor, and a quart of that wasted. - -Night approaching, they all resorted to a neighbouring barn, where they -slept: Nevison slipping out secretly before morning, and continuing his -journey. - -Butchers and Nevison were antipathetic, and he and his gang had levied -much tribute in Yorkshire upon their kind. In 1684, two butchers, -brothers, Fletcher by name, tried to capture him near Howley Hall, -Morley. - -He shot one dead, and escaped. The spot is still marked by a stone near -Howley Farm. Not long after this he was arrested at the "Three Houses" -inn, at Sandal, near Wakefield. - -He was at the time, and for long after, a popular hero. The butchers, -the graziers, the farmers, the carriers might owe him a grudge, but the -peasantry dwelt upon his real or his fancied generosity to the poor, -and ballads about him always commanded a ready sale. According to a -very popular example, entitled _Nevison's Garland_, he pleaded "Not -Guilty": - - And when then he came to the Bench, - "Guilty or not Guilty," they to him did cry, - "Not Guilty," then Nevison said, - "I'm clear e'er since the same Day, - That the King did my Pardon Grant, - I ne'er did rob anyone, nor kill - But that Fletcher in all my life, - 'Twas in my Defence, I say still." - -To commit murder in endeavouring to escape arrest was ever regarded by -the highwaymen as a venial sin: a view not shared by the law, and he -was found guilty, sentenced to death, and hanged within a week from -his trial. He suffered at Knavesmire, York, May 4th, 1685, in the -forty-fifth year of his age. - -[Illustration: NEVISON'S LEG-IRONS, IN YORK MUSEUM.] - -"He was something stupid at the gallows," says the old chronicler -("probably drunk," adds a later commentator), "yet he confess'd -everything." - -The older Nevison ballads, which had some little literary merit, as -well as quaintness, to recommend them, have given place to vilely -re-written verses that have not the merit of truth or of rhyme. This is -how a typical example goes: - - Oh! the Twenty-first day of last month, - Proved an unfortunate day; - Captain Milton was riding to London, - And by mischance he rode out of his way. - - He call'd at a house by the roadside, - It was the sign of the Magpie, - Where Nevison had been drinking, - And the captain soon did he espy. - - Then a constable very soon was sent for, - And a constable very soon came; - With three or four more in attendance, - With pistols charged in the King's name. - - They demanded the name of this hero, - "My name it is Johnson," said he, - When the captain laid hold of his shoulder, - Saying "Nevison, thou goeth with me." - - Oh! then in this very same speech, - They hastened him fast away, - To a place called Swinnington Bridge, - A place where he used for to stay. - - They call'd for a quart of good liquor, - It was the sign of the Black Horse, - Where there was all sorts of attendance, - But for Nevison it was the worst. - - He called for a pen, ink, and paper, - And these were the words that he said, - "I will write for some boots, shoes, and stockings, - For of them I have very great need." - - 'Tis now before my lord judge, - Oh! guilty or not do you plead; - He smiled into the judge and jury, - And these were the words that he said: - - "I've now robbed a gentleman of two pence, - I've neither done murder nor kill'd, - But guilty I've been all my life time, - So, gentlemen, do as you will. - - "It's when that I rode on the highway, - I've always had money in great store; - And whatever I took from the rich - I freely gave it to the poor. - - "But my peace I have made with my Maker, - And with you I'm quite ready to go; - So here's adieu! to this world and its vanities, - For I'm ready to suffer the law." - - - - -JOHN COTTINGTON, _alias_ "MULLED SACK" - - -John Cottington, commonly known as "Mulled Sack," was the son of a -drunken haberdasher in Cheapside, who wasted his substance to such an -extent in drinking with fellow-tradesmen of like tastes, that he died -in poverty and was buried by the parish. He seems to have been in every -way an improvident person, for it is recorded that he left fifteen -daughters and four sons. John, our present hero, was the youngest of -these. At eight years of age he was bound apprentice by the overseers -of the poor of the parish of St. Mary-le-Bow to a chimney-sweep, and -served his master in the chimney-sweeping for five years. He then ran -away, for he was by this time thirteen years of age, and considered -himself grown up, and as fully informed in the art and mystery of -chimney-sweeping as his instructor. - -He soon acquired the nickname by which he is best known, from his -fondness for mulled sack, morning, noon, and night. His earlier -activities were exercised in that inferior branch of robbery known -as pocket-picking, which does not, however, demand less skill and -nerve (perhaps, indeed, it requires more) than was necessary in the -nobler art of collecting upon the roads. He was one of the most expert -cly-fakers and bung-snatchers in London, frequenting Cheapside and -Ludgate Hill by preference; and is said to have been so successful that -he stole "almost enough to have built St. Paul's Cathedral." This is, -of course, an amiable, but extravagant exaggeration; but the exploits -of all heroes, in all ages, have been similarly magnified, and why not -those of "Mulled Sack"? - -Among the most robust and uncompromising of the Royalists, he remained -in England to war with the usurpers in his own way, while the Cavaliers -had fled across the Channel. His warfare was happy, inasmuch as it -emptied the pockets of the Commonwealth leaders, while it filled those -of himself and his confederates. If he could not meet the enemies of -the monarchy on the field, he could, and did, slip a sly hand into -their pockets, and lighten them by many a gold watch and a guinea. -One of his greatest achievements was the robbing of Lady Fairfax as -she—wife of the famous general—was stepping from her carriage into the -church of St. Martin, Ludgate, come to hear a famous preacher of that -age. - -"Mulled Sack" was that day dressed as a gentleman. He did not -often affect the part, being a homespun fellow, and subdued from -essaying fine flights by those easy experiences of swarming up the -chimney-flues. But on this day he was unrecognisable for himself, in -quiet, but rich dress. His associates were working with him, and had -removed the pin out of the axle of her ladyship's coach, so that the -heavy vehicle fell as it neared the church door. "Mulled Sack" pressed -forward politely, to help her alight, and at the moment of her setting -foot to pavement cut her watch-chain with a sharp pair of scissors, -and gently removing the watch itself—a handsome gold one, set with -diamonds—escorted her to the church door, raised his hat as gracefully -as he could, and then disappeared in the crowd. - -It was not until, wearied with an inordinately long sermon, she sought -to discover the time, that she missed the watch. - -"Mulled Sack" was less fortunate in an attempt he made to pick the -august pocket of the Lord Protector, His Highness, Oliver, by the -Grace of God—Oliver Cromwell, none other—as he was leaving the House -of Parliament. He was caught in the attempt, and came near to being -hanged for it. This put him so sadly out of conceit with the art to -which he had given his best time, that he determined to forsake it for -the sister craft of highway robbery, where a man was under no craven -necessity to sneak, and crawl, and cringe, but boldly confronted -his quarry, and with an oath, or with a jest—entirely according to -temperament—rode up and demanded or "requested," or even, as was the -fashion among the most flamboyantly politeful, "begged the favour of," -the traveller's purse. - -He at first worked the roads in company with one Tom Cheney, with -whom, robbing upon Hounslow Heath, he encountered Colonel Hewson, a -warrior of those times who had by his military genius raised himself -from the humble station of a cobbler. The Colonel was upon the Heath -with his regiment, riding some considerable distance away, but still -within sight of his men, when the two highwaymen robbed him. A troop -instantly gave chase; Cheney desperately defended himself, against -eighteen, and was then overpowered and captured, but "Mulled Sack," -flying like the wind upon his trusty horse, escaped. Cheney was -severely wounded in the affray, and begged that his trial might be -postponed on that account, but, as it was feared he might die of his -wounds, and so escape hanging after all, he was hurriedly—and no doubt -also illegally—condemned on the spot, and hanged there that same -evening. - -A certain Captain Horne was the next partner "Mulled Sack" took, and -he too was similarly unfortunate in a like affair with that already -described. An early and ignominious fate seemed to be the inevitable -lot of those who worked with our heroic pickpocket turned highwayman, -and either because the survivors grew shy of him in consequence, or -because he thought it best to play a lone hand, he ever afterwards -pursued a solitary career. - -It was a successful career, so long as it was continued, and affords -an example to the young of the substantial advantages to be derived -from an industrious disposition, enthusiasm in the profession of one's -adoption, and that thoroughness in leaving no stone unturned which -should bring even only a moderately-equipped young man to the front -rank of his profession. "Mulled Sack" left no unturned stone, no pocket -(that was likely to contain anything worth having) unpicked, and no -promising wayfarer unchallenged within the marches of the districts he -affected. And what was the result of this early and late application -to to business? Why, nothing less than the proud admission made by -his admiring biographer, that "he constantly wore a watchmaker's and -jeweller's shop in his pocket, and could at any time command a thousand -pounds." How few are those who, in our own slack times, could say as -much! - -He wore the watches and jewellery he had taken on his rides just as old -soldiers display the medals won in their arduous campaigns, and they -implied not only the energy of the business man, but the pluck of the -soldier on the battlefield. As the soldier fights for his medals, so -"Mulled Sack" warred for his—or, rather, other people's—watches. - -His greatest deed as a highwayman is that told by Johnson, of his -waylaying the Army pay-waggon on Shotover Hill. Fully advised of the -approach of this treasure-laden wain, he lurked on the scrubby side -of that ill-omened hill over-looking Oxford—it was ever a place for -robbers—and, just as the waggon started to toil painfully up, rose -from his ambuscade with pistols presented to the head of the waggoner -and to those of the three soldiers acting as escort. - -[Illustration: "MULLED SACK" ROBS THE ARMY PAY-WAGGON.] - -It seems that there were also two or three passengers in the waggon, -but "Mulled Sack" was as generous as the liquor whence he obtained his -name, for he "told them he had no design upon them." - -"'This,' says he, 'that I have taken, is as much mine as theirs who own -it, being all extorted from the Publick by the rapacious Members of our -Commonwealth to enrich themselves, maintain their Janizaries, and keep -honest people in subjection.'" - -The escort, never for a moment thinking it possible that one highwayman -would have the daring to act thus, and dreading the onset of others, -bolted like rabbits. - -The Republican treasure thus secured by the enterprising "Mulled Sack" -totalled £4000, and by so much the expectant garrison of Gloucester, -for whom it was intended, for a while went short. Cottington was at -this time but twenty years of age. Youth will be served! - -It is sad to record a vulgar declension in the practice of "Mulled -Sack." He stooped to shed blood, and murdered, as well as robbed -a gentleman. With the guilt of Cain heavy on him, he fled to the -Continent, and, by some specious pretence gaining access to the Court -held by the fugitive Charles the Second, stole a quantity of valuable -plate. Returning to England, a little later, he fell into the hands of -the sheriff's officers who were keenly awaiting his reappearance, and -he was executed at Smithfield Rounds in 1656, for the crime of murder, -aged forty-five. - -[Illustration: [++] MAN BEING HANGED.] - - - - -THOMAS RUMBOLD - - -Thomas Rumbold, born about 1643, at Ipswich, was the son of the usual -"poor but honest" parents, and was early apprenticed to a bricklayer -in that town. But highly coloured stories of the wonders of London -fired his imagination and set him to run away from home before little -more than a quarter of his time had been served. He entered upon -another kind of apprenticeship in London: nothing less than a voluntary -pupilage with a thieves' fraternity; but very shortly left that also -and set up for himself as a highwayman. He would seem to have had a -career of about twenty-six years in this craft, before the gallows -claimed him; so it is quite evident he had found his true vocation. -A complete account of his transactions would doubtless make a goodly -volume, but they are not recorded at proper length. The earlier years -of his highway career seem to be completely lost, and the painstaking -Smith, instead of showing us how he advanced from small and timid -successes to larger and bolder issues, is obliged to plunge into the -midst of his life and begin with an adventure which, if it is not -indeed entirely apocryphal, can only have been the extravagant and -stupid whim of a very impudent and ingenious fellow, long used to -wayside escapades. - -Rumbold travelled, says Smith, from London towards Canterbury, along -the Dover Road, with the intention of waylaying no less a personage -than Dr. Sancroft, the Archbishop, who was coming to London, as Rumbold -had been advised, in his travelling chariot. Between Rochester and -Sittingbourne he espied the carriage and its attendant servants in the -distance, and, tying his horse to a tree, and spreading a tablecloth on -the grass of a field open to the road, he sat himself down and began -playing hazard with dice-box and dice, all by himself, for some heaps -of gold and silver he placed conspicuously on the cloth. Presently the -Archbishop's carriage creaked and rumbled ponderously by, in the manner -of the clumsy vehicles of that time; and His Grace, curiously observing -a man acting so strangely as to play hazard by himself, sent a servant -to see what could be the meaning of it. - -The servant, coming near, could hear Rumbold swearing at every cast of -the dice, about his losses, and asked him what was the meaning of it. -To this Rumbold made no reply, and the servant returned to the Right -Reverend and informed him the man must surely be out of his wits. - -Then the Archbishop himself alighted, and, looking curiously around, -and seeing none but Rumbold, asked him whom he played with. - -"D——n it, sir!" exclaimed the player, "there's five hundred pounds -gone." Then, as His Grace was about to speak again, casting the dice -once more, "There goes a hundred more." - -"Pr'ythee," exclaimed the Archbishop, "do tell me whom you play with?" - -"With the devil," replied Rumbold. - -"And how will you send the money to him?" - -"By his ambassadors, and considering your Grace as one of them -extraordinary, I shall beg the favour of you to carry it to him." He -rose, and walking to the carriage, placed six hundred guineas in it, -mounted his horse, and rode off along the way he knew the Archbishop -had to travel; and, both he and His Grace having refreshed at -Sittingbourne, in different houses of entertainment, Rumbold afterwards -took the road to London a little in advance of the carriage. - -Halting at a convenient place, and placing himself on the grass, in the -same manner as before, he again awaited the carriage, this time with -but little money spread on the cloth. - -The Archbishop again observed him, and this time really believing him -to be a mad gamester, was about to make some remark, when Rumbold -suddenly cried out joyfully, throwing the dice, "Six hundred pounds!" - -"What!" exclaimed the Archbishop, "losing again?" - -"No, by G—d!" returned Rumbold, "won six hundred pounds this time. I'll -play this hand out, and then leave off, while I'm well." - -"And whom have you won of?" - -"Of the same person that I left the six hundred pounds for with you, -before dinner." - -"And how will you get your winnings, my friend?" - -"Of his ambassador, to be sure," said Rumbold, drawing his sword. -Thereupon, he advanced to the carriage with pistols and drawn sword, -and, searching under the carriage-seat, found his own six hundred -guineas, and fourteen hundred besides; with which forty pounds weight -avoirdupois of bullion, we are gravely told, he got clear off. - -The incident is, without a doubt, one of Smith's own inventions—and not -one of the best. It serves to show us how entirely lacking in criticism -he thought his public, to set before them, without any criticism of his -own, such a tale, in which a highwayman who certainly could in real -life have been no fool, to have held his own so long on the road, is -made to act like an idiot without any advantage likely to be gained by -so doing. We see him, in this preposterous story, taking the trouble -to carry six hundred guineas with him and playing the fool needlessly, -when he might just as well have gone with empty pockets and searched -and robbed the carriage with equal success. - -More easily to be credited is his robbing of the Earl of Oxford at -Maidenhead Thicket. Rumbold was no exquisite, having, as we have -already learnt, been merely a bricklayer's apprentice before he assumed -the crape mask, and, mounting a horse and sticking a pair of pistols -in his belt, took to the road. He often assumed the appearance of a -rough country farmer; but he was, at the same time, always a man of -expedient. To say of him that he had ostlers and chambermaids in his -pay, to give him information of likely travellers, is but to repeat the -practice of every eminent hand in the high-toby craft. On the occasion -which led to his great exploit here, he had been lurking for some -well-laden travellers, who, luckily for them, took some other route, -and he was just on the point of riding moodily off when two horsemen -rode up the hill. As they drew near he perceived that they were the -Earl of Oxford and a servant. That nobleman knew Rumbold (how the -acquaintance had been made we are not told), and so it was necessary -for the highwayman to assume some sort of disguise. Here we perceive -Rumbold's readiness of resource. He threw his long hair over his face, -and, holding it in his teeth, rode up in this extraordinary guise and -demanded the Earl's purse, with threats to shoot both if it was not -immediately forth-coming. - -That nobleman was Aubrey De Vere, twentieth and last Earl, the -descendant of the old "fighting Veres" and colonel of the Oxford -Blues, a regiment named after him, and not after the city of Oxford. -Despite all these things, which might have made for valiance, he -surrendered like the veriest woman, and submitted to the indignity of -being searched. Rumbold rifled him, and at first found only dice and -cards, until, coming to his breeches pockets, he turned out a "nest -of goldfinches"; that is to say, a heap of guineas. Saying he would -take them home and cage them, Rumbold recommended the Earl to return -to his regiment and attend to his duty, giving him eighteenpence as an -encouragement. - -From these examples, it will readily be seen that Maidenhead Thicket -did not obtain its ill repute without due cause. - -A number of incredible stories of Rumbold are told, both by Smith and -Johnson, who seem to have made up for the little real information -we have of his more than twenty years' career by writing absolutely -unconvincing fiction around him. He was at last executed at Tyburn in -1689. - - - - -"CAPTAIN" JAMES WHITNEY - - -There is much uncertainty about the parentage and the career of James -Whitney. The small quarto tract entitled _The Jacobite Robber_, which -professes to give a life of Whitney by one who was acquainted with him, -says he was born "in Hertfordshire, of mean, contemptible parentage, -about two years after the Restauration of King Charles." Smith -particularises Stevenage as the place in Hertfordshire, and Johnson, -who copies almost everything in Smith, also adopts Stevenage. Waylen, -on the other hand, who wrote a singularly good and well-informed book -on the highwaymen of Wiltshire, believed Whitney to have been a son -of the Reverend James Whitney, of Donhead St. Andrews, and says the -highwayman practised largely on Salisbury Plain. - -The majority, believing in the Hertfordshire origin of Whitney, fortify -their statements by very full and particular accounts of how he was -apprenticed to a butcher at Hitchin. We have here an interpolated story -of how he and his master went to Romford to purchase calves (Essex -calves were so famous that a native of Essex nowadays is still an -"Essex calf"). The owner of one particularly fine calf they greatly -desired to purchase required too much for it. He happened to be also -the keeper of an alehouse, as well as a stock-raiser. While the butcher -and Whitney were refreshing themselves in the house and the butcher -was grumbling because he could not buy the calf at what he considered -a fair price, Whitney thought of an easier way, and whispered to his -master that it would be foolish to give good money for the calf when it -could be had for nothing. The butcher and Whitney thereupon exchanged -knowing winks, and agreed to steal the calf that very night. - -Unhappily for them, a man with a performing bear had in the meanwhile -arrived, and the landlord, removing the calf from the stable where it -had been placed, installed the bear in its place. - -At last, night having fallen, master-butcher and apprentice paid their -reckoning and prepared to go. Leaving the house, they loitered about -until all was quiet, and then, the two approaching the outhouse where -the calf had been, Whitney went in to fetch it. The bear was resting -its wearied limbs when Whitney's touch roused it. He was astonished -in the dark to feel the calf's hair was so long, and was still more -astonished when he felt the animal rear itself up on its hind legs and -put its arms lovingly round him. Meanwhile the butcher, wondering what -could keep Whitney so long, began softly through the doorway to bid him -be quick. - -[Illustration: WHITNEY HUGGED BY THE BEAR.] - -Whitney cried out that he could not get away, and he believed the -devil himself had hold of him. - -"If it _is_ the old boy," rejoined his master, with a chuckle, "bring -him out. I should like to see what kind of an animal he is." - -But Whitney's evident terror and distress soon brought him to the -rescue, and the bear was made to release her prey. - -Before Whitney had served his full time with the butcher, his master -cashiered him for idleness. After some little intervening time he -became landlord of a small inn at Cheshunt. He was ever, says the -author of _The Jacobite Robber_, a passionate admirer of good eating -and drinking, especially at other people's expense. The inn, says our -author, was the "Bell" or the "White Bear," he would not be sure which. -If the "Bell," it was a sign he should presently make a noise over -all England; if the "White Bear," a token that the landlord was of as -savage a nature as any wild beast. - -As a matter of fact, it appears to have been the "George"; but what -significance may be extracted from that I do not know. - -The inn did not pay its way on legitimate trading, and the people of -Cheshunt wondered how Whitney could keep the pot boiling. Yet they -need not have wondered, while they could see and hear, three or four -times a week, a knot of roaring gentlemen, who sang, drank, swore, and -revelled, the landlord himself joining in, until it seemed as if the -place were thronged with old Lucifer and his club-footed emissaries. -These guests were, in fact, highwaymen, as any one might have -perceived, from their extravagant living and the unseasonable hours -they kept. - -At first Whitney had no hand in his customers' doings. As the quaint -author of the tract already referred to says: - -"It seems the conscientious Mr. Whitney, for all he was a well-wisher -to the mathematicks and a friend to the tribe, did not at first care -to expose his own dear person on the road; not that any one can justly -tax him at the same time with cowardice, or want of valour (for had -he been as plentifully stock'd with grace as he was with valour, he -had never taken that employment upon him); but he prudently considered -with himself that at present he ran no Risque of hanging for harbouring -such people, and besides made a comfortable penny of them: Whereas, -should he trade for himself, and scour the Highways to the Tune of -_Dammee, Stand and Deliver_, he must certainly at one time or another -make a Pilgrimage to _Tybourn_, and swinging in a Rope he had a Mortal -Aversion to, because his Prophetical Grand-Mother had formerly told him -it was a dry sort of a death. - -"But at last an Old Experienced Brother of the Pad won him over to his -Party, for, finding our Inn-keeper to be notably stored with all those -ingredients and qualifications that are requisite to fit a Man for -such a Vocation, he was resolved to leave no method unattempted till -he had made an absolute conquest of him. In order to effect this, he -represents to him the meanness and servile condition of his present -calling, how he was obliged to stand cap in hand to every pitiful -Rascal that came to spend Six-pence in his house; that with all his -care and diligence he only got a little poor contemptible Pittance, -scarce sufficient to pay his Brewer and Baker, but on the other hand, -if he would be adopted into their society, he would find Money come -flowing in like a Spring Tide upon him; he would live delicately, eat -and drink of the Best, and in short, get more in an hour than now he -did by Nicking, and Frothing and wrong Reckonings for a whole Twelve -Month together. That, as for the Gallows, a Man of Courage and Bravery -ought never to be afraid of it, and, should the worst come to the -worst, better Gentleman by far than himself had made a Journey to the -other World in their Shoes and Stockings." - -Thus admonished, Whitney stripped off the inn-keeper's apron, sold off -his inn, and took to the road, where he distinguished himself among -the foremost highway gentry of his time. As his biographer is fain to -acknowledge, he proved to have "inherited all the Courage, Boldness, -and Dexterity of the famous Claude Du Vall and the Golden Farmer, and -the rest of his other noble Predecessors of the Pad." - -This admiring authority then proceeds to give us an account of -Whitney's first action, and tells how "he encountered a Jolly Red-fac'd -Son of the Church bravely Mounted, with a large Canonical Rose in his -Ecclesiastical Hat and his Gown fluttering in the Wind. He looked as -if he had been hung round with Bladders. Him, within two miles of St. -Albans, he accosts after this manner, 'Reverend Sir, the Gentlemen of -your Coat having, in all conscience, enough preached up the edifying -Doctrine of Passive Obedience and Non-Resistance, and now I am fully -resolved to try the experiment, whether you Believe your own Doctrine, -and whether you are able to Practise it. Therefore, worthy sir, in the -name of the above-mentioned Passive Obedience and Non-Resistance, make -no opposition, I beseech you, but deliver up the filthy Lucre you carry -about you.' - -"Now you must know that this rosy-gilled Levite had the wicked sum of -six-score and ten guineas clos'd up in the waistband of his breeches, -designed as a present to a worthy gentleman that lately helped him -to a fat living (for you must not call it Symony for all the world, -but christen it by the name of Gratitude, and so forth) but Captain -Whitney, who, it seems, did not understand any of these softening -distinctions, soon eased him of his Mammon, but not without a great -deal of expostulation on the Levite's part, and, what was more -barbarous, stript him of his spick-and-span new sacerdotal habit, sent -his Horse home before him, to prepare his family, and having bound him -to his good behaviour, left him all alone to his contemplations in an -adjoining wood." - -He then met a poor clergyman in threadbare gown, riding a sorry -Rosinante, whose poor ribs in a starved body looked like the bars of a -bird-cage. What would the typical outlaw, from the days of Robin Hood, -onwards, have done in such a rencounter? Why, he would have given the -poor divine the new robe and some money; and this Whitney did; handing -him four or five bags of the best, saying: "Here is that will buy you -a dozen or so of clean bands!" "Thus," says the biographer, "our brave -Captain dispensed charities with one hand and plundered with the other." - -One day, patrolling Bagshot Heath, he met a gentleman, and desired his -purse and watch. - -"Sir," said the gentleman, "'tis well you spoke first, for I was just -going to say the same thing to you." - -"Why then," quoth Whitney, "are you a gentleman-thief?" - -"Yes," replied the stranger, "but I have had very bad success to-day, -for I have been riding up and down all this morning, without meeting -with any prize." - -Whitney, upon hearing this doleful tale, wished him better luck, and -took his leave. - -That night, Whitney and this strange traveller chanced to stay at -the same inn, but Whitney had so changed his dress in the meanwhile, -and altered his manner, that he was not recognised. He heard his -acquaintance of that morning telling another guest how smartly he had -outwitted a highwayman that day, and had saved a hundred pounds by his -ready wit; and this revelation of how easily he had been hoodwinked -made him determined, if it were at all possible, to take his revenge on -the morrow. Meanwhile, he listened to the conversation. - -The guest, who had been told of the adventure, replied that he also -had a considerable sum upon him, and that he would like, if it were -agreeable, to travel next day in company with so ready-witted a -traveller. - -Accordingly, the next morning they set forth together, and Whitney -followed, a quarter of an hour later. He soon overtook them, and then, -wheeling suddenly about, demanded their purses. - -"We were going to say the same to you, sir," replied the ready-witted -one. - -"Were you so?" asked our hero; "and are you of my profession, then?" - -"Yes," they both chorused. - -"If you are," said Whitney, "I suppose you remember the old proverb, -'Two of a trade can never agree'; so you must not expect any favour on -that score. But to be plain, gentlemen, the trick will do no longer: I -know you very well, and must have your hundred pounds, sir; and your -'considerable sum,' sir," turning to the other; "let it be what it -will, or I shall make bold to send a brace of bullets through each of -your heads. You, Mr. Highwayman, should have kept your secret a little -longer, and not have boasted so soon of having outwitted a thief. -There is now nothing for you to do but to deliver or die!" - -These terrible words threw them into a sad state of consternation. They -were unwilling enough to lose their money, but even more unwilling to -forfeit their lives; therefore, of two evils they promptly chose the -least, and resigned their wealth. - -Whitney then met on Hounslow Heath, one Mr. Hull, a notorious usurer, -who lived in the Strand. He could hardly have chosen a wretch more in -love with money, and therefore less willing to part with it. When the -dreadful words, "Stand and deliver!" were spoken, he trembled like a -paralytic and began arguing that he was a very poor man, had a large -family of children, and would be utterly ruined if the highwayman were -so hard-hearted as to take his money. Besides, it was a most illegal, -also dangerous, action, to steal; to say nothing of the moral obliquity -of those who did so. - -"You dog in a doublet," exclaimed the now angered Whitney, "do you -pretend to preach morality to an honester man than yourself. You make -a prey of all mankind, and grind to death with eight and ten per cent. -This once, however, sir, I shall oblige you to lend me what you have, -without bond, consequently without interest: so make no more words." - -The usurer thereupon reluctantly produced eighteen guineas, and handed -them over with an ill grace, scowling darkly at the highwayman, and -telling him he hoped one day to have the pleasure of seeing him riding -up Holborn Hill, backwards. - -It was a foolish thing to remind a gentleman of the road that he would -probably some day be an occupant of the cart, travelling to Tyburn. -Whitney had already turned to go when these words fell upon his ear; -but he now turned back, thoroughly enraged. - -"Now, you old rogue," said he, "let me see what a figure a man makes -when he rides backwards, and let me have the pleasure, at least, of -beholding you first in that posture." - -With that, he pulled Hull off his horse, and then setting him on the -animal's back again, face to tail, tied his legs together, and then -gave the horse two or three cuts, so that it cantered smartly away and -never stopped until Hounslow was reached; where the people, who knew -the money-lender well and liked him little, had a hearty laugh at his -expense before they untied him. - -Whitney always affected to appear generous and noble. Meeting one day -with a gentleman named Long, on Newmarket Heath, and having robbed -him of a hundred pounds in silver, which he found in the traveller's -portmanteau, tied up in a great bag, the gentleman told him he had a -great way yet to go, and, as he was unknown upon the road, was likely -to suffer great inconvenience and hardship, if he had not at least some -small sum. Would he not give him back a trifle, to meet his travelling -expenses? - -[Illustration: WHITNEY AND THE USURER.] - -Whitney opened the bag of silver, and held it out at arm's length -towards him, saying: "Here, take what you have occasion for." - -Mr. Long then put in his hand, and took out a handful, as much as he -could hold; to which Whitney made no sort of objection, but only said, -with a laugh: "I thought you would have had more conscience." - -Smith tells a long story of how Whitney and his band one day met a -well-known preacher, a Mr. Wawen, lecturer at Greenwich Church, and, -easing him of his purse, made him preach a sermon on the subject of -thieving. A very similar story is told of Sir Gosselin (?Joscelin) -Denville and his outlaws, who in the reign of Edward the Second did -surprising things all over England, not least among them the waylaying -and robbing of a Dominican monk, Bernard Sympson by name, in a wood -between Henley-on-Thames and Marlow, and afterwards compelling him -to preach a sermon to like effect. Captain Dudley is said to have -done the same; and indeed, whether it were the slitting of a weasand -("_couper gorge, par ma foy_," as Pistol might say), the taking of -a purse, or the kissing a pretty woman, the highwaymen of old were -all-round experts. But that they should have so insatiable a taste for -"firstly, secondly, and thirdly, and then finally, dear brethren," I -will not believe. Some ancient traditional highway robber once did so -much, no doubt, and the freak has been duly fathered on others of later -generations: just as the antique jests at the expense of College dons -at Oxford and Cambridge are furbished up anew to fit the present age. - -The Reverend Mr. Wawen responded as well as he could manage to -Whitney's invitation, and, whether it be genuine or a sheer invention -of Alexander Smith's, it is certainly ingenious, and much better -reading than that said to have been preached by the Dominican monk, -some three hundred and fifty years earlier. - -"Gentlemen," began the lecturer from Greenwich church, "my text is -THEFT; which, not to be divided into sentences or syllables, being but -one word, which itself is only a monosyllable, necessity therefore -obliges me to divide it into letters, which I find to be these five, T. -H. E. F. T., Theft. Now T, my beloved, is Theological; H is Historical; -E is Exegetical; F is Figurative; and T is Tropological. - -"Now the theological part of my text is in two portions, firstly, in -this world, and secondly, in the world to come. In this world, the -effects it works are T, tribulation; H, hatred; E, envy; F, fear; and -T, torment. For what greater tribulation can befall a man than to be -debarred from sweet liberty, by a close confinement in a nasty prison, -which must needs be a perfect representation of the Iron Age, since -nothing is heard there but the jingling of shackles, bolts, grates, and -keys; these last, my beloved, as large as that put up for a weathercock -on St. Peter's steeple in Cornhill. - -"However, I must own that you highwaymen may be a sort of Christians -whilst under this tribulation, because ye are a kind of martyrs, -and suffer really for the truth. Again, ye have the hatred of all -honest people, as well as the envy of gaolers if you go under their -jurisdiction without money in your pockets. I am sure all of your -profession are very sensible that a gaoler expects, not only to distil -money out of your irregularities, but also to grow fat by your curses; -wherefore his ears are stopped to the cries of others, as God's are to -his, and good reason too; for, lay the life of a man in one scale, and -his fees in the other, he would lose the first to obtain the second. - -"Next, ye are always in as much fear of being apprehended as poor -tradesmen in debt are of the Serjeant, who goes muffled like a thief -too, and always carries the marks of one, for he steals upon a man -cowardly, plucks him by the throat, and makes him stand till he fleeces -him. Only the thief is more valiant and the honester man of the two. - -"And then, when ye are apprehended, nothing but torment ensues; for -when ye are once clapt up in gaol, as I have hinted before, you soon -come under the hangman's clutches, and he hangs you up, like so many -dogs, for using those scaring words, 'Stand and deliver!' - -"The effect which theft works in the world to come is eternal, and -there is no helping it. I shall therefore proceed to the historical -part of my text, which will prove, from ancient history, that the art -of Theft is of some antiquity, inasmuch as that Paris stole Helen, -Theseus stole Ariadne, and Jason stole Medea. However, antiquity ought -to be no plea for vice, since laws, both Divine and human, forbid base -actions, especially theft. For history again informs us that Sciron -was thrown headlong into the sea for thieving: Cacus was killed by -Hercules: Sisyphus was cut in pieces; Brunellus was hanged for stealing -the ring of Angelicus; and the Emperor Frederick the Third condemned -all thieves to the galleys. - -"The Exegetical part of my text is a sort of commentary on what was -first said, when I set forth that your transgressions were a breach of -both divine and humane ordinances, which are utterly repugnant to all -manner of theft; wherefore, if ye are resolved to pursue these courses -still, note, my respect is such to you, although you have robbed me, -that if you can but keep yourselves from being ever taken, I'll engage -to keep you always from being hanged. - -"The figurative part of my text is still to be set forth. Though I call -you 'gentlemen,' yet in my heart I think ye to be all rogues; but I -mollify my spleen by a _Charientismus_, which is a figure or form of -speech mitigating hard matters with pleasant words. Thus, a certain -man being apprehended, and brought before Alexander the Great, King -of Macedon, for railing against him, and being demanded by Alexander -why he and his company had so done, he made answer: 'Had not the wine -been all drunk, we had spoken much worse.' Whereby he signified that -those words proceeded rather from wine than malice, by which free and -pleasant confession he assuaged Alexander's great displeasure, and -obtained remission. - -"But now, coming to the Tropological part of my text, which signifies -drawing a word from its proper and genuine signification to another -sense, as, in calling you most famous thieves; I desire your most -serious attention, and that you will embrace this exhortation of St. -Paul the apostle. 'Let him that stole, steal no more.' Or else the -letters of my text point towards a tragical conclusion; for T, 'take -care;' H, 'hanging;' E, 'ends not'; F, 'felony;' T, 'at Tyburn.'" - -The parson having ended his sermon, which some of Whitney's gang took -down in shorthand, they were so well pleased with what he had preached, -that they were contented to pay him tithes; so, counting over the money -they had taken from him, and finding it to be just ten pounds, they -gave him ten shillings for his pains, and then rode away to seek whom -they might next devour. - -He then met Lord L—— shortly afterwards, near London, and robbed him -single-handed. Knowing that his lordship moved in close attendance -upon the King, William the Third, and perhaps being keenly conscious -that the many serious robberies committed by himself and his men were -drawing the net uncomfortably close around them, he made an offer to -compound with the authorities. He said if the King would give him an -indemnity for past offences, he would bring in thirty of his gang, for -military service in Flanders. So saying, he whistled, and, quite in the -Roderick Dhu style, twenty or thirty mounted bandits at once appeared. - -Whitney, having thus given proofs of his words, continued that, if the -King refused his offer, His Majesty might send a troop of Dutchmen to -apprehend him and his, but they would find it a hard task to take any, -and that he and his men would stand on their defence, and bid them -defiance. - -There is little or nothing of the "Jacobite Robber" in the stories told -of Whitney; but it seems to have been fully recognised that he was -a somewhat belated adherent of James the Second. He gathered around -him a gang that varied in numbers according to circumstances, but was -occasionally about thirty strong. These he was enabled by his superior -courage and resource to captain; and with the imposing mounted force -they presented, he laid many important and wealthy personages under -contribution near London. It was doubtless his gang that stopped and -robbed the great Duke of Marlborough of five hundred guineas near -London Colney, on the night of August 23rd, 1692, and as a Jacobite, -Whitney would be particularly pleased at the doing of it. It is almost -equally certain that the numerous other rich hauls about that time on -the St. Albans road were the handiwork of Whitney's party. On December -6th, 1692, there was a pitched battle between Whitney's force and a -troop of dragoon patrols, near Barnet. One dragoon was killed, and -several wounded, and Whitney is most circumstantially said to have then -been captured; but as an even more circumstantial account tells us, -with a wealth of detail, how he was finally captured in Bishopsgate -Street, on December 31st, this cannot be altogether correct. - -Was it, we wonder, his professed Jacobite views that made many -travellers so good-humoured with him as they are said to have been when -he lightened their pockets? A fellowship in political views does not in -our own days necessarily make a stranger free of our purse. Whitney, -for example, meeting Sir Richard B—— between Stafford and Newport, -accosted him with a "How now? whither away?" - -"To London," replied the knight; whereupon Whitney troubled him for £4. - -Then, much to our surprise, we read of Sir Richard, who appears to have -known Whitney very well by sight, saying, "Captain, I'll give you a -breakfast, with a fowl or two." It would have come more naturally to -read that he offered to give him in charge! - -Whitney politely declined, but said he would drink to the knight's -health then and there; and, halting a passing waggon, broached a cask -out of it on the spot. - -In spite of a conflict of testimony, it seems to be clearly established -that Whitney was finally captured on December 31st, 1692. He appears -to have at some earlier time been taken, after a desperate fight -with a "bagonet," and lodged in Newgate, whence he broke out with -a four-pound weight on each leg. On this last occasion he made a -determined resistance at the door of the house in which he was beset, -fighting for over an hour with the officers and the mob. Most of his -gang were afterwards captured; including a livery-stable keeper, a -goldsmith, and a man-milliner. - -Whitney appears to have been a man of medium height, to have had a -scarred face, and to have lost one thumb: sliced off, probably, in one -of his encounters with the patrols. - -He endeavoured to purchase his liberty by "offering to discover his -accomplices, and those that give notice where and when money is -conveyed on the road in coaches and waggons." This offer was not -accepted, and the order went forth that he was to be hanged at the -Maypole in the Strand. Then he shifted his ground to include more -startling secrets that he was ready to divulge, "if he may have his -pardon." Jacobite plots were the commonplaces of that day. King James -was not greatly liked by even the most ardent Jacobite, but King -William was detested, and even those who had placed William on the -throne did so merely as a political expedient. Thus the personally -unpopular King was for ever harassed with plots hatched to assassinate -him; and when Whitney hinted, not obscurely, that he could tell -terrible tales if he would, it was thought advisable to have the -highwayman out in a sedan-chair and to take him to Kensington, -under escort, that he might be examined, touching these plots. But -it was soon discovered that he really knew nothing and that his idle -"confessions" and "revelations" had no basis in fact. - -He was not content to remain in Newgate in worn and shabby clothes. - -"He had his taylor," says Luttrell, "make him a rich embroidered suit, -with perug and hat, worth £100; but the keeper refused to let him wear -them, because they would disguise him from being known." - -That somewhat obscure phrase seems to mean that Whitney intended, under -cover of his fine new suit, to make a dash for liberty. - -His execution was finally fixed for February 1st, 1693, at Porter's -Block, Smithfield. He made a very proper and a singularly restrained -and well-chosen speech at the fatal spot: - -"I have been a very great offender, both against God and my country, by -transgressing all laws, human and divine. I believe there is not one -here present but has often heard my name before my confinement, and -have seen a large catalogue of my crimes, which have been made public -since. Why should I then pretend to vindicate a life stained with deeds -of violence? The sentence passed on me is just, and I can see the -footsteps of Providence, which I had before profanely laughed at, in -my apprehension and conviction. I hope the sense which I have of these -things has enabled me to make my peace with Heaven, the only thing -that is now of any concern to me. Join in your prayers with me, my dear -countrymen, that God will not forsake me in my last moments." - -"He seem to dye very penitent," says the original chronicler of these -things: "and was an hour and a halfe in the cart before being turned -off." - - - - -TWM SHON CATTI - - -A singular character, half mythical, and his exploits almost wholly so, -is Twm Shon Catti; a prankish creature whom, nevertheless, the people -of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire will not willingly let die. - -Twm, it need hardly be said, was a Welshman. His name, duly translated -from Cymraeg into English, means "Tom John Kate," _i.e._ "Tom, the son -of Kate." Who was his other parent remains a matter of uncertainty, but -he is thought to have been a local magnate, Sir John Wynne of Gwydir. -Kate, his mother, was a country girl, of Tregaron, and Twm himself was -born apparently about the third quarter of the seventeenth century; -that is to say, if the half sprite and half human being of the legends -can be said to belong to any easily-ascertained span of years. Some of -his exploits certainly seem to belong to a later period. - -But however that may be, he is yet the hero of a very wide countryside, -in which any peasant is still able to give a very fair biography of him -to the passing stranger, and is also quite competent to show him Twm's -cave, in Dinas Hill, or "Llidiard-y-Ffin," overlooking the river Towy, -near Ystrad Ffin. Composed in equal parts of Will-o'-Wisp, Dick Turpin -(the idealised Turpin of legend, not the cowardly brute of cold-drawn -fact), and Robin Hood, his career is one of marvels. Horse-thief, -highwayman at one time and out-witter of highwaymen at another, special -providence to the deserving, and scourge of the wicked, he always -comes successfully out of encounters and difficulties. If for that -peculiarity alone, he might reasonably be held mythical. - -Starting in life as a farmer's boy, he afterwards found a place in the -service of the local lord of the manor, in which his Puck-like pranks -were first developed. As the secret of his birth was more or less an -open one, these escapades were not often visited with the punishment -another would almost certainly have incurred; and, besides, he was -generally looked upon as a "natural": as one, that is to say, who is -not more than half-witted. Thus, when he would steal the parson's horse -in Llandovery and sell it to a squire some twenty miles off, he proved -the truth of that old law which says one man may with impunity steal a -horse, while another may not safely even look over the fence. - -It all depends upon the man. In Twm's case, such an exploit was not -the criminal business that would have brought an ordinary man to the -gallows, but merely an escapade serving, like Prince Hal and Poins' -fooling of Falstaff with the men in buckram, as "argument for a week, -laughter for a month, and a good jest for ever." - -At the rather uncertain period in which Twm flourished there also -flourished a highwayman in the locality, who, from his daring and -savage disposition, was known as "Dio the Devil." This terrific person -had carried off the young and beautiful wife of Sir John Devereux, lord -of Ystrad Ffin, and Twm was successful in rescuing her. The obvious -reward for this service was, bearing Twm's almost gentle origin in -mind, to receive him in his house on equal terms: or, as some accounts -have it, he entered the service of Sir John as jester. But whether he -went as such, or not, he certainly acted the part very thoroughly, and -kept the establishment always well entertained. - -Twm was a perfect centaur of a horseman, and Sir John Devereux was -almost as good in the saddle. Twm's custom was to back himself in -heavy wagers to perform extraordinary feats of horsemanship, and -then proceed, by hair-raising doings, to win the bets. Not only the -physical, but the mental agility of these things took strangers at an -utterly dumbfoundered disadvantage; but the most astonishing of all was -the one now to be related. An English guest who was staying with Sir -John happened also to be a remarkable horseman, and had the advantage -his Welsh host had not, of owning a thoroughbred. The talk ran high -one day on the subject of horses and equitation, and the whimsical -Twm promptly wagered twenty pounds he would put his horse to a jump -where the Englishman dare not follow. Conversant with the not very fine -specimens of horses to be found in his host's stable, the Englishman -with contempt accepted the bet, quite easy in his mind that he must win. - -A "numerous and distinguished company," as a modern chronicler of -fashionable doings might say, assembled on the mountain-side on the -appointed day, to see the challenger take this as yet unknown leap, and -the stranger follow if he dared. They knew their Twm well enough to -be quite convinced he had some mad project in view, to discomfit the -Englishman; and what Welshman was there who would not have travelled -far, and at much discomfort, to witness the humiliation of the "Saxon." - -Twm was last upon the to-be-contested field, and a great shout of -laughter went up as he was seen riding along upon a wretched horse, -in the last stage of decrepitude. The Englishman did not quite know -whether to feel insulted or amused, but Twm, once arrived on the scene, -did not linger. Quickly he took a thick cloth and bound it over the -head of his horse; and then, bidding the Englishman follow him, put his -mount at a rift in the mountain-side some hundreds of feet deep. Over -leapt the horse, and was in another half a minute lying dead, shattered -in its fall on the rocks below. - -Even those of his countrymen who knew the resourcefulness of their -hero, and had backed him heavily, now lost heart; but in another -minute up rose the head and shoulders of Twm above the edge, and he -presently leapt among them unhurt, to receive his winnings from the -astounded Englishman. He had adroitly slipped from the horse's back -at the moment of his taking off, and leapt into the bushes that grew -out of the face of the cliff. The horse itself merely met its end in a -different manner from that already ordained for it that day, when it -was to have been slaughtered, as being past work. - -His friend and patron, Sir John Devereux, perceiving how well able -Twm was to take care of himself, and being under the necessity of -despatching a considerable amount of money in gold to London, and -obliged at the same time to remain at home, he entrusted him with the -commission. He would have given Twm an escort of one or two servants, -but that worthy, shrewdly remarking that it would be as much worth -their while as that of a highwayman to rob him, declined all company, -and, in the oldest clothes he could find, set out alone on a shaggy -Welsh pony. He had gone two-thirds of his journey without adventure, -and put up one night, contentedly enough, at what is described as the -"Hop Pole," a "lonely inn on the bleak downs near Marlborough"—although -there really seems never to have been a house of that name near: -perhaps "Shepherd's Shore," or the "Waggon and Horses" at Beckhampton -would serve better. When he retired for the night, and was lying still -and wakeful, he overheard the landlady and a strange man discussing -him. The landlady was saying she did not suppose a traveller like our -Twm, "dressed like a scarecrow and mounted on a piece of animated -carrion, for which the rooks cawed as he rode along," was worth robbing. - -"I don't know so much about that," he heard the other—obviously a -highwayman—reply. "Very often these miserable-looking people you see -on the roads disguise their wealth in this way, and are in reality -carrying a great deal of money about with them: sometimes half a year's -rent of a considerable estate. This fellow seems to be one of that -kind. We shall see to-morrow." - -Twm remembered having seen a plaguey ill-looking fellow in the house, -and lay long awake, wondering what he should be at, and pleased that, -anyhow, he was not to be interfered with that night. But he felt sure -of being followed as soon as ever he left the house, and bethought -him, there and then, of an ingenious plan. Before their very eyes next -morning, he rummaged in the peak of his saddle, as if to arrange it -more comfortably, and in so doing managed to disclose some gold to -their covetous gaze. Then he was soon off; not travelling very fast, as -may be supposed, on his laden pony. So soon as he was out of sight of -the inn, he hopped off and transferred the money from the saddle to his -pockets. Then he resumed his way. - -Presently, as he had expected, he heard the highwayman thundering -along in his rear. When the pursuer came well in sight, Twm hurriedly -dismounted again, and, unloosening the saddle, flung it as far as he -was able into a pond that spread by the wayside. Dismounting himself, -the highwayman, leaving Twm for the moment, plunged knee-deep into the -pond for the treasure, as he supposed, and Twm leapt nimbly on his -thoroughbred horse: no highwayman of tradition ever riding a horse that -was not thoroughbred, whatever the sorry jades the real ones had often -to bestride. - -When Twm cantered happily into Marlborough on the highwayman's steed, -and told his story, the townspeople, who it appears had suffered much -from the knights of the road, welcomed him as a hero, and entertained -him at the Town Hall. If he had not been in a hurry, they might perhaps -have presented him with the freedom of the borough. Perhaps they did so -on his return. He sold his horse for a good round sum, for he thought -it dangerous to ride up to London on so fine a mount. Therefore, armed -with one pistol, he resumed the journey on foot, and to my mind it -seems either a testimony to the honesty or the lack of enterprise among -the burgesses of Marlborough, that some one or other of them did not -follow him into the secluded glades of Savernake Forest, through which -his road lay, and do for him. - -But he neared London without other encounters, until he came upon -Hounslow Heath. Here the tale of the confiding highwayman and the -apparently stupid countryman, often told, but always fresh, had its -origin. Twm was duly pulled up on the Heath by a robber, who appears -to have been none other than Tom Dorbel, famous in his day. Dorbel was -bristling with an armoury of pistols. Our ingenious Twm, affecting to -be seized with the abject terror of a country lout, earnestly begged -the ruffian, before he robbed him, to put half-a-dozen bullets through -his coat, so that his master might easily see how good a fight he had -made of it, before yielding his treasure. He took off his coat for the -purpose, and the highwayman very obligingly complied with this very -reasonable request. - -Twm capered about like the idiot he pretended to be. "That wass ferry -coot of you—yess, inteet," he said; "and if you wass put another look -you, through my hat, it wass pe petter still, whateffer." - -The highwayman, wondering what special kind of lunatic he had happened -upon, fired his last pistol through the hat as desired, when "Now," -said Twm, himself producing a pistol, "it iss my turn. Out with your -coin, or I will put a pig hole through your pody." And Twm not only -saved his master's coin, but robbed the highwayman as well. - -[Illustration: TWM SHON CATTI AND THE HIGHWAYMAN.] - - - - -JOHN WITHERS AND WILLIAM EDWARDS - - -John Withers, one of the most ferocious of those highwaymen who did -not scruple to add murder to their crimes, was born in the last -quarter of the seventeenth century, at Lichfield. He was the son of a -butcher, in so small a way of business that his father could not find -employment for him; and so, in order to get a start in life, he set -off for London. Arrived there, he was drawn by his natural bent into -the company of criminals, and, throwing in his lot with them, was soon -arrested and found guilty on charges of larceny, with violence. He -escaped punishment by accepting the offer, generally made at that time, -of enlisting in the army, and was sent out to the Flanders expedition. -Here, perhaps, we see an explanation of the well-known expression, -"Our armies swore terribly in Flanders." If it was composed largely of -reprieved criminals, there can be no doubt that its language could not -have been choice, nor its conduct exemplary. "My blackguards," the Duke -of Wellington styled his men, who fought so well and endured so greatly -in the Peninsula; for even so lately as that period the rank-and-file -were composed of the offscourings of society; but they must have been -well-mannered gentlemen, compared with the soldiers of a century -earlier. - -Sacrilege presently engaged the attention of Withers in Flanders. -Entering a church in Ghent during high mass, and observing the people -placing money in a box that stood in front of a figure of the Virgin, -he awaited a favourable opportunity, picked the lock, and filled his -pockets with the contents. "Unfortunately," says his sympathetic -biographer, "in haste to carry off his plunder, some of the money fell -upon the pavement, ringing out sharply in the stillness of the church; -so that he was detected in the act." - -Taken before the venerable Cardinal, and examined, he was about to -be taken off in custody; when, falling upon his knees, with uplifted -hands he begged the Cardinal to listen to him. He then declared with -ready lies, that, brought up as a heretic, and falling into evil ways -that had brought him to want and misery, he had seen the folly of his -life, and offered prayers before the effigy of the Virgin Mary. While -he was thus praying, he continued, the figure pointed to the box, as -if it were giving him leave to take what was necessary to supply his -wants. In consequence of this singular interposition on his behalf, he -concluded he had made up his mind to become a Roman Catholic, but at -the moment of this decision he had been arrested. - -This singular narrative was heard by the Cardinal with much surprise, -and at the close of it he exclaimed, fervently, "A miracle indeed!" -All who had heard it also shared the same opinion and "it being justly -concluded that none had a better right to dispose of the money than the -Virgin herself, to whom it was devoted," Withers was carried in solemn -procession, as a convert singularly honoured, and placed before the -high altar while an Ave Maria was sung. - -It is not, it may be added, necessary to believe this precious story in -its entirety. Withers was, of course, as we shall see, capable of worse -than this, and the probability is that the actual theft was committed -by him; but we can hardly believe the Roman Catholic clergy quite such -fools as they figure here. - -At Antwerp, Withers made a second essay in sacrilege. There he stole a -great silver crucifix. But he felt that there was really no career for -him in these enterprises, and so, deserting from the army, he crossed -to England, and took up the profession of highwayman. - -It would be of little interest to follow Withers in all his highway -doings, but the adventure of himself and two companions with an actor -on the road is perhaps worth repeating. They espied one morning a -gentleman walking alone and displaying all the gestures of passion, -distraction, and fury to excess; casting his eyes to heaven, stretching -forth his arms imploringly, or folding them moodily upon his breast. -Near by was a pond. - -"Make haste!" exclaimed Withers to his companions, "'tis even as we -thought; the poor gentleman is just going to kill himself for love." -Then, rushing towards him, two of them taking an arm each, Withers -addressed him earnestly: "Pray, sir, consider what you do! what a -sad thing it would be to drown yourself here. Be better advised and -consider, before it is too late." - -The actor was indignant. "What a plague is all this for?" he asked. "I -am not going to hang, stab, or drown myself. I am not in love, but only -a player, learning a part." - -"A player, are you?" rejoined Withers. "If I had thought that, you -should have drowned yourself, or hanged yourself indeed, before we had -taken the pains to follow you up and down. But, to make amends for our -trouble, the least you can do will be to give us what money you have." - -So saying, they bound his hands and legs together, emptied his pockets -of ten shillings, and took away a silver-hilted sword he carried. - -It is, in this connection, curious to observe the animus displayed -against the stage. It is met largely in the satire of the time, and not -merely in the literature inspired by the Puritans, but even in those -by no means puritanical books and plays in which the highwaymen figure -as heroes. Thus, in the play, the _Prince of Priggs_, written around -the career of Captain Hind, but not intended to be staged, we find the -prologue chiefly concerned with a sneer at those "apes and parrots," -silenced under the sour rule of the Commonwealth: - - Since that the Apes and Parrots of the Stage, - Are silenc'd by the Clamours of the Age; - Like Conies forc'd to feed on bran and grass, - (The true Desciples of _Pithagoras_) - Whose Copper-Lace,[1] and Copper-Noses once - Made them to think themselves great _Prester-Johns_: - You'l (sure) have cause to praise, and thank that man, - Can make each thief a compleat _Roscian_: - Then much good doe't you (Sirs) fall to and eat, - You ne're had cheaper (perhaps) better meat. - -[1] _i.e._ imitation gold-lace. - -The last adventure of Withers was that in which he and a companion, -William Edwards by name, near Beaconsfield beset a nobleman and his -servant. Withers' horse was shot in the resistance they made, and, -mounting behind his friend, they took to flight. But the horse with -two riders was no match for the others, not so heavily burdened; and, -being hard pressed along the road, the two fugitives dismounted and -ran across country in the direction of London. Sleeping in the hedges -overnight, the next morning they continued their flight. Meeting, -one mile on the London side of Uxbridge, with a penny postman, they -robbed him of eight shillings; and Withers, to prevent their being -identified, drew a large butcher's knife he carried, and barbarously -cut his throat. They then ripped up his body, filled his stomach with -stones, and flung him into the little stream that here flows across the -road. The burial registers of Hillingdon church bear witness to this -and to another murder they appear to have committed at, or near, the -same place; "1702, November 13. Will Harrison, Postman, murdered near -the Great Bridge between Hillingdon and Uxbridge. November 28. Edward -Symonds, Drover, murdered at the same time, and about the same place, -and by the same hands." - -Withers and Edwards were arrested the following January in Norfolk, -for a highway robbery committed there, and were tried and executed at -Thetford, April 16th, 1703. - - - - -PATRICK O'BRIAN - - -"Patrick O'Brian," says Captain Alexander Smith, "was a native of -Ireland." Perhaps we might, without undue stress of mind, have -guessed as much. It seems that his parents were very indigent natives -of Loughrea, and so Patrick left his native land for England, and -presently enlisted in the Coldstream Guards. But he was not a good -soldier; or, at any rate, if good in that profession, infinitely better -in the practice of all kinds of vice. He was resolved not to want -money, if there were any to be obtained, no matter the means to it; but -began cautiously by running into debt at public-houses and shops; and -then followed up that first step by borrowing from every acquaintance, -until that source was dried up. - -When all these means to existence were exhausted, O'Brian went upon -the road. The first person whom he met was, strange to say, another -unmitigated scoundrel: none other, in fact, than the Reverend William -Clewer, vicar of Croydon, who here demands a little paragraph entirely -to himself. - -William Clewer, who was collated to the living of Croydon in 1660, -was notorious, we are told, for his singular love of litigation, -unparalleled extortions, and criminal and disgraceful conduct. His -character became so bad, and his ways of life so notorious, that he was -eventually ejected in 1684. He must have been, indeed, pre-eminently -bad, to have been ejected in that easy-going age. Dispossessed of his -living, on these substantial grounds, he at last died, in 1702, and was -buried in St. Bride's, Fleet Street. - -We are indebted to Smith for the account of the meeting of O'Brian and -this shining light of the clerical profession: - -"O'Brian, meeting with Dr. Clewer, who was try'd once and burnt in the -hand at the Old Bailey for stealing a silver cup, coming along the road -from Acton, he demanded his money; but the reverend doctor having not a -farthing about him, O'Brian was for taking his gown. At this our divine -was much dissatisfied; but, perceiving his enemy would plunder him, -quoth he: 'Pray, sir, let me have a chance for my gown'; so, pulling -a pack of cards out of his pocket, he further said: 'We'll have, if -you please, one game of all-fours for it, and if you win it, take it -and wear it.' This challenge was readily accepted by the footpad; but, -being more cunning than his antagonist at slipping and palming the -cards, he won the game, and the doctor went contentedly home without -his canonicals." - -On one memorable occasion, O'Brian happened, in his lurkings upon the -road, to stop a man who proved to be an acrobat, and who, when Patrick -bade him "stand and deliver!" instantly jumped over his head. The -ignorant and superstitious Irishman thought he had chanced upon the -devil himself, come to sport with him before his time, and while he was -trembling and crossing himself, the acrobat, rolling along the road in -a series of somersaults and cartwheels, got clear away. - -These adventures appear to have been mere tentative experiments, for we -learn that O'Brian then deserted from the army and commenced highwayman -in earnest. He one day stopped the carriage of none other than Nell -Gwynne and addressed her thus: "Madam, I am a gentleman. I have done a -great many signal services to the fair sex, and have, in return, been -all my life maintained by them. Now, as I know you to be a charitable -woman, I make bold to ask you for a little money; though I never had -the honour of serving you in particular. However, if any opportunity -shall ever fall in my way, you may depend upon it I will not be -ungrateful." - -Nell, we are told, made this mercenary knight-errant a present of ten -guineas. - -It was the same with O'Brian as with every other wicked man, says -Smith; he was eager to lead others into the evil path himself had -chosen. In particular, he induced a young man named Wilt to become a -highwayman; and Wilt was unfortunate enough to be apprehended in his -first experiment and to be hanged for it. - -O'Brian was also arrested, and hanged at Gloucester. After his body -had swung the usual time, it was cut down and his friends were allowed -to carry it off. When it was taken indoors, it was observed to move -slightly, strange to say; upon which a surgeon was hurriedly called; -and, what with being bled and his limbs being exercised, O'Brian was -presently restored to life. - -This marvellous recovery was kept a strict secret for a time, and -it was hoped the experience would have a salutary effect, the more -especially as his friends were willing to contribute towards his -support in some retired employment. He agreed to reform his life, and, -indeed, while the memory of the bitterness of death was fresh upon him, -kept his promise; but as that dreadful impression wore off by degrees, -he returned to his former ways. Abandoning an honest life, he procured -a horse (Smith says he purchased one, but we may be allowed our doubts -upon that matter) "and other necessaries": _i.e._ pistols, powder and -ball, and sword, and again visited the road. - -This was about one year after his execution and supposed death, and -the travelling public of the districts he had principally affected had -long grown tired of congratulating themselves upon his disappearance, -and were quite accustomed to thinking of him as a memory. It was, -therefore, a bad shock to the gentleman whom he had last robbed, and -for plundering whom he had been, to all appearance, satisfactorily -turned off, when he was the first person to be stopped by O'Brian in -this second series of his adventures. - -His consternation, we are told, and may readily believe, was great. -"Wher—why?" he asked, with chattering teeth, "I ther—thought you had -been hanged a twelvemonth ago." - -"So I was," rejoined O'Brian, "and therefore you ought to imagine -that what you see now is only my ghost. However, lest you should be -so uncivil as to hang my ghost too, I think the best way is to secure -you." So saying, he discharged a pistol through the gentleman's head, -and, alighting from his horse, in a fury hewed the body to pieces with -his hanger. - -Later, he committed a fearful atrocity in Wiltshire, which, although -fully detailed in contemporary literature, cannot be set forth here. -He carried off at the same time no less a sum of money than £2,500; -but was fortunately brought to justice after a further two years of -miscellaneous plundering, chiefly through the evidence of an accomplice -lying under sentence of death in Bedford gaol. He was taken at his -lodgings in Little Suffolk Street, by the Haymarket, and then sent down -to Salisbury, to be tried for his Wiltshire enormity. Once lodged in -gaol there, he confessed a series of crimes, for which he was executed -on April 30th, 1689, aged thirty-one. - - - - -JACK BIRD - - -Jack Bird was humbly born and as humbly educated. When it is added -that he was born in the second half of the seventeenth century, it -will rightly be supposed that his education did not include any of the -sciences, and that it probably did not go far beyond teaching him to -write his own name. He had no use for even that small accomplishment, -for he was apprenticed to a baker, and before his indentures were -expired had run away and 'listed for a soldier in the foot-guards; -being almost immediately sent out to the Low Countries. He served under -the Duke of Monmouth at the siege of Maestricht, but found too many -masters in the army, and so deserted and made his way to Amsterdam, -where he commenced a new career by stealing a piece of silk. He was -detected in the act, taken before a magistrate, and condemned to a -term of hard labour in the "rasp-house," where he was set to rasping -log-wood, and to other severe drudgeries, for the term of twelve -months. Unaccustomed to such hard labour, Jack fainted at his tasks, -but the labour-master set it down to laziness, and to cure it, chained -him in the bottom of an empty cistern by one foot, and caused a number -of taps to be turned on, so that the cistern began rapidly to fill and -the prisoner to be obliged, as the cistern was deeper than his own -height, to work vigorously at a pump fixed in it, lest the water should -gain upon, and drown, him. An hour's experience of this ingenious -punishment rendered him quite anxious to return to the labour that had -before been too much for him. - -At the end of his term of bondage he hastened to take leave of Holland -and the Hollanders, who had proved themselves such connoisseurs in -quaint punishments. In England, justice certainly was more severe, and -hanged men who stole quite trivial things, but it did not make people -perform such hard labour, and Jack was one of those who would rather -die than work. There are many of his kind even now. - -Although hard labour was distasteful to our hero, he was by no means -satisfied to live as humbly as he had been born, and his thoughts -turned lightly to the road, as a likely place on which to pick up a -good living without over-exertion. There was the choice of footpad or -highwayman, and of course he chose the higher branch of the profession; -for a footpad had to pad the hoof and be content, after all, with -robbing the comparatively poor; while a highwayman could cut a fine -figure on horseback, plunder the best, and be at little personal -fatigue in doing so. Many foolish fellows, commencing highwayman, would -hire, or even purchase, a horse; not so Jack Bird. "Thorough" was his -motto, and he began business by stealing the mount he fancied. At the -same time he took excellent good care to go fully armed, for we read -that he provided himself with six good pistols and a broadsword. In -this fortified condition, and in the dress of a gentleman, he opened -his campaign. His first few attempts were highly successful, but -he soon learned, in a painful adventure on the Dover Road, between -Gravesend and Chatham, that fortune is fickle. There he encountered -one Joseph Pinnis, a pilot, who was returning from London, where he -had received ten or twelve pounds for piloting a Dutch ship up-river. -He had been so unfortunate as to lose both hands during an engagement -in the Dutch war, some years earlier, and it seemed to our callous -highwayman an easy task to rob him. - -Summoned to "Stand and deliver!" the pilot replied, "You see, sir, that -I have never a hand, so cannot take my money out of my pocket. Be so -kind, therefore, as to take the trouble to search me." - -The highwayman, without the slightest misgiving, complied with this -very reasonable request, and securing the pilot's purse, began to -examine its contents, when he found himself suddenly seized around the -waist by the traveller, who appeared to have enormous strength in his -arms, even though he had no hands. He succeeded in overthrowing the -highwayman, and falling upon him, beat him fearfully about the face -with his metal-shod wrists. - -Presently some other travellers approached, and, asking the cause of -the struggle, Pinnis told them: asking them to take a hand and give the -ruffian a further drubbing, and adding that he was almost out of breath -with what he had done already. - -The travellers then, informed of the whole affair, conducted Bird in -custody to a magistrate, who committed him to Maidstone gaol, where he -was tried and condemned to death, but was afterwards, for some reason -that has escaped the historian, pardoned and set at liberty, to work -more outrages upon unarmed and inoffensive folk. - -At first, however, the danger and indignity he had passed through, -of being so completely vanquished by a handless man, whom he had at -first foolishly despised, quite put him out of conceit with himself -and the road, and he resolved to abandon an employment which had at -first promised so well, only to turn out so ill. But work—real work—was -uncongenial as ever, and as he had to exist somehow, it happened that -the road called him successfully again, after all. - -The first person he encountered in his new series of adventures was a -Welsh drover, who proved to be a muscular man, and the very devil of -a fellow with that nasty weapon, the quarter-staff. "Once bit, twice -shy," murmured Jack, withdrawing swiftly out of reach. "If a villain -of a sailor without hands can overthrow me, I shall not venture my -carcase within reach of one that has hands, for fear of something -worse." So, he pulled a pistol from the armoury he carried in his belt, -and from a safe distance shot the drover through the head. He then -searched the body and found, to his disgust, only eighteenpence. But -he summoned what philosophy he could over this disappointment, and, -cynically remarking that "'Tis a price worth killing a man for, any -time," rode off without the least remorse. - -On another occasion he met the original "Poor Robin," the -almanac-writer and humorous prognosticator; and as he did not disdain -to exact contributions from the poor, as well as the rich (although -"Poor Robin" probably was by no means so poor as his name would imply), -he desired the calendar-maker to halt and surrender. As this was the -first time Poor Robin had heard such language, and as he had received -no hint of this occasion from the stars, he stood and stared, as if -himself had been planet-struck. - -"Come now," said Jack, "this is no child's play: I am in earnest." - -Robin pleaded the poverty to which, he said, his nickname bore witness. - -"That," returned Bird, "is a miserable, threadbare excuse, and will not -save your bacon." - -"But," pleaded the almanac-maker, "as author of those calendars that -yearly come out in my name, I have canonised a great many gentlemen -of your profession; look in them for their names, and let this be my -protection." - -But all in vain; Bird ransacked his pockets, and from them extracted -fifteen shillings, took a new hat from his head, and requested him, as -he had now given him cause, to canonise him also. - -"Ay!" exclaimed Poor Robin grimly, "that will I, when you have suffered -martyrdom at Tyburn, which will not be long hence." - -"Poor Robin's" publications, it may be said, in this connection, are -well worth examination. In an age when Lilly, Perkins, and a host of -others issued prophetic almanacs, divining future events from the -stars, and were extensively believed in, "Poor Robin's" almanac, year -by year, made much fun out of those pretensions; fun that sometimes -reads curiously modern. Seventeenth-century humour is, as a rule, as -flat to the modern taste as champagne opened and left to stand, but -much of "Poor Robin's" wit and humour still sparkles. While Perkins, -with a provoking solemnity, would give a chronological table of events -from the Year One and would proceed by degrees from "Adam, created 1, -B.C., 3962," and would continue by way of "Methuselah, born 687, B.C., -2306," to "The Tyrant Oliver began his government, December 16th, -1653"; "Poor Robin" would devote his attention largely to the days -when highwaymen were hanged, and would draw farcical conclusions from -planetary dispositions. Thus we find him saying: - -"Now the effects of the conjunction of Saturn and Mars will much -operate: such conjunctions are always attended with remarkable -accidents. There was one in the year 1672, and the German Princess -rode up Holborn Hill; another in 1673, and Du Vail visited the -three-legged tenement at Hyde Park Corner. I might instance in divers -other examples, but these shall suffice." - -The so-called "German Princess" was an adventuress, really a native of -Canterbury, and a daughter of one of the choristers in the Cathedral -there, named Moders. She was hanged at Tyburn, in 1678 (not in 1672), -and so was Du Vall (not at Hyde Park Corner, and not in 1673). - -In his burlesque monthly forecasts of the weather and public events, he -evidently reflects upon his serious contemporaries, whose predictions -would occasionally go wrong, and who, like our modern "Old Moore," -would in consequence grow less cocksure and more cautious, and would -then more or less cleverly tell readers to "expect" something or other, -together with such eminently safe remarks for February and March as, -"Wind and rainstorms are to be looked for by the farmer." - -In February 1664, for example, "Poor Robin," in burlesque of this kind -of thing, warns his readers to "expect some showers of rain, either -this month or the next, or the next after that, or else we shall have a -very dry spring.... The twenty-seventh day of this month died Cardinal -Mazarine, and if you would know the reason why he died, then, I answer, -it was because he could live no longer." - -Under June, he declares that, "If the frost nips the fruit trees, there -will be no apples." In July, "Fleas will grow troublesome, and will -lie with you without leave," and elsewhere we find that "Tyburn shall -be a great eye-sore to Highway men and cut-purses," and that "The -leafless tree betwixt London and Paddington will this month bear fruit, -but it will be only Medlers, and they are stark naught until they are -rotten." The which extracts fully illustrate the allusions in the short -life of Jack Bird. - -Made bold by a long series of successes, Bird procured a good horse -and determined never again to stoop to robbing for mere shillings. A -meeting with the Earl of ——, rolling along in his carriage, accompanied -by his chaplain, and attended by two servants, gave him his first -opportunity of putting this excellent determination into practice. - -"You must stop, my lord!" exclaimed Bird, threatening him with one -pistol, and the coachman with the other. - -"The devil I must!" said his lordship; "who the——"—here the chaplain -gave a loud cough, and the word was lost in the throaty rasp he -produced—"what the——" ("ahem!" from the chaplain) "are you then, -fellow, that you bid me pull up on the roadway for you, you——?" - -"An honest collector of tolls, your lordship," said Bird: "your purse -this instant!" - -"So! that is the way of it?" replied his lordship. "I am very little -anxious about the small sum I have about me, but I intend you shall -fight for it." - -Bird then flew into a passion, and swore terribly, after the low -fashion then proverbially prevalent among our soldiers in the Low -Countries. He waved his pistols excitedly. - -"Don't lose your temper," said my lord. "When I said 'fight,' I meant -boxing, and not shooting, and I will fight you fairly for all the money -I have, against nothing." - -"That is an honourable challenge, my lord," replied Bird, "provided -none of your servants be near us." - -His lordship then commanded them to withdraw to a distance. The -chaplain, however, could not endure the thought of the Earl fighting -while he was but an idle spectator, and requested the honour of being -his patron's champion. - -Matters were arranged: the divine stripped off his gown, and in another -half a minute the scene resounded with the thuds and grunts of the -combatants, as they planted blows home on each other's faces and -bodies. In less than a quarter of an hour the chaplain was knocked out -of time, with only breath enough remaining to exclaim, "I'll fight no -more!" Bird was unquestioned victor. "Now, my lord," said he, turning -to the carriage, "if it please your lordship, I will take a turn with -you." - -"Not I!" earnestly replied the Earl, "for if you can beat my chaplain, -you will surely beat me, for we have tried it out before." So saying, -he handed the highwayman the sum of twenty guineas he was carrying. - -[Illustration: JACK BIRD FIGHTS THE CHAPLAIN.] - -Bird's career was closed by a foolish act. He, in company with a woman, -knocked down and robbed a man in Drury Lane. The woman was seized on -the spot, but Bird escaped. Going, however, to visit her in prison, -he himself was arrested; and, being found guilty, he was executed at -Tyburn, March 12th, 1690, aged forty-two. - - - - -WILL OGDEN, JACK BRADSHAW, AND TOM REYNOLDS - - -Will Ogden, who was born in Walnut Tree Alley, Tooley Street, -Southwark, now claims our attention. He was a waterman by trade and -a highwayman by inclination, so that he presently exchanged the -river for the road. But he did not blossom out all at once as a -fully-equipped highwayman. He passed a kind of transition period of -about two years in the plundering of ships lying in the Pool, between -Southwark and Billingsgate, and in the rifling of waterside shops. In -these activities he was associated with one Tom Reynolds, a native of -Cross Key Alley, Barnaby Street, and admiral of a sludge-barge. Being -apprehended in the burglary of a watch-maker's shop, they were lodged -in Newgate, and tried and convicted at the Old Bailey; but received a -pardon, on what grounds does not appear. - -This ended their burgling experiences, and they then agreed to go upon -the road, in the humbler, padding form of the highwayman's trade. - -Early in their experiences, Ogden one evening met a parson walking -home by the light of the moon, and approached him in the character of -a distressed seaman walking the highway to the nearest port, where he -might chance to get a ship. His dismal story excited the compassion of -the parson, who gave him sixpence and passed on. - -He had not proceeded far when Ogden, who had hurried round in advance -of him by a side lane, approached him again, and renewed his story. - -"You are the most impudent beggar I ever met," exclaimed the parson; -but Ogden told him he was in very great want, and that the sixpence he -had received would not carry him very far. The parson then gave him -half-a-crown, which Ogden gratefully accepted, adding: "These are very -sad times, and there's horrid robbing abroad; so, if you have any more -money about you, you may as well let me have it, as another who don't -deserve it so much, and may perhaps even ill-use you, and, binding you -hand and foot, make you lie in the cold all night. If you'll give me -your money, I'll take care of you, and conduct you safely home." - -An offer of this kind, so delicately and yet so significantly framed, -had only to be made to be accepted by any prudent man, who did not feel -himself equal to knocking that impudent humorist on the head; and so -the parson made a virtue of necessity, and, as cheerfully as he could, -handed him all his money; about forty shillings. - -Ogden then remarked, "I see you have a watch, sir; you may as well let -me have that too." Whereupon the watch also changed hands. - -As they were thus plodding along two or three men, accomplices of the -ingenious Ogden, came out of the wayside bushes; but Ogden calling out -their pass-words, "The moon shines bright," they let them proceed. A -little further on, the same incident was repeated, by which the parson -could clearly see that, had he not met with the gentle and persuasive -Ogden, he might in all likelihood have fallen into far worse hands, and -have been ill-used and tied up, even as he had been warned. - -The clergyman was at last brought safely to his own door, and so -greatly appreciated this safe-conduct—though at the loss of some forty -shillings and a watch—that he invited Ogden in; but that person was -as cautious as ingenious, and declined. He thought the clergyman was -laying a trap for him; but he said he had no objection to taking a -drink outside. The good parson then brought a bottle of wine, and, -drinking to Ogden, gave him the bottle and the glass to help himself, -upon which he ran off with both. - -A little later, Ogden met a well-known dandy of that time, Beau -Medlicott by name. He commanded the Beau to stand and empty his -pockets, but instead of doing so, he drew his sword and made some -half-hearted passes with it. Ogden thereupon drew his pistols, and the -Beau was obliged to yield to superior armament. But Ogden might have -left that fashionable person alone, for he had little about him. Like -the more or less famous music-hall character, "La-di-da," of whom he -must surely have been the ancestor, he was scarcely worth robbing. Of -what was that music-hall celebrity possessed? - - He'd a penny papah collah round his throat, la-di-da; - A penny papah flowah in his coat, la-di-da; - In his mouth a penny pick, in his hand a penny stick, - And a penny in his pocket, la-di-da, la-di-da, - And a penny in his pocket, la-di-da! - -The contents of Beau Medlicott's pockets were pitiful enough to draw -tears of rage from any self-respecting highwayman: consisting only of -two half-crowns; and one of them was a brass counterfeit! - -Ogden very rightly gave that cheap toff a good thrashing. - -Reynolds does not appear in the stories just narrated; but in addition -to another ally, Bradshaw by name, said to have been a grandson of that -Serjeant Bradshaw who was one of the regicides, he now appears lurking -in the woods on Shooter's Hill, one night in 1714, for whatever fortune -might be pleased to send them. It was poor sport that evening, for only -a servant-girl, one Cecilia Fowley, came along the road, carrying her -box; but these low-down footpads despised nothing, and were ready to -rob any one. - -It was not worth the while of the three, they thought, to rush out -of their lurking-place for the sake of one servant-girl, and so they -deputed Bradshaw for the job. He accordingly sprang into the road, -seized the box, and broke it into fragments. It contained the girl's -clothes, "and fifteen shillings, being all her wages for three months' -service." (Servants were cheap then, it seems.) - -Turning over these things, Bradshaw turned out a hammer, which the girl -seized, and suddenly dealt him a blow with it upon the temple, followed -by another with the claw of the hammer upon his neck, which tore his -throat open. He fell down in the road, and died there. - -At that moment, up came a gentleman, to whom the girl narrated the -circumstances. He searched the dead man's pockets, and found in them a -large sum of money and a whistle. Putting the whistle to his mouth, he -blew upon it—a rash enough thing to do—and thereupon Ogden and Reynolds -leapt out from the wayside coverts. Finding, however, that something -disastrous had happened, and that it was a stranger who had whistled -them, they fled. - -Odgen and Reynolds at a later date met a tallyman, who was a well-known -trader in St. Giles, and demanded his money. "Money!" he exclaimed; he -was merely a poor man, who had the greatest difficulty in earning his -daily bread. - -"Thou spawn of h—ll!" exclaimed Ogden, in a violent passion—or, at -least, an excellent imitation of it—"have pity on thee, shall I? No, -sirrah, I know thee too well, and I would almost as soon be kind to a -bailiff or an informing constable, as to you. A tallyman and a rogue -are terms of similar import. Every Friday you set up a tenter in the -Marshalsea Court, upon which you rack and stretch poor prisoners like -English broadcloth, beyond the staple of the wool, till the threads -crack; which causes them, with the least wet, to shrink, and presently -to wear threadbare. I say that you, and all your calling, are worse -rogues than ever were hanged at Tyburn." - -After this abominable abuse, Ogden went over his pockets, stripped -him naked, and bound him hand and foot, and left him in a ditch, "to -ruminate on his former villainies." By which it would seem quite -evident that tallymen shared the hatred felt for attorneys. - -Ogden and Reynolds were the particular friends of Thomas Jones and John -Richardson, the one a butler and the other a footman, in the employ -of a gentleman living at Eltham. They instructed the footman and the -butler in their own business, and it was not long before they took to -robbing on Blackheath, whenever their master was away from home. On one -of these occasions, they plundered a gentleman, and left him bound on -the heath, and, their master coming home unexpectedly, found him there, -and after the manner of a Good Samaritan, took him to his own house, -and gave him a glass of wine, to recruit his spirits. The butler no -sooner appeared, than the ill-used traveller, much to the astonishment -of himself and his master, recognised him as one of the men who had -attacked and robbed him. The guilty pair were eventually hanged at -Rochester, on April 2nd, 1714. - -Ogden and Reynolds ended at last at Kingston, on April 23rd, 1714; -Ogden himself dying with an air of complete indifference. He threw a -handful of small change among the crowd, with the remark: "Gentlemen, -here is a poor Will's farewell." - - - - -JACK OVET - - -Jack Ovet was born at Nottingham, and after serving his time as -apprentice to a shoemaker, took up that useful employment for a -livelihood. But he soon grew tired of his awl and his cobblers'-wax, -and disregarding the old saw which advises cobblers (and, no doubt, -also boot and shoe makers) to "stick to their last," deserted his last -and his bench, and took to the highway. A shoemaker newly emancipated -from his useful, but not romantic, trade does not impress us as a -figure of romance; but that is merely prejudice; and really he started -off at score, and at his first essay robbed a gentleman of twenty of -the best, without a moment's hesitation. The dispute as to whom the -guineas should belong took place on the road to London from his native -Nottingham, so you will perceive how quickly Ovet fell into his stride. -Ovet argued that the guineas were rightly his, "by the law of capture"; -thus following the theory of the poet who put the law of ownership in -property so neatly in declaring it: - - His to take who has the power, - And his to keep who can. - -"Yours, you impudent scoundrel!" bellowed the traveller; "if I had not -been taken unawares, we would have seen about that." - -Ovet, already prepared to take the ancient traditional line of -chivalric consideration, said he would fight fairly for the money. -"Here it is again, and whoever is best man, let him keep it." The -enraged traveller agreed to this proposal, and they fell to fighting -with swords, with the result that the gentleman was mortally wounded, -and Ovet went off with the purse. - -Our ex-shoemaker was a quarrelsome fellow, and soon after this killed -another man in a heated dispute, but escaped capture. Skulking in -remote places, afraid of being taken at a disadvantage, he soon found -himself short of money, and waylaid a train of pack-horses. Cutting -open their packs, he discovered a number of guineas among the goods, -and finally went off with a hundred and eighty, and three dozen silver -knives, forks, and spoons. - -One day Jack Ovet, drinking at a wayside inn, overheard a soapboiler -and a carrier consulting how the carrier could most securely carry a -hundred pounds to a friend in the country. It was finally decided to -convey the money in a barrel of soap. The carrier was highly pleased -with the notion, and laughingly remarked that if any rogue were to rob -his waggon, "the devil's cunning must be in him if he looks for any -money in the soap-barrel." - -Jack Ovet, later in the day, overtook him upon the road and commanded -him to stop, else he would shoot both him and his horses. - -"I must make bold to borrow a little money out of your waggon," he -said; "therefore, if you have any, direct me to it, that I may not lose -any time, which, you know, is always precious." - -The carrier, quite unmoved in his fancied security, replied that he -had none, and if he did not believe him, he might, if he would, search -every box and bundle in his waggon. - -Ovet then, simulating a violent passion, began to toss down every -box, parcel, and barrel in the waggon, until at last, coming to the -soap-barrel, he flung it down with all his force, so that it broke in -pieces, the money-bag appearing in midst of the soap scattered on the -road. - -Then, jumping down, he exclaimed, "Is not he that sells this soap a -cheating villain, to put this bag of lead into it, to make the barrel -weigh heavier? However, that he may not succeed in his roguery, I'll -take it and sell it in the next house I come to, for it will wet my -whistle to the tune of two or three shillings." - -So saying, he was making off, when the poor carrier cried out, "Hold, -hold, sir! that is not lead. It is a bag with a hundred pounds in it, -for which I must be accountable." - -"No, no," returned Ovet, "this can't be money; but if it is, tell the -owner that I'll be answerable for it, if he'll come to me." - -"To you! Where, then, sir, may one find you?" - -"Why, truly," rejoined Ovet, with a chuckle, "that's a question soon -asked, but not so soon answered. The best answer I can give you is -that you'll probably find me in a gaol before night, and then perhaps -you may have what I have taken, and forty pounds more." - -The highwaymen were generally susceptible creatures, and Ovet not less -so than his brethren. One day, robbing the Worcester stage-coach, -filled on that occasion with young women, he was violently smitten with -one in particular. - -"Madam," he declared, "your charms have softened my temper. Cast not -your eyes down, nor cover your face with those modest blushes; and, -believe me, what I have taken from necessity is only borrowed, and -shall be honourably restored, if you will let me know where you may be -found." - -The young woman gave him her address, and a week later, overcome by the -most violent passion, he wrote her a love-letter in which, in the most -bombastic and ridiculous style, he expressed his love. "Although I had -the cruelty to rob you of twenty guineas," he concluded, "you committed -at the same time a greater robbery, by taking my heart. Do, I implore -you, direct a favourable answer." - -But this was the discouraging reply: - - "SIR,— - - "Yours I received with as great dissatisfaction as when you - robbed me. I admire your impudence in offering yourself to me as - a husband, when I am sensible it would not be long ere you made - me a hempen widow. Perhaps some foolish girl or another may be - so bewitched as to go in white, to beg the favour of marrying you - under the gallows; but, indeed, I shall neither venture there, - nor in a church, to marry one of your profession, whose vows are - treacherous, and whose smiles, words, and actions, like small - rivulets, through a thousand turnings of loose passions, at last - arrive at the dead sea of sin. - - "Should you, therefore, dissolve your eyes into tears; were every - accent in your speech a sigh; had you all the spells and magic - charms of love, I should seal up my ears. You have already broken - your word, in not sending what you villainously took from me; - but, not valuing that, let me tell you, for fear you should have - too great a conceit of yourself, that you are the first, to my - recollection, whom I ever hated; and, sealing my hatred with the - hopes of quickly reading your dying speech, in case you die in - London, I presume to subscribe myself." - - "Yours, never to command." - -Soon after this harrowing dismissal, Jack Ovet was taken, tried, and -executed, ending in May 1708, in the thirty-second year of his age. - - - - -JOHN HALL, RICHARD LOW, AND STEPHEN BUNCE - - -John Hall, born in 1675 of poor parents in Bishop's Head Court, off -Gray's Inn Lane, was one of those late seventeenth and very early -eighteenth-century evil-doers, who anticipated the sordid career of -the modern thief, without any redeeming qualities. A chimney-sweep by -trade, he was, among other things, a highwayman, but he more often -padded the hoof upon the highway than rode along it, and he would -turn his hand, according to what he deemed the necessities of the -moment, to pocket-picking, shop-lifting, or ringing the changes, with -equal facility. At the same time, he was not altogether a fortunate -malefactor. As a pickpocket, he was frequently detected and, we learn, -"treated in the usual manner, by ducking in the horsepond," by those -who did not want the trouble of prosecuting him. Happening upon more -vindictive persons, he was arrested, time after time, and thrown into -Bridewell and often whipped. Which was the more desirable, to be -flung into a horsepond, or be whipped, it must be left to individual -tastes to decide. It depends largely, no doubt, upon the comparative -filthiness of the pond and the kind of lash in use by the brawny -warders of Bridewell. - -He was eminently versatile, but the public has ever looked with -suspicion upon versatility; and perhaps for this, among other reasons, -his name is scarcely famous: only notorious in a small way as a -jack-of-all-trades, except honest ones, and a great master in no -particular one. - -He was, it may be at once granted, industrious enough in his perverted -way, and was for always frequenting churches, fairs, markets, and -public assemblies: he had also generally a confederate at hand, to whom -he would swiftly pass on the swag, to be himself found empty-handed -when searched, and with nothing on him to prove his guilt; quite in the -modern style. - -He had, as a shoplifter, the same painfully chequered fortunes that -studded his pocket-picking career with deplorable incidents. In January -1682 he was convicted at the Old Bailey of stealing a pair of shoes, -and was whipped at the cart's tail. A little later, still smarting from -that correction, he was back at the same trade, and in the long span -of eighteen years suffered a series of duckings, whippings, and the -distressing indignities that are the common rewards of clumsy rogues, -sufficient to have cured many an one. But Jack Hall was clearly an -"habitual." The delight of sport gilded his occupation, and salved his -moral and physical hurts; and, after all, although he was a more than -commonly blundering criminal, it was in itself no mean feat in those -severe times to follow the course he steered, and yet for so long to -keep his neck out of the noose. - -After eighteen years of miscellaneous villainy, he was convicted of -breaking into the house of one Jonathan Bretail, and for this was -sentenced to be hanged. With so lengthy a record as this, he was -fortunate indeed in receiving a pardon conditional upon his being -transported within six months to the American colonies. Fortunate -colonies! But he escaped at the last moment from the convict ship, and -England therefore did not lose her Hall. - -Having tried many kinds of petty robbery with no very great or -continued success, and being too well known as a pickpocket and -shoplifter, against whom every pocket was buttoned, all tills locked, -and goods carefully secured, he struck out a new line; robbing country -waggons and stealing portmanteaus off coaches. But even here, in this -arduous branch of a thief's varied business, ill-luck malevolently -pursued him; for he was caught in the act and convicted in 1702. This -brought him a period of two years' enforced seclusion in Bridewell, and -the painful and disfiguring sentence of branding in the cheek, by which -all men might know him on sight for a convicted felon, and be warned -accordingly. This inevitable carrying his own condemnation with him -wherever he went severely handicapped him when he was again at liberty; -and it was probably for this reason that he returned to burglary, -which, conducted at night-time, might reasonably offer inducements to a -man with a scarred face. - -With Stephen Bunce, Dick Low, and others, he broke into the shop of -a baker named Clare, at Hackney, soon after midnight. They proceeded -at once to the bakehouse, where they surprised the journeyman and -apprentice at work, and, tying them neck and heels, threw them into the -kneading-trough. One stood guard over them with a drawn sword, while -the others went upstairs to rob the house. - -[Illustration: THE ROBBERY AT THE HACKNEY BAKER'S.] - -The elderly Mr. Clare was awakened from sleep and bidden disclose where -his money lay, but he stoutly refused, in spite of all their threats, -until Hall seized a little girl, the baker's granddaughter. "D——n me!" -he said, "if I won't bake the child in a pie and eat it, if the old -rogue won't be civil." - -Mr. Clare seems to have been alarmed by this extravagant threat. -Perhaps the flaming "F" for felon, or "T" for thief, on Hall's cheek, -made him appear exceptionally terrible. At any rate, Mr. Clare then -revealed his hoard of gold, which amounted to between seventy and -eighty guineas; and with that, very satisfied, the midnight band -departed. - -Although this daring raid was naturally the subject of much excited -comment, the robbers were not captured, and they were presently bold -enough to break into the house of a man named Saunders, a chairman in -the same locality. Saunders was informed that Hall was one of the -thieves, and, knowing him well by sight, he pursued him and his gang at -three o'clock in the morning, accompanied by a watchman. The gang fired -at their pursuers, and the watchman fell, wounded in the thigh. Hall -escaped altogether, and although some of his accomplices were captured, -they were acquitted, from lack of sufficient evidence. - -In 1705 Hall was again in trouble, under the alias of "Price," but was -acquitted on the charge of housebreaking then brought against him. He -was similarly fortunate in October 1706, when he was charged in company -with Arthur Chambers with being concerned in stealing a handkerchief. -Such a trivial theft would seem hardly to need collaboration. - -Later on, he was again in custody, but meanly obtained his liberty by -turning evidence against two accomplices. - -Finally, in 1707 he was arrested with his old pals, Stephen Bunce and -Dick Low, for a burglary committed at the house of Captain Guyon, near -Stepney. All three were convicted, and suffered in company at Tyburn, -on December 7th, 1707. - -Dick Low was a not very distinguished person, and indeed his name, -except in association with Hall and Bunce, is utterly unworthy of -record in these annals. He was more expert at stealing from shops and -emptying tills than in any other branch of the thieving profession, and -would have made an expert area-sneak had areas been then in existence. -Unfortunately they came in about a century later. But he was an expert -at the "running-smobble," which consisted in two or three confederates -planning to rob a shop after dark: one going in with an exaggerated -pretence of drunkenness and creating a disturbance; while the others -would enter on the excuse of seeing what the matter could be, and then, -turning out the lights, clearing out the till, and laying hands on any -light articles of value that might be within reach. One of them would -come provided with pepper, or handfuls of mud and throw it in the faces -of the shopkeeper and his assistants, when they began to cry "Stop, -thief!" - -For the rest, Dick Low was a violent, sullen brute, often, like his two -allies, in Newgate, and when there generally in the bilboes for savage -assaults on his fellow-prisoners. - -Stephen Bunce, or Bunch, began his iniquities as soon as he could -toddle, and, according to the Reverend Mr. Thomas Pureney, the Ordinary -of Newgate, was old in crime while he was yet an infant in years. -Another biographer picturesquely says he was "born a thief," which, -as his parents were the inevitably "poor but honest" folk of the -conventional type of biography, seems an extreme criticism. - -The depravity of Stephen Bunce was, however, so precocious that, as a -child, he would go and play with the children of a charcoal-man, who -lived near his native London alley, for the express purpose of filling -his pockets with the charcoal, and then selling it, for hot codlins, -to a woman who kept an apple-stall. One day, when the codlins were more -than ever tempting and the charcoal not so easily to be stolen, he -asked the woman for some apples on trust, but she refused, and Stephen -resolved upon revenge. - -On the next opportunity, pocketing a larger quantity of charcoal than -usual, he filled the holes in it with gunpowder and then stopping them -with black sealing-wax, sold the charcoal to the unsuspecting woman, -who presently replenished her fire with it, with the natural result -that her brazier was blown to pieces and herself almost frightened out -of her wits. - -Graduating in crime as he grew up, Stephen naturally worked his way -through picking and stealing at the coffee-houses to practising on the -road. "Amongst others of his notorious pranks, he often played several -comical tricks, the most remarkable whereof is this, _viz._: One day -being upon some prospect in Essex, and destitute of money, as he was -coming along a footpath from Brentwood to London, he espied over the -hedges a gentleman mounted upon a very fine gelding, valued at above -forty pounds. Bunce presently gets the length of two or three fields -before the gentleman, and going over a stile at the turning of a lane, -he there lays himself down by a ditch-side, with his ear close to the -ground, till the gentleman was come up with him. Seeing him lie in that -posture, he asked him the meaning of it. - -"Bunce, in a sort of admiration, holding up his hands, as much as -to say, 'Don't disturb me,' gave no answer for some time, and then, -rising, said, 'Sir, I have heard much talk of fairies, but could never -believe there were any till now; for, upon my word, under this spot of -ground there is such a fine harmony of melodious tunes playing, upon -all sorts of charming instruments, so ravishing to the ears, that a man -with the great transports thereof (providing they were continually to -play) could lie here for ever.' - -"The gentleman, eager to hear these fine raptures, alights from his -gelding, and lays his ear to the ground, with his face towards Bunce, -but told him he could hear nothing. - -"'Oh! sir,' replied Bunce, 'lay the other ear to it.' With that the -gentleman very attentively lays his other ear to the ground, to hear -these harmonious sounds, and his back being then towards Bunce, he -presently mounts the gelding, and rid as fast as he could away. - -"When being come within a quarter of a mile of Romford, he alights and -turns the gelding loose, thinking if the gentleman used any inn in that -town, the gelding would make to it; and it did accordingly run into the -'Red Lion.' At the same time, the ostler happened to come out, and, -seeing the gelding running in without a rider, cried out, 'O! master, -master; here's Mr. What-d'ye-call-him's gelding come without him' -(calling him by his name). - -"Bunce being just by, takes the advantage of hearing what the -gentleman's name was, and replied that he was engaged with some -gentleman at Brentwood, desiring the innkeeper to send him £10, and had -sent his gelding for pledge, as designing to be there himself in two or -three hours' time. - -"'Ay, ay,' quoth the innkeeper, a hundred pounds was at his service, if -he had sent for it, and accordingly gave Bunch £10, with which he came -up to London. - -"About four or five hours later, the gentleman came up to the inn, -puffing and blowing, in his jack-boots, asking the innkeeper if he had -seen any one with his gelding. - -"The innkeeper bid him not fret, for his man had left his gelding -there, and he had given him £10, according to his desire. - -"'Rat him for a dog,' quoth the gentleman, 'he's none of my man; but -I'm glad he's left my gelding here and raised no more money than that -upon him. However, it shall be a warning to me for ever, alighting from -my horse to hear fairies play upon musick.'" - - - - -"MR." AVERY AND DICK ADAMS - - -Then there was Avery, who appears in the chronicles as "Mr." Avery. -He had in his youth been apprenticed to a bricklayer, and followed -that trade when out of his indentures. He also followed that of a -highwayman, and it is recorded, in sub-acid manner, that he worked so -hard at it that it killed him at last, against his will: which is an -oblique way of saying that it finally brought him to Tyburn tree. - -Questing one day up and down the road, like the ravens in search of -food, he met an honest tradesman. They rode together for some time, -when Avery asked him what trade he followed. The man replied that he -was a fishmonger, and, with a polite show of interest, asked Avery's -trade. - -"Why," said the highwayman, "I am a limb of St. Peter also." - -"What!" exclaimed the other, astonished, "are you a fishmonger too? -Indeed, I don't understand your meaning, sir." - -Whereupon Avery, pulling out his pistol, coolly observed: "My meaning -may soon be comprehended, for there's not a finger upon my hand but -will catch gold or silver, without any bait at all." So, taking all -the unfortunate man possessed, and cutting the girth and bridle of his -horse, to delay any likelihood of pursuit, he rode off for London. - -On another occasion he met an exciseman on Finchley Common. The -exciseman would not deliver his money until Avery had shot his horse -dead and threatened to do the like to him. Then, daunted by Avery's -terribly high words, and almost frightened out of his wits to hear what -dreadful volleys of oaths came out of his mouth, he stopped it as soon -as he could with twelve pounds, saying: "Here, take what I have, for if -there be a devil, certainly thou art one." - -"It may be so," replied Avery, "but yet much of a devil though I am, -I see an exciseman is not so good a bait to catch him as some people -would make out." - -"No, he is not," returned the exciseman; "the hangman is the only bait -to catch such devils as you." - -It was ill work, as a rule, exchanging insults with a highway -gentleman, but Avery, content with the main thing, rode off unmoved. He -was hanged at last, at Tyburn, January 31st, 1713. - -Dick Adams, who derived from Gloucestershire and at an early age was in -the service of a respectable Duchess (their Graces, you know, were not -all what they might have been, in the way of personal character, in the -seventeenth century), at last found his way into the Life Guards, but -as his pay did not suffice to support his extravagance, he sometimes -collected upon the highway. With some of his companions of the road, -he on one occasion robbed a gentleman of a gold watch and a purse of -a hundred and twenty guineas. Now observe how the greedy are made to -suffer for their greediness! Not content with their fine booty, he must -needs covet the gentleman's coat; and so cantered after him, saying: -"Sir, you have got a very fine coat on; I must make bold to exchange -with you;" and off the coat had to come, and the traveller went angry -away. Presently however, as he was riding along in that shabby misfit, -he thought he heard something jingling in a pocket; something that -sounded very differently from the jingling of his horse's bridle. -Thrusting in his hand, he, to his astonishment, found his watch and all -his money that Adams in his hurry had forgotten to remove out of the -pockets of his own coat when this exchange, which certainly proved, -after all, to be no robbery, was made. - -We may dwell a moment upon the rage of Adams and his party, when they -came to the next hedgeside inn and sat down to examine their gains, -which had thus vanished away, like the early dews of morning. - -It is pleasant to read of honest men occasionally coming to their own -again, and of incidents of painful retribution. Such an incident as -that recorded above deserves a fellow, and we find it in the painful -adventure in which Tom Taylor was the luckless sufferer. We do not -hear much of Tom Taylor, who was, indeed, more of a pickpocket than a -highwayman. We do learn, however, that he was the son of a clergyman, -and that "he was executed along with Moll Jones." Clearly, Tom -Taylor was an undesirable and the companion of undesirables. He was -accustomed to dress himself in smart clothes and attend theatres and -public entertainments, and there—an unsuspected fine gentleman—to pick -pockets. On one such occasion he emptied a gentleman's pocket of forty -guineas, and we are told that, in a disguise, he seated himself the -next night beside the same person, who recognised him but made no sign, -having this time come prepared. He had, in fact, baited his pocket with -a handful of guineas, which set up a pleasant jingling and made poor -Tom's mouth water. Poor Tom, we say advisedly, bearing in mind the -sequel. He began presently to "dive" for those guineas and found, to -his dismay, that the gentleman had really in the truest sense, "baited" -his pocket, for it had been sewn all round with fish-hooks, and the -wretched Taylor's hand was held fast. - -Having in vain attempted to disentangle himself, he said to the -gentleman: "Sir, by a mistake, I have somehow put my hand into your -pocket, instead of into my own"; but, without taking the least notice, -that merciless person rose from his seat and made for the "Rose" -tavern, Tom helplessly along with him, his hand all the while remaining -in the pocket. Arrived there, it was no difficult matter to make him -cry "Mercy!" and to induce him to send for one of his comrades, to -bail him out, so to say. It cost the unfortunate Tom Taylor eighty -guineas to get free again. The account of these things then concludes -on the proper note of poetic justice: "Nor was the gentleman satisfied -with this, but caned him in a most unmerciful manner, and then turned -him out to the mob, who ducked him in a pond, and broke one of his -legs." - -The succeeding chapters of Tom Taylor's chequered career do not concern -us, but we learn, without surprise, that this ferocious buffeting and -bruising—to say nothing of the fish-hooks—determined him to abandon the -"diving" trade. - - - - -JONATHAN WILD - - -To cheat that arch-rogue and cunning friend and betrayer of rogues, -Jonathan Wild, out of a place in these pages would be too mean an -action. He towers above the ordinary run of bad men as a very giant in -wickedness. Although he was himself no highwayman, he was friend of and -associate with all of their trade, and as such has a right here. - -Jonathan Wild was a native of Wolverhampton, the son, according to -some, of a carpenter; but, by more trustworthy records, his father was -a wig-maker. He was born about 1682. His father apprenticed him to a -Birmingham buckle-maker. While at Birmingham he married, but, deserting -his wife and child, he made for London, and was for a short period a -gentleman's servant. Returning for a brief space to the buckle-making -trade, he soon found himself in debt, and then, by what was a natural -transition in those times, lodged in the Poultry Compter. The Compter -(it is also styled the Wood Street Compter) was something over and -above a prison for debtors and others: and was indeed nothing less than -an academy and forcing-house of villainies, where incipient scoundrels -were brought on early in season, like cucumbers under glass. It was -not singular in this, for all the prisons of that age shared the like -well-earned reputation. Something of the horrors of imprisonment for -debt, as then practised, may be judged by the fact that Wild was here -for four years; but for a portion of the time he had the advantage over -his fellow-prisoners of being appointed assistant-gaoler. Wild never at -any time lacked address and tact, and these qualities here stood him in -good stead. - -It was in this abode of despair that he first met Mary Milliner, who -was ever afterwards associated with him. She was already old in crime, -though not in years, and was his initiator into the first practical -rogueries he knew. But he was a criminal by instinct, and needed only -introductions to the world of crime. Once shown the methods in vogue, -he not only became a master in their use, but speedily improved upon -them, to the wonderment and admiration of all the cross-coves in London. - -Released at length from durance, he and Mary Milliner set up a vile -establishment in Lewkenor's Lane, and later took a low public-house, a -resort of the padding-culls of the City—the sign of the "Cock," in Cock -Alley, Cripplegate. - -Wild had also made acquaintance, while in the Wood Street Compter, of -a deep-dyed scoundrel, a certain Charles Hitchen, an ex-City marshal, -who had lost his post through irregular practices, and had become an -associate with and director of thieves, and an expert blackmailer. -Hitchen was his early instructor in the curious art of acting as -intermediary between the thieves and those persons who had been robbed -of goods, or had had their pockets picked of watches and other valuable -jewellery; but Wild was a genius in his own way, with a talent for -organisation never equalled in his line, before or since, except -perhaps by Moll Cutpurse, who flourished a century earlier. Moll, -however, was ever staunch to her friends and accomplices, but Wild was -always ready to sell his intimates and to send them to the cart, if it -were made worth his while. So their careers run parallel for only a -little distance and then widely separate. - -Wild in a very little time broke with Hitchen. He left his instructor -far behind, and did business on so Napoleonic a scale that he speedily -aroused the furious jealousy of his sometime associate, who, unable -to contain himself at the thought of Wild, once his pupil, taking -nearly all his profitable business away, published a singular pamphlet, -intended to expose the trade. This was styled "The Regulator; or, a -Discovery of Thieves, Thief-takers, and Locks": "locks" being receivers -of stolen property. It had not the desired effect of spoiling his -rival's trade; and Jonathan continued to thrive amazingly. As a broker -and go-between in nearly all the felonies of his time committed in -and immediately around London, he speedily came to the front, and he -was exceptional in that he most adroitly and astonishingly doubled -the parts of Receiver-General of stolen property and self-styled -"Thief-catcher-General of Great Britain and Ireland." - -It might at the first blush, and indeed even after long consideration, -seem impossible to pose with success at one and the same time as -the friend and the enemy of all who get their living on the cross, -but Jonathan Wild achieved the apparently impossible and flourished -exceedingly on the amazing paradox. - -The first steps in this mesh of scoundrelism that Wild drew are not -sufficiently detailed, and Fielding's "History of the Late Mr. Jonathan -Wild the Great" is rather an effort in whimsical, satirical imagination -than in sheer biography. The considerable number of chap-book "Lives" -of this arch-villain are also absolutely untrustworthy. But it is -abundantly evident that he was a man of imagination and a master at -organising, for we find him the brain-centre of all the robberies -committed at that time in and around London, himself the secret, -supreme director of them all, and at the same time the apparently -"honest broker" who, for a consideration (quite after the old manner -of Moll Cutpurse), would undertake to restore missing property. This -self-appointed "Thief-taker" had numerous contingents, to each of which -was allotted its special work. One attended churches, another visited -the theatres, yet another detachment devoted their best energies to the -art of shop-lifting, and another still took situations as domestic -servants, and in that capacity made away with their employers' plate -and jewellery. It all seems like the fantastic imagining of a novelist, -but it is sufficiently real, and the theory of mutual benefits accruing -to Wild and his gang by this unnatural alliance is quite sound. He -received the stolen property and held it to ransom, dividing (more or -less unfairly) the amounts received with his thieves, who could not, -without running great risks, sell it. All concerned benefited: the -plundered citizens repurchased their valuables cheaply, Wild took an -excellent commission, and the thieves, pickpockets, and highwaymen made -a good living without much risk. The reverse of this charming picture -of distributed benefits was the alarming increase of robberies and the -decrease of arrests and convictions; and another serious outcome of -Wild's organisation was that he absolutely commanded the lives of those -who worked with him. None with impunity offended the great man, who was -merciless in his revenge, swearing away the lives of those who dared -cross him. Among the numerous satirical old prints relating to Jonathan -Wild there is a gruesome picture of devils lighting him with flaring -torches on the red way to Hell, together with a trophy of twenty-five -hanging persons, men and women, all duly named, whom he brought to the -gallows as a result of differences of opinion in the business matters -between them, or merely for the reason that they had outlasted their -use and had become inefficient thieves, and it would pay him better -to secure their conviction. And it is to be observed that in all this -while he was well known to be a director of robberies and receiver of -stolen goods. It was scandalously notorious that, while he advertised -himself in the newspapers as "Thief-catcher-General of Great Britain -and Ireland," he was colleague of those he professed to catch. And, as -the law then stood, he could not be brought to book. Everything was -possible to the cunning and daring of Jonathan Wild, who could not -merely bring a man to trial, but could snatch him from the very jaws of -death by making the prosecutor so drunk that he was not present to give -evidence at the trial; whereupon the accused was discharged. - -In fifteen years' activities of this kind, Wild amassed enormous sums. -He established himself in a fine house in the Old Bailey, conveniently -opposite Newgate, and there lived in fine style with his Molly, the -widow of a criminal who had been hanged at Tyburn. A footman followed -him in livery; he dined in state: "His table was very splendid, he -seldom dining under five Dishes, the Reversions whereof were generally -charitably bestow'd on the Commonside felons." Jewellery and valuables -not ransomed were shipped by him to Holland, in a sloop he regularly -maintained for the purpose, bringing contraband goods on the return -voyage. - -There is this undoubted tribute to Jonathan Wild's greatness, that -Parliament was at last moved to pass an Act especially designed to -cope with his villainies, and to lay him by the heels. This was the -Act of 1718, "For the farther preventing Robberies, Burglaries, and -other Felonies, and for the more effectual transportation of Felons." A -portion of this measure constituted it a felony for any one to solicit -or to accept a reward on the pretence of restoring stolen property to -the owners, unless they prosecuted the thieves. - -But this clause was evaded without much difficulty by the astute Wild. -He merely reconstituted his business, and made it an Enquiry Office, -where no money was accepted. Clients still came in numbers to him, -seeking their lost property, for it was certain, all the while, that -he had really a guilty knowledge of at least three-quarters of the -robberies committed in London. This revised procedure was for the -owners who called upon him to be informed that he had made enquiries, -and that he had heard the articles might be recovered if a reward was -despatched to a place named. The owners would then generally, acting on -his advice, send out, by the hands of a ticket-porter (ticket-porters -were the "commissionaires" of that period) the reward agreed upon. -The porter was instructed to wait at a street-corner until a person -delivered a package into his hands, whereupon he was to hand over the -reward. The celerity attending these transactions was remarkable. - -In other instances Wild would advise his clients to advertise their -loss and to offer a reward payable to any person who should deliver the -lost property to Mr. Jonathan Wild, or at his office; and no questions -asked. Perhaps the most marvellous thing in these negotiations was the -assumed disinterestedness of Mr. Jonathan Wild himself, who, although -the most notorious evil-doer in London, posed delightfully as the -instrument of good, restoring the lost valuables of utter strangers -entirely without fee or reward, from the Christian love he bore the -human race. Fielding truly styled him "the Great Man." - -Wild's impudence increased with his success, and he is found -petitioning the Corporation for the freedom of the City to be conferred -upon him, in recognition of his great services in bringing criminals to -justice. It does not appear that the City responded. - -Wild's career first became seriously threatened early in 1724, when, -greatly alarmed for his own safety, he is found imploring the Earl -of Dartmouth to shield him from what he styles the "persecution" of -the magistrates, who, he declares, had procured thieves and other bad -characters to swear false evidence against him. The scandal of Wild's -continued existence had at last become too gross for even that age. But -his time was not yet come, and he continued as before; mindful perhaps -of the old adage, "threatened men live long." He nearly ended, however, -by a more summary process than any known to the law; and entirely -through his own bloodthirsty treatment of "Blueskin," one of his own -associates. - -Joseph Blake, better known in all the stories of the highwaymen -as "Blueskin," who was hanged at Tyburn on November 11th, 1724, -was an expert highwayman, thief, and pickpocket—or, to speak in -the professional terms then in use among these fraternities, a -"bridle-cull," a "boman," and a "diver." He had long been a busy -servant of Jonathan, and frequently worked in company with Jack -Sheppard, but he would perhaps be little known in these later times -were it not for his having come very near sending the Great Man out of -the world, and thus cheating the gallows, already growing ripe for him. - -"Blueskin," rebelling, it may be presumed, against Wild on -some question of money, was promptly arrested by that astute -Director-General of Thieves, in his character of thief-taker, and -committed to Newgate on a charge of house-breaking. It was almost -invariably fatal to quarrel, or even to have a mere difference of -opinion, with that powerful and revengeful man. Wild was in court at -the Old Bailey, to give evidence, when "Blueskin" beckoned him over to -the dock. Inclining his ear to gather what the prisoner was pretending -to whisper, Wild instantly found himself seized in "Blueskin's" -frenzied grasp, and the court with horror saw his throat cut from ear -to ear. The deed was done with a penknife, and the wound was severe -and dangerous, but Wild eventually recovered, much to the surprise -of those who saw the ferocity of the attack, and greatly to the sorrow -of the criminal classes of London, who knew right well that they were -suffered to live only as long as they were useful and profitable to -Wild, and careful to exercise a due subservience to him. - -[Illustration: JONATHAN WILD IN THE CONDEMNED CELL. - - _From an old Print._] - -Indeed, it was at first thought that Wild must certainly die, and Swift -at that moment wrote the famous _Blueskin's Ballad_, of which here are -two verses: - - Then, hopeless of life, - He drew his penknife, - And made a sad widow of Jonathan's wife. - But forty pounds paid her, her grief shall appease, - And ev'ry man round me may rob, if he please. - - Some rob in the customs, some cheat in the 'xcise, - But he who robs both is esteemèd most wise. - Churchwardens, who always have dreaded the halter, - As yet only venture to steal from the altar. - But now to get gold - They may be more bold - And rob on the highway, since honest Wild's cold; - For Blueskin's sharp penknife has set you at ease, - And ev'ry man round me may rob, if he please. - -Swift, however, was in too great a hurry: Jonathan Wild did not die -then, and the thieves were not yet released from his iniquitous -bondage. His wife was not then made a "sad widow," although she was -soon to become one; and thus earned the remarkable distinction of -having been twice a "hempen widow." - -In January of the following year, 1725, the captain of Wild's sloop, -a man named Roger Johnson, who had been arrested on a charge of -contraband trading with Holland, sent hurriedly to him. Wild, never at -a moment's loss, assembled a mob, and provoked a riot, by which the -prisoner was rescued. - -Himself arrested at his own house in the Old Bailey, on February 15th, -1725, on a charge of being concerned in the theft of fifty yards of -lace from the shop of Catherine Stetham, in Holborn, on January 22nd, -he was, after considerable delay, put upon his trial at the Old Bailey -on May 15th. The lace stolen was valued at £50. - -He was further charged with feloniously receiving of Catherine Stetham -"ten guineas on account, and under colour of helping the said Catherine -Stetham to the said lace again; and that he did not then, nor at any -time since, discover or apprehend, or cause to be apprehended and -brought to Justice, the persons that committed the said felony." - -The evidence adduced at the trial is first-hand information of Wild's -method in organising a robbery. Henry Kelly, one of the chief witnesses -against him, told how he went on that day to see a Mrs. Johnson who -then lived at the prisoner's house. He found her at home, and with her -the great Jonathan and his Molly, and they drank a quartern of gin -together. By-and-by, in came a certain woman named Peg Murphy with a -pair of brocaded clogs, which she presented to Mrs. Wild. After two or -three more quarterns of gin had passed round, Murphy and Henry Kelly -rose to leave. - -"Which way are you going?" asked Wild. - -"To my lodging in 'Seven Dials,'" replied Kelly. - -"I suppose," remarked Wild, "you go along Holborn?" - -Both Kelly and Murphy answered that they did. - -"Why, then," he said, "I'll tell you what: there's an old blind bitch -that keeps a shop within twenty yards of Holborn Bridge and sells fine -Flanders lace, and her daughter is as blind as herself. Now, if you'll -take the trouble of calling upon her, you may speak with a box of lace. -I'll go along with you, and show you the door." - -The Judge at this moment intervened with the question, "What do you -understand by 'speaking with a box of lace'?" - -Even in our own day judges are commonly found enquiring the meaning -of phrases whose significance is common knowledge which one might -reasonably suppose to be shared even on the Olympian heights of the -King's Bench and other exalted divisions of the High Court. Every one -in Jonathan Wild's day understood perfectly well that to "speak with" a -thing was to steal it, and this was duly expounded to his lordship. - -Then Kelly went on to explain how Wild, himself, and Murphy went along -Holborn Hill until they came within sight of the lace-shop, which Wild -pointed out to them. - -"You go," he said, "and I'll wait here and bring you off, in case of -any disturbance." - -[Illustration: - - _To all the Thieves, - Whores, Pick-pockets, - Family Fellons &c. - in Great Brittain & Ireland, - Gentlemen & Ladies - You are hereby desir'd to - accompany y^r worthy friend y^e - Pious Mr. I——W—d from his - Seat at Whittingtons Colledge - to y^e Tripple Tree, where he's - to make his last Exit - on, and his - Corps to be Carry'd from thence - to be decently Interr'd amongst - his Ancestors._ - -_Pray bring this Ticket with you_ - -SATIRICAL INVITATION-CARD TO EXECUTION OF JONATHAN WILD.] - -Murphy and Kelly accordingly entered, in the character of purchasers, -and turned over several kinds of lace, pretending to be very difficult -to please. This piece was too broad, that too narrow, and t'other not -fine enough. At last the old woman went upstairs to fetch a finer -piece, when Kelly took a tin box of lace and gave it to Murphy, who -hid it under her cloak. Then the old woman came down with another box -and showed them several more pieces, but the confederates made as if -they could not agree about the price, and so left the shop and joined -Wild, where they had parted from him. They told him they had "spoke"; -whereupon they all returned to his house and opened the box, in which -they found eleven pieces of lace. "Would they have ready money?" asked -Wild, "or would they wait until the advertisement for the stolen lace -came out?" - -Funds were very low at the time with Murphy and Kelly, and they asked -for ready money, Wild then giving them about four guineas. - -"I can't afford to give any more," he said, "for she's a hard-mouthed -old bitch, and I shall never get above ten guineas out of her." - -Kelly took the lion's share of the money—three guineas—and Murphy had -the remainder. - -Wild was acquitted on the first charge, of being concerned in the -actual theft, but for feloniously receiving the ten guineas the trial -was continued. - -Catherine Stetham the elder said that on January 22nd she had a box -of lace, valued at £50, stolen out of her shop. She went, that same -night, to the prisoner's house to enquire after it; but, not finding -him at home, she advertised the stolen goods, offering a reward of -fifteen guineas, and no questions to be asked. There was no reply to -her advertisement, and she went again to the prisoner's house, and -saw him there. He asked her to give a description of the persons she -suspected, which she did, as nearly as she could, and he promised to -make enquiries, and suggested she should call again in three days. - -She did so, when he said he had heard something of her lace, and -expected to hear more in a little time. Even as they were talking a man -came in and said that, by what he had learned, he believed a man named -Kelly, who had already stood his trial for passing gilded shillings, -had been concerned in stealing the lace. - -She then went away, and returned on the day the prisoner was -apprehended. She had told him that, although she had advertised a -reward of only fifteen guineas for the lace, she would be prepared to -give twenty, or even five-and-twenty, rather than lose it. - -"Don't be in such a hurry, good woman," he rejoined; "perhaps I may -help ye to it for less, and if I can, I will. The persons that have got -your lace are gone out of town; I shall set them quarrelling about it, -and then I shall get it the cheaper." - -On March 10th he sent her word that if she would go to him at Newgate, -with ten guineas in her pocket, he would he able to help her to -her lace. She went. He asked her to call a porter, but she told him -she did not know where to find one, so he sent out and obtained a -ticket-porter. The porter was given ten guineas, to call upon the -person who was said to have the lace, and he returned in a little while -with a box which was said to contain all the lace, with the exception -of one piece. - -"Now, Mr. Wild," said she, "what must I give you for your trouble?" - -"Not a farthing, madam," said he. "I don't do these things for worldly -interest, but for the benefit of poor people who have met with -misfortunes. As for the piece of lace that is missing, I would not -have ye be uneasy, for I hope to get it for you ere long; nay, and I -don't know but in a little time I may not only help ye to your ten -guineas again, but to the thief too. And if I can, much good may it -do you; and as you are a widow and a good Christian, I desire nothing -of ye but your prayers; and for them I shall be thankful. I have a -great many enemies, and God knows what may be the consequences of this -imprisonment." - -The consequences were the most serious known to the law. Wild was -sentenced to death. No sentence in that court had ever been so popular. -When asked if he had anything to say why this judgment should not be -passed upon him, he handed a paper to the Judge, setting forth the -numbers of criminals he had been instrumental in bringing to Justice, -and in a very feeble voice said: "My lord, I hope I may, even in the -sad condition in which I stand, pretend to some little merit, in -respect of the services I have done my country, in delivering it from -some of the greatest pests with which it was ever troubled. My lord, -I have brought many a bold and daring malefactor to just punishment, -even at the hazard of my own life, my body being covered with scars -received in these undertakings. I presume, my lord, to say I have some -merit, because, at the time these things were done, they were esteemed -meritorious by the Government; and therefore I beg, my lord, some -compassion may be shown, upon the score of these services. I submit -myself wholly to His Majesty's mercy, and humbly beg a favourable -report of my case." - -But the law had too long been waiting for him, and his enormities were -too great, for any mercy to be hoped for; and he was left to die. He -did not afford an edifying spectacle in that condemned hold to which he -had consigned so many, reflecting that, as "his Time was but short in -this World," it was necessary to improve it to the best advantage "in -Eating, Drinking, Swearing, Cursing, and talking to his Visitants." His -old crony, the Reverend Thomas Pureney, the Ordinary, he flouted; and, -for the little spiritual consolation he at the last moment required, he -called in an outsider. But this did not prevent Pureney from concocting -a lying account and offering it for sale after his execution. Therein -we read, as though in Wild's own words: - -"Finding that there was no room for mercy (and how could I expect -Mercy, who never show'd any?), as soon as I came into the condemned -Hole, I began to think of making a preparation for my Soul; and the -better to bring my stubborn Heart to Repentance, I thought it more -proper to have the advice and the Council and Directions of a Man -of Learning, a Man of sound Judgment in Divinity, and therefore -Application being made to the reverend Mr. _Nicholson_, he very -Christian-like gave me his Assistance: And I hope that my Repentance -has been such as will be accepted in Heaven, into which Place, I trust -in God, my Soul will quickly be received. To part with my Wife, my -dear _Molly_, is so great an Affliction to me, that it touches me -to the Quick, and is like Daggers entering into my Heart. As she is -innocent, and I am the Guilty Man, let her not suffer in her Charracter -and Reputation for my Crimes: Consider that she is a Woman, and how -ungenerous it would be to reflect upon one whose weakness will not -permit her to defend herself so well as her Innocence will carry her. - -"And now, good People, you see to what a shameful End my Wickedness has -brought me; take warning therefore by my Example, and let my unhappy -Fate deterr you from following wicked Courses, and cause such of you to -forsake your Crimes, who are now fallen into them. Remember that though -Justice has leaden feet, yet she has Iron hands, and sooner or later -will overtake the unwary Criminal. I am now upon the point of departing -out of this World; joyn with me, therefore, in Prayer while I have -life, and pray to God to receive my poor Soul into his blessed Arms, -and to make us all happy with our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen." - -All the foregoing was the sheer invention of the egregious Pureney, and -Wild really went unrepentant to his end at Tyburn, May 24th, 1725. He -sought, by taking laudanum, to cheat the gallows of its due, but failed -in the attempt. The day of his execution was one of great rejoicings in -London, and huge crowds lined the way, pelting Wild, as he rode in the -cart, with stones and dirt. - -[Illustration: JONATHAN WILD ON THE WAY TO EXECUTION.] - - - - -NICHOLAS HORNER - - -Nicholas Horner was a younger son of the vicar of Honiton, in -Devonshire, and was born in 1687. He was wild and unmanageable almost -from infancy, and showed little promise of remaining in the humble post -of attorney's clerk, in which his father placed him, in London, when -he was seventeen or eighteen years of age. He remained, however, with -the attorney for three years, learning more in the way of drinking and -dicing at the "Devil" and the "Apollo" taverns in the Strand, than of -law in Clement's Inn. He then ran away, and remarked when he exchanged -his quill-pen, his parchments, and his stool in the lawyer's office, -for the pistols, the crape mask, and the mettlesome horse of the -highwayman, that he was only exchanging one branch of the profession -to which he had been articled for another and a higher—becoming a -"highway lawyer," a "conveyancer" and a "collector." Unfortunately for -him, he began to practise in this new branch before he had properly -made himself acquainted with the rudiments of its procedure, and was -in consequence taken in an interview with his first client, and lodged -in Winchester gaol, where he remained for three months before his -trial came on. In the meanwhile, the friends of his family, seeing how -scandalous a thing it would be if a clergyman's son were convicted -of highway robbery, and sentenced to die by the rope of the hangman, -strongly endeavoured to persuade the gentleman whom he had robbed to -fail in identifying him. But their efforts were fruitless, for he was -determined to prosecute, and the trial in due course was held, and the -prisoner found guilty and formally sentenced to death. - -His friends were more successful in the petitions they forwarded to -the Queen, herself an excellent Churchwoman, and disposed to stretch a -point that its ministers might be saved from unmerited reproach. Horner -was pardoned on condition that his friends undertook that he should -be sent out of the kingdom within three months, and that they should -undertake to keep him in exile for seven years. It was an excellent -offer, and they accepted, shipping him to India, where he remained for -the stipulated time, passing through many adventures which, although -detailed by Smith, are not concerned with the highway portion of his -career, and are not even remotely credible. - -Returning to his native shores, he found both his father and mother -dead, and received from the executors of his father's will the amount -of £500, all his father had to leave him. That sum did not last him -long. What are described as "the pleasures of town" soon brought him -again to his last guinea; and he, of course, once more took to the -road. - -"Well overtaken, friend," he said to a farmer he came up with on the -road. "Methinks you look melancholy; pray what ails you, sir? If you -are under any afflictions and crosses in the world, perhaps I may help -to relieve them." - -"Ah! my dear sir," replied the farmer, "were I to say I had any losses, -I should lie, for I have been a thriving man all my life, and want for -nothing; but indeed I have crosses enough, for I have a d—d scolding -wife at home, who, though I am the best of husbands to her, and daily -do my best to make her and my children happy, is always raving and -scolding about the house like a madwoman. I am daily almost nagged -out of my life. If there be such a thing as perpetual motion, as some -scientific men say, I'm sure it is in my wife's tongue, for it never -lies still, from morning to night. Scolding is so habitual to her that -she even scolds in her sleep. If any man could tell me how to remedy -it, I have a hundred pounds in gold and silver about me which I would -give him with all my heart, for so great a benefit which I should -receive by the taming of this confounded shrew." - -Horner, listening to this most pleasant tune of a hundred pounds, said: -"Sir, I'll just tell the ingredients with which nature first formed a -scold, and thus, the cause of the distemper being known, it will be -easier to effect a cure. You must understand, then, that nature, in -making a scold, first took of the tongues and galls of bulls, bears, -wolves, magpies, parrots, cuckoos, and nightingales, of each a like -number; the tongues and tails of vipers, adders, snails, and lizards, -six each; _aurum fulminans_, aqua fortis, and gunpowder, of each a -pound; the clappers of seventeen bells, and the pestles of thirty -apothecaries' mortars, which becoming all mixed, she calcined them in -Mount Stromboli and dissolved the ashes in water, distilled just under -London Bridge at three-quarters flow-tide, and filtered through the -leaves of Calepin's dictionary, to render the operation more verbal; -after which she distilled it again through a speaking-trumpet, and -closed up the remaining spirits in the mouth of a cannon. Then she -opened the graves of all recently-deceased pettifoggers, mountebanks, -barbers, coffeemen, newsmongers, and fishwives at Billingsgate, and -with the skin of their tongues made a bladder, covered over with -drumheads and filled with storms, tempests, whirlwinds, thunder and -lightning. Lastly, to irradiate the whole elixir, and make it more -churlish, she cut a vein under the tongue of the dog-star, drawing -thence a pound of the most choleric blood; and from which sublimating -the spirits, she mixed them with the foam of a mad dog; and then, -putting all together in the before-mentioned bladder, stitched it up -with the nerves of Socrates' wife." - -"A damned compound, indeed." said the farmer; "and surely it must be -impossible for any man to tame a shrew at this rate." - -"Not at all," replied Horner, "for when she first begins to be in her -fits, you shall perceive it by the bending of her brows; then apply to -her a plaster of good words: after that, give her a wheedling potion; -and if that will not do, take a bull's tail, and, applying the same -with a strong arm from shoulder to flank, it shall infallibly complete -the cure." - -The farmer was very well pleased with this prescription, and, giving -Horner many thanks and treating him liberally at the next inn, they -continued to ride on together. At last, coming to a convenient place, -Horner said, "Please pay me now, sir, for my advice." - -"I thought the entertainment I provided for you just now at the inn was -all the satisfaction you required," retorted the surprised farmer. - -"No, sir," said Horner, "you promised a hundred pounds if any one would -find you a remedy for your scolding wife; and a bargain is a bargain -all the world over, in the market or on the road": so presenting his -pistol at the farmer's head, "d—n me, sir," he continued, "presently -deliver your bag, or you are a dead man!" - -The farmer delivered the bag, which, if it did not contain quite a -hundred pounds, formed an excellent recompense for the time Horner had -spent in exercising his fantastic imagination upon him. - -Shortly after this exploit, Horner met a gentleman on Hounslow Heath, -saluting him with the customary demand to hand over his dibs. - -The traveller gave him six guineas, all he had, saying: "Sir, you -love money better than I do, to thus venture your neck for it"; to -which Horner rejoined, "I follow the way of the world, sir, which -now prefers money before friends, or honesty; yea, some before the -salvation of their souls; for it is the love of money that makes the -unjust judge take a bribe, the corrupt lawyer to plead an evil cause: -the physician to kill a man without fear of hanging, and the surgeon -to prolong a cure. 'Tis this that makes the tradesman tell a lie in -selling his wares; the butcher to blow his veal; the tailor to covet so -much cabbage; the miller to cheat in his corn-grinding; the baker to -give short weight, and to wear a wooden cravat for it; the shoemaker to -stretch his leather, as he does his conscience: and the gentlemen of -the pad—such as myself—to wear a Tyburn tippet, or old Storey's cap on -some country gallows. So good-day to you, sir, and thank you, and never -despise money in a naughty world." - -Horner now experienced a sad blow to his self-esteem, in an adventure -in which he was made to play a ridiculous part, and to be the butt -afterwards of his acquaintances. A lady of considerable position -and wealth was travelling from Colchester to London by stage-coach, -and happened to be the only passenger for a considerable distance. -At Braintree the coachman very politely warned her that, if she had -anything of value about her, she had better conceal it, for there were -several gay sparks about the neighbouring heath, whom he thought to be -highwaymen. Thanking him, the lady placed her gold watch, a purse full -of guineas and some valuable lace under the seat; and then disarranged -her hair, like poor Ophelia, to act the part of a lunatic. - -Presently, Horner rode up to the coach, presented a pistol, and -demanded her money. Instantly she opened the coach-door, leapt out, -and taking the highwayman by the leg, cried in a very piteous voice, -"Oh, dear cousin Tom, I am glad to see you. I hope you'll now rescue me -from this rogue of a coachman, for he's carrying me, by my rogue of a -husband's orders, to Bedlam, for a mad woman." - -"D—n me," replied Horner, "I'm none of your cousin. I don't know you, -but you must be mad, and Bedlam is the best place for you." - -"Oh! cousin Tom," said she, clinging to him, "but I will go with you, -not to Bedlam." - -"Do you know this mad creature?" asked the now distracted highwayman of -the coachman. - -"Yes," he replied, entering into the spirit of the thing; "I know the -lady very well. I am now going, by her husband's orders, to London, to -put her in a madhouse, but not into Bedlam, as she supposes." - -"Take her, then," exclaimed Horner, "even if it were to the devil." So -saying, he set spurs to his horse, and made off as fast as he could, -for fear of her continuing to claim cousinship with him. - -[Illustration: HORNER MEETS HIS MATCH.] - -This story, afterwards appearing in the _Weekly Journal, or British -Gazetteer_, of December 27th, 1718, and coming to Horner's -knowledge, he was almost beside himself with rage, at being so easily -tricked. The tale enjoyed a wide circulation, and seems to have -impressed other travellers; for when Horner soon afterwards adventured -down into the West of England, and stopped a carriage near Honiton, in -which was a lady travelling from Exeter to London, he beheld another -frantic creature with dishevelled hair, who greeted him as "cousin." - -"You hypocritical——!" he roared out; "because I was once bit this way -by one of your d—d sex, d'ye think I must always be bit so?" - -Saying this he turned over every cushion in the carriage, and found -under them sufficient for his trouble: a gold watch, and other -valuables and money, in all to the value of some two hundred pounds. - -But this was Horner's very last stroke of business. He was taken -only two hours later, in attempting to rob two gentlemen, and after -a patient trial at Exeter, was hanged there on April 3rd, 1719, aged -thirty-two. - - - - -WALTER TRACEY - - -"The adventures of this individual," says Johnson, "are neither -of interest nor importance." He then proceeds to recount them at -considerable length, sufficiently disproving his own words in the -course of his narrative. - -Tracey was heir to an estate of £900 annual value, in Norfolk. His -father, himself a man of liberal education, wished his son to share -the like advantage, and sent him to Oxford, where he hoped he would -take a degree and then enter the Church. But Walter was a gay and idle -blade; thoughtless and reckless. His character was otherwise gentle, -open, and generous: so it will be noted that if his recklessness -suited him for the profession of highwayman, his alleged mildness of -disposition was distinctly a drawback. At the least of it, he seems to -have been singularly unfitted for the Church, and, indeed, had never an -opportunity of entering it, for his wild life as a student led to his -being expelled from the University. - -Our precious, delightful humbug, Johnson, greedily telling the story -of the highwayman and omitting no scandalous detail from the task in -which he revelled, halts at this point to make an insincere moral -reflection, which he felt would be called for by some of his readers, -even in the middle of the eighteenth century, when morals and improving -discourses were alike at a heavy discount. - -"The road to vice," he remarks, with his tongue in his cheek, "is of -easy access, and, fascinating as it appears when you proceed, it closes -behind, and leaves nothing on the retrospect but ruggedness and gloom. -Tracey had entered the delusive path, and though he had the wish, -possessed not the fortitude, to retrace his steps." - -That was bad for Tracey. He and his companions, we learn, for some time -amused their parents with various artifices; "but were at last denied -any further pecuniary assistance." In this Micawberish high-falutin -style, are Tracey's experiences told. - -To fill their pockets, Tracey and his friends went upon the road. -Expelled from the University, he reformed for awhile, and made his -way through England until he arrived in Cheshire, where he took -service with a wealthy grazier. He soon became fond of the country, -and reconciled to his now humble lot, and being a youth of elegant -appearance, and possessing very pleasing and fascinating manners, his -friendship was courted by every one. He was proficient in music and -singing, and often, when the toils of the day were over, the villagers -would assemble at his master's door, and "measure their gay steps to -the sound of his violin; 'in fact, as Mr. Micawber might say,' they -danced to his fiddling." - -The country girls vied with one another for his attention; but the -grazier's daughter (or perhaps the prospect of the grazier's money) was -the object of his choice; and so firmly had he gained the esteem of his -master, that their marriage was agreed upon, and at length celebrated -with every mark of happiness and satisfaction. - -For a time he remained happy in this condition of life; especially -as his wife had brought a part of her father's property with her. He -managed farm and stock with skill and industry, and might have become -an ornament and a shining light in the Cheshire cheese-farming, only -for the vagabond blood in him. He found a respectable life insufferably -dull after his early riotous days; and was so loud in his praise of -town and its delights, that he at length disturbed the content of his -wife and his father-in-law as well, and induced them to realise all -their property, and to accompany him to London, where, he said, he -expected to procure some lucrative situation. - -Johnson, perhaps thinking this to be too great a demand upon the -credulity of his readers, feels constrained to add at this point a -criticism of his own. "It was no small proof of the influence he -had over the resolutions and actions of others, that he could thus -induce a country farmer to forget his accustomed habits, and follow -an adventurous son-in-law into scenes with which he was altogether -unacquainted." We may heartily agree with him here. - -Having disposed of their joint stock and other property, they proceeded -to London by way of Trentham, in Staffordshire, where they intended -to rest for a day or two. In the house where they stayed Tracey met -some of his old college friends, with whom he spent a jovial time. -This confirmed him in his desire to return to his former extravagant -way of living, and he seems instantly to have lost all his new-found -honesty and sense of responsibility, under the influence of this old -acquaintance. - -Early next morning he arose and, stealing his father-in-law's -pocket-book, and everything of value that lay handy, went off on his -horse, and thus, without a word of farewell, disappeared. "Thus," -remarks our author, ready with the moralising reflections we know he -really detested, "he in a moment blasted the good hopes which the -reader must have entertained of him; and his future serves only to -confirm that contempt which every honourable mind must feel for him, -after so infamous an action. Every endeavour to discover his retreat -proved ineffectual, and his wife and father-in-law never heard of him -again, until he expiated his crimes by an ignominious death." - -It appears that Tracey proceeded to Coventry, where he alighted at -an inn, in which he observed an unusual stillness. Entering the -house, and hearing sounds of quarrelling upstairs, his curiosity -led him to enquire what was amiss, and walking abruptly into one of -the rooms, surprised the innkeeper and his wife in a heated dispute. -The innkeeper, an elderly man, had married a woman much younger than -himself, and had discovered, too late, that she had really been angling -for his money, rather than for himself: hence these disagreements. - -The dispute ran high as Tracey entered. Both husband and wife were -eager to state their respective grievances, and he listened patiently. -Having heard both sides, he summed up judicially. - -"Money," he said, "has been the cause of this confusion. Without it you -may live in peace and quietness; so, for your own sakes, hand me at -once the money you possess"; handling a loaded pistol significantly the -while. He took first eighty-five guineas, and then his farewell. - -On his way south he met a young Oxonian, whom he accompanied as far as -Ware, where they passed the evening in great harmony and friendship. -Proceeding next day, Tracey frequently remarked that his companion's -valise—a prosperous-looking article—was certainly too weighty for -him. But, in constantly recurring to the subject, he aroused his -companion's suspicions that this pleasant fellow, whom he had picked up -on the road, was none other than a highwayman. He said nothing of his -suspicion, but was resolved to be even with him. Presently, remarking -that he was travelling to take up his degree of Master of Arts, he -hinted that he had with him, in his portmanteau, sixty pounds for his -expenses. - -"Have you so?" said Tracey. "That is very convenient for me at this -time, for I want to borrow just such a sum, and you could not lend it -to a better person than myself." - -So, without more ado, he helped himself to the valise, untying it from -the other's horse and strapping it on his own. - -The student poured forth the most lamentable entreaties, and begged -Tracey not to thus deprive him of what was to establish his future -prospects in life. The money, he declared, was all borrowed, and if it -were sto—— er! _borrowed_ from him at this juncture, he had not the -least prospect of ever being able to repay it. - -All these tears and protestations moved Tracey only so far as to give -him his own purse, containing some four pounds, to carry him on for a -few days. He then disappeared down a bye-road with the valise, and the -student saw him no more, and perhaps had no wish to see him again; for, -as Tracey discovered when he halted at the next hedge-row alehouse and -unstrapped the valise, the sixty pounds was purely imaginary, and its -contents were nothing but two old shirts, half a dozen dirty collars, -a ragged and threadbare student's gown, a pair of stockings minus the -feet, a pair of shoes with but one heel between them, a comb, some -needles and thread, and a ham. The picturesque force of the sucking -highwayman's language when he discovered these treasures, and how -simply he had been taken in, must have considerably astonished the -landlord of that wayside tavern. - -The biographers of Ben Jonson mention his once being robbed by Tracey -in very humorous style. Tracey met the poet, whom he knew well by -sight, on a road in Buckinghamshire, and demanded his purse. To this -"Rare Ben," as his epitaph in Westminster Abbey styles him, answered in -the following impromptu: - - "Fly, villain! hence, or by thy coat of steel, - I'll make thy heart my leaden bullet feel; - And send that thricely thievish soul of thine - To Hell, to be the Devil's valentine." - -Upon which Tracey is supposed to have replied: - - "Art thou great Ben? or the revivèd ghost - Of famous Shakespeare? or some drunken host, - Who, being tipsy with thy muddy beer, - Dost think thy rhymes will daunt my soul with fear? - - "Nay, know, base slave, that I am one of those - Can take a purse as well in verse as prose; - And when thou'rt dead, can write upon thy hearse, - 'Here lies a poet who was robbed in verse.'" - -This ingenious reply disarmed Jonson, who thus discovered that he had -both a wit and a knave to contend with. He endeavoured to save his -money, but to no purpose, and had to resign it to the man who, it -seemed, could rhyme better, impromptu, than himself, and at greater -length. This was not the only misfortune that befel Jonson on this -journey; for, when within two or three miles of London, he was attacked -by a gang of thieves, who knocked him from his horse, bound him hand -and foot, and threw him into a park, where some other wayfarers who -had shared the same fate were lying. One of his unfortunate companions -calling out that he and his wife and children were undone, another, -who was tied up also, said, "Pray, if you are all undone come and undo -me"; which afforded Ben a hearty laugh, and a subject upon which he -afterwards expressed his poetical powers. - -Tracey was not one of your common highwaymen who expended their money -as fast as they earned it. He was of a saving disposition, and after -some time amassed sufficient to keep him in comfort during the rest -of his life. Unfortunately there is little dependence to be placed -upon the honesty of the world, as Tracey found, for the person to whom -he had entrusted his savings embezzled them; and so our highwayman's -intention to retire was upset, and he was reduced to going once more -upon the road. His hand seems by this time to have lost its cunning, or -else he had the very worst luck, for he was soon taken, in an attempt -to rob the Duke of Buckingham; and, after being brought to trial at -Winchester, was executed there in 1634, aged thirty-eight. - - - - -NED WICKS - - -The famous Edward Wicks—more famous as "Ned," one of the favourites -of the romancing Harrison Ainsworth—was born in 1684, and was the son -of an innkeeper at Coventry. His father had him properly grounded in -reading, writing, and 'rithmetic, with the ambition of seeing him -a clerk, but the youthful Edward shunned the desk, and for a few -months filled the post of exciseman. The excisemen of that day were -looked upon with that suspicion and hatred with which tax-gatherers, -tithe-collectors, landlords, people who render accounts for payment, -and the like vermin, have ever been regarded from the earliest times, -and ever will be by all right-minded folk; and Edward soon quitted -the unpopular post of gauger, not only because of its unpopularity, -but for reasons not altogether unconnected with an inability to make -his accounts balance. His reasons for the change are, however, put -in a different light by Smith, who, with sardonic humour, says: "Not -thinking that a post sufficient to cheat Her Majesty's subjects, he -was resolved to impose upon 'em more by taking all they had on the -highway." Or, in milder fashion, according to Johnson, "he chose -rather to gather contributions for himself than for the King." For -"King" read "Queen," for Wicks practised in the reign of Queen Anne. - -The first two interviews he held with travellers upon the highway -were successful, but the third brought him misfortune, for he was -apprehended near Croydon, and sent to prison in the Marshalsea, a -doleful hold, at that time said to be "a lively representation of the -Iron Age, since nothing but gingling of keys and rattling of shackles -and bolts and grates are here to be heard." - -His third attempt would no doubt have remained also his last, had it -not been for the exertions of his friends, who, during the interval -between his arrest and the trial at Sessions, got at the prosecutor -and bribed him with sixty guineas, to fail in identifying him. As -the prosecutor had been robbed of only thirty shillings, he profited -largely by the transaction and was doubtless sorry it could not be -often repeated. - -Wicks was accordingly acquitted, on the failure of this suborned -prosecutor to swear to him; and was immediately on the road again; this -time in partnership with a certain Joe Johnson, alias Saunders. Near -Colnbrook they held up a stage-coach containing four gentlemen, one of -whom discharged a blunderbuss at the luckless Joe, who received seven -or eight bullets, and was thus wounded so severely that he was easily -seized: the more easily in that Wicks instantly made off, with the -speed of the wind. The "chivalry" of the highwaymen, of which we read -so much in novels, was an elusive thing, and was apt to be altogether -missing in the stress of danger. The highwayman who would stand by a -wounded comrade was a very rare bird: so rare, indeed, that we are -inclined to doubt his existence. - -Joe Johnson, committed to prison, was charged by one Woolley with an -earlier robbery, of a silver watch and some money, and was found guilty -and hanged at Tyburn, February 7th, 1704, aged twenty-two. - -The fate of the companion whom he had so basely deserted in the moment -of his greatest need did not warn Wicks from his perilous career, and -we are assured that he "pursued his wicked courses with a great deal of -pleasure and satisfaction." One day he overtook the Duke of Marlborough -at St. Albans, but His Grace had too large a retinue for it to be safe -to venture an attack, and so the great Churchill escaped, for once in a -way. - -Then, riding on towards Cheshunt, he found his way to a little cottage -in a bye-road, where he discovered a poor old woman, bitterly weeping. -She told him she was a poor widow, with no money to pay her rent, and -expected the landlord every moment to come and seize what few goods she -had. - -Wicks bade her rest contented, and he would make things easy; and, -pulling off the richly laced clothes he wore, and putting on an old -coat the woman lent him, he awaited the arrival of the hard-hearted -landlord; who presently came and demanded payment. Ned thereupon, -rising out of the chimney-corner with a short pipe in his mouth, said, -"I understand, sir, that my sister here, poor woman, is behindhand for -rent, and that you design to seize her goods, but as she is a desolate -widow and hath not wherewithal to pay you at present, I hope you will -take so much pity and compassion on her mean circumstances as not to be -too severe: pray let me persuade you to have a little forbearance." - -Said the landlord, "Don't talk to me of forbearance; I'll not pity -people to ruin myself. I'll have my money. I want my rent, and if I am -not paid now, I'll seize her goods forthwith, and turn her out of my -house." - -When Ned found that no entreaties or persuasions would prevail, he -said, "Come, come, let's see a receipt in full, and I'll pay it." - -Accordingly the receipt was given, and the rent paid, and the landlord -made ready to go. - -But Wicks warned him of the dangers of the roads. "'Tis drawing towards -night, sir, and there are many robbers about. I would advise you to -stay here till to-morrow, and go in the morning." - -"No, no!" exclaimed the landlord impatiently, "I'll go now. I can go -seven miles before dark. I don't care what robbing there is abroad. -Besides, I am not afraid of being robbed by any one man, be he whom he -may." - -So, taking his horse, away he rode, and Wicks, hastily re-assuming his -fine clothes, quietly after him, at a cautious interval. - -Taking a circuitous course and putting his mare to a hand-gallop, Wicks -was already waiting the landlord at the edge of a dark pond on a lonely -stretch of road, when the old man rode by. In that situation, as the -shades of night were falling, he robbed him of the rent and of as much -beside, which he later kept for his honest brokerage, after making the -widow a present of the original amount. Hastening back to the cottage, -he had already resumed the rustic clothes and was seated in the chimney -corner, when a knocking came at the door. It was the landlord returning -to tell the story of his woes. He said he had been robbed by a rogue in -a lace coat, who swore a thousand oaths at him. - -"I told you how unsafe it was," said Wicks, from his corner; "but you -would not take my advice." - -The landlord begged leave to stay the night, and went the following -morning upon his way. - -The obvious criticism of this is that, having already been robbed, his -best and safest course would have been to make haste on his way home, -the remainder of the journey, without turning back. - -Ned Wicks one day met Lord Mohun on the road between Windsor and -Colnbrook, attended by only a groom and a footman. He commanded his -lordship to "stand and deliver!" for he was in great want of money, and -money he would have, before they parted company. Lord Mohun, a noted -bully and rustler of that age, proposed that, if the highwayman was so -insistent, they should fight for it, and Wicks very readily accepted -this proposal; whereupon, my lord, seeing him busily preparing his -pistols for the engagement, began to back out of the bargain. Wicks, -perceiving this, said contemptuously: "All the world knows me to be -a man, and such a man am I that, although your lordship could, in a -cowardly manner, murder Mumford the actor, and Captain Cout, I am by no -means afraid of you. Therefore, since you will not fight, I order you -to down with your gold, or expect no quarter!" - -Thus meeting with more than his match, Lord Mohun fell into a -passionate fit of swearing. "My lord," said Wicks, when he could get a -word in edgeways, "I perceive you swear perfectly well, _extempore_: -come, I'll give your honour a fair chance for your money, and that is, -he that swears best of us two shall keep his own, and the money of he -who loses as well." - -My lord, an expert in this line, through long cursing over losses at -cards, eagerly agreed to this new bargain, and threw down a purse of -fifty guineas. Wicks staked a like sum, and the competition started. - -After a quarter of an hour's prodigious swearing on both sides, it was -left to his lordship's groom to declare the winner. - -He said: "Why, my lord, your honour swears as well as ever I heard -any Person of Quality in my life; but, indeed, to give the Strange -Gentleman his due, he has done better than yourself, and has won the -wager, even if it were for a thousand pounds." - -After a few successful years of constant attention to his profession, -Wicks was at last executed at Warwick, on August 29th, 1719, aged -twenty-nine. - - - - -DICK TURPIN - - -Richard Turpin, the hero of half a hundred plays, and of many hundred -ballads and chap-book histories, now demands our attention. His name -stands out, far and away above that of any other of the high-toby -fraternity. Not Claude Du Vall himself owns half his celebrity, -nor Hind, nor Whitney, nor Sixteen-String Jack. Ballad-mongers, -playwrights of the old penny-gaff order, and novelists, with Harrison -Ainsworth at their head, have ever united to do him honour and have -conspired—innocently as a rule—to deprive another and a worthier -highwayman of his due, in order to confer it upon "Dick." The familiar -"Dick" itself shows us how the great public long ago took Turpin to -its ample bosom, and cherished him, but the student of these things -smiles a little sourly as he traces the quite unheroic doings of this -exceptionally mean and skulking scoundrel, and fails all the time to -note anything of a dashing nature in his very busy but altogether -sordid career. - -Turpin never rode that famous Ride to York upon Black Bess: another -and an earlier than he by some sixty years—the bold and daring -Nevison—performed that ride, as we have already shown; and the -chivalry, the courtesy, and consideration, generally so much in -evidence in the plays and the stories, are by no means found in the -many contemporary reports of his doings. - -Richard Turpin was born on September 21st, 1705, at the village -of Hempstead, in Essex. There are those who find a fanciful -appropriateness in the fact, that a man, whose wife was to become a -"hempen widow," should have been born at a place so significantly -named. Those who are curious enough to seek it, may duly find the -record of the future highwayman's baptism in the parish register, and -will find the baptism of an elder sister, Maria, recorded nearly three -years and a half earlier, April 28th, 1702. - -The Reverend William Sworder, vicar of Hempstead, who performed the -baptism, and thereafter made an entry of it in his register, was -evidently proud of his acquaintance with the language of the ancients, -and less pleased with his native tongue, for his entries are generally -in Latin: and thus we find the infant Dick and his parents figuring, -"_Richardus, filius Johannis et Mariae Turpin._" - -[Illustration: TURPIN'S BAPTISMAL REGISTER OF HEMPSTEAD.] - -John Turpin at that time kept the inn that even now, somewhat altered -perhaps in detail, looks across the road to the circle of pollard trees -known as "Turpin's Ring," and thence up to the steep church-path. It -was then, it appears, known as the "Bell," but at times is referred to -as the "Royal Oak," and is now certainly the "Crown." Such are the -difficulties that beset the path of the historian. Nor has this mere -nomenclature of the ancestral roof-tree been the only difficulty. Were -there not seven cities that claimed to be the birthplace of Homer? In -like manner at least one other place, Thaxted, is said to have been -Turpin's native home; but with the register as witness we can flatly -disprove this, and give the honour of producing the famous person to -Hempstead. - -The youthful Turpin was apprenticed to a butcher in Whitechapel, and -soon afterwards set up in business for himself at Waltham Abbey, at the -same time marrying at East Ham a girl named Hester Palmer, whose father -is said to have kept the "Rose and Crown" inn at Bull Beggar's Hole, -Clay Hill, Enfield. - -As a butcher, he introduced a novel method of business by which, except -for the absurd and obstinate old-fashioned prejudices that stood in his -way, he might soon have made a handsome competence. This method was -simply that of taking your cattle wherever they might best be found, -without the tiresome and expensive formality of buying and paying for -them. It might conceivably have succeeded, too, except that he worked -on too Napoleonic a scale, and stole a herd. It was a herd belonging to -one "Farmer Giles," of Plaistow, and unfortunately it was traced to his -door, and he had to fly. More restrained accounts, on the other hand, -tell us it was only two oxen that were taken. - -The Plaistow-Waltham Abbey affair rendered Turpin's situation extremely -perilous, and he retired north-east in the Rodings district, generally -called in those times "the Hundreds of Essex"—to "Suson," say old -accounts, by which Seward-stone is meant. - -But although a comparatively safe retreat, it was exceedingly dull, -and nothing offered, either in the way of the excitements he now -thirsted for, or by way of making a living. He was reduced to the -at once mean and dangerous occupation of robbing the smugglers who -then infested this, and indeed almost every other, country district. -It was mean, because they, very like himself, warred with law and -order; and dangerous, because although he might only attack solitary -"freetraders," there was that strong fellow-feeling among smugglers -that made them most ferociously resent interference with their kind. -Turpin probably ran greater risks in meddling with them than he -encountered at any other period in his career. - -Sometimes he would rob them without any beating about the bush: at -others he would make pretence of being a "riding-officer," _i.e._ a -mounted Revenue officer, and would seize their goods "in the King's -name." - -But that line of business could not last long. Writers on Turpin -generally say he wearied of it: but the truth is, he was afraid of -the smugglers' vengeance, which, history tells us, could take fearful -forms, scarcely credible in a Christian country, did we not know, by -the irrefragible evidence of courts of justice, and by the terrible -murders by smugglers in Hampshire, duly expiated in 1749, to what -lengths those desperate men could go. - -He turned again, therefore, to the neighbourhood of Waltham, and, with -a few chosen spirits, haunted Epping Forest. There they established -themselves chiefly as deer-stealers, and soon formed an excellent -illicit connection with unscrupulous dealers in game in London, to whom -they consigned many a cartload of venison, which generally travelled -up to town covered over with an innocent-looking layer of cabbages, -potatoes, or turnips. - -[Illustration: TURPIN AND HIS GANG IN THEIR CAVE IN EPPING FOREST.] - -But the prices they obtained for these supplies did not, in their -opinion, pay them sufficiently for the work they did, or the risks they -ran, and they then determined to throw in their lot with a notorious -band of housebreakers and miscellaneous evil-doers, dreaded in Essex -and in the eastern suburbs of London as "Gregory's Gang." The earliest -of their exploits in this new class of venture was the robbing of Mr. -Strype, who kept a chandler's shop at Watford, a district hitherto -unaffected by them. They cleared the house of everything of any value, -without offering Mr. Strype any violence (which was thought to be very -good of them) and so disappeared; to reappear always unexpectedly in -widely-sundered districts. - -Nothing came amiss to them. In one night they robbed both Chingford -and Barking churches, but found little worth their while; and then, in -a manner most baffling to the authorities of those times, would for -a time disband themselves and work separately, or some of them would -lie entirely by for a while. An odd one or two would even be taken and -hanged, which rendered it more than ever desirable for their surviving -brethren to make themselves scarce for a time. But want of money was -not long in bringing such generally spendthrift and improvident rogues -back again to the calling they had chosen. Several among them were -already too well and too unfavourably known as deer-stealers to the -verderers of Epping Forest for their reappearance in those glades to -be safe, but Turpin, among others, ventured. Mr. Mason, one of the -chief of these verderers, rangers, or keepers, was especially active -in putting down this poaching, and the gang vowed they would repay him -for it. But more immediate schemes claimed their attention. First among -these was a plan for robbing a farmhouse at Rippleside, near Barking. -There would seem to have been eight or nine of them on this occasion. -After their manner, they knocked at the door at night, and when, -properly afraid of strangers coming after dark, the people refused to -open, they rushed forward in a body and broke the door in. Having -bound the farmer, his wife, his son-in-law, and the servant-maid, they -ransacked the house, and stole £700. - -"This will do!" exclaimed Turpin, captaining the band; adding -regretfully, "if it were always so!" - -The attack then made by the gang upon the house of Mr. Mason, the -vigilant keeper of Epping Forest, was probably determined upon in -the first instance from a desire rather to be revenged upon him for -interfering with their earlier deer-stealing operations, than from the -idea of plunder. Turpin was not present on this occasion, for although -he had intended to take part in the act of vengeance, he was at the -time in London, squandering his share of the Rippleside robbery, and in -too advanced a state of intoxication to meet his accomplices as he had -arranged to do. - -Rust, Rose, and Fielder were the three concerned in the affair, and -it clearly shows the spirit in which they entered upon it, when it -is said that, before starting, they bound themselves by oath not to -leave anything in the house undamaged. An oath would not necessarily -be of any sacred quality of irrevocability with scoundrels of this or -any other type, but when the compact fitted in with their own earnest -inclinations, there was no difficulty in adhering to it. - -Fielder gained admission to the house by scaling the garden wall and -breaking in at the back door, then admitting the other two by the front -entrance. Mason was upstairs, sitting with his aged father in his -bedroom, when the three suddenly burst in upon them, and, seizing them, -bound them hand and foot. They asked the old man if he knew them: he -said he did not, and they then carried him downstairs and laid him, -helplessly tied up, under the kitchen dresser. Mason, the keeper, -had a sack forced over his head and tied round his waist; his little -daughter, terrified at what she heard, slipping hurriedly out of bed -and out of doors, and hiding in a pigstye. - -The revengeful three then entered upon the work of wanton destruction -upon which they had come. They first demolished a heavy fourpost -bedstead, and then, each armed with a post, systematically visited -every room in the house and battered everything to pieces. Carpets, -curtains, bedclothing, and linen, and everything that could not be -broken, were cut to shreds. Money had not been expected, but in -smashing a china punch-bowl that stood somewhat out of the way, on a -high shelf, down fell a shower of a hundred and twenty-two guineas, -with which they went off, doubly satisfied with revenge and this -unlooked-for plunder. They hastened up to London and joined Turpin at -the Bun-House in the Rope Fields, and shared their booty fairly with -him, although he had not been present to earn his portion—an unusual -support of that generally misleading proverb, "There is honour among -thieves." - -From 1732 and onwards a solitary inn, on the then desolate, remote, and -often flooded Hackney Marshes was greatly frequented by Turpin on his -way to and from Epping and London. This inn, the "White House" by name, -then kept by one Beresford, was the resort of sportsmen interested in -cock-fighting. Turpin was known there as a private gentleman. The house -was demolished and entirely rebuilt in 1900; but another at Tyler's -Ferry, Temple Mills, also a white-faced house, remains, and claims a -similar association. - -On January 11th, 1735, Turpin and five of his companions, Ned Rust, -George Gregory, Fielder, Rose, and Wheeler, went boldly to the house -of a Mr. Saunders, a rich farmer at Charlton, Kent, between seven and -eight o'clock in the evening, and, having knocked at the door, asked if -Mr. Saunders were at home. When they learned that he was within, they -rushed immediately into the house and found the farmer, with his wife -and some friends, playing at cards. They told the company they would -not be injured if they remained quiet, and then proceeded to ransack -the house. First seizing a trifle in the way of a silver snuff-box that -lay on the card-table, they left a part of their gang to stand guard -over the party, while the rest took Mr. Saunders and forced him to -act the part of guide, to discover the whereabouts of his valuables. -They broke open some escritoires and cupboards, and stole about £100, -exclusive of a quantity of plate. Meanwhile, the maid-servant had -retreated into her room upstairs and bolted the door, and was calling -"Thieves!" at the top of her voice, out of window. But the marauders -presently found their way upstairs, broke open the door and secured -and silenced her: not, apparently, doing her any considerable injury: -and then at leisure thoroughly searched every corner of the house, -and gleaned everything of a portable nature that was worth taking. -There was no hurry. They discovered some relics of the late Christmas -festivities in the larder, in the shape of mince-pies, and sat down -impudently, with the master of the house and his friends, to partake -of them. One of the gang, by careful foraging, had found a bottle of -brandy, and broached it at the table, hospitably offering some to Mr. -Saunders and his friends, and assuring them, with a quaint humour, that -they were as welcome as could be to it. Mrs. Saunders did not, however, -see the humour of it, and was fainting from terror; and so they mixed -her some brandy-and-water, to revive her. - -At length, having taken everything possible, and thoroughly enjoyed -themselves, they made off, declaring that if any of the family gave -the least alarm within two hours, or if they dared to advertise the -marks on the stolen plate, they would infallibly return at some future -period, and murder them. - -It was afterwards ascertained that they then retired to a public-house -in Woolwich, near by, where the robbery had been planned, and soon -afterwards crossed the river and resorted to an empty house in -Ratcliffe Highway, where they deposited the plunder until they had -found a purchaser ready to buy without asking any inconvenient -questions. - -A week later, the same gang visited the house of a Mr. Sheldon, near -Croydon church. They arrived at about seven o'clock in the evening, -and, finding the coachman in the stable, immediately gagged and bound -him. Then, leaving the stable, they encountered Mr. Sheldon himself, -in the yard, come to hear what the unaccustomed sounds of scuffling -and struggling in the stable could mean. The unfortunate Mr. Sheldon -was then compelled to act as guide over his own house, and to show the -gang where all his valuables resided. Jewels, plate, and other valuable -articles were removed, together with a sum of eleven guineas; but at -the last moment, they returned two guineas, and apologised more or less -handsomely for their conduct. They then had the effrontery to repair -to the "Half Moon" tavern, close at hand, and to each take a glass -of spirits there, and to change one of the guineas of which they had -robbed Mr. Sheldon. - -The manners of the gang would thus appear to be mending, but their -unwonted politeness did not last long, as we shall presently see. - -In giving some account of the doings of Turpin, either singly or in -association with others, it is desirable, as far as possible, to -tell his story largely by the aid, and in the exact words, of the -newspapers of the time. Only in this manner is it likely that a charge -of exaggeration can be avoided. Where all have boldly enlarged upon -the popular theme and have as richly brocaded it as their imaginations -permit, to revert to plain facts becomes a healthy exercise. - -The _London Evening Post_ of February 6th, 1735, is the original -authority for the next two incidents; two of the foremost in all -popular accounts of Turpin's life. So much extravagant nonsense has -been written, and is still being written, and will yet continue to be -written about Dick Turpin, that any original documents about him are -particularly valuable. They help to show us what we must discredit and -what we may safely retain. Indeed, without such newspaper paragraphs, -the conscientious writer, faced with the flood of indubitably spurious -Turpin "literature," might in his impatience with its extravagance, -refuse to credit any portion of it. But the newspapers of that day -serve amply to show that in this case, truth is equally as strange -as fiction. Not stranger, as the proverb would have us believe, but -certainly as strange. - -Thus we read in the _London Evening Post_: "On Saturday Night last, -about Seven o'Clock, five Rogues enter'd the House of the Widow -Shelley, at Loughton in Essex, having Pistols etc., and threaten'd to -murder the old Lady, if she did not tell them where her Money lay, -which she obstinately refusing for some Time, they threaten'd to lay -her across the Fire if she did not instantly tell them, which she would -not do; but her Son being in the Room, and threaten'd to be murder'd, -cry'd out, he would tell them if they would not murder his Mother, -and did; whereupon they went up Stairs and took near £100, a Silver -Tankard, and other Plate, and all Manner of Household Goods; they -afterwards went into the Cellar, and drank several Bottles of Ale and -Wine, and broil'd some Meat, eat the Relicts of a Fillet of Veal, etc. -While they were doing this, two of their Gang went into Mr. Turkle's, -a Farmer's, who rents one End of the Widow's House, and robb'd him of -above £20 and then they all went off, taking two of the Farmer's Horses -to carry off their Luggage; the Horses were found on Sunday Morning in -Old Street; they staid (the Rogues, not the horses) about three Hours -in the House." - -[Illustration: TURPIN HOLDS THE LANDLADY OVER THE FIRE.] - -This house, still in existence, although part of it has been rebuilt, -is identified with a place now styled "Priors," but at that time known -as "Traps Hill Farm." The heavy outer door, plentifully studded with -nail-heads, is said to have been added after this visit. - -This incident is probably the original of the story told of Turpin -holding the landlady of the "Bull" inn, Shooter's Hill, over the fire; -although it is inherently possible that he and his scoundrelly crew, -having certainly threatened to do as much at Loughton, and having done -the like to a farmer at Edgeware, actually perpetrated the atrocity. - -The startling paragraph already quoted is followed immediately by -another report, a good deal more startling: "On Tuesday Night," it -says, very circumstantially, "about Eight o'Clock, five Villains"—it -will be noticed that by this time the "Rogues" of the earlier narration -have become "Villains," and their conduct, by natural consequence, -infinitely more heinous—"came to the House of Mr. Lawrence, a Farmer -at Edgewarebury, near Edgeware, in Middlesex, but the Door being -bolted, they could not get in, so they went to the Boy who was in the -Sheep-house, and compell'd him to call the Maid, who open'd the Door; -upon which they rush'd in, bound the Master, Maid, and one Man-Servant, -and swore they would murder all the Family, if they did not discover -their Money, etc.; they trod the bedding under foot, in case there -should be money hidden in it, and took about £10 in Money, Linnen etc., -all they could lay their Hands on, broke the old Man's Head, dragg'd -him about the House, emptied a kettle of water from the fire over -him, which had fortunately only just been placed on it, and ravish'd -the Maid, Dorothy Street, using her in a most barbarous Manner, and -then went off, leaving the Family bound, lock'd the Door, and took -the key away with them: The Son, who came Home soon after they were -gone, call'd the Boy to take his Horse, but could make nobody hear, -but at last the old Man call'd out, and told him Rogues had been -there" (surely, he meant "Villains"), "as they were all bound, and -that the Rogues said they would go rob his Brother; whereupon he rode -and alarm'd the Town, went to his Brother's, but they had not been -there; they pursued them to the Turnpike, and found they had been gone -through for London about an Hour. They were all arm'd with Pistols, and -one had a Handkerchief all over his Face." - -Neither of these accounts mentions the name of Turpin, but these -outrages were immediately ascribed to a gang of which he was a member. - -The same evening journal of February 11th has a later account: "Mr. -Lawrence, the Farmer at Edgeware-Bury, who was robb'd last Week (as -we mention'd) lies so ill, of the Bruises etc., he receiv'd, that its -question'd whether he'll recover: the Rogues, after he had told them -where his Money was, not finding so much as they expected, let his -Breeches down, and set him bare—on the Fire, several times; which burnt -him prodigiously." - -There seems, by this account, to have been much in common between this -gang and those "chauffeurs" described by Vidocq in his _Memoirs_; bands -of robbers who pervaded the country districts of France, and adopted -the like methods of persuasion with people who could not otherwise be -made to disclose the whereabouts of their hoards. - -This ferocious attack upon the farm at Edgewarebury was the first of -a series in which the gang appeared on horseback. They had already -done so well that they felt they could no longer deny themselves the -luxury of being fully-furnished highwaymen. But they did not purchase; -they merely hired; and imagination pictures some of them as very -insufficient cavaliers, holding on by their horses' necks. For it -is not given to a footpad, graduating in the higher branch of his -profession, instantly to command an easy seat in the saddle; and the -scene at the "Old Leaping Bar" inn, High Holborn, whence they set out -to ride to the "Ninepin and Bowl" at Edgeware, must have been amusing -in the extreme. - -Six of Turpin's gang assembled next on the 7th of February at the -"White Bear" inn, Drury Lane, and planned to rob the house of a Mr. -Francis, a farmer in the then rural fields of Marylebone. Arriving at -the farm about dusk, they first saw a man in a cowshed and seized and -bound him, declaring they would shoot him if he should dare to make any -attempt to break loose, or to cry out. In the stable they found another -man, whom they served in the like manner. Scarcely had they done this -when they met Mr. Francis at his own garden gate, returning home. Three -of the gang laid their hands upon his shoulders and stopped him; and -the farmer, thinking it to be a freak of some silly young fellows, -out for the evening, was not at all alarmed. "Methinks you are mighty -funny, gentlemen," he said good-humouredly; upon which, showing him -their pistols in a threatening manner, he saw his mistake. - -No harm, they said, should come to him if he would but give his -daughter a note by one of them, authorising her to pay bearer a hundred -pounds in cash. - -Mr. Francis declared he could not do so; he had not anything like that -amount in the house; upon which they ran him violently into the stable -and tied him up also. Then, knocking at the door of the house, and Miss -Francis opening it, they pushed into the passage and secured her as -well. The foremost men were particularly rude and violent, but Turpin, -who came in at the rear, appears to have remonstrated with them about -this gross usage, and to have stopped it: only assuring her that it -would be best she remained quiet, and that if she made any resistance -she would be treated even worse. - -A maid-servant, hearing this, cried out, "Lord, Mrs. Sarah! what have -you done?" - -One of the gang then struck the maid, and another hit Miss Francis, and -swore they would be murdered if they did not hold their peace. - -Mrs. Francis, hearing the disturbance from an inner room, called out, -"What's the matter?" on which Fielder ran forward, and crying "D——n -you, I'll stop your mouth presently!" broke her head with the handle of -a whip he carried, and then tied her to a chair. - -Miss Francis and the maid were tied to the kitchen-dresser, and Gregory -was deputed to watch them, with a pistol in his hand, lest they should -cry out for assistance or try to struggle free while the others were -raiding the house. - -A not very considerable reward met their unhallowed industry; including -a silver tankard, a gold watch and chain, a silver medal of Charles -the First, a number of minor silver articles, and four or five gold -rings. A find of thirty-seven guineas was more to the point, and a -brace of pistols was not to be despised. They were even so particular -about details, in the hour-and-a-half search they made, that they took -away with them such inconsiderable items as a wig, six handkerchiefs, -four shirts, a velvet hat, and some pairs of stockings. A frugal and -meticulous gang, this! - -As a result of these bold attacks in the suburbs of London, a great -feeling of indignation and insecurity arose, and a reward of £100 -was at once offered for the apprehension of the gang, or of any -members of it. Information having come to some of the Westminster -peace-officers that these confederates were accustomed to meet in an -alehouse situated in a low alley in Westminster, the place was beset, -and Turpin, Fielder, Rose, and Wheeler were found there. After a short -fight with cutlasses, the last three were secured. No one appears to -have been seriously hurt in this affray, except the usual harmless, -innocent person, present by mere chance; in this case, a certain Bob -Berry, who received a dangerous cut on the arm, below the elbow. Turpin -dexterously escaped out of window, and, obtaining a horse (_not_ the -celebrated "Black Bess," who never existed outside the imagination of -Harrison Ainsworth and the pages of his _Rookwood_), rode away to fresh -fields and pastures new. Fielder and Rose were tried and found guilty, -chiefly on the testimony of Wheeler, who turned King's evidence. They -were hanged at Tyburn, and afterwards gibbeted. - -The _Gentleman's Magazine_ refers shortly to the execution, and -includes a certain, or an altogether uncertain, Saunders: "Monday, -March 10th, the following malefactors, attended by a guard of fifty -soldiers, were executed at Tyburn, appearing bold and undaunted; viz. -Rose, Saunders, and Fielder, the Country Robbers." It is significant -of the horrors of that era that ten others were hanged in company with -them, for various crimes. - -The gang was thus broken up, but rogues have, as it were, a magnetic -attraction for one another, and Turpin was not long alone. It must -have been a dull business waiting solitary on suitable, _i.e._ dark -or foggy, nights in lonely situations for unsuspecting wayfarers; an -experience calculated to get on the nerves, and so it is scarcely -remarkable that many highwaymen elected to hunt in couples; although -in the long run it was safer to work alone and unknown. No fear then -of treachery on the part of a trusted comrade, always ready to "make a -discovery," as the technical phrase ran, to save his own neck from the -rope, a little while longer. - -But Turpin seems to have sought, and found, one companion for a -little while, for he duly appears in an account of how two gentlemen -were robbed about eight o'clock on the evening of July 10th, between -Wandsworth and Barnes commons, "by two Highwaymen, suppos'd to be -Turpin the Butcher, and Rowden the Pewterer, the remaining two of -Gregory's Gang, who robb'd them of their Money and dismounted them; -made them pull off their Horse's Bridles, then turning them loose, they -rode off towards Roehampton, where a Gentleman was robb'd (as suppos'd -by the same Highwaymen), of a Watch and £4 in Money." - -Old maps of this district hint, not obscurely, that this was no mere -isolated, chance danger in the neighbourhood; for the eye, roaming -along those charts, towards Richmond, notes "Thieves' Corner" boldly -marked at what is now the junction of the Sheen Road and Queen's Road, -where the "Black Horse" of old, a very shy and questionable kind of -brick-built, white-washed alehouse, stood until it was pulled down -about the year 1902 and rebuilt in the flashy modern style. Adjoining, -was, and still is, for that matter, "Pest House Common": cheerful name! -while Rocque's map of 1745, not marking that inimical corner, transfers -the affected area to the stretch of highway between Marshgate and -Manor Road and Richmond Town, and styles it "Thieves' Harbour." On the -opposite side, in sharp contrast, is marked "Paradise Row." Rocque also -styles the common, "Pestilent Common." Altogether, in fact, a pestilent -neighbourhood. - -How well-named was "Thieves' Corner" we may perhaps judge from a -brief and matter-of-fact account (as though it were but an ordinary -occurrence, demanding little notice) of a Reverend Mr. Amey, "a -country clergyman who lodges at the 'Star' inn, in the Strand," being -robbed two nights earlier than the foregoing robbery "two miles this -side of Richmond in Surrey, of his Silver Watch, four Guineas, and some -Silver, by two Highwaymen, well-mounted and well-dress'd. The Rogues -turn'd his Horse loose and went off towards Richmond." - -[Illustration: BOLD DICK TURPIN. - -(_According to Skelt._)] - -Again, this time in the _Grub Street Journal_ of July 24th, 1735, we -find a trace of the busy Dick, in the following: "Monday, Mr. Omar, -of Southwark, meeting between Barnes-Common and Wandsworth, Turpin -the butcher, with another person, clapt spurs to his horse, but they -coming up with him, oblig'd him to dismount, and Turpin suspecting that -he knew him, would have shot him, but was prevented by the other, who -pull'd the pistol out of his hand." - -On Sunday, August 16th, Turpin and Rowden the Pewterer seem to have -been particularly busy and to have had a good day; for it is recorded -by the same authority that they robbed several gentlemen on horseback -and in coaches. The district they favoured on this occasion was the -Portsmouth Road between Putney and Kingston Hill. - -In another fortnight's time or so, having made these parts of Surrey -too hot to hold them longer, and being apparently unwilling to transfer -their activities beyond ten or twelve miles' radius from London, they -opened a most aggressive campaign in suburban Kent. "We hear," says -the _Grub Street Journal_ of October 16th, "that for about six weeks -past, Blackheath has been so infested by two highwaymen (suppos'd to -be Rowden and Turpin) that 'tis dangerous for travellers to pass. -On Thursday Turpin and Rowden had the insolence to ride through the -City at noonday, and in Watling Street they were known by two or -three porters, who had not the courage to attack them; they were -indifferently mounted, and went towards the bridge; so 'tis thought are -gone the Tonbridge road." - -It was while patrolling the road towards Cambridge (on Stamford Hill, -according to some historians) that Turpin first met Tom King. -Observing a well-dressed and well-mounted stranger riding slowly along, -Turpin spurred up to him, presented a pistol, and demanded his money. -The stranger merely laughed, which threw Turpin into a passion, and he -threatened him with instant death if he did not comply. King—for it was -he—laughed again, and said, "What! dog eat dog? Come, come, brother -Turpin; if you don't know me I know you, and shall be glad of your -company." - -[Illustration: TURPIN MEETS TOM KING.] - -This was the beginning of an alliance. These brethren in iniquity soon -struck up a bargain, and, immediately entering on business, committed -so large a number of robberies that no landlord of any wayside inn -of the least respectability cared to welcome them, for fear of being -indicted for harbouring such guests. Thus situated, they fixed on a -spot between the King's Oak and the Loughton road, in Epping Forest, -where they made a cave, "large enough to receive them and their -horses," says an old account. This was enclosed within a thicket of -bushes and brambles, through which they could look, without themselves -being observed. From this station they used to issue, and robbed such -numbers of persons that at length the very pedlars who travelled the -road carried firearms for their defence. At such times when they could -not safely stir from this hiding-place, Turpin's wife was accustomed to -secretly convey to them such articles of food and such other things as -might be necessary to their comfort. When, at a later period, Turpin's -cave was discovered, and he was reduced to skulking about the forest, -it was found to be by no means a despicable retreat. It was dry, and -carpeted with straw, hay, and dry leaves; and such articles as two -clean shirts, two pairs of stockings, a piece of ham, a bottle of wine, -and some feminine apparel, served to show that this was not altogether -an anchorite's cell. Some old accounts go so far as to say that Turpin -altogether occupied this cave for six years, but that is not credible. - -One day, as Turpin and Tom King were spying up and down the road from -their cave, through the screen of furze and bramble that hid them from -passers-by, they saw a gentleman driving past whom King knew very well -as a rich City merchant, of Broad Street. He was on his way to his -country estate at Fairmead Bottom, in a carriage with his children. -King made after him, and on the Loughton road called upon the coachman -to stop. The merchant, however, was a man of spirit, and offered a -resistance, supposing there to be only one highwayman; upon which, King -called Turpin, by the name of "Jack," and bid him hold the horses' -heads. They then proceeded to take his money, which he parted with, -without any further trouble; but strongly demurred to parting with his -watch, which he said was a family heirloom, the gift of his father. The -altercation, although short, was accompanied by threats and menaces -and frightened the children, who persuaded their father to give up the -watch; and then an old mourning ring became an object of dispute. Its -value was very small, but King insisted upon having it, when Turpin -interposed and said they were not so ungentlemanly as to deprive a -traveller of such a relic, and bade King desist. This concession -prompted the merchant to ask whether they would not, as a favour, -permit him to repurchase his watch from them; upon which King said: -"Jack, he seems to be a good, honest fellow; shall we let him have the -watch?" - -"Aye," said Turpin; "do as you will." - -The merchant, then inquiring the price, King replied, "Six guineas," -adding, "we never sell one for more, even though it be worth -six-and-thirty." Then the merchant promised not to discover them, and -said he would leave the money at the "Sword Blade" coffee-house in -Birchin Lane, and no questions asked. - -The _Country Journal_ for April 23rd, 1737, says that on Saturday, -April 16th, as a gentleman of West Ham and others were travelling to -Epping, "the famous Turpin and a New Companion of his came up and -attack'd the Coach, in order to rob it; the Gentleman had a Carbine in -the Coach, loaded with Slugs, and seeing them coming, got it ready, -and presented it at Turpin, on stopping the Coach, but it flash'd in -the Pan; upon which says Turpin 'G—d D—— you, you have miss'd me, but -I won't you,' and shot into the Coach at him, but the Ball miss'd him, -passing between Him and a Lady in the Coach; and then they rode off -towards Ongar, and dined afterwards at Hare Street, and robbed in the -Evening several Passengers on the Forest between Loughton and Romford, -who knew him; he has not robb'd on that Road for some Time before." - -It is possible that this adventure gave Turpin the idea of providing -himself with a carbine and slugs in addition to his pistols, for, -following the contemporary newspaper record of his movements, we -learn from several London papers, notably the _London Daily Post_ and -the _Daily Advertiser_, that when a servant of Thompson, one of the -under-keepers of Epping Forest, went in search of him and his retreat -in those leafy recesses, with a higgler on Wednesday, May 4th, Turpin -shot the man dead with a charge of slugs from a carbine. Detailed -accounts set forth how Mr. Thompson's servant, animated with hopes of a -hundred pounds reward, went out, armed with a gun, in company with the -higgler, in search for Turpin. When they came near his hiding-place, -the highwayman saw them, and, taking them for sportsmen, called out -that there were no hares near that thicket. - -"No," replied Mr. Thompson's man, "but I have found a Turpin!" and, -presenting his gun, required him to surrender. - -Turpin, replying to him in a friendly manner, and at the same time -gradually retreating into the cave, slyly seized his carbine, and shot -him in the stomach. - -He then fled from the Forest, and was reported, by the _London Daily -Post_ of May 12th, to have been very nearly captured in the small -hours of the morning of the 11th by three peace-officers, who, late -the night before, received information that he proposed to sleep at a -certain house near Wellclose Square. Three men accordingly beset the -house, but they were observed by a woman on the look-out, and Turpin, -hurriedly aroused, fled through the roof, and over the chimneypots of -the adjoining houses. - -It will be observed by these various newspaper paragraphs and scattered -notices, that Turpin was always changing his associates, and it is -obvious that the stories which would have us believe he and Tom King -set up an exclusive partnership, are not to be implicitly believed. -Turpin and the many of his kind, with whom he associated from time to -time, no doubt, worked together or apart, or in alliance with others, -just as changing circumstances from week to week dictated. - -[Illustration: TOM KING. - -(_From Skelt's Drama._)] - -Tom King is usually said to have been killed under dramatic -circumstances in the yard of the "Red Lion" inn, at the corner of the -Whitechapel Road and Leman Street; but although we read much of him -in the picturesque romances of the highway, it is by no means easy to -trace Tom's movements, and he remains, whatever brave figure he may be -in fiction, a very shadowy figure as seen in recorded facts. He, it -appears, was one of three brothers. The other two were named Matthew -and Robert, and it was really Matthew King who was mortally wounded in -the yard of the "Red Lion" in 1737, in the affray with the Bow Street -runners. The newspapers of the time record how, a week later, he died -of his wounds in the New Prison, Clerkenwell, on May 24th. - -The affair was the outcome of Turpin having stolen a fine horse -of considerable celebrity at that time, a racehorse named "White -Stockings," belonging to a Mr. Major, who, riding it, was overtaken one -evening by Turpin, Tom King, and a new ally of theirs, named Potter, -near the "Green Man," Epping. Turpin made him dismount and exchange -horses, and took away his riding-whip; and then the three confederates -went their way to London. - -Mr. Major immediately made his loss known at the "Green Man," to Mr. -Bayes, the landlord, who at once said: "I daresay Turpin has done -it, or one of that crew," and then advised him the best thing to do -would be to get a number of handbills immediately printed, describing -the horse, and offering a reward. It was characteristic of the -thoroughpaced rascality of Turpin, that the very horse he had compelled -Mr. Major to change with him was stolen. It was identified as one that -had been missing from Plaistow marshes. And the saddle had been stolen -too, and was afterwards claimed. - -[Illustration: DICK TURPIN. - -(_Skelt._)] - -Although this was on Saturday night, the handbills were at once struck -off and put into circulation, and by Monday morning information was -brought to the "Green Man," that a horse answering the description of -"White Stockings," had been left at the "Red Lion," in the Whitechapel -Road. The innkeeper went to the house with some Bow Street runners, -determined to wait there until some one called for the horse; and -about eleven o'clock at night Matthew King came for it. When he was -seized, he declared he had bought the animal; but a whip he held in -his hand proved to be the identical one stolen by Turpin, and although -a portion of the handle had been broken off, Mr. Major's name could -still be read on it. An offer was made to Matthew King, that he would -be released if he would disclose the actual robber, and he thereupon -said it was a stout man in a white duffel coat, who was at that moment -waiting in the street. - -A movement was then made to capture the man in the duffel coat, who -proved to be Tom King; but he resisted and fired at his would-be -captors. The pistol merely flashed in the pan, and King then attempted -to draw another; but it got twisted in his pocket, and Bayes' hands -were being laid upon him, when he cried out to Turpin, who was waiting -on horseback at a little distance, "Dick, shoot him, or we are taken, -by God!" - -Turpin was heavily armed. Nothing less than three brace of pistols -contented him, in addition to a carbine slung across his back. He -fired, and shot (the stories say) Tom King. - -"Dick, you have shot me; make off," the wounded man is represented as -saying, but is afterwards said to have cursed him for a coward, and to -have informed the authorities that if they wanted him, he might most -likely be found at a certain place on Hackney Marsh: indicating, no -doubt, the "White House." - -Turpin is indeed said to have at once made for that retreat and to have -exclaimed, "What shall I do? where shall I go? d——n that Dick Bayes, -I'll be the death of him, for I have lost the best fellow I ever had in -my life. I shot poor King in endeavouring to kill that dog." - -That is the accepted version, but it seems to be incorrect in several -particulars. As before mentioned, Matthew King was the victim of that -ill-considered aim. A somewhat different account is given in Turpin's -alleged confessions to the hangman, printed in the, in most respects, -reliable pamphlet narrating his life and trial, published in York in -four editions in 1739. In those pages Turpin "said he was confederate -with one King, who was executed in London some time since, and that -once, being very near taken, he fired a pistol in the crowd, and by -mistake, shot the said King in the thigh, who was coming to rescue him." - -[Illustration: TOM KING. - -(_Skelt._)] - -That entirely reverses the position, and may or may not be an -imperfectly recollected account of what Turpin said. - -There is no doubt that a Tom King, a highwayman, was executed at -Tyburn, in 1753, many years after the Tom King who was supposed to -have been shot dead. - -If Turpin had been really so terrified for his safety after the -Whitechapel affair as represented, he must speedily have recovered -himself, for he was busy all that month in his vocation. Comrades -might die tragically, but his own pockets, always leaking like a -colander, must be replenished. Really, however narrowly the career -of this much-discussed highwayman is scanned, it seems hopeless to -paint a consistent picture of him. He was, by the testimony of many -witnesses, a cowardly fellow, not often with sufficient resolution -to rob unaccompanied, and even on those occasions when he did play a -lone hand, he wore a perfect armoury of weapons and attacked only the -unarmed. One Gordon, lying at Newgate on a charge of highway robbery, -told how he had once proposed to Turpin that himself and his brother, -Turpin, and another should seize the money going down to pay the -King's ships at Portsmouth. They were to stand in a very narrow pass -and with swords and pistols attack the convoy. The scheme recalls -the fine mid-seventeenth century exploits of "Mulled Sack" and his -contemporaries, and if the enterprise had been undertaken, a splendid -booty might have become theirs. But Turpin's courage failed him, and -he backed out. Gordon said he was sure Turpin would be guilty of many -cowardly actions, and die like a dog. His career, although a busy one, -never touched great heights, and was commonly concerned with mean -thefts and raids, but he must have been possessed of some nerve to -continue actively robbing in the neighbourhood of London where he was -so well known, after a hundred pounds was advertised to be waiting for -any one who brought about his arrest. It is not merely a tradition that -he so continued: we have the facts abundantly in the public prints of -the time. - -[Illustration: TOM KING. - -(_Skelt._)] - -Thus, the _London Magazine_ has this note respecting him: "The -noted Highwayman, Turpin the Butcher, (who lately kill'd a Man who -endeavour'd to take him on Epping Forest) this Night robbed several -Gentlemen in their Coaches and Chaises at Holloway and the back Lanes -at Islington, and took from them several Sums of Money. One of the -Gentlemen signified to him that he had reigned a long Time, and Turpin -replied, ''Tis no matter for that. I am not afraid of being taken by -you; therefore don't stand hesitating, but give me the Cole.'" (Or, by -another account, "the coriander-seed.") - -A London newspaper of the close of May is found stating that "Turpin, -the renown'd Butcher-Highwayman, committed a robbery almost every day -this month." - -But these were his last exploits in the neighbourhood of London. -The position presently grew so difficult that the merest elementary -instincts of self-preservation suggested a flight to other scenes. - -By a proclamation issued in the _London Gazette_ of June 25th, 1737, -"His Majesty was pleased to promise his most gracious pardon to any of -the Accomplices of Richard Turpin who shall discover him, so that he -may be apprehended and convicted of the Murder, or any of the Robberies -he has committed; as likewise a Reward of £200 to any Person or Persons -who shall discover the said Criminal, so that he may be apprehended -and convicted as aforesaid; over and above all other Rewards to which -they may be entitled." In this proclamation, Turpin is described as -being 5 feet 9 inches in height, and it further appears that he was not -by any means the prepossessing and even elegant figure he presents in -the engraving that shows him reclining exquisitely in his cave; dainty -boots on his feet, and a ladylike hand thrown over his carbine. He had -high cheekbones, his face tapered to a narrow point at his chin, and he -was deeply pitted with small-pox. - -[Illustration: TURPIN IN HIS CAVE. - - _From an old Engraving._] - -Really, he was, it will be gathered, not an engaging ruffian; but there -is, unfortunately, no portrait existing which can lay the slightest -claim to be authentic. A rough woodcut, no doubt from the strictly -unauthentic imagination of the wood engraver, or the wood-chopper who -engraved, or rather hewed it out, appears in one of the popular old -chap-books, and shows him to have rather a plentiful development of -chin and an expression that somewhat baffles description, but which -conveys the very decided impression that he was not the kind of person -one would much like to meet in a lonely lane on a dark night. - -[Illustration: DICK TURPIN. - -(_From a strictly unauthentic source._)] - -Rowden the Pewterer, whom we have shown to have accompanied Turpin so -frequently in 1735, chiefly in his adventures in Surrey, was taken -about this time and transported in July 1737. - -With the price of £200 upon his head, and with the additional promise -of a pardon for any accomplice who would betray him, Turpin's position -was now more than ever desperate. He fully realised this, and took the -only possible course, that of removing himself into the country, far -away from his accustomed haunts. After three months at Long Sutton, -in Lincolnshire, he appears to have selected Yorkshire as the safest -part, and staying some time at the ferry-house. Brough, and then at -Market Cave and North Cave, to have settled at Welton, ten miles from -Beverley, in October 1737. There he posed as a gentleman horse-dealer, -Palmer by name. Sometimes he would range southward to Long Sutton -in Lincolnshire, but always where he went the farmers and others -missed their horses, in the most mysterious way. No one suspected -the "gentleman" horse-dealer, who mixed freely in the company of the -Yorkshire yeomen and knew a thing or two about cock-fighting and proved -himself a singularly good judge of stock—qualities which would render -any one popular at that time, with the Yorkshire tykes. His ugly mug -was a mere accident, and as for his rough manners, why the tykes -themselves were rough and ready, and so they easily excused, or perhaps -even did not notice, his overbearing ways. - -But his evil temper got the better of him one day, when, returning from -a shooting expedition, and being perhaps half-drunk, he wantonly shot -one of his neighbour's fowls. When the owner resented this, Turpin, or -"Palmer," threatened to serve him in the same way (_i.e._ "if he would -only stay till he had charged his piece, he would shoot him too"), and -in the result he was arrested on a charge of brawling, at the "Green -Man" inn. When he came before the magistrates in Quarter Sessions at -Beverley, the singular fact was discovered that this man, so well -known in the neighbourhood, had many acquaintances, but no friends -who would speak to his character or go bail for him. It then appeared -that he had come as an entire stranger to the district less than two -years earlier; and in short, in one way and another, it was all at -once discovered that he was a suspicious character, whose doings had -better be investigated. He was accordingly remanded, and enquiries -resulted in his being charged with stealing a black mare, blind of the -near eye, off Heckington Common, in Lincolnshire, near Sleaford. He had -declared himself a native of Long Sutton, and said his father lived -there and his sister kept house for him. He had been, he continued, in -business there, but had been obliged to abscond, owing to his having -contracted some debts he found himself unable to pay, in an unfortunate -transaction in which he had bought some sheep that had proved to be -diseased. Enquiries proved these statements to be entirely false. He -had no relations at Long Sutton, but he was known there, and badly -wanted, as a sheep-stealer, suspected also of horse-stealing. - -It is significant of Turpin's activity in horse-stealing, that the -_Worcester Journal_ of September 29th, 1738, has the following curious -item: "A few days since, the Father of the noted Turpin was committed -to Chelmsford Gaol, for having in his Possession a Horse supposed to -be stolen out of Lincolnshire, which, he pleads, was left with him by -his Son, to pay for Diet and Lodging." Research fails to discover the -result of this committal. - -John Palmer, or Richard Turpin, was sent from Beverley to York -Castle to stand his trial at the assizes for stealing the horse from -Heckington; and from his grim dungeon cell, still in existence in the -Castle, he wrote a letter to his brother, or, according to the evidence -at his trial, his brother-in-law, at Hempstead, asking him to be a -referee as to character: - - YORK, _Feb. 6, 1639_. - - "DEAR BROTHER, - - "I am sorry to acquaint you that I am now under confinement in - York Castle, for horse-stealing. If I could procure an evidence - from London to give me a character, that would go a great way - towards my being acquitted. I had not been long in this county - before my being apprehended, so that it would pass off the - readier. For heaven's sake, my dear brother, do not neglect me; - you will know what I mean when I say, - - "I am, your's, - - "JOHN PALMER." - -The letter was not prepaid, and the recipient, not recognising the -handwriting of the address, refused to receive it and pay the sixpence -demanded. As it happened, Mr. Smith, the schoolmaster who had taught -Turpin to write, saw the letter, and recognising the handwriting, -carried it to the magistrates, so that it might legally be opened, and -perhaps the very much wanted Turpin be arrested from the information it -possibly contained. Perhaps this public-spirited person really thought -he saw a chance of obtaining the £200 reward offered; but, however that -may be, the letter disclosed the fact that Turpin was lying in prison -at York, and Smith eventually appeared at the trial and identified him. -It is not known who, if indeed any one, received the reward. - -The rumour that Turpin had been taken, and was a prisoner in York -Castle, was no sooner circulated than people flocked from all parts -to get a sight of him, and debates ran very high whether he was the -real person or not. This making a holiday show of a prisoner in his -cell seems odd to us moderns; but it was then, as we see constantly in -these pages, the usual thing, and a practice that greatly enriched the -turnkeys; or the warders, as we should call them. - -[Illustration: SIR RALPH ROOKWOOD AND SIMON SHARPSCENT. - -(_Skelt._)] - -Among others who visited Turpin was a young fellow who pretended to -know the famous highwayman. After having looked for a considerable time -at the prisoner, he turned to the warder on duty, and said he would bet -him half a guinea this was not Turpin; whereupon Turpin, in his turn -inclining to the warder, whispered, with cynical humour, "Lay him the -wager, you fool, and I'll go you halves!" - -The trial of "John Palmer, _alias_ Paumer, _alias_ Richard Turpin," as -the official account of the proceedings has it, took place at the York -Assizes, March 22nd, 1739, "before the Hon. Sir William Chapple, one -of His Majesty's Justices of the Court of King's Bench, for stealing a -black gelding, the property of Thomas Creasy." - -Thomas Creasy deposed that in the August of 1738 he was owner of the -black gelding, and missed it on the eighteenth of the month. He had -hired men and horses, and had ridden some forty miles to try and obtain -news of its whereabouts, and had paid criers to cry it in different -market towns. He had also told one Richard Grasby of his loss, and -described the animal to him, and at a later date Grasby told him his -horse was at an inn called the "Blue Bell" at Beverley. He then went -to Beverley and saw the landlord of the "Blue Bell," and described the -horse to him as a black gelding, with a little star on his forehead. -The landlord then took him to the stable and showed him the horse. - -James Smith was then called, and asked if he knew the prisoner at the -bar. He said he did. He had known him at Hempstead, in Essex, where he -was born. He had known him since he was a child. His name was Richard -Turpin, and his father kept the "Bell" inn in that village. Richard -Turpin had married one of his maids. It was about five years since he -had last seen him. He had taught him at school, and there was no doubt -whatever that this was the same man. - -Asked how it happened that, living so far distant as Essex, he -came to be present as a witness at this trial, he said that at the -Hempstead post-office one day he observed a letter directed to Turpin's -brother-in-law, who had refused to pay the postage on it. Looking -narrowly at the handwriting, he thought he recognised it as that of -Richard Turpin, whom he had taught to write. Turpin then being very -much in demand by the magistrates, he took the letter forthwith to a -local Justice of the Peace, who opened it, and found it was sent from -York Castle, and purported to come from one "John Palmer." - -The justices had sent him a subpœna to appear for the prosecution at -York. He had been shown into the prison yard, and there he had seen and -recognised Turpin, who was there under the name of Palmer. - -"Palmer," then informed that he might ask Mr. Smith any questions he -desired, merely replied he did not know him. - -Mr. Edward Saward, of Hempstead, then called and asked if he knew -prisoner, said he did. He was born and brought up at the "Bell," kept -by his father, John Turpin. He had known him twenty-two years. ("Upon -my soul, I have," he added; to which counsel rejoined, "My friend, you -have sworn once already; you need not swear again.") "I knew him ever -since he was a boy and lived at the 'Bell.' He lived with his father -there, and I was friendly with him. I knew him also after he had set -up for himself, and I have bought a great many good joints of meat -from him." The prisoner had at first affected not to know him; but -afterwards had acknowledged the acquaintance, and had added: "Let's -bung our eyes up with drink." - -[Illustration: TURPIN'S CELL IN YORK CASTLE.] - -The prisoner's sole defence was that he had bought the horse; but he -could produce no evidence to show he had actually done so, and could -not mention the name of the person from whom he had bought him, nor the -place where the transaction had been completed. - -The jury had no difficulty in returning a verdict of "guilty," and, -indeed, did so without leaving the court. Turpin was then formally -sentenced to death. - -He wrote to his father, and made great efforts to obtain a reduction of -his sentence to transportation; but without result. A letter received -from his father was a feature of a pamphlet, detailing his trial and -adventures, published at York in April 1739. There is no reason to -doubt its genuine character: - - _March 29, 1739._ - - "DEAR CHILD, - - "I received you Letter this Instant, with a great deal of grief; - according to your Request, I have writ to your Brother John, and - Madam Peek, to make what intercession can be made to Col. Watson, - in order to obtain Transportation for your Misfortune; which, had - I £100 I would freely part with it to do you good; and for God's - Sake, give your whole Mind to beg of God to pardon your many - Transgressions, which the Thief upon the Cross received Pardon - for at the last Hour, tho' a very great Offender. The Lord be - your Comfort, and receive you into his eternal Kingdom. - - "I am yours Distress'd, - - "Yet Loving Father, - - "JOHN TURPIN. - - "HEMSTEAD. - - "All our Loves to you, who are in much Grief to subscribe - ourselves your distressed Brother and Sister, with Relations." - -Turpin principally concerned himself in those twenty-six days that -bridged the distance between sentence and execution in joking, -drinking with the many visitors who came to see him, and telling -stories of his adventures. He turned a deaf ear to the ministrations -of the Ordinary, and was infinitely more concerned that he should -make a last "respectable" appearance in this world, on the scaffold, -than for his welfare in the next. Nothing would satisfy him but new -clothes, a brand-new fustian frock, and a smart pair of pumps to die -in. On the morning before the fatal April 17th he gave the hangman £3 -10_s._ 0_d._, to be divided among five men, who were to follow him as -mourners, and were to be furnished with black hat-bands and mourning -gloves. When the time came, and he went in the tumbril to be turned -off upon York's place of execution at Knavesmire, he bowed to the -ladies and flourished his hat like a hero. It is true that when he had -arrived at the tragic place his leg trembled, but he stamped it down -impatiently. He talked for half an hour with the hangman, until the -crowd began to grow impatient, but then mounted the ladder provided, -and threw himself off in the most resolute fashion. He had the reward -of his courage, for he died in a moment. - -It should here be explained that hanging in those old times, before -the drop had been introduced, was generally a cruel and clumsy method. -As a rule, the culprit was driven up in the cart immediately under the -gallows, and the noose then adjusted round his neck. When all was -ready, the cart was simply drawn away and the victim left hanging, to -be slowly and agonisingly suffocated. Thus the horrible spectacle was -often witnessed of compassionate persons—and sometimes the relations of -the hanging man—pulling his legs to more speedily end his sufferings. -In the museum at Dorchester there may to this day be seen two heavy -weights made for the purpose of thus shortening the misery of criminals -hanged at the gaol there, and bearing the word MERCY. - -It sometimes happened, in those days, that a criminal would be -ineffectually hanged, and afterwards cut down and revived. "Half-hanged -Smith" was a burglar who obtained his nickname in this manner at -Tyburn; but he was convicted, a few years later, of a similar crime, -and effectually hanged on that occasion. Another, cut down and revived, -declared the sensation of being hanged was sufficiently bad, but that -of being restored to life was indescribably agonising, and said he -wished those hanged who had cut him down. - -[Illustration: RALPH OSTLER. - -(_Skelt._)] - -The shocking old alternative to being slowly hanged when the cart was -withdrawn was the method by which criminals with sufficient courage -were enabled to anticipate the modern drop, by throwing themselves off -the ladder, and so securing an instant and practically painless death. -But this was making the condemned their own executioners, and, to all -intents and purposes, suicides. It also required a considerable amount -of resolution. - -Turpin's body lay in state for a day and a night at the "Blue Boar" -inn, Castlegate, York, and was buried the following morning in the -churchyard of St. George's, Fishergate Postern. That evening it was -disinterred by some of the city surgeons, for dissection, but the mob, -with whom Turpin had already become a hero, determined that his remains -should not be dishonoured, rescued the body and reinterred it in lime, -so as to effectually prevent any other attempts. - -The Ride to York and Black Bess are alike myths, but the spot was -long pointed out upon the racecourse at York (perhaps it still is), -where that gallant mare sank down exhausted and died. So strong a hold -have myths upon the imagination, that it is hardly possible the most -painstaking historian will succeed in popularly discrediting the _bona -fides_ of that ride, invented and so stirringly described by Harrison -Ainsworth in 1834, in his _Rookwood_. - -[Illustration: TURPIN'S WAIST-GIRDLE, WRIST-SHACKLES, AND LEG IRONS.] - -Ainsworth was the unconscious predisposing cause of much of _Skelt's -Juvenile Drama_, that singular collection of remarkably mild plays for -toy theatres, allied with terrific scenes and the most picturesque -figures conceived, drawn and engraved in the wildest spirit of -melodrama, and in the most extravagant attitudes. No such scenery -ever existed as that drawn by Skelt's anonymous artists. It was a -decided improvement upon Nature; and no heroes so heroic and no -villains so villainous could possibly have lived and moved as those -imagined by his staff of draughtsmen. _Dick Turpin_ was of course -in the forefront of the thirty-three plays published by Skelt, and -the pictured characters do full justice—and perhaps a trifle over—to -the entirely illegitimate fame Turpin has acquired. You see them -reproduced here, engraved line for line from Skelt, scattered over the -pages of this reconsideration of Turpin. Firstly, you have the great -brethren, Turpin and Tom King, themselves, mounted on noble steeds -that stretch themselves gallantly in their stride; and then you have -Sir Ralph Rookwood and that intelligent officer, Simon Sharpscent, -also on horseback, hurrying off in company, but upon the trail of -the highwaymen. Simon Sharpscent, you will observe, has in his hand -a something that looks not unlike a Field Marshal's bâton. It is the -police-officer's crown-tipped staff of office; and producing it he will -presently say, dramatically: "I arrest you in the King's name!" - -Always, with the remarkable exception of the group of "Highwaymen -Carousing," these characters are intensely dramatic in their -attitudes; but the carousing highwaymen are unexpectedly wooden; -although they look capable of being daredevil fellows when the generous -wine, or the old ale—whichever it may be—has done its work. Even the -"Maid of the Inn" is a creature of romance. - -[Illustration: MAID OF THE INN. - -(_Skelt._)] - -[Illustration: HIGHWAYMEN CAROUSING. - -(_Skelt._)] - -Although Ainsworth invented Turpin's Ride to York, he certainly did -not invent Black Bess, nor did he conceive the ride as an attempt to -establish an _alibi_; for he shows him hotly pursued by the officers of -the law, nearly all the way. In Ainsworth's pages you find no reason -why the ride should have been undertaken. I have elsewhere remarked -that Ainsworth invented Black Bess, as well as robbed Swiftnicks of -the glory of the ride; but a further acquaintance with the literature -of the early part of the nineteenth century discloses the curious -fact that Horace Smith in 1825, in a volume entitled _Gaieties and -Gravities_, included a story called "Harry Halter," in which that -highwayman hero is represented as sitting at the "Wig and Water -Spaniel," in Monmouth Street, with his friends of the same persuasion, -Ned Noose, and Old Charley Crape, and singing the ballad of - -TURPIN AND THE BISHOP - - Bold Turpin upon Hounslow Heath - His black mare Bess bestrode, - When he saw a Bishop's coach and four - Sweeping along the road; - He bade the coachman stop, but he, - Suspecting of the job, - His horses lash'd—but soon roll'd off, - With a brace of slugs in his nob. - - Galloping to the carriage-door, - He thrust his face within, - When the Chaplain said—"Sure as eggs is eggs, - That is the bold Turpin." - Quoth Turpin, "You shall eat your words - With sauce of leaden bullet"; - So he clapp'd his pistol to his mouth, - And fired it down his gullet. - - The Bishop fell upon his knees, - When Turpin bade him stand, - And gave him his watch, a bag of gold, - And six bright rings from his hand. - Rolling with laughter, Turpin pluck'd - The Bishop's wig from his head, - And popp'd it on the Chaplain's poll, - As he sate in the corner dead. - - Upon the box he tied him then, - With the reins behind his back, - Put a pipe in his mouth, the whip in his hand, - And set off the horses, smack! - Then whisper'd in his black mare's ear, - Who luckily wasn't fagg'd, - "You must gallop fast and far, my dear, - Or I shall be surely scragg'd." - - He never drew bit, nor stopp'd to bait, - Nor walk'd up hill or down, - Until he came to Gloucester's gate, - Which is the Assizes town. - Full eighty miles in one dark night, - He made his black mare fly, - And walk'd into Court at nine o'clock - To swear an Alibi. - - A hue and cry the Bishop raised, - And so did Sheriff Foster, - But stared to hear that Turpin was - By nine o'clock at Gloucester. - So all agreed it couldn't be him, - Neither by hook nor crook; - And said that the Bishop and Chaplain was - Most certainly mistook. - -Here we certainly find Black Bess, not treated to two capital letters, -and only referred to as "his black mare Bess" (it was reserved for -Ainsworth to discover the worth of the alliteration and the demand it -made for two capital B's), but we thus have traced the invention of -that coal-black steed one remove further back, and there it must rest, -for a time, at any rate. - -It seems pretty clear that Smith was acquainted with the exploit of -Swiftnicks, but why he transferred the ride to Turpin, and the purpose -of establishing an _alibi_ to Gloucester, does not appear, unless -indeed he wanted a rhyme to "Foster." - -[Illustration: INNKEEPER. - -(_Skelt._)] - -Dickens, who wrote _Pickwick_ in 1836, eleven years after _Gaieties -and Gravities_ was published, had evidently read Smith's book, for -in Chapter XLIII. we find Sam Weller represented as singing to the -coachman a condensed and greatly altered version, beginning: - - Bold Turpin vunce, on Hounslow Heath - His bold mare Bess bestrode—er; - Ven there he see'd the Bishop's coach - A-coming along the road—er. - -That Swiftnicks actually performed the famous ride was generally -believed, as elsewhere described in these pages; and unless any -later evidence can be adduced to deprive him of the credit, he must -continue to enjoy it. But it is curious to note that riding horseback -between York and London under exceptional circumstances has often been -mentioned. A prominent instance is the wager accepted by John Lepton, -esquire to James the First, that he would ride six times between London -and York on six consecutive days. Fuller, in his _Worthies_, tells us -all about it. He first set out on May 20th, 1606, from Aldersgate, -London, and completed the journey before nightfall, returning the next -day; and so on until he had won the wager, "to the great praise of his -strength in acting, than to his discretion in undertaking it," says -Fuller, with an unwonted sneer. - -Turpin was certainly described in his own lifetime as "the noted," "the -renowned," "the famous," but those were merely newspaper phrases, and -the notability, the renown, or the fame commented upon in to-day's -paper is, we are by way of seeing in our own age, the oblivion of next -week. The _London Magazine_, commenting briefly on his execution, -styles him a "mean and stupid wretch," and that estimate of him is -little likely ever to be revised, although it may readily and justly -be amplified by the epithets "brutal" and "cowardly." The brutalities -of himself and his associates kept the suburbs of London for a while -in terror, but he evidently had made little impression on the mind -of Captain Charles Johnson, whose book on _The General History of -Highwaymen_, published in 1742, three years after Turpin's execution, -has no mention of him. - -Yet, side by side with these facts, we are confronted with the -undoubted immediate ballad fame he acquired in the north, of which here -are two pitiful specimen verses: - - For shooting of a dunghill cock - Poor Turpin he at last was took; - And carried straight into a jail, - Where his misfortune he does bewail, - O rare Turpin hero, - O rare Turpin O! - Now some do say that he will hang— - Turpin the last of all the gang; - I wish the cock had ne'er been hatched, - For like a fish in the net he's catched. - -Pedlars hawked these untutored productions widely over the country, -and it will be noticed with some amusement that, just as Robin Hood -had been made a popular ballad hero, robbing the rich to give to the -poor, and succouring the widow and the orphan, and just as Nevison had -been similarly enshrined, so Turpin, who would have been mean enough -to rob a poor man of his beer, a poor widow of her last groat, or to -steal a penny out of a blind man's pannikin (the worst of crimes), was -instantly converted into a blameless martyr. We may, however, readily -imagine the ill-treated Mr. Lawrence of Edgewarebury, rubbing his -roasted posteriors and vehemently dissenting from that estimate of -Turpin. - -But the ballad-writers did not pretend to historical accuracy, or to -grammar, scansion, or anything but a rude way of appealing to the -feelings of the rustics, whose lives of unremitting toil for poor wages -embittered them more than they knew against the rich; to this extent, -that they imagined virtue resided solely in the lowly cot, and vice -and oppressive feelings exclusively in the lordly hall. Those who were -poor were virtuous, and the highwayman who emptied the pockets of the -rich performed a meritorious service. Hence ballads like the following -grievous example, in which Turpin appears, in spite of well-ascertained -facts, to have been executed at Salisbury: - -TURPEN'S APPEAL TO THE JUDGE IN HIS DEFENCE; OR THE GEN'ROUS ROBBER - - Printed and sold by J. Pitts, 6, Great St. Andrew Street, Seven - Dials - - Come all you wild and wicked young men - A warning take by me, - A story now to you I'll tell - Of Turpen of Salisbury. - He was a wild and wicked blade - On the High road did he hie, - But at last was tried, and cast, - And condemn'd he was to die. - When before the Judge he came - And at the Bar he did stand, - For no pardon he did ask, - But boldly he held up his hand, - Declared the truth before the Judge - Who was to try him then:— - "I hope, my Lord, you'll pardon me, - I'm not the worst of men, - I the Scripture have fulfilled, - Tho' a wicked life I led, - When the naked I've beheld, - I've cloathed them and fed; - Sometimes in a Coat of Winter's pride, - Sometimes in a russet grey, - The naked I've cloathed, the hungry fed, - And the Rich I've sent empty away. - As I was riding out one day, - I saw a Prisoner going to Jail, - Because his debts he could not pay, - Or yet sufficient bail. - A true and faithful friend he found - In me that very day; - I paid the Creditor forty pounds - Which set the Prisoner free. - When he had my guineas bright, - He told them into his purse, - But I could not be satisfied: - To have 'em again I must. - Boldly I mounted my prancing steed, - And crossing a point of land, - There I met the Creditor, - And boldly bade him stand. - Sir, the debt you owe to me - Amounts to Forty pounds - Which I am resolved to have - Before I quit this ground. - I search'd his pockets all around, - And robb'd him of his store, - Wherein I found my forty pounds - And Twenty Guineas more. - What harm, my Lord Judge, he said, - What harm was there in this, - To Rob a Miser of his store, - By my stout heartedness. - I never rob'd or wrong'd the poor, - As it plainly does appear; - So I hope you'll pardon me - And be not too severe." - Then the Judge unto bold Turpen said - "Your stories are but in vain, - For by our laws you are condemn'd, - And must receive your pain. - Repent, repent, young man, he said, - For what is done and past, - You say the hungry you've cloathed and fed, - But you must die at last." - -It is of course possible that this ballad was not meant for Dick Turpin -at all; for, so widespread in rural districts had his fame early grown, -that "Turpin" became almost a generic name for local highwaymen, just -as after Julius Cæsar all the Emperors of Rome were Cæsars. It was -a name to conjure with: and this no doubt goes some way to explain -the infinitely many alleged "Turpin's haunts" in widely separated -districts: places Turpin could not have found time to haunt, unless he -had been a syndicate. - -Away down in Wiltshire, in the neighbourhood of Trowbridge, between -Keevil and Bulkington, and in a soggy level plain watered by an -affluent of the Wiltshire Avon, there stands in a wayside ditch a -hoary object called "Turpin's Stone," inscribed, in letters now almost -entirely obliterated, - - Dick Turpin's dead and gone, - This Stone's set up to think upon. - -[Illustration: TURPIN'S STONE.] - -This curious wayside relic may be found on the boundary-line of the -parishes of Bulkington and Keevil, near a spot oddly named Brass Pan -Bridge, and standing in an evil-smelling ditch that receives the -drainage of the neighbouring pigsties. It is a battered and moss-grown -object, and its inscription, despite the local version of it given -above, is not really decipherable, as a whole. "Turpin" may be read, -easily enough, but if the word above it is meant for "Dick," why then -the sculptor of it spelled the name "Dicq," a feat of illiterate -ingenuity that rather staggers belief. Brake-loads of Wiltshire -archæologists have visited the spot in summer, when county antiquaries -mostly archælogise, and, braving typhoid fever, have descended into the -ditch and sought to unravel the mystery of this Sphinx: without result. - -The village of Poulshot, birthplace of Thomas Boulter, a once-dreaded -highwayman, is not far off, and it is possible that Boulter, who had -a very busy and distinguished career on the highways of England in -general, and of Salisbury Plain in particular,[2] may have been named -locally "Dick Turpin," after the hero who died at York under tragical -circumstances, with the aid of a rope, in 1739. Boulter himself ended -in that way in 1778, at Winchester, and so the transference of names -was quite possible. He, it is significant to note, had a mare named -"Black Bess," which he stole in 1736 from Mr. Peter Delmé's stables at -Erle Stoke. - -[2] See the "Exeter Road," pp. 217-228. - -There are Turpin "relics" and associations at the "Spaniards," on -Hampstead Heath, and we find the _Times_ of August 22nd, 1838, saying: -"The rear of the houses on Holborn Bridge has for many years been the -receptacle for characters of the most daring and desperate condition. -There, in a secret _manège_ (now a slaughter-house for her species), -did Turpin suffer his favourite Black Bess to repose for many a -night previously to her disastrous journey to York." The _Times_ had -evidently swallowed the Ride to York story whole, and relished it. - -Another, and more cautious commentator says, "He shot people like -partridges. Many wild and improbable stories are told of him, such as -his rapid ride to York, his horse chewing a beef-steak on the way; but, -setting these aside, he was hardy and cruel enough to shine as a mighty -malefactor. He seems, to quote the Newgate jest, to have been booked, -at his very birth, for the _Gravesend Coach_ that leaves at eight in -the morning." - -"Many years ago," we read in Pink's _History of Clerkenwell_, "a small -leather portmanteau was found at the 'Coach and Horses' tavern, at -Hockley-in-the-Hole, with the ends of wood, large enough to contain a -change of linen, besides other little _etceteras_. On the inner side -of the lid, lightly cut in the surface of the leather, is the name, -'R. TVRPIN.' Whether or no this portmanteau (such an one as horsemen -formerly carried behind them, strapped to the saddle), belonged to that -famous highwayman," says Pink, "we will not attempt to decide." - -[Illustration: PORTMANTEAU, FORMERLY BELONGING TO TURPIN, DISCOVERED AT -CLERKENWELL.] - -But here there should not be much room for doubt. The relic was -probably genuine. It was illustrated in Pink's book, but the -whereabouts of it are not now known. - -The irons worn by Turpin in his cell at York Castle are now preserved -in the York Museum, together with those used for Nevison. They have a -total weight of 28 lb. - - - - -WILLIAM PARSONS, THE BARONET'S SON - - -William Parsons, born in 1717, was the youngest son of a respectable -baronet, Sir William Parsons, of Nottingham; and was so well -connected that he could claim no less a personage than the Duchess of -Northumberland for aunt. Sent to Eton, to complete his education, he -left "Henry's holy shade" in considerable disfavour, and on a visit to -an uncle at Epsom so misconducted himself, that he was bidden never -show his face there again. His behaviour was no better at Cheshunt, -where another relative had the misfortune to receive him for a time. -He was then packed off to sea, as midshipman, aboard the _Drake_. -Returning at the end of a cruise to England, he continued in the gaming -habits he had early learnt, and, to provide funds for his amusements, -called upon his highly-placed aunt and stole a gold-mounted miniature -from her dressing-room. This he was obliged to sell for one-fourth its -value. We next find him at Buxton, stealing a gold-buckled pair of -shoes in the assembly-room belonging to a Mr. Graham, and realising on -them while the owner, vainly seeking, lost all his dances. - -A cruise aboard the _Romney_ then took him to Newfoundland. He played -cards and cheated aboard ship, and acquired so bad a character that -it was plainly intimated the Navy was not his vocation and he had -better leave it. He accordingly left the service and soon found himself -deserted by his friends and without a stiver in his breeches pockets. - -Realising his wild nature, his father thought it best to secure him -some post that should take him abroad for at least a few years, by -which time his hot blood might have cooled down. To this end, he -procured him a billet with the Royal African Company, on the West -Coast of that then very Dark Continent; but the scapegrace was soon -back in England, having quarrelled with the governor of James Fort on -the Gambia River, to whom he had been accredited. He landed even more -destitute, if possible, than before, and of necessity lived the simple -life, by existing for four whole days on three half-penny worth of -bread. The public fountains supplied him freely with water, wherewith -to wash down those frugal meals. - -[Illustration: WILLIAM PARSONS.] - -He dared make no more applications to his father for assistance, for -that father was then smarting at having paid £70 to redeem his honour -over a discreditable affair that had taken place in Africa, where the -reckless youth had forged a letter purporting to come from his aunt, -the Duchess, saying she would be answerable for any debts her nephew -might incur, up to that amount. It was folly of the worst, and most -unremunerative, kind, for that aunt, with whom he had originally been -a favourite, revoked the will she had made in his favour, and left the -£25,000, that would have come to him, to his sister. - -It is evident that William Parsons was what would be called in modern -times a "degenerate." In 1740 he borrowed a large sum of money by a -pretence that he was his elder brother, who was the prospective owner -of a considerable legacy. He then succeeded in making a respectable -appearance for a time, and married a young lady of good family and -fortune. By that marriage he acquired a sum of £4,000, but his wife's -trustees, being not quite satisfied with him, took care to secure the -bulk of her property in such a manner that he could not touch it. -Entering the Army in 1741, as an ensign in a foot regiment, he embarked -upon an extravagant manner of living: obtained a quantity of gold and -silver plate from confiding tradesmen, and kept a large number of -servants. He could never resist the gaming-tables, and although himself -a rogue and a swindler, always found others there who proved more -finished than himself, and thoroughly fleeced him. - -He would then turn to forgery, and successfully negotiate forged bills -under well-known names. The Duke of Cumberland's signature was used -for £500. Nothing came amiss to his perverse ingenuity; and he would -even, as an army officer, call upon tailors and pretend to having -a contract for the supply of uniforms. He would pocket a handsome -commission and receive the goods and sell them for what they would -fetch. To be his friend was to be marked down for being defrauded, and -often to be placed in the most embarrassing situations. Thus in 1745, -when the Jacobite rebellion was disturbing the country, he borrowed -a horse of a brother officer and rode away with it, intending to -desert to the rebels. But, thinking better of it, he went no further -than Clerkenwell, where he sold the horse. The late owner was, in -consequence, arrested on charges of desertion and high treason, and -things might quite conceivably have gone hard with him. - -Accounts of Parsons' next doings do not quite agree. By one of them -we learn that he went to Florida as a lieutenant, but according to -another and a more probable version, he was shipped to the plantations -in Virginia as a convict, who had been found guilty of forgery at -Maidstone Assizes, and sentenced to be transported. Family influence -had no doubt prevented his being hanged. - -Working as a slave in the plantations belonging to Lord Fairfax, he -attracted the attention of that nobleman, who took him from the gang -of convicted malefactors, with whom, under strict supervision, he hoed -and delved under the blazing sun, and befriended him. It did not pay -to befriend William Parsons. He stole one of the best horses belonging -to his benefactor, and, going upon those early colonial roads, soon -accumulated, as a highwayman, a sufficient sum to buy himself a -passage back to old England. - -By fraud, backed up with consummate assurance, he obtained £70 at his -port of landing, and came at once to London. A scheme for plundering -his sister, who by this time had succeeded to her aunt's legacy -of £25,000, then engaged his attention. He hatched a plot with a -discharged footman, for that man to pose as a gentleman of fortune, and -to make advances to her, and even to forcibly carry her off and marry -her against her will, if needs were. Some women servants were also in -the plot, and were even given duly signed bonds in £500 and lesser -sums, to lend their aid. The footman and Parsons were, in the event of -this scheme proving successful, to share the £25,000 in equal parts. - -[Illustration: WILLIAM PARSONS.] - -By a mere accident, the plot was discovered in a milliner's shop in the -West End, where a lady friend of Miss Parsons had pointed out to her a -finely dressed gentleman, "who was going to marry Miss Parsons." This -led to enquiries, and an exposure of the whole affair. - -The last resource of this thorough-paced scoundrel was the road. He -chiefly affected the western suburbs and Hounslow Heath, and it was -in a robbery on that widespreading waste that he was captured. He -had obtained information that a servant, with a valise containing a -large sum in notes and gold, was to leave town and meet his master at -Windsor; and so set out to lie in wait for him. But he had already -been so active on the Heath that his face was too well known, and he -was recognised at Brentford by a traveller who had suffered from him -before. Following him into Hounslow Town, this former victim suddenly -raised an alarm and caused him to be seized. Taken to the "Rose and -Crown" inn, Parsons was recognised by the landlord and others, as one -who had for some time scoured the Heath and committed robberies. His -pistols were taken from him, and he was committed to Newgate, and in -the fulness of time tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. The -efforts of his family connections were again used to save him from the -gallows, and themselves from the stigma of it; but his career was too -notorious for further leniency, and he was hanged at Tyburn on February -11th, 1751. - - - - -WILLIAM PAGE - - -"There is always room on top" has long been the conclusive reply to -complaints of overcrowding in the professions. However many duffers may -already be struggling for a bare livelihood in them, there yet remains -an excellent career for the recruit with energy and new methods. The -profession of highwayman aptly illustrates the truth of these remarks. -It was shockingly over-crowded in the middle of the eighteenth century, -even though the duffers were generally caught in their initial efforts -and hanged; and really it is wonderful where all the wealth came from, -to keep such an army of "money-changers" in funds. - -William Page, who for twelve years carried on a flourishing practice -in the "Stand and Deliver!" profession, was one of those few who -lived very near the top of it. His name is not so familiar as those -of Du Vall, Hind, Maclean, or Turpin, but not always do the really -eminent come down to us with their eminence properly acknowledged. -He was born about 1730, the son of a bargeman to a coal merchant at -Hampton-on-Thames. The bargeman was unfortunately drowned at Putney -in 1740, and his widow was reduced to eking out a meagre livelihood -by the distilling of waters from medicinal herbs. She is described -as "a notable industrious woman," and certainly it was not from her -example that William learned the haughty and offensive ways that -would not permit him long to keep any of the numerous situations he -took, after leaving the Charity School at Hampton, where he acquired -what small education he had. He started life as tapster's boy at -the "Bell" alehouse, in his native town, and thence changed to -errand-boy in the employment of "Mr. Mackenzie," apothecary. Soon his -youthful ambition took him to London, where he obtained a situation -in the printing-office of Woodfall, in Little Britain, who became in -after-years notorious as printer of the "Letters of Junius"; but "that -business being too great a confinement for his rambling temper, he -left it, and went footboy to Mr. Dalrymple, Scots Holland warehouse in -London." - -He rapidly filled the situations of footman to one Mr. Hodges, in -Lincoln's Inn Fields; porter to a gentleman in Cork Street, and footman -to Mr. Macartney in Argyle Buildings. He then entered the service -of the Earl of Glencairn, but left that situation to become valet -to a certain Captain Jasper. Frequently discharged for "his proud -and haughty spirit, which would not brook orders from his masters," -and prevented him, on the other hand, being on good terms with his -fellow-servants, he at last found himself unable to obtain another -place. This was a sad time for William Page. In service he had learned -extravagant habits, the love of fine clothes and the fascination of -gambling; but his arrogant ways had brought him low indeed. - -"Being by such means as these extremely reduced in his circumstances, -without money, without friends, and without character, he could think -of no better method of supplying his wants, and freeing himself from -a servile dependency, than by turning Collector on the Highway. This -he imagined would not only take off that badge of slavery, the livery -he had always worn with regret, but would set him on a level with -gentlemen, a figure he was ever ambitious of making." - -His first steps were attended with some difficulty, for he laboured -under the disadvantage, at the moment of coming to this decision, of -having no money in his pockets; and to commence highwayman, as to begin -any other business or profession, it was necessary to have a small -capital, for preliminary expenses. But a little ingenuity showed him -the way. Pistols and a horse were the tools of his trade, and pistols, -of course, first. A servant of his acquaintance knew a person who had -a brace of pistols to sell, and Page took them, "to show a friend on -approval." He then hired a horse for deferred payment, and with the -pistols went out and immediately and successfully robbed the Highgate -coach. Thus, with the £4 he in this manner obtained, he paid for the -pistols and settled with the livery-stable keeper for his horse-hire. -In another day or two he had touched the wayfaring public for a sum -sufficient to purchase a horse of his own; and thus commenced his -twelve-years' spell of highway adventure, in which, although he had -many exciting experiences, he was arrested only once before the final -escapade that brought him to the gallows. - -An early freak of his was the robbing of his former master, Captain -Jasper, on Hounslow Heath. The Captain was crossing the ill-omened -place with a lady in a post-chaise, when Page rode up, bade the -postilion stop, and ordered the Captain to deliver. - -"That may be, sir," retorted the Captain angrily, "but not yet," and, -pulling out a pistol, fired at him. His aim was not good, but he hit -somebody: none other, indeed, than his own postilion, who was struck in -the back, "and wounded very much." - -Then said Page, "Consider, sir, what a rash action you have been guilty -of. You have killed this poor fellow, which I would not have done for -the world. And now, sir, I repeat my orders, and if you refuse any -longer to comply, I will actually fire upon you." - -[Illustration: WILLIAM PAGE.] - -The Captain then snapped his second pistol at him, but it missed fire. -Page then swore he would shoot the lady; intending to do nothing of the -kind, but only to alarm the Captain the more. But in Captain Jasper -our highwayman had met sterner stuff than common, and the gallant -soldier, the better to protect her, forthwith sat himself in her lap. -On Page continuing to declare he would shoot him, the Captain leapt out -of the chaise at him, and at that moment Page fired, but with intention -to miss, and the shot passed harmlessly by. Again the Captain pulled -the trigger of his pistol, and again it missed fire. - -Then Page declared his ultimatum: "You must now surrender, or I -absolutely will shoot you." Whereupon the Captain, having done all he -possibly could, delivered up his gold watch and ten or eleven guineas. -Page then demanded his sword, but he quite rightly, as a soldier, -demurred to such a humiliation. - -"You may see by my cockade I am an officer, and I would sooner part -with my life and soul than with my sword," he bravely declared. - -Page generously acknowledged his spirit. "I think myself," he said, -"thou art the bravest fellow that ever crossed these plains, but thou -art an obstinate fellow; and so, go about your business." - -He introduced some interesting novelties into the well-worn business. -The chief of these was the distinctly bright idea of driving from -London in a phaeton with a pair of horses and at some lonely spot -disguising himself with a wig and another suit of clothes. Then, -saddling one of the horses and leaving the phaeton, he would carefully -emerge upon the high road and hold up coaches, post-chaises, or -solitary equestrians. This accomplished, he returned to his phaeton, -harnessed the horse again, resumed his former attire, and drove back to -town, like the gentleman of fashion and leisure he pretended to be. One -day, pursuing this highly successful programme, he was nearly undone by -the action of some countryfolk who, finding an abandoned phaeton and -one horse strangely left in a coppice, went off with it. The simple -people, making along the road with this singular treasure-trove, were -themselves followed by some unlucky travellers whom Page had just -robbed, and violently denounced as confederates. Page was fully equal -to the occasion. Nearly stripping himself, and casting his clothes down -a convenient well, he returned to London in that plight and declared -himself to have been treated like the man in the Scriptures, who -"fell among thieves"; although it does not appear that the traveller -in question had a carriage. His phaeton had been stolen, and himself -robbed and left almost naked. - -This precious story was fully believed, and the country people -themselves stood in some considerable danger. They were flung into -prison and would no doubt have been convicted had Page appeared against -them. This he, for obvious reasons, refused to do, and they found -themselves at liberty once more, resolved to leave any other derelict -carriages they might chance to see severely alone. - -Page, in course of time, married a girl of his native town. She could -not long remain ignorant of his means of livelihood, and earnestly -begged him to leave the road and take to honest work. Few, however, -quitted the highway except for the "three-legged mare" at Tyburn, and -the one- or two-legged mares of other places; and he held on his way. -Now and again he would disappear for a time, after some particularly -audacious exploit, to reappear when the excitement it had caused was -over. On one of these occasions he shipped to Barbados and Antigua, -stayed there for seven or eight months, and then returned to England, -desperately in want of money. The line of least resistance indicated -the road once more. - -His first exploit after this reappearance was the robbing of one Mr. -Cuffe, north of Barnet. The traveller, being driven along the road -alone and unarmed in a post-chaise, had no choice but to surrender his -purse, and held it out from the window at arm's length. But Page's -horse, not being used to this kind of business, shied violently, and -Page thereupon ordered the postilion to dismount and hand it him, which -he did, and he then gracefully and at leisure retired. - -On his return to town, leading this high-mettled horse down Highgate -Hill, Page was followed by three men on horseback, who, having heard -of this robbery down the road, suspected he might be the man. They -immediately planned how they were to take him, and then, one of them -riding quietly up, said, "Sir, I have often walked my horse up Highgate -Hill, but never down; but since you do, I will also, and bear you -company." - -Page readily agreed, without the least suspicion of any design against -him, and so they entered into a very friendly conversation. After -walking in this manner some little distance, the gentleman finding a -fit opportunity, keeping a little behind, suddenly laid hold of his -arms and pinioned them so tightly behind him that he was not able to -stir; seeing which, the other two, then on the opposite side of the -road, crossed over and secured him beyond any possibility of escape. -They found in his pockets four loaded pistols, a powder-horn, and some -bullets, a crape mask, and a curious and ingenious map himself had -drawn, showing all the main roads and cross roads for twenty miles -round London. - -They then took him before a Justice of the Peace at Highgate, who -put many searching questions, without gaining any information. He -was, however, committed to Clerkenwell Bridewell, and was afterwards -examined by none other than Henry Fielding, magistrate and novelist. -Sent from the Old Bailey to stand his trial at Hertford Assizes, he -was acquitted for lack of exact evidence, although every one was fully -satisfied of his guilt, for, however strange the times, they were not -so strange that honest gentlemen carried such a compromising collection -of things about with them on the roads. - -His narrow escape did not disturb him, and he was soon again on his -lawless prowls. On Hounslow Heath he robbed a Captain of one of the -Guards regiments, and was pursued into Hounslow town by that officer, -shouting "Highwayman!" after him. No one took any notice. Page got -clear away, and afterwards boasted of having, the following night at a -theatre in London, sat next the officer, who did not recognise him. - -An interlude followed in the activities of our high-spirited -highwayman. He and an old acquaintance struck up a more intimate -friendship over the tables of billiard-rooms in London, and there they -entered into an alliance, with the object of rooking frequenters of -those places. But their returns were small and precarious, and did not -even remotely compare with the rich harvest to be gathered on the road, -to which he accordingly returned. - -It was Page's ill-fortune to meet with several plucky travellers, who, -like Captain Jasper, would not tamely submit to be robbed, and resisted -by force of arms. Among them was Lord Downe, whose post-chaise he, -with a companion, one day stopped at Barnet. Presenting his pistol, he -issued the customary orders, but, to his surprise, Lord Downe himself -drew a pistol, and discharged it with such excellent aim, that Page -was shot in the body, and bled very copiously. His companion's horse, -alarmed at the shot, grew restive, and thus his friend was for a while -unable to come to his aid. Page, however, again advanced to the attack; -but my lord was ready with another pistol, and so the highwaymen -thought it best to make off. They hurried to London, and Page sought -a doctor, who found the wound so dangerous, that he refused to treat -him without consultation. The other doctor, immediately on arriving, -recognised Page, and asked him how he came by the wound; to which Page -replied, that he had received it in a duel he had just fought. - -"I will extract the ball," replied the doctor; "but," he added -significantly, "I do not wish to see your face again, for I believe you -fought that duel near Barnet." - -Shortly after his recovery from this untoward incident, he and one -ally, Darwell, by name, an old schoolfellow, waiting upon chance -on Shooter's Hill, met two post-chaises, in one of which was a -"supercargo" belonging to the East India Company, and in the other a -person, who is simply described as a "gentleman." - -Page's accomplice opened the encounter by firing a pistol, to which -the supercargo replied in like manner; but with a better aim, for the -bullet tore away a portion of his coat, under the armpit. A second -shot from the highwayman was also ineffective. Then Page rode up and -attacked the other chaise. A desperate fusillade followed; but the only -damage done was that Page's horse was slightly wounded. At last, the -post-chaise travellers having expended all their ammunition, the two -highwaymen compelled them to alight, and the postilions to dismount; -and then, having bound the hands of all of them with rope, they ordered -these unfortunate persons, on peril of their lives, to remain on -that spot for one hour. They then returned to the chaises, removed -the travelling trunks, and, carrying them off on horseback, hid them -securely. - -Then they hastened back to London. The next morning, in two chaises, -they returned to the spot, and in security brought back the trunks, -which contained, not only a large amount of money, but a mass of -important documents belonging to the East India Company. - -A reward of forty guineas was offered, by advertisement in the -newspapers of the time, for the return of the documents, "and no -questions asked." The advertisers themselves, by so doing, risked a -fine of £50 for compounding a felony; but, in any case, the reward was -never claimed, although Page carefully returned the papers anonymously. - -The fact which at last cut the knot of William Page's existence was -the robbing of Captain Farrington in 1757, on Blackheath. Among other -things the Captain was compelled to render to this Cæsar of the roads -was a gold repeater watch. Hotly pursued, Page gave the hue-and-cry a -long chase for it, and finally, arriving at Richmond, had himself and -his exhausted horse ferried across to Twickenham. - -Soon after, finding the south of England ringing uncomfortably with -the fame of his doings, he took ship for Scotland, but landed at -Scarborough, where, at the fashionable spa, he gambled heavily and -strutted awhile as a man of considerable fortune. But he must have -been at last really alarmed and prepared to consider turning over -a new leaf, for he went north to see his former master, the Earl -of Glencairn, who, he thought, would be able to recommend him to -employment in the plantations. The Earl, however, received him coldly, -and he came south again, to resume his chosen profession, in company -with Darwell, whom he had by constant alternate threats and persuasions -seduced from the reformed life he was leading and the respectable -situation he held, to take up again this hazardous calling. - -Together they scoured the road to Tonbridge, Darwell forming, as it -were, a rearguard. Page was pursued beyond Sevenoaks by five mounted -men armed with pistols, and a blunderbuss, who dashed past Darwell, -and after a struggle seized his leader, who presently escaped again. -In their return, disappointed, they made a prisoner of Darwell, who, -suspecting something of the kind would happen, had already thrown -away his pistols. In spite of his indignant protestations that he was -a private gentleman, and would not endure such an outrage, he was -searched and a part of Captain Farrington's watch was found upon him, -with the maker's name and most of the distinguishing marks more or less -carefully obliterated. Questioned closely, he declared he had picked -it up upon the road. As for the highwayman they had just now nearly -captured, he knew nothing of him: had never set eyes on him before. - -But, in spite of these denials, Darwell was taken off in custody and -examined before a magistrate, who so plied him with questions, threats -of what would happen to him if he continued obstinate, and promises of -clemency if he would make discovery of his companion, that he at last -turned King's evidence. During the interval, he was lodged in Maidstone -gaol. - -A fortnight later, Page was arrested in one of their old haunts in -London, the "Golden Lion," near Grosvenor Square. He was at first taken -to Newgate, but afterwards remitted to Maidstone, and tried there for -the robbery of Captain Farrington. Convicted and sentenced to death, he -was hanged on Penenden Heath, April 6th, 1758. - - - - -ISAAC DARKIN, _ALIAS_ DUMAS - - -Isaac Darkin was the son of a cork-cutter in Eastcheap, and was born -about 1740; too late to appear in the stirring pages of Alexander -Smith or Charles Johnson, in which he would have made, we may be sure, -an admired figure. All those who knew him, on the road or in the -domestic circle, agreed that he was a handsome fellow; and travellers, -in particular, noticed his taking ways. These were first displayed -in 1758, when he robbed Captain Cockburn near Chelmsford. No less -taking, in their own especial way, were the police of the neighbourhood -in that time, for they speedily apprehended Isaac, and lodged him -in Springfield gaol. He was duly arraigned at the next assizes, and -no fewer than eight indictments were then preferred against him. He -pleaded guilty to the robbing of Captain Cockburn, but not guilty on -the other counts; and was, after a patient trial, found guilty on the -first and acquitted on the others. He was then sentenced to death, but -was eventually respited on account of his youth, and finally pardoned -on condition that he enlisted in the 48th Regiment of foot, then -serving in the West Indies, at Antigua. Drafted with others aboard a -ship lying in the lower reaches of the Thames, presently to set sail -for that distant shore, he effected his escape, almost at the moment -of up-anchor, by dint of bribing the captain of a merchant vessel -lying alongside, to whom he promised so much as a hundred pounds to -help him out. He was smuggled aboard the merchantman, and so cunningly -disguised that when a search-party, suspecting his whereabouts, boarded -the ship, and searched it, even to the hold, they did not recognise -him in a particularly rough and dirty sailor who was swearing nautical -oaths among the ship's company on deck. So the transport-vessel sailed -without him, and he, assuming the name of Dumas, rioted all through -the West of England, robbing wealthy travellers and gaily spending his -takings on what he loved best: fine clothes and fine ladies. He was so -attentive to business that he speedily made a name for himself, the -name of a daring votary of the high toby. This reputation rendered -it politic on his part to enlist in the Navy, so that in case of -being arrested for highway robbery, he could prove himself to have a -respectable occupation, that would help to discredit the charge of -being a highwayman. - -He soon became a valued recruit, and was promoted to midshipman; and -it is quite likely that if he had been sent on active service he would -have distinguished himself in a more reputable career than that in -which he was so soon to die. But his duties kept him for considerable -periods in port, and he seems to have had ample leave from them; for -we find him hovering near Bath and gaily robbing the wealthy real or -imagined invalids going to, or returning from, the waters. - -On the evening of June 22nd, 1760, he fell in with Lord Percival, -travelling by post-chaise over Clarken Down, near Bath, and robbed him -of twelve, thirteen, or fourteen guineas—my lord could not positively -swear to the exact amount. He then made off in the gathering twilight, -and galloped across country, to Salisbury Plain and the little village -of Upavon, where he was arrested in a rustic alehouse, and sent -thence to Salisbury gaol. At his trial he indignantly denied being a -highwayman, or that he was an Englishman. He declared his name was -Dumas, that he had lately come from Guadaloupe, where he had taken -a part in the late military operations; and said that the so-styled -"suspicious behaviour" and damaging admissions he was charged with, -when arrested at the inn, were merely the perplexities of a foreigner, -when suddenly confronted by hostile strangers. - -This special pleading did not greatly deceive judge or jury, but -the prosecution broke down upon a technical detail, and Darkin was -acquitted; not, however, without an affecting address to the prisoner -from the judge, Mr. Justice Willmott, who urged him to amend his ways, -while there was yet time. - -It is thus quite sufficiently evident that, although the Court was -bound to acquit the prisoner, no one had the least doubt of his -guilt. His narrow escape does not appear to have impressed Darkin, -or "Dumas"; but he was anxious enough to be off, as we learn from a -contemporary account of the proceedings, in which it is quaintly said: -"He discovered great Impatience 'till he had got off his Fetters and -was discharged, which was about five o'clock in the evening, when he -immediately set out for London in a post-chaise." - -The fair ladies of Salisbury sorrowed when he was gone. They had -been constant in visiting him in prison, and had regarded him as a -hero, and Lord Percival as a disagreeable hunks. The hero-worship he -received is properly noted in the account of his life, trial, and -execution, issued in haste from an Oxford press in 1761, shortly after -the final scene had been enacted. In those pages we read: "During -Mr. Dumas' imprisonment at Salisbury, we find his sufferings made a -deep impression upon the tender Hearts of the Ladies, some of whom, -having visited him in his Confinement, his obliging Manner, genteel -Address, lively Disposition, and whole Deportment so struck them that -his Fame soon became the Discourse of the Tea Table; and at the happy -Termination of His Affair with my Lord Percival, produced between them -the following Copy of Verses: - - Joy to thee, lovely Thief! that thou - Hast 'scaped the fatal string, - Let Gallows groan with ugly Rogues, - _Dumas_ must never swing. - - Dost thou seek Money?—To thy Wants - Our Purses we'll resign; - Could we our Hearts to guineas coin - Those guineas all were thine. - - To Bath in safety let my lord - His loaded Pockets carry; - Thou ne'er again shall tempt the Road, - Sweet youth! if thou wilt marry. - - No more shall niggard travellers - Avoid thee—We'll ensure them: - To us thou shalt consign thy Balls - And Pistol; we'll secure 'em. - - Yet think not, when the Chains are off, - Which now thy Legs bedeck, - To fly: in Fetters softer far - We'll chain thee by the Neck." - -But in the short space of six weeks from his acquittal at Salisbury and -his triumphal exit in a post-chaise for London, he was again arrested -on a charge of highway robbery, this time for robbing a Mr. Gammon at -Nettlebed, on the road to Oxford. Committed to trial at Newgate, he was -transferred to Oxford gaol, and tried there on March 6th. He had up -to now been phenomenally fortunate, but things at this crisis looked -a great deal more serious. He acknowledged "he had experienced many -narrow scrapes, but never such a d—d one as this," and he was presently -found guilty and condemned to death, this time without any extenuating -circumstances being found. - -Isaac Darkin was what in our times would be called a "superior person." -Slang he disdained to use, bad language was anathema to him; and if -he did, indeed, condescend to describe a person of mean understanding -as "a cake," or "a flat," that was the most he permitted himself. His -delicacy was so great that he never mentioned a "robbery," a "robber," -or a "highwayman," but spoke instead of persons who had been "injured," -or of "the injured parties." And as he was so nice in his language, so -he was particular in his dress and deportment. As an eulogist of him -said, not without a little criticism: "He was possessed of too great -a share of pride for his circumstances in life, and retained more of -it to the last than was becoming in a person in his unhappy situation. -He had a taste for elegance in every respect; was remarkably fond of -silk stockings, and neat in his linen; had his hair dressed in the most -fashionable manner every morning; his polished fetters were supported -round his waist by a sword-belt, and tied up at his knees with ribbon." - -Although but the son of a cork-cutter, he had lived, in the estimation -of his contemporaries, like a gentleman. Like a gentleman he spent -his last days, and if he did indeed seem to boast a little when, a -few days before his execution, he declared he had been nine times in -gaol, and seven times tried on a capital charge, that was merely a -pardonable professional exaggeration. His claim to have gleaned over -six hundred guineas from the road has, on the other hand, the look of -an under-estimate. The rumbustious fellows of a hundred years earlier -would have thought that very bad business; they often took much more -in a single haul. But times were changing, and not for the better, from -the highwaymen's point of view. - -Isaac Darkin died like a gentleman, without apparent fear, and without -bravado, at Oxford, on March 23rd, 1761, and was at that time, as -himself remarked, without apparent pathos or truckling to weak -sentiment, "not twenty-one." - - - - -JAMES MACLAINE, THE "GENTLEMAN" HIGHWAYMAN - - -The career of James Maclean, or Maclaine, shows that it was not really -difficult to become a "gentleman" highwayman. Born at Monaghan in 1724, -he was the second son of Lauchlin Maclaine, a Presbyterian minister, -who, although settled in Ireland, was a Scotsman of unmixed Scottish -blood, and of undoubted Scottish sympathies. There are plenty of -materials for a life of his son James, the highwayman, for the story -of his career had a remarkable attraction for all classes of people -at the time when he went to die at Tyburn, in 1750; and consequently -the "Lives" and "Memoirs" of him are numerous. There are also several -portraits of him, most of them showing a distinctly Scottish type of -countenance, but not one solving the mystery of his extraordinary -fascination for women. Indeed, the full-length portrait of him -engraved in Caulfield's _Remarkable Characters_, in which he is styled -"Macleane, the Ladies' Hero," shows a heavy-jowled person, with dull, -yet staring fish-like eyes; exactly the kind of person who might be -expected to create an unfavourable impression. Perhaps the artist -does him an injustice, but none of the several artists and engravers -who have handed down to us their respective versions of his features -have succeeded in imparting the slightest inkling of good looks to him, -and few of the portraits agree with one another. He was tall above -the average, as the various prints show; and he wore fine clothes. It -was these exceedingly fine feathers, and the fashionable resorts he -affected, that gave him the distinction of "gentleman" highwayman; and -it is to be feared that his exquisite dress, in larger measure than the -quality of his manners, influenced the ladies of 1750, who wept over -his fate just as the equally foolish women of 1670 had wept over the -hanging of Du Vall. - -[Illustration: JAMES MACLAINE. - - _From a contemporary Portrait._] - -The Ordinary of Newgate saw nothing remarkable in Maclaine. He speaks -of him as "in person of the middle-size, well-limbed, and a sandy -complexion, a broad, open countenance pitted with the small-pox, but -though he was called the _Gentleman Highwayman_, and in his dress and -equipage very much affected the fine gentleman, yet to a man acquainted -with good breeding, and that can distinguish it from impudence and -affectation, there was very little in his address or behaviour that -could entitle him to the character." - -[Illustration: MACLAINE, THE LADIES' HERO.] - -Archibald, the elder brother of this fashionable hero, was an entirely -respected and blameless person, who entered the Church, and was pastor -of the English community at The Hague for forty-nine years, from 1747 -to 1796. - -James, the future knight of the road, was intended by his father for -a merchant; but that pious father died when James was eighteen years -of age, and so the youthful "perfect master of writing and accompts," -as he is styled, instead of proceeding, as intended, to a Scottish -merchant in Rotterdam, received a modest inheritance, with which he -immediately took himself off to Dublin, where he lost or expended it -all inside twelve months, in dissipation, after the example of the -Prodigal Son in the Scriptures. - -Only, unfortunately for him, when the money was gone, and he would, -given the opportunity, perhaps have returned, like that illustrious -exemplar, from his husks and his harlots, to partake of the fatted -calf, there was no father, no home, and no fatted calf to which he -might return. - -But he had still some relatives left in Monaghan, and he thought he -might be received by them. In this he was altogether mistaken when he -tried to put it to the proof, and was reduced almost to the point of -starvation there, when he attracted the attention of a gentleman, who -offered him a footman's place in his service. He did not keep this -situation long. He was too impudent to his master, and too patronising -towards the other servants. He was discharged, and for a time subsisted -upon a scanty allowance from his brother. - -In this extremity he found a gentleman of Cork, a "Colonel F——n," who -was confiding enough to engage him as butler. But he apparently did not -make a good butler; and was, moreover, discovered making away with his -master's property, and discharged. We next find him in London, thinking -of joining the Irish Brigade in the French service; but abandoning -the idea from conscientious scruples against being employed in Popish -surroundings. Maclaine had a very tender conscience and a timid nature, -and what with his religious scruples and the fear of being shot (to -which he does not allude, but which was very vivid to him), he had to -abandon the notion of wearing a fine uniform, which we may suspect had -originally given him the impulse to a military life. - -[Illustration: JAMES MACLAINE.] - -Maclaine did not at this period keep very reputable society; but -was in 1746 again occupying a position with the forgiving "Colonel -F——n." The Colonel seems to have, on this second occasion, found -him an undesirable servant; whereupon, "being prepossessed with the -perfections of his person," he proposed to enlist in Lord Albemarle's -troop of horseguards. The Colonel, as an old soldier, thought this, no -doubt, the best thing, and, with an advance of ten pounds, bade him go -where glory waited him. - -Maclaine accordingly enlisted. He had visions of being seated on a -prancing steed—"steed" being the superlative of "horse"—and, dressed in -something with plenty of blue or scarlet and gold in it, taking part -in ceremonial processions and escorts. Unhappily, soon after he had -enlisted, he heard that the troop was to proceed at once to Flanders -on active service, and hurriedly got, somehow, out of the dangerous -position. - -He then made some attempt to settle down and live respectably, for he -married the daughter of a Mr. Maclagen, a horse-dealer in the Oxford -Road—the Oxford Street of to-day. His wife brought a small dowry of -£500, and with this they set up business in the grocery and chandlery -way in Welbeck Street. Unhappily for any views he may have entertained -of a settled life as a tradesman, his wife died in 1748. It appeared -then that the business had not prospered, or that their style of living -had been beyond their means, for the stock and furniture were then -found to be worth only £85. - -Maclaine's first idea after this domestic catastrophe was one very -prevalent at that time: the notion of posing as a gentleman of fortune -and of fashion, with the object of ensnaring the affections of some -susceptible young lady of means and marrying her for her money. He -accordingly realised all his effects, and, placing his two infant -daughters in the care of his mother-in-law, burst upon the town as one -of the elegants of the day. - -A needy neighbour, like himself a tradesman, Plunkett by name, who had -failed as a chemist, was induced by this hopeful widower to act a part -as his footman, and together they frequented places of fashionable -assemblage, both in London and at Tunbridge Wells, on the look-out for -heiresses. But the game was shy, and meanwhile the small capital of -£85 was fast melting away. Fine clothes were ten times more expensive -in that age than the finest clothes of to-day, and although it was -possible to obtain a good deal on credit, it was not at all workable to -visit Vauxhall and such expensive places, and to cut a dash there, for -any considerable time on so inconsiderable a capital. - -It was Plunkett who at this stage of affairs, when their funds were -nearly exhausted, suggested the road as a place where money might -usually be had for the asking. - -"A brave man," said Plunkett, "cannot want. He has a right to live, and -need not want the conveniences of life. While the dull, plodding, busy -knaves carry cash in their pockets, we must draw upon them to supply -our wants. Only impudence is necessary, and the getting better of a -few idle scruples. Courage is scarcely necessary, for all we have to -deal with are mere poltroons." But when poltroon meets poltroon, when -the timid traveller, ready to hand over his purse on demand, cannot do -so because the coward highwayman dare not reach out and take it, what -happens? It is an embarrassing moment, whose fortunes are (or were) -determined only by chance. - -Plunkett did not know the manner of man he had to deal with until they -had taken the road together. He had always seemed a bold, swaggering -fellow, and big enough in all conscience; but when it came to highway -robbery he was a helpless companion. - -Their first affair was with a grazier, going home from Smithfield with -the proceeds of his day's business in his pocket. Plunkett, suddenly -enlightened as to Maclaine's want of nerve, took the conduct of the -incident firmly in hand at once, or the results might have been -disastrous for both. He took £60 from the grazier, while Maclaine -looked on and spoke no word, inwardly in greater fear than he, and -ready, had there been any sign of resistance, to fly. - -Their next attempt was to stop and rob a coach on the St. Albans road. - -It was agreed that Maclaine should stop the coachman and present his -pistol on one side, while Plunkett did the same on the other. But -although he rode up several times, intending to challenge the Jehu with -the traditional cry of the bold and fearless fellows who did the like -every night, his heart failed him; so Plunkett had to carry it off -as best he could, while Maclaine sat shivering with cowardice in the -background, in spite of the "Venetian mask" that covered the upper part -of his face and concealed his identity sufficiently well. - -But Plunkett, as may have been already gathered, was a man with -sufficient resolution for two, and although Maclaine was quaking with -terror on every occasion, he brought him in some fashion up to the -scratch in a long series of robberies. They frequently hired or stabled -horses at Hyde Park Corner, and thence rode out for a day and a night -upon Hounslow Heath, or elsewhere. - -"In all this while," we learn, he scarcely ever thought of his -daughters, "and seldom visited his mother-in-law." O villain! - -When in town, he had lodgings on the first floor over a shop in St. -James's Street, and presented a gorgeous figure to morning callers. -He was even more gorgeous in the evening, when he frequented places -of public entertainment, and obtained the freedom of some fashionable -houses. But the morning picture he presented will probably suffice. He -then wore a crimson damask banjan, a silk shag waistcoat turned with -lace, black velvet breeches, white silk stockings, and yellow morocco -slippers. - -On one exceptional occasion, Plunkett and Maclaine went as far as -Chester, and did good business on the way; but their best haul was on -Shooter's Hill, where they stopped and robbed an official of the East -India Company of a large sum. - -With his share of the plunder, Maclaine took a little holiday on the -Continent, and visited his brother at The Hague, probably astonishing -that worthy man by his sudden magnificence. He then returned and -rejoined Plunkett. - -Horace Walpole wrote at different times several accounts of how he was -once stopped by these brothers-in-arms. It was a moonlight night, in -the beginning of November 1749, nearly a year before Maclaine's career -was brought to a close, that Horace was returning from Holland House, -Kensington, to London. The hour was ten o'clock, the place Hyde Park. -What trifles, or what amount of money Messrs. Maclaine and Plunkett -took on this occasion we are not told; for Walpole does not take his -correspondents so completely and voluminously into his confidence over -this affair as he generally did. He only tells them, and us, that the -pistol of "the accomplished Mr. Maclean," as he calls him, went off—by -accident, he is careful to say—and that the bullet passed so close as -to graze the skin beneath his eye and stun him. The bullet then went -through the roof of the carriage. - -The incident that so nearly brought the life of Horace Walpole to -an untimely end, and might thus have left the world much poorer in -eighteenth-century gossip, was conducted, as he tells us, "with the -greatest good-breeding on both sides." He further adds that the reason -of Maclaine being out that night and taking a purse _that_ way was, he -had only that morning been disappointed of marrying a great fortune. It -does not seem at all an adequate reason; but that was the eighteenth -century and this is the twentieth, and perhaps we cannot see eye to eye -on all these matters. - -But, at any rate, Maclaine afterwards behaved very nicely about the -articles he had taken; sending a note to Walpole as soon as ever he had -returned to his lodgings, in which he made his excuses, if not with -the witty grace of a Voiture, at least expressed in a manner ten times -more natural and easily polite. He declared that, had the bullet found -its billet in Walpole's head, he would certainly have put one through -his own. Then, in a postscript, which, like the postscripts in letters -written by feminine hands, contained the whole substance of and reason -for the letter, Maclaine added that he would be pleased to meet the -gentleman at Tyburn (O ominous tryst!) at twelve at night, where the -gentleman might purchase again any trifles he had lost. - -There, if not particularly elsewhere, Maclaine seems to have indeed -proved himself, in one brief moment, a "gentleman" highwayman. You -see the argument passing in his mind. The trifles were indeed trifles -intrinsically, but they might have had some sentimental worth, of old -or new association, that would have made the loss of them a grievous -thing to their rightful owner. Well, then, if that owner liked to -ransom them for a trifling sum, here was his chance. A very considerate -offer. - -But Horace Walpole did not accept the rendezvous. Possibly he doubted -the honour of a highwayman met at such a spot. - -The "gentleman highwayman" resented criticism, as will be seen by -the following story: Maclaine frequented Button's Coffee House, in -Russell Street, Covent Garden, and paid particular attention to the -barmaid there, daughter of the proprietor. The attentions of such a -fine gentleman as he appeared to be were very flattering to the girl, -and very noticeable to other frequenters of the house, one of whom, -a certain Mr. Donaldson, knew Maclaine, and took the opportunity of -warning the girl's father of his real character. The father in his turn -cautioned his daughter, and foolishly let slip the name of the person -who had warned him; and she, of course, passed on the information to -the engaging Maclaine. - -On the next occasion when Donaldson visited Button's, and while he was -sitting in one of the boxes, Maclaine entered, and in a loud voice, and -the pronounced Irish brogue that was ever on his tongue, said: "Mr. -Donaldson, I wish to spake to you in a private room." - -Mr. Donaldson, being unarmed, and naturally afraid of being alone with -such a man as he knew Maclaine to be, said that as there could not -possibly be anything pass between them that the whole world was not -welcome to know, he begged leave to decline the invitation. - -"Very well," rejoined Maclaine, "we shall meet again." - -A day or so later, as Mr. Donaldson was walking near Richmond in the -evening, he saw Maclaine on horseback, approaching him; but fortunately -at that moment a gentleman's carriage appeared, and Maclaine rode -after it; Donaldson hastening into the protection that the streets -of Richmond town afforded. It is probable that, but for this timely -diversion, Maclaine would have shot the man who dared tell the truth -about him. - -But the end of the alliance of Maclaine and Plunkett was now at hand. -On June 26th, 1750, at two o'clock in the morning, they stopped the -Salisbury stage on Turnham Green. The courage of the coach passengers -was at a low ebb at that unconscionable hour, and they suffered -themselves to be robbed, without making the least resistance. They -numbered five men and one woman. The men were bidden step out, and, -doing so, were searched and robbed at leisure. A Mr. Higden had an -exceptionally fine waistcoat, and had to part with even that to -Maclaine, who was a connoisseur in waistcoats. A Mr. Lockyer also was -constrained to give up a wig. From the lady was taken "only what she -chose to give." Here, at any rate, is a faint sweet relic of an older -courtesy. - -As an afterthought, Maclaine went back for two or three of the -portmanteaux stored away in the hoot. - -They then, riding off westward, met the Earl of Eglinton, travelling in -his post-chaise. He had an escort of two mounted servants, but as they -were over half a mile behind at the time, he might equally well have -been travelling alone. - -[Illustration: MACLAINE AND PLUNKETT ROBBING THE EARL OF EGLINTON ON -HOUNSLOW HEATH.] - -Maclaine, riding up to the postboy, threatened him with a pistol and -told him to stop instantly; but, at the same time, was sufficiently -cautious to so place himself that the occupant of the post-chaise would -be unable to fire at him without hitting the postboy. The highwaymen -were, as a rule, exceedingly well-informed persons; and Maclaine knew -perfectly well that Lord Eglinton carried a blunderbuss with him, and -had the reputation of always being ready and willing to use it. - -But in the strategic position he had taken up, he was quite safe, and -meanwhile Plunkett had advanced from the rear and taken his lordship -completely by surprise. He threatened, indeed, instantly to shoot him, -if he did not throw the blunderbuss away; and my lord flung the weapon -from him at once, as though it had been red-hot. Plunkett then took -seven guineas from him. - -Maclaine was not behindhand, and seized his lordship's overcoat and the -blunderbuss which was lying upon the heath. He was a frugal person, -and in that particular did credit to his Scots ancestry. A curious -old print shows this robbery, famous in its day, and in it Maclaine -and Plunkett do certainly look most awe-inspiring in their attitudes: -Maclaine, in particular, being apparently engaged in pushing his pistol -through the postboy's head. But that is doubtless artistic licence. - -Maclaine did a very foolish thing when he returned to his St. James's -Street rooms, early that same day. He sent for a Jew dealer to come and -make an offer for some clothes he wished to sell; none other, in fact, -than those he had taken from the coach, and when they were shortly -advertised as having been stolen, the mischief was done. As if that -were not folly enough, Maclaine's frugality had led him also to remove -the gold lace from one of the stolen coats and to offer it for sale. -He chanced to take it to the very laceman who had recently sold it. -His arrest was then a matter of course. Equally of course, he strongly -protested against the indignity of a "gentleman" being arrested for -theft, and then he broke down and wept in "a most dastardly and -pusillanimous manner, whimpering and crying like a whipt schoolboy." - -Maclaine declared that the absconded Plunkett had left the clothes with -him, in part satisfaction of a debt he owed, and that he, Maclaine, was -to have sold them for what they would fetch, as part liquidation of the -debt. - -Any so-called confession he might have made, he now declared -impossible. What should a gentleman like himself know of highway -robbery? "It is true enough that when first apprehended, the surprise -confounded me and gave me a most extraordinary shock. It caused a -delirium and confusion in my brain which rendered me incapable of being -myself, or knowing what I said or did. I talked of robberies as another -man would do in talking of stories; but, my Lord, after my friends had -visited me in the Gate-house, and had given me some new spirits, and -when I came to be re-examined before Justice Lediard, and was asked -if I could make any discovery of the robbery, I then alleged I had -recovered my surprise, that what I had talked of before concerning -robberies was false and wrong, and was entirely owing to a confused -head and brain." - -He called nine witnesses to character; among them Lady Caroline -Petersham, who is represented in a curious print of the trial at the -Old Bailey, under examination. - -The elegant Maclaine stands prominently in the dock handsomely attired, -but, alas! heavily fettered, with his laced hat under his left arm. -One hand holds his lengthy written defence, the other is affectedly -spread over his breast, in gentlemanly protestation of his being an -injured person. His is a tall, upstanding figure; but he appears, by -the evidence of the print, to have had a face like a pudding: and the -majority of the counsel seated at a table in front of him are shown -regarding it with easily understood curiosity and astonishment. - -One of the dignified persons on the bench is represented addressing -Lady Caroline: "What has your Ladyship to say in favour of the -Prisoner at y^e Bar?" - -[Illustration: MACLAINE IN THE DOCK.] - -With a dramatic gesture, she replies: "My Lord, I have had the Pleasure -to know him well: he has often been about my House, and I never lost -anything." - -In spite of this cloud of witness, our gentleman was convicted, and -that with the utmost dispatch, for the jury returned their verdict of -"guilty" without leaving the box. - -The time between his condemnation and execution was spent in an -affectation of repentance, that does not read very pleasantly. He -suddenly found himself a great sinner, and indeed revelled luxuriantly -in the discovery. But there was not the true note of abasement and -conviction in all this; for he went among his fellow-criminals like -a superior person, and offered them consolation from the rarefied -heights of his "gentility," that must have been excessively galling to -them. Their profanity and callousness shocked him profoundly. Probably -their behaviour was not less profane when he, condemned to die for -misdeeds similar to their own, presumed to lecture them on the error of -their ways. But preaching was in his blood, and would find expression -somehow, and he found excuse for his almost consistent lack of courage -on the road in the moral reflection that it was conscience made a -coward of him. But conscience did not prevent him sharing in the swag -when the enterprise was carried through. - -He said it was true that, since he had entered upon the highway, he -had never enjoyed a calm and easy moment; that when he was among ladies -and gentlemen they observed his uneasiness, and would often ask him -what was the matter, that he seemed so dull. And his friends would tell -him that surely his affairs were under some embarrassment; "But they -little suspected," said he, "the wound I had within." - -He protested in a good cause he believed there was not a man of greater -natural courage than himself, but that in every scheme of villainy -he put Plunkett on the most hazardous post. "There," said he, "I was -always a coward—my conscience"——always that sickly, unconvincing -iteration. But the insistence of conscience that Plunkett should always -be placed in the way of the bullets is at least amusing. - -Walpole tells how Maclaine had rooms in St. James's Street, opposite -White's Club, and others at Chelsea. Plunkett, he says, had rooms in -Jermyn Street. Their faces were as well known in and about St. James's -as that of any of the gentlemen who lived in that quarter, who might -also be in the habit of going upon the road, if the truth were known -about everybody. Maclaine, he said, had quarrelled, very shortly -before his arrest, with an army officer at the Putney Bowling Green. -The officer had doubted his gentility, and Maclaine challenged him to -a duel, but the exasperating officer would not accept until Maclaine -should produce a certificate of the noble birth he claimed. - -"After his arrest," says Walpole, "there was a wardrobe of clothes, -three-and-twenty purses, and the celebrated blunderbuss found at his -lodgings, besides a famous kept-mistress." Walpole concluded he would -suffer, and as he wished him no ill, he did not care to follow the -example of all fashionable London, and go to see him in his cell. He -was almost alone in his thus keeping away. Lord Mountfield, with half -White's Club at his heels, went to Newgate the very first day. There, -in the cell, was Maclaine's aunt, crying over her unhappy nephew. When -those great and fashionable frequenters of White's had gone, she asked, -well knowing who they were, but perhaps not fully informed of their -ways, beyond the fact that they gambled extravagantly: "My dear, what -did the Lords say to you? Have you ever been concerned with any of -them?" - -"Was it not admirable?" asks Walpole; adding, "but the chief personages -who have been to comfort and weep over their fallen hero are Lady -Caroline Petersham and Miss Ashe: I call them 'Polly' and 'Lucy,' and -asked them if he did not sing: 'Thus I stand like the Turk with his -doxies around'?" - -In that last passage, Walpole refers to Gay's _Beggar's Opera_, written -in 1716 and produced in 1728; a play written around an imaginary -highwayman, "Captain Macheath," who might very well have stood for -Maclaine himself. Polly and Lucy were two of Macheath's friends in the -opera. - -We have Walpole's own authority for the otherwise almost incredible -statement that three thousand people went to see Maclaine in his cell, -the first Sunday after he was condemned. He fainted away twice with the -heat of the cell. "You can't conceive the going there is to Newgate, -and the prints that are published of the malefactors and the memoirs -of their lives and deaths, set forth with as much parade as Marshal -Turenne's." - -The fatal October 3rd came at last, when he was to die. A curious -etched print published at the time, at the small price of threepence, -entitled "Newgate's Lamentation, or the Ladies' Last Farewell of -Maclaine," shows the parting, and bears the following verses: - - Farewell, my friends, let not your hearts be fill'd, - My time is near, and I'll with calmness yield. - Fair ladies now, your grief, I pray, forbear, - Nor wound me with each tender-hearted tear. - - Mourn not my fate; your friendships have been kind, - Which I in tears shall own, till breath's resign'd. - Oh! may the indulgence of such friendly love, - That's been bestowed on me, be doubled from above. - -Thus fortified, and giving his blessing, for what it might be worth, he -went to Tyburn diligently conning his prayer-book all the way, and not -once glancing at the crowds. - -[Illustration: NEWGATE'S LAMENTATION; OR, THE LADIES' FAREWELL TO -MACLAINE.] - -To the constable who had arrested him, and who now came to beg his -forgiveness, he replied earnestly: "I forgive you, and may God bless -you, and your friends; may He forgive my enemies and receive my soul." -And then he was turned off, and died quite easily. There was a great -sale for the many more or less truthful lives of him hawked round the -gallows. - - - - -JOHN POULTER, _ALIAS_ BAXTER - - -The story of John Poulter is one of the saddest that here present -themselves to be recorded. He was born at Newmarket, of poor parents, -and was given a sufficient schooling for his station. At thirteen -years of age he was taken into service in the stables of the Duke of -Somerset, and remained there for six years, leaving with an excellent -character for smartness and industry. He then went into the employ of -Colonel Lumley, and was on three occasions sent to France, in charge -of racehorses; always giving complete satisfaction. But this slight -experience of foreign travel seems to have unsettled him, and he craved -for adventures under alien skies. We next find him, accordingly, -sailing on a Bristol merchant ship and voyaging to the West Indies, to -the American Colonies, and to Newfoundland; seeing life in a humble but -effective way. - -Returning to England at last, and, sailor-like—or at any rate, like -sailors of those times—falling at once into abandoned company, he -met, at Lichfield on February 1749, a dissolute set of persons living -disreputably upon their wits; among them a certain John Brown, alias -Dawson, who, with an experience of the highway trade, easily persuaded -the adventurous Poulter to join him and his associates. - -Brown, Poulter, and company, fully armed, then set out to prey upon -all and sundry; devoting themselves more particularly to thefts from -houses. At Lichfield, while one diverted the attention of the landlord -of the "George" inn, another rifled a chest and stole a sum of money -and many valuable articles. At Chester, Poulter distinguished himself -by stealing some black plush that he fancied might make him a fine -stylish waistcoat; and sent off at once to a tailor, to call at the -"Black Dog" inn, where he and the gang were lodging, that he might -be measured, and enabled to appear forthwith as a person of elegance -and distinction. We may here fitly pause a moment to admire, or to -be astonished at, the child-like vanity and delight in fine clothes -displayed by nearly all the highwaymen at that time. They could not -resist seizing every and any opportunity that offered, of dressing -themselves in the best that could be obtained. - -Unfortunately, the manners of a highwayman were not exactly those of -a gentleman. There was something overdone in the affected elegance of -deportment, a certain exaggeration and a decided "loudness" that made -reflective people suspicious. Thus, the tailor to whom Poulter sent -for his stolen plush to be made up was not altogether satisfied with -his strange customer, and when a pistol that Poulter carried in his -pocket went off accidentally during the process of measurement, he was -convinced that a person who carried loaded firearms in this manner was -not only a dangerous, but also a suspicious, person. The bullet had -harmlessly sped into the ceiling, but the tailor was unnerved by the -incident, and Poulter, rather lamely apologetic, endeavoured to explain -away this concealed armoury by accusing Brown of putting crackers -in his pockets. As for the tailor, he hurried off to the Mayor with -the story that a dangerous person, evidently a highwayman, had taken -lodgings in the city, and was one of a queer gang, whose suspicious -movements had already attracted attention. The Mayor sent some trusty -emissaries to examine Poulter and his associates, but they had already -taken the alarm, and had embarked at Parkgate for Ireland. - -Poulter had already had enough of this criminal life, and, tired of -adventure of all kinds, desired nothing better than to settle down to -some business. He accordingly, in the name of Baxter, took a small -alehouse in Dublin, and, entirely dissociating himself from his -companions for a time, did a comfortable and fairly prosperous trade, -averaging five barrels a week. Here he might have continued, and would -have been glad to do so, only for a most unfortunate circumstance. - -There were at that time a number of Irish rogues in London, obtaining a -hazardous livelihood, chiefly by picking pockets, but not disdaining -any form of villainy that might promise to be profitable. General -Sinclair was robbed of a gold watch by one or other of this gang, as he -was leaving a party at Leicester House, and William Harper and Thomas -Tobin, two suspicious characters, were arrested for being concerned, -and taken to the Gatehouse at Westminster, whence they were presently -rescued by their gang, to the number of a couple of dozen; all of them -making off to Ireland. - -This affair would not appear to concern Poulter in any way, engaged -as he was at Dublin in earning an honest livelihood; but it had a -very tragical result on his fortunes. Among the fugitives was one -James Field, who had known Poulter in London; and he, as ill-fortune -would have it, chanced one day to walk down that Dublin Street where -Poulter's inn was situated. By the accursed malevolence of fate, -Poulter himself happened at that moment to be standing at the door of -his house. Field immediately recognised him and stopped to enquire -what his old confederate was doing. He drank there and wished him good -day, but soon after brought all that escaped gang of scoundrels to the -spot; and there, much to Poulter's dismay, they established themselves, -day by day, making his inn, once so respectable and well-conducted, a -byword for riotous drinking, and the haunt of characters that it would -be flattery to describe as merely "suspicious." Field and others were -actually taken into custody there. Decent trade deserted the inn, and, -despairing of being rid of the scoundrels, whom he dared not forbid the -house, lest they should turn upon and denounce him, he absconded across -Ireland to Cork, where he at first contemplated taking another inn. -He at last, however, settled upon Waterford, and took an inn there, -remaining for six months, when he was induced to return to Dublin by -his former brewer, who, sorry to have lost a good customer by Poulter's -enforced flight, wanted him back. - -He eventually settled two miles outside Dublin, at an inn called the -"Shades of Clontarf," looking upon the sea; and became part innkeeper, -part fisherman, and led a very happy, honest, and contented life, -making, moreover, an average profit of £3 a week. - -But here he was found towards the close of 1751 by Tobin, who foisted -himself and a dissolute woman companion upon the unfortunate man. -Poulter generously received them, but earnestly implored Tobin not -to bring his evil associates into the neighbourhood. He wanted, he -declared, to live an honest life, and to be done with the past. Tobin -assured him he would not appear in the neighbourhood again; but in a -few days he was back at Clontarf, with a select company of rascals, and -from that time the unhappy Poulter knew no peace. His determination -to lead a respectable life they took as a direct challenge to, and -slur upon, themselves. There is nothing that so greatly enrages the -habitual criminal as the reclamation of one of his own kind, and it is -doubtless the influence of hardened evil-doers that prevents many a -criminal, really disgusted with crime, from reforming. These wretches -set themselves deliberately to ruin Poulter. They practically lived -at his house, and, as had been done before, they soon changed the -character of it from a decent alehouse to a thieves' boozing-ken, to -which the police-officers came at once when they wanted to find some -bad character, or to trace stolen property. Poulter was a mere cipher -under his own roof. - -But they were not content with wrecking his trade: they must needs -blast that good character he had been so patiently acquiring. They did -it by making him out a smuggler. Six pounds of tea and twelve yards of -calico and muslin placed secretly in his boat, and information then -lodged with the Revenue officers, was sufficient. Poulter's boat was -seized and condemned, and Poulter himself, convinced that he would not -be able to establish his innocence, fled from the scene and hurried -aboard a vessel bound for Bristol, where he landed penniless. There, in -Bristol streets, he met two early criminal acquaintances, Dick Branning -and John Roberts, and as there seemed to be no likelihood of being -allowed to live within the law, he agreed to take part with them and a -number of confederates, whose headquarters were at Bath, in a campaign -of highway and other robberies. - -Their operations were of the most roving description. By way of -Trowbridge, they made for Yorkshire, raiding the country as they went -with all manner of rogueries. Nothing came amiss. At Halifax they -netted twenty-five guineas from a clergyman by an eighteenth-century -ancestor of the thimble-rigging fraud, called "pricking in the -belt." At last they found themselves at Chester: place of evil omen -for Poulter. There, at the house of a confederate, they heard on -the evening of their arrival of a train of pack-horses laden with -Manchester goods, due to pass that night. Watch had been kept upon -them, said the confederate, and a man would point out to our friends -which, among all the animals of the pack-horse train, was best worth -robbing of his load. It would be best, he said, to do the work on the -country road, and to take the horse into a field. - -As it happened, they pitched upon the wrong horse, and got only a -load of calamancoes, fabrics woven of wool with an admixture of silk, -popular in those times; but the pack contained over a thousand yards, -and they cut it off after some difficulty in the dark, and got away -safely with it; although greatly alarmed by the horse's loud neighing -when he found himself separated from his companions. - -The robbers went off at once out of the neighbourhood, and that same -night reached a village near Whitchurch, eighteen or twenty miles -distant. There they obliterated all distinguishing marks on the goods, -and divided them. - -At Grantham, which Poulter and Tobin next favoured with a visit, they -relieved a credulous farmer of fifteen guineas by the "pricking in the -belt" device. At Nottingham several of the accomplices met, but they -had bad luck, and Poulter went on the sneak and stole a silver tankard, -without a lid, from the "Blackamoor's Head" inn: and that was all the -scurvy town of Nottingham yielded them. They then made for Yorkshire, -where they remained for a considerable period, and then left, only -because their widespread thefts of all kinds made a continued stay -dangerous. York, Durham, and the north, including Newcastle, comprised -a tour then undertaken. - -They then made their way to Bath, the general rendezvous of the -gang, and thence in what Poulter calls "three sets," or gangs, moved -independently and by easy stages into Devonshire: attending the -cattle-fair at Sampford Peverell, with marked success to themselves, -and grievous loss to the farmers and graziers there assembled. Thence -they moved on to Torrington and Exeter, and so back again to Bath, -where twelve of them met at Roberts's house. - -Poulter and two confederates named Elgar and Allen then went into the -north of England again, attending fairs, horse-races and cock-fighting -matches on the sharping lay; winning about £30 or £40 at cards. -Returning to Bath, and being looked upon with suspicion, living as -they were with a number of riotous men in Roberts's house, they hit -upon the dodge of passing for smugglers, and thus at once explaining -their association and enlisting public sympathy. Every one, except the -Revenue officers, was in those times well-affected towards smugglers. - -They were not only at considerable pains, but at great expense also, to -create this impression. "We used," says Poulter, in his confessions, -"to give seven shillings a pound for tea, and sell it again for four -shillings and sixpence, on purpose to make people believe we were -smugglers." - -While they were thus staying at Bath, they would go now and then to a -fair, and try "the nob," or "pricking in the belt." If that did not -succeed, they would buy a horse or two, give IOU's for the money and -false addresses, and then sell the horses again. "This," says Poulter, -"is called 'masoning.'" - -This was followed by a raid into Dorset. A visit of the gang to -Blandford races was highly successful. They attended numerously, and -while some robbed the booths, others devoted their attention to the -sportsmen, and yet others lightened the pockets of the crowds engrossed -in watching the cock-fighting. They wound up a glorious day by dining -in style at the "Rose and Crown," and there chanced upon the best luck -of all those gorgeous hours: finding a portmanteau from which they took -eighteen guineas, four broad pieces, and diamonds, jewels, and clothes -to a great amount. Many of these articles were taken to London by -Poulter, and sold there to Jews in Duke's Place, Aldgate, on behalf of -self and partners. The proceeds were duly divided at Roberts's house at -Bath. - -The next activities of these busy rogues were at Corsham, near Bath. -They then appeared at Farringdon in Berkshire, and there robbed the -Coventry carrier. Newbury and Bristol then suffered from them. At last, -they grew so notorious in the West of England that they judged it only -prudent to alter their methods for a time, and to devote themselves -exclusively to horse-stealing: an art they had not hitherto practised -with any frequency. - -An amusing incident was that in which Poulter robbed a man of £20. The -foolish fellow, an utter stranger, had been rash enough to display his -money to Roberts one night in a country alehouse. It had just been paid -to him, he said. "And it will presently be taken from you," Roberts -might truly have retorted. But he merely in a sly manner drew Poulter's -attention, who later followed the man and presenting a metal tinder-box -to his head, roared out, "Your money or your life." The tinder-box in -the darkness looked so like a pistol that the money was meekly handed -over. - -Poulter then went off to Trowbridge, in company with a new recruit, -Burke by name, an Irishman, who had been confidential ostler to -Roberts, and was now advanced to full membership of this body of -raiders. Meeting a post-chaise near Clarken Down, Burke proposed to -attack it, but Poulter would agree only on condition that no violence -were used. Poulter then led the attack, but in the darkness put his -hand with accidental force through the window, and cut it severely. -In doing so, his pistol went off, and Burke thinking it was the -occupant of the chaise who had fired, replied with his own firearms. -Fortunately, no one was hit. - -The chaise was occupied by Dr. Hancock and his little girl. Poulter -took up the child and kissed her, and then, setting her down, robbed -the Doctor of one guinea and a half in gold, six shillings, a gold -watch, and some clothes: a booty not worth all the trouble, and -certainly not by a long way worth the further trouble the affair was -presently to bring. - -After seeing the post-chaise disappear in the darkness, Poulter and his -companion made their way to a neighbouring inn, and coolly displayed -their takings to the landlord and his wife, who appear to have been, -if not actual confederates, at least better disposed to self-revealed -robbers than honest innkeepers should be. The landlady gave the -highwaymen a bag for the clothes, and the landlord, when they lamented -the fact of all their powder and ball being fired off, obligingly -removed the charge from his loaded fowling-piece, and melted down two -pewter spoons for casting into bullets. The landlady, when Poulter and -Burke asked her if these preparations for arming did not alarm her, -said: "No, they are not the first pistols I have seen loaded by night -in this kitchen." Evidently an inn that the solitary and unarmed -traveller with money about him should avoid. - -She added thoughtfully that, after this robbery, they had better travel -as far away as they could, that night from the spot. She would send -them any news. - -They then left, and, taking a horse they chanced to see in an adjacent -meadow, proceeded to Exeter, where they sold the stolen articles to a -receiver. - -It was not more than three weeks later when Poulter was arrested on -suspicion of being concerned in the robbery of Dr. Hancock. He was -thrown into Ilchester gaol, brought to trial, and condemned to death. -He made a full confession and disclosed the names of no fewer than -thirty-one of his associates, their places of meeting, and their -methods. He was not only anxious to save his life by thus turning -evidence against the gang, but he was genuinely wearied of the manner -of life into which he had been hounded. - -Many members of the gang, he said, lived to all appearances -respectably. Their general meeting-place was Bath. He added that it was -on every account desirable that the messenger to the police at Bath, -entrusted with these disclosures, should keep all these things secret, -except to the Mayor; but some one had gossiped, for within one hour -of his arrival those revelations were the talk of the town, and the -names of those implicated in them were freely mentioned. The next day -they were even printed, in accounts of the disclosures hastily struck -off and sold in the streets. The very natural result was that most of -the persons named escaped before justice could lay hands upon them. A -list of nineteen not taken, and twelve in various gaols all over the -country, is printed in the _Discoveries_. - -Dr. Hancock's property was found and returned to him. His conduct -was one of the most astonishing features in this amazing case, and -reflected considerable discredit upon him; for although he visited -Poulter in Ilchester gaol, before the trial, and assured the prisoner -that although he was obliged to be a prosecutor, he would bear lightly -upon the facts, and would in the event of a conviction use his best -efforts to obtain the Royal pardon, he treacherously used every effort -to secure his being hanged. There seems to have been no motive for this -double-dealing, except his own natural duplicity. His treachery was -thorough, for he even used his influence with the judge to obtain a -shortening of the period between sentence and execution. - -The trial and the revelations made by Poulter excited keen and -widespread public interest, and the lengthy pamphlet account of -them, entitled "The Discoveries of John Poulter, otherwise Baxter, -apprehended for robbing Dr. Hancock on Clarken Down, near Bath," had a -large and long-continued sale. A copy of the fourteenth edition, issued -in 1769, fourteen years later, is in the British Museum library. - -He was respited for six weeks, in consideration of the further -disclosures he was to make, or of any evidence he might be required -to give, and in this time, so moving was his tale, and so useful was -the information he had given, that the corporations of Bath, Bristol, -Exeter, and Taunton, together with numerous private gentlemen of -considerable influence, petitioned that he might be reprieved. It is -probable that these efforts would have been successful; but Poulter was -an unlucky man, and at this particular crisis in his affairs happened -in some way to rouse the ill-will of the gaoler, who was never tired, -in all those days of suspense, of assuring him that he would certainly -be hanged, and serve him right! - -It is not surprising that, under these circumstances, the unhappy -Poulter endeavoured to escape. With, the aid of a fellow-prisoner, -committed to gaol for debt, he forced an iron bar out of a window, and -the two, squeezing through the opening, broke prison at nightfall of -Sunday, February 17th, 1755. They intended to make for Wales. All that -night they walked along the country roads, Poulter with irons on his -legs as far as Glastonbury, where he succeeded in getting them removed. -When day came, they hid in haystacks, resuming their flight when -darkness was come again. They next found themselves at Wookey, near -Wells, much to their dismay, having intended to bear more towards the -north-west. Poulter was by this time in a terribly exhausted condition, -and his legs and ankles were so sore and swollen from the effects of -being chafed with the irons he had walked with for ten miles, that it -was absolutely necessary he should rest. He did so at an alehouse until -two o'clock in the afternoon, and was about to leave when a mason at -work about the place entered, and recognised him. Calling his workmen -to help, he secured Poulter, who was then taken back to Ilchester. -Nine days of his respite were left, but a strong and murderous animus -was displayed against this most unfortunate of men, and it was decided -to hang him out of hand. The execution could not, however, take place -earlier without a warrant from London, and the trouble and expense of -sending an express messenger to the local Member of Parliament, then -in town, demanding his instant execution, were incurred, in order to -cut shorter his already numbered days. The messenger must have been -phenomenally speedy, for he is said to have returned with the warrant -within twenty-four hours; and Poulter was at once taken out of his cell -and hanged, February 25th, 1755. - - - - -PAUL LEWIS - - -Paul Lewis, who was, like Nicholas Horner, the son of a clergyman, -was born at Hurst-monceaux, in Sussex, and was originally put to the -profession of arms, and became an officer of artillery. The usual -career of gambling and debauchery, so productive of highwaymen, led -him first into difficulties with his creditors, and then caused him to -desert from the army. He left one service only to enter another, for -he joined the navy, and rose from the rank of midshipman to that of -lieutenant. - -[Illustration: PAUL LEWIS.] - -None doubted his courage, nor, on the other hand, was there any -mistaking his depravity. He robbed his brother officers of the small -sum of three guineas, and made off with that meagre amount to begin the -life of the road in the neighbourhood of Newington Butts. He levied -contributions from a gentleman travelling in a chaise on this spot, -but this, his initial effort, resulted in his capture. The plea of an -_alibi_ set up for him, however, secured his acquittal. Later he was -seized at night by a police-officer while in the act of robbing a Mr. -Brown, whose horse he had frightened by discharging a pistol. Mr. -Brown was flung violently to the ground, and Lewis was in the act of -going over his pockets when Pope, the police-officer, who had been on -the look-out for him, secured him, after a struggle. - -Lewis was duly sentenced to death at the ensuing Sessions. - -The Newgate Calendar, recounting all these things, says: "Such was the -baseness and unfeeling profligacy of this wretch that when his almost -heart-broken father visited him for the last time in Newgate, and put -twelve guineas into his hand to repay his expenses, he slipped one of -the pieces of gold into the cuff of his sleeve by a dexterous sleight, -and then, opening his hand, showed the venerable and reverend old man -that there were but eleven; upon which his father took another from his -pocket, and gave it him to make the number intended. Having then taken -a last farewell of his parents, Lewis turned to his fellow-prisoners, -and exultingly exclaimed: "I have flung the old fellow out of another -guinea!" - -Lewis said he would die like a man of honour; no hangman should put a -halter round his neck. He would rather take his own life. But this he -had not, after all, sufficient courage to do. A knife he had secreted -in his pillow fell out one day, either by accident or design, and was -taken away from him. He was executed at Tyburn on May 4th, 1763, aged -twenty-three. - - - - -THE WESTONS - - -The careers of George and Joseph Weston read like the imaginings of a -romantic novelist, and, indeed, Thackeray adopted some of the stirring -incidents of their lives in his unfinished novel, _Denis Duval_. - -George Weston was born in 1753, and his brother Joseph in 1759; sons -of George Weston, a farmer, of Stoke, in Staffordshire. Early in 1772, -George was sent to London, where a place in a merchant's office had -been secured for him, and there he was fortunate enough to be promoted -to the first position, over the heads of all the others, upon the death -of the chief clerk, eighteen months later. He was then in receipt of -£200 a year, and on that amount contrived to take part pretty freely -in the gaieties and dissipations of Vauxhall and similar resorts. -At this period he introduced his brother Joseph to town, and also -began a series of peculations in the office, in order to support the -extravagances into which a passion for gambling and "seeing life" had -led him. When he could no longer conceal his defalcations, he fled to -Holland, and Joseph, suspected of complicity, was obliged to leave -London. - -Within three months George had returned to England in disguise. He made -his way to Durham and there entered the service of a devout elderly -lady of the Methodist persuasion. Pretending to have adopted the -religious convictions of George Whitefield's followers, he affected the -religious life, with the object of marrying the lady and securing her -ample fortune. But he was recognised on the very eve of the wedding, -and exposed. He then fled southward, with as much of the old lady's -money and valuables as he could manage to secure at the moment. - -But he speedily lost nearly all his plunder in backing outsiders at -York and Doncaster races, and entered Nottingham with only one guinea. -There he fell in with a company of strolling players, managed by one -James Whiteley, who offered him the post of leading gentleman. He -accepted it, and under the name of Wilford, remained with them a little -while. - -It was not a distinguished troupe, which perhaps accounts for his -having been so promptly given a leading part in it. It consisted of -two runagate apprentices, a drunken farrier, a stage-struck milliner, -two ladies whose characters it were well not to study too closely, the -manager's wife, a journeyman cobbler, a little girl seven years of age, -and a stage-keeper, who alternated his stage-keeping with acting and -barbering. - -The theatre was a decrepit and almost roofless barn, and the stage -consisted of loose boards propped up on empty barrels; while the -scenery and the curtains were chiefly dilapidated blankets. -Barn-storming in such pitiful circumstances did not suit our -high-minded hero, who soon made his way to Manchester, where he became -a schoolmaster, and a leading member of a local club, where he read -the papers and conducted himself with such a show of authority that -the parson, the lawyer, and the apothecary, who had before his coming -disputed for pre-eminence over their fellow-members, yielded before his -masterful ways. He shortly became High Constable, and soon began to -abuse the position by blackmailing innkeepers and forging small drafts -upon them. The more timid and easy-going submitted for a while to -this, but others resented it in the very practical way of taking steps -to secure his arrest. George then obeyed the instinct of caution and -disappeared. - -About the year 1774 the brothers met at a fair in Warwickshire, where -Joseph had been playing the game of "hiding the horse," and had hidden -three so effectively from their owners that he was presently able -to sell them, unsuspected, for over £70. They then had thoughts of -purchasing a farm, and travelled to King's Lynn, where, in the name of -Stone, they lodged some time with a farmer. Pretending to be riders -(_i.e._ travellers) to a London distiller, they wormed themselves into -the confidence of the farmer and appointed him local agent for the -non-existent firm, showing him tricks by which he would be able to -water down the spirits he was to receive, and so cheat the retailers. -On the strength of these confidences, they borrowed over a hundred -pounds, and then decamped, leaving only their "sample bottles" of -brandies and rums behind. - -They thought it wise to travel far, and so made their way into -Scotland, and in the name of Gilbert took a small farm, where they -remained for only a few months, leaving secretly and at night with all -the movables, and with two geldings belonging to a neighbour. - -Cumberland had next the honour of affording them shelter. In October -1776 they were apprehended on a charge of forgery at Bishop's Castle, -Shropshire, and must have received an altogether inadequate sentence, -or perhaps escaped, for they are next found in Ireland, in the -following summer, at Baltinglass, county Wicklow. They were shortly -afterwards at Dublin, frequenting the clubs under the name of Jones. -There they met a noted plunger of that time, one "Buck" English, and -fooled him in the highest degree; cheating at hazard, and obtaining -money from him in exchange for forged bills and drafts. At length, -after a fierce quarrel with English, who fought with George in the -Dublin streets and wounded him in the right hand, the Westons left for -Holyhead. Landing there with plenty of ready money, they toured Wales -at leisure; Joseph as "Mr. Watson," and George as his valet. - -In May 1778 they were at Tenby. On leaving the inn, where they had -stayed and run up a bill of £30, they paid the landlord with a forged -cheque and departed grandly with the change, in a post-chaise and -four. They then visited Brecon and Bideford; George now posing as -master, in the name of Clark, and Joseph acting as Smith, his valet. -Next they are found at Sutton Coldfield, then on the Sussex and Kentish -coasts, where they purchased a vessel and became known to the fishermen -of Folkestone, Deal, and Dover as the "Gentlemen Smugglers," trading -between those parts and Dunkirk. They did very well, too, until an -interfering Revenue cutter chased them and forced them to run their -craft ashore. - -After this exciting episode, they made their way to London, and led a -fashionable life, strongly flavoured with gambling and forgery. George -took a house in Queen Anne Street, and the two "commenced gentlemen," -as we are told; George passing for a wealthy squire of sporting tastes. -Hounds and whippers-in were almost daily at the door in the morning, -and at night the rooms were filled with callow young men about town, -attracted by the brilliant card-parties given—at which, it is scarcely -necessary to add, they were thoroughly rooked. - -The brothers lived here in great style, on the proceeds of forgery and -cheating at cards. They induced a lady next door to lend a sideboard -full of valuable silver plate, on the pretence that their own had not -arrived from the country, and sold it; and, advertising largely that -they were prepared to purchase plate, jewellery, and annuities, did, in -fact, make several such purchases, paying for them in worthless bills. -A good deal of the property thus obtained was stored at a residence -they had hired at Beckenham, in the name of Green. - -At length warrants were issued against them, and they fled to Scotland. -At Edinburgh they posed as merchants trading with Holland, and acted -the part with such complete success that they secured a considerable -amount of credit. After forging and cashing numerous acceptances, they -left for Liverpool, where, in the guise of "linen merchants," they -repeated their Edinburgh frauds; and then, transferring themselves -to Bristol, they became "African merchants." There they did a little -privateering with one Dawson, but that, being legalised piracy, did not -appeal to these instinctive criminals, to whom crime was a sport, as -well as a livelihood. - -London called them irresistibly, and they responded. - -Riding up to town from Bristol to Bath, and then along the Bath Road, -they overtook the postboy in the early hours of January 29th, 1781, -driving the mail-cart with the Bristol mails, between Slough and -Cranford Bridge, and bidding him "good night," passed him. Arriving at -the "Berkeley Arms," Cranford Bridge, they halted for refreshment, and -then turned back, with the object of robbing the mail. - -George took a piece of black crape from his pocket and covered his face -with it; and then they awaited the postboy. - -Halting him, George ordered him to alight, and when he meekly did so, -seized and bound him, and then flung him into a field. The two then -drove and rode off to Windmill Lane, Sion Corner, and thence on to the -Uxbridge road, through Ealing, and up Hanger Hill to Causeway Lane. -There, in "Farmer Lott's meadow," they rifled the contents of the cart -and took the bags bodily away. - -Having disposed the mails carefully about their persons, they hurried -off on horseback for London, to a house in Orange Street, near -Piccadilly, where they were well known. The bags proved to contain -between ten and fifteen thousand pounds, in notes and bills. - -A clever plan for immediately putting a great part of the notes in -circulation was at once agreed upon; and in the space of an hour or -two, George left the house fully clothed in a midshipman's uniform, -with Joseph following him dressed like a servant. They went to the -"White Bear," in Piccadilly, and, hiring a post-chaise, set out upon -what was nothing less than a hurried tour of the length and breadth of -England; tendering notes at every stage, and taking gold in exchange. -By way of Edgeware, they went to Watford, Northampton, Nottingham, -Mansfield, Chesterfield, Sheffield, York, Durham, Newcastle, and -Carlisle. Thence they returned, on horseback, by way of Penrith, -Appleby, Doncaster, Bawtry, and Retford, to Tuxford, where they -arrived February 1st. Putting up for a much-needed rest there, with an -innkeeper well known to them, they were informed that the Bow Street -runners had only that day passed through, in search of them, and had -gone towards Lincoln. - -Early in the morning, the Westons resumed their express journey, making -for Newark, where they were favoured by some exclusive information from -an innkeeper friend, which enabled them narrowly to escape the runners, -who had doubled back from Lincoln. - -Thence, post-haste, they went to Grantham, Stamford, and Huntingdon, to -Royston, halting two hours on the way at the lonely old inn known as -"Kisby's Hut." - -At Ware they took a post-chaise and four, and hurried the remaining -twenty miles to London; arriving at the "Red Lion," Bishopsgate, at -eleven o'clock on the night of February 2nd. The officers of the law -were not remiss in the chase, and were at the "Red Lion" only one hour -afterwards. - -Once in London, the brothers separated; Joseph taking another -post-chaise, and George a hackney-coach. They were traced to London -Bridge, but there all track of them vanished. - -Meanwhile, the Post Office had issued a long and detailed notice of -the robbery, and had offered a reward of two hundred pounds for the -apprehension of the guilty person, or persons: - -[Illustration: [++] Post Office logo.] - - "General Post Office, Jan. 29th, 1781. - - "The Postboy bringing the Bristol Mail this morning from - Maidenhead was stop't between two and three o'clock by a single - Highwayman with a crape over his face between the 11th and 12th - milestones, near to Cranford Bridge, who presented a pistol to - him, and after making him alight, drove away the Horse and Cart, - which were found about 7 o'clock this morning in a meadow field - near Farmer Lott's at Twyford, when it appears that the greatest - part of the letters were taken out of the Bath and Bristol Bags, - and that the following bags were entirely taken away:— - - Pewsy. - Ramsbury. - Bradford. - Henley. - Cirencester. - Gloucester. - Ross. - Presteign. - Fairford. - Aberystwith. - Carmarthen. - Pembroke. - Calne. - Trowbridge. - Wallingford. - Reading. - Stroud. - Ledbury. - Hereford. - Northleach. - Lechlade. - Lampeter. - Tenby. - Abergavenny. - Newbury. - Melksham. - Maidenhead. - Wantage. - Wotton-under-Edge. - Tewkesbury. - Leominster. - Cheltenham. - Hay. - Cardigan. - Haverfordwest. - - "The person who committed this robbery is supposed to have had an - accomplice, as two persons passed the Postboy on Cranford Bridge - on Horseback prior to the Robbery, one of whom he thinks was the - robber; but it being so extremely dark, he is not able to give - any description of their persons. - - "Whoever shall apprehend and convict, or cause to be apprehended - and convicted, the person who committed this Robbery will be - entitled to a reward of TWO HUNDRED POUNDS, over and above the - Reward given by Act of Parliament for apprehending Highwaymen; - or if any person, whether an Accomplice in the Robbery or - knoweth thereof, shall make Discovery whereby the Person who - committed the same may be apprehended and brought to Justice, - such discoverer will upon conviction of the party be entitled to - the Same Reward of TWO HUNDRED POUNDS and will also receive His - Majesty's most gracious Pardon. - - "By Command of the Postmaster-General, - - "ANTH. TODD, Sec." - -It was soon ascertained that the Westons were the robbers, and careful -descriptions of them were at once circulated: - - "George Weston is about twenty-nine years of age, five feet seven - inches high, square-set, round-faced, fresh-coloured, pitted - with small-pox, has a rather thick nose, his upper lip rather - thick, his hair of lightest brown colour, which is sometimes - tied behind, and at other times loose and curled; has much the - appearance of a country dealer, or farmer. One of his thumb-nails - appears, from an accident, of the shape of a parrot's bill, and - he is supposed to have a scar on his right hand, from a stroke - with a cutlass." - -The younger brother was just as closely described: - - "Joseph Weston is about twenty-three years of age, five feet - nine inches high, slender made, of a fair and smooth complexion, - genteel person, has grey eyes and large nose with a scar upon it; - his hair is of a light brown colour, sometimes tied behind, at - other times loose and curled; his voice is strong and he speaks - a little through his nose; has a remarkable small hand and long - fingers." - -While these descriptions were staring from every blank wall, George -and Joseph were hiding, in disguise, in the Borough. They had a large -amount of money, realised by their tremendous exertions over that -long journey, and they added judiciously to their store by carrying on -their business of lending money on plate and jewellery, and paying for -the articles in the remaining notes stolen from the Bristol mail. The -famous "Perdita" Robinson was one of those victimised in this way; and, -as a contemporary account says, "lost her diamond shoebuckles which a -certain Heir Apparent presented her with." - -It was in October 1781, when paying for some lottery tickets in -Holborn, with stolen notes, that George and Joseph became acquainted -with two pretty girls, cousins, employed as milliners near Red Lion -Square. George gallantly bought some shares for them, and in the -evening took them to Vauxhall Gardens. The delighted girls were told -the two gentlemen were Nabobs just returned from India; and, dazzled -with the wealth they flung about, readily consented to go and live with -them. They were soon, accordingly, all four in residence in a fine -house near Brompton; George adopting the name of "Samuel Watson," and -Joseph passing as "William Johnson." - -They left Brompton for a while and migrated to Winchelsea, where they -took the "Friars," a fine house with beautifully wooded grounds. The -foremost furnishers in London, Messrs. Elliot & Co., of 97, New Bond -Street, were given orders for furniture, cutlery, and a generous supply -of plate, and from other firms they procured horses and carriages, -finally establishing themselves at the mansion in December 1781. -While in residence there the ladies conducted themselves with such -propriety, and the gentlemen appeared so distinguished and so wealthy, -that they soon moved in the best society of the neighbourhood. It did -not, apparently, take long in those times, or in the neighbourhood -of Winchelsea, for strangers to obtain a footing in local society, -for all this short-lived social splendour began in December, and -ended in the middle of the following April. The last, sealing touch -of respectability and recognition was when George was elected -churchwarden of the parish church in Easter 1782. From that pinnacle -of parochial ambition, however, he and his were presently cast down, -for Messrs. Elliot & Co., growing anxious about their unpaid bills -for goods delivered, sent two sheriff's officers down to Winchelsea -to interview the brothers. The officers met them at Rye on horseback, -and endeavoured to arrest Joseph. When he refused to surrender, they -tried to dismount him, but the two brothers overawed them by presenting -pistols, and escaped; making their way back to Winchelsea, and thence -travelling at express speed to London, in their own handsome chariot. -Their identity with the Westons and the robbers of the mail was -revealed in that encounter with the sheriff's officers, one of whom -had observed George's peculiarly distorted thumb-nail. Information was -thereupon given, and a redoubled search begun. - -They went at once to their old hiding-place in the Borough, and might -again have escaped detection had they been sufficiently careful. But, -gambling for high stakes at the "Dun Horse," they quarrelled violently, -and in the hearing of the ostler used some remarks that led him to -suspect them. He communicated his suspicions to the police at Bow -Street, and although they appear to have become uneasy and to have -then left the Borough, they were traced on April 17th to Clements' -Hotel, in Wardour Street. Mr. Clark, the officer sent to arrest them, -met Mrs. Clements at the entrance and asked if two gentlemen of the -description he gave were in the house. She said she would see, and went -and warned them. Down they came, and, with pistols cocked and presented -at him, walked past as he was standing in the passage, and, without -a word, into the street. Once out of the house, they ran swiftly up -Wardour Street, into Oxford Street, and then doubled into Dean Street -and into Richmond Buildings. Unfortunately for them, this proved to -be a blind alley, and an unpremeditated trap. They hurried out again, -but already the mob was coming down the street after them, and they -had only reached Broad Street when they were overtaken. Both fired -recklessly upon the crowd; no one but a butcher-boy being hit, and he -only slightly grazed under the left ear. - -George was then knocked down by a carpenter, with a piece of wood. The -carpenter, we learn, "afterwards jumping upon him, kept him down till -his pistols were taken away." - -Meanwhile Joseph had been vanquished in an equally unsportsmanlike way -by a carrier, "who had a large stick, with which he beat him about the -legs." - -George was then pitched neck and crop, and still struggling, into a -hackney coach; but Joseph, being more tractable, was permitted to walk -to Bow Street, where, on being searched, he was found to have £240 in -his pockets, all in bank-notes that had been stolen from the mail. - -On the day of their arrest they gave a bill of sale to one Lucius -Hughes, who disposed of plate to the amount of £2,500, at the price of -old silver; and jewels to the value of £4,000 were said to have been -sold to a Jew in St. Mary Axe. - -After a preliminary examination, the brothers were committed to -separate prisons: Joseph to Tothill Fields Bridewell, and George to the -New Prison. They behaved with great insolence to the Bench, and seemed -to build much upon the postboy having died since the robbery. In court -they actually told Clark, who had arrested them, he was fortunate in -still having his brains in his skull that morning. Their coachman and -footman, attending upon them in the court, in livery, made an imposing -show. They were then remanded, and their wenches were in the meanwhile -arrested at Brompton, and appeared in court on the next hearing. No -evidence being forthcoming against them, they were discharged; but the -Westons were duly committed for trial, which began on May 15th, 1782. - -They made a brave appearance in the dock, George being dressed quietly -but fashionably, in black, with his hair finely curled in the latest -style; while Joseph, whose taste was not so subdued, was radiant in a -scarlet coat with gold buttons, and hair "queued à l'Artois." - -The trial was unexpectedly postponed, on the application of counsel -for the prosecution, owing to the death of Samuel Walker, and the -difficulty of collecting sufficient evidence; and so they were taken -back to Newgate. There they led a life typical of prison-life all -over England in those days. They entertained their fellow-prisoners, -gambled, and drank, and received their friends. They had plenty of -money, and as Newgate was then no ill place for those whose pockets -were well furnished, they were provided with every luxury that money -could buy. Unfortunately, however, they were heavily ironed: the one -circumstance that seared the souls of those gallant fellows. But, in -spite of these encumbering circumstances, they dreamt of liberty, and a -well-planned attempt to escape was made on July 2nd, the day before the -opening of the new sessions. - -Their faithful young women took breakfast with them that morning, and -then left, whereupon one of the brothers called Wright, the warder on -duty at the time, and asked him to get a bottle of port and make a bowl -of negus for some expected company. He then handed him a guinea. - -Wright had no sooner gone about this business than they slipped off -their fetters, which they had secretly and with much labour, filed -through. Then they calmly awaited the return of Wright, with the bowl. -It was too large to go through the hatch of their locked and bolted -door, as they had foreseen, and Wright was persuaded to unlock and open -the door and bring it in. When he had done so, the jovial highwaymen -hospitably invited him to take the first drink, and while he was -engaged in thus pleasing himself and themselves at the same time, they -made suddenly at him and pushed him violently over; then slamming the -door and fastening it securely upon him. - -[Illustration: THE WESTONS ESCAPING FROM NEWGATE.] - -An old woman who sold porter and such-like plebeian drinks to the -meaner prisoners, was at the head of the stone stairs up which they -then rushed, and stood still with amazement at sight of them, whereupon -they overset her and her cans, and then, by a short passage-way, came -to the outer door. They were each armed with a pistol, which their -thoughtful girls had smuggled into their cell. Escaping with them were -also one Lepierre, a suspected spy, and a certain Francis Storey. - -The warder whose post was at this doorway was at that moment washing -down the steps. At once the fugitives flung themselves upon him, and -downed him as he shouted "Stop thief!" The cry was heard, and by the -time the Westons had emerged upon the street, they were followed by -a "runner," John Owens by name. The brothers very cleverly separated; -Owens following George, who ran into Newgate Street, doubled into -Warwick Lane, and made for Newgate Market. Here, however, he was felled -by the fist of a market-porter, but struggled again to his feet, and -desperately resisted until Owens and a crowd of excited spectators -arrived and dragged him back to Newgate. - -Joseph was not more fortunate, and had only reached Cock Lane when his -flight also was stopped by a market-porter, one John Davis, who flung -down a sack of peas in his path. This Joseph easily avoided, but Davis -then laid hold of him by the collar. - -"Let go!" said the highwayman, "or I will shoot you." - -The porter did not let go, and Joseph fired and hit him in the neck. -But Davis held on until the crowd closed in, and Joseph also was soon -in his cell again. - -So, too, was Lepierre, who was taken in Newgate Street. Storey was more -successful, and escaped altogether, although he had fetters on his -legs. The crowd, seeing him calmly walking along, thought he was being -re-conducted to gaol, and so did not interfere with him. - -The brothers were brought to trial on July 6th, 1782, charged with -robbing the Bristol mail near Cranford Bridge, on January 29th, 1781. -Over a hundred witnesses appeared for the prosecution, among them, -people who had been given stolen notes by them. But the postboy, -Samuel Walker, having died, the prosecution failed. - -They were then charged with forgery in respect of the notes and bills -stolen: George being convicted and sentenced to death. Joseph was -acquitted, but was then charged in the third instance with maliciously -wounding John Davis, for which he was found guilty and condemned. They -were executed at Tyburn on September 3rd, 1782. - -Clothed quietly but fashionably in black, they went to the place -of execution in two carts, in company with several other condemned -criminals, but held themselves haughtily apart, as "gentlemen" should. -They refused the ministrations of the Ordinary, declaring themselves -to be Roman Catholics; and died firmly, and without any appearance of -contrition. - - - - -JACK RANN: "SIXTEEN-STRING JACK" - - -John Rann, better known as "Sixteen-string Jack," was born in the -neighbourhood of Bath, midway in the eighteenth century. As a boy he -earned a meagre but honest living by peddling articles of everyday -household consumption in the villages round about. He and his -donkey were well remembered in after years, and aroused the envious -anticipations of other small boys who, reckless of the appointed end -of highwaymen, looked forward to some happy day when they too might -perhaps blossom out from such obscure beginnings into such fame as his. -He was but twelve years of age when his handsome face attracted the -attention of a lady prominent in the neighbourhood. She offered him -a situation, and he gratefully accepted. A little later we find him -in London, occupied as a stable-helper in Brooke's Mews. From that he -became a postilion, and then an officer's servant. About the year 1770 -he was coachman to a gentleman living in the neighbourhood of Portman -Square, and was at one time in the service of the Earl of Sandwich. -In this situation he obtained the nickname of "Sixteen-string Jack," -from the bunches of eight parti-coloured ribbons he gaily wore at the -knees of his breeches; but by some intimates it was supposed that these -"sixteen strings" were a covert allusion to his having been sixteen -times arrested and charged, but on as many occasions acquitted. Such -were the legends that enwrapped the career of him whom Dr. Johnson -described as "above the common mark" in his line. - -It was this love of finery that led to the undoing of Jack Rann, -but before it sent him down into the company of those who lived by -their wits, employed in unlawful enterprises, it raised him to better -situations. For Rann was a tall, smart fellow, and good clothes well -became him. - -But flowered-satin waistcoats, and full-skirted damasked coats of silk, -elaborately embroidered, are not paid for out of a coachman's wages, -and Rann soon found himself deeply in debt. And, moreover, of what -possible use are brave costumes, but to flaunt and flourish about in? -And when you do so flourish, you must needs go the pace altogether. -There were excellent companions in those places to which Rann most -resorted, as a gentleman of fashion, at Vauxhall, and elsewhere; and -there were the card-tables, where he had a passing run of luck; and -there were the women. In spite of being pitted somewhat with the -small-pox, he was still a handsome fellow, and he played the very Cupid -with the girls. - -All these items totted up to a very costly sum-total, and the -gaming-tables did not long stand him in good stead. At the moment when -he was in the sorest straits, he became acquainted with three men: -Jones, Clayton, and Colledge (this last known as "Eight-string Jack"), -in whose company he very speedily grew more and more reckless, and at -last was dismissed from his situation with a long-suffering nobleman, -and refused a character. Thus turned adrift upon the world, he began, -with those three companions, a career of pocket-picking, and thence -drifted by easy stages into the society of highwaymen and of receivers -of stolen goods. - -In these circles there moved at that time a certain Eleanor Roche, -originally a milliner's apprentice, but who, from a somewhat -unfortunate friendship with an officer of the Guards, had declined upon -the condition of "fence," and generally, the fair friend and ally of -the nimble-fingered, and the speakers with travellers on the highways. -Jack Rann was a free-lover. Pretty faces, rosy lips, infallibly -attracted him, and although he loved his Nelly best, he scarce knew the -meaning of faithfulness. - -But to Ellen Roche, "Sixteen-string Jack" was her own Jack, her hero; -and when once she had met him, she had eyes for none other. - -Rann was first in custody in April 1774, at the Old Bailey, in -company with two others, named Clayton and Shepherd, on a charge of -robbing William Somers and Mr. Langford on the highway. All three -were acquitted, but on May 30th Rann was at Bow Street, charged -with robbing Mr. John Devall of his watch and money, near the ninth -milestone on the Hounslow Road. It was the watch brought him there. -The gallant Rann had brought it back with him from the road—just as -the hunter, home from the hill, returns with the day's spoil to his -domestic circle. He handed it to Ellen, who in turn sent out a certain -Catherine Smith to offer it in pledge with the nearest pawnbroker. The -pawnbroker, distrustful man, sent for the police, who, seeing at once -that Catherine Smith was merely an intermediary, apprehended Rann and -Ellen. - -"Sixteen-string Jack" made a proud, defiant figure in the dock before -Sir John Fielding. He was dressed not only in, but in advance of -the fashion. He was in irons, but the grimness of those fetters was -disguised in the blue satin bows in which they were tricked out, and in -his fine coat he carried a nosegay as big as a birch-broom. Beside him, -but not so collected as he, stood Ellen, charged with receiving. - -Ellen Roche had, indeed, lost her nerve altogether when Catherine Smith -deposed to having been told by her how Rann was expected home that -evening with some money; that he returned about ten o'clock, when Roche -told her he had brought ten guineas and a watch, and that she was sent -out to pawn the watch. Crying, and hardly aware of what she was doing, -Ellen at the first hearing owned that Rann had given her the watch, and -the two were thereupon committed. - -At the trial, after having had plenty of time for reflection, she -stoutly declared that she never before had set eyes upon him, and that -her former evidence was a mistake! - -Jack himself carried it off bravely, and, indeed, insolently. "I know -no more of the matter than you do," he replied to Sir John Fielding, -and added impudently, "nor half so much, neither." - -The prosecution, on some technicality, broke down, and the pair were -released. They celebrated the happy occasion by dining extravagantly -and then spending the evening at Vauxhall, where Rann was the gayest of -the gay, and returned home with two watches and three purses. - -An absurd burglary charge brought him into the dock again, that July. -The watch discovered him half-way through the window of a house in -which lodged one Doll Frampton, and not only hauled him out, but -marched him off to prison; but it appeared that he was only keeping an -appointment to supper with the weary Doll, who, tired of waiting for -him, had gone to bed. The Bench, assured of as much by the shameless -minx herself, dismissed the charge, and, in addition to some pertinent -remarks about this unconventional method of entry, gave him some -excellent advice on conduct. Although Rann had escaped so far, Sir John -Fielding said, his profession was perfectly well known, and he urged -the prisoner to leave his evil courses while yet there was time. - -So far from paying attention to this well-meant discourse, Rann put -in an appearance the next Sunday, not with Doll, but with Ellen, at -Bagnigge Wells, then a famous place for dining and drinking. They -drove thither in a carriage and dressed—in the slang phrase—"up to the -nines." Jack was splendid in a scarlet coat, tambour waistcoat, white -silk stockings, and a laced hat. Of course there flew at his knees the -already famous sixteen strings. - -[Illustration: JACK RANN.] - -He was by nature boastful, and when the drink was in him bragged -without restraint or ordinary prudence. On this occasion he drank -freely, and, with an oath, declared himself a highwayman. Rather more -of a pickpocket, perhaps. The company trembled: some sought the way -out. "No fear, my friends," quoth he, "this is a holiday." Then he -fell to quarrelling, and presently lost a ring from his finger, and -declared those present had stolen it. Then again his mood changed. -"'Tis no matter," he exclaimed; "'tis but a hundred guineas gone, -and one evening's work will replace it." Then, growing more drunken -and incapable, they threw him out, and he was not in a fit condition -to resist. So, Ellen—the gentle Ellen—scratching the faces of the -foremost, as they were put out, they drove back to their lodgings near -Covent Garden. - -"Fine treatment for a gentleman!" he hiccupped; and indeed a gentleman -he considered himself. But his highwayman's takings, large though they -occasionally were, did not keep pace with his gentlemanly expenses. -Debts accumulated, and sheriff's officers dogged his footsteps. He was -arrested for a debt of £50, and thrown into the Marshalsea prison; but -so much of a hero had he already become among those of his calling that -they clubbed together and liquidated the debt; and handsome Jack was -again free. - -The sheriff's officers he affected to regard as low, churlish fellows, -but they would not be denied. His creditors were soon after him again, -and he was arrested when drinking in an alehouse in the then suburban -Tottenham Court Road. He shrank with horror from the touch of the two -"vulgar" bailiffs, but there was little help for it. He must pay up, or -be taken up. His drinking-companions found between them three guineas, -and he gave up his watch. Together, these involuntary contributions -made up more than the amount due. The bailiffs, on their part, agreed -to refund the balance when Rann was sufficiently in funds to redeem the -ticker; and cordiality then reigned. "Lend me five shillings," said -Rann to the bailiffs, "and I will treat you to a bowl of punch." They -fell in with the proposal, and a merry carouse ensued. Such were the -manners and customs of about a hundred and forty years ago. - -Still, in the course of this merry evening, the subject of the manner -peculiar to bailiffs recurred to our Jack and rankled. "You have not," -he grumbled, "treated me like a gentleman. When Sir John Fielding's -people come after me, they only hold up a finger, beckon, and I follow -like a lamb. There's your proper civility!" - -It was soon after this that he visited Barnet races, fashionably -dressed; with waistcoat of blue satin trimmed with silver, and other -finery to match. Crowds followed him, eager to set eyes upon so -famous a person. Shortly afterwards, with perhaps some melancholic -foreshadowing of approaching doom, he attended a public execution at -Tyburn. In spite of opposition, he thrust through the ring formed by -the constables round the gallows. "For," said he, "perhaps it is very -proper I should be a spectator on this occasion." Why, he did not say, -but the inference was understood by some of the crowd. - -In September 1774 he was arrested, together with one William Collier, -for a robbery on the Uxbridge road, and brought the next Wednesday -before Sir John Fielding, when Dr. Bell, chaplain to the Princess -Amelia, gave evidence that, between three and four o'clock in the -afternoon of Monday, when taking horse-exercise near Ealing, he -observed two men of mean (!) appearance and suspicious looks, who rode -past him. Presently, one of them—he thought it was Rann—turned his -horse's head and demanded his money. "Give it me," he said, "and take -no notice, or I'll blow your brains out!" - -Dr. Bell handed over one shilling and sixpence, all he had about him, -and a common watch in a tortoiseshell case. So much tremendous bluster, -so paltry a booty: so poor a thing for which to throw away a life. For -that day's doings served to bring Rann to the gallows. - -That evening, Ellen Roche and her servant took the watch to pawn -with one "Mr. Cordy," in the Oxford Road, or, as we should now say, -Oxford Street. Cordy was a suspicious man. He communicated with the -watchmaker, Grigman by name, of Russell Street, Covent Garden, who had -made it for Dr. Bell, who, when called upon, told how he had parted -with it. - -The next day, Jack Rann and his doxy were arrested, and with them -Collier and Ellen Roche's servant, Christian Stewart. They all figured -in Bow Street dock, and later appeared on trial at the Old Bailey. - -[Illustration: "SIXTEEN-STRING JACK" AND ELLEN ROCHE IN THE DOCK.] - -Handsome Jack was no less a dandy on this occasion than he had been on -others, and he took the centre of the stage in his drama with a fine -air. To be sure, there were none who envied him the principal part. He -was dressed in pea-green coat and waistcoat, with unblemished white -buckskin breeches, and again his hat was silver-laced. He stood -there with every assurance of acquittal, and had taken thought to order -a splendid supper, wherewith to entertain his friends that evening, -to celebrate his release. But, as the grey day wore on, he grew less -confident. Dr. Bell's evidence was again taken, and a Mr. Clarke told -how, going to Miss Roche's lodging on that Monday night of the robbery, -he found two pairs of men's boots there, in a wet and dirty condition, -having evidently been worn that day. A Mr. Haliburton also swore that -he had waited at Miss Roche's lodgings that night until Rann and -Collier arrived. - -William Hills deposed that he was servant to the Princess Amelia. He -had observed Rann, whom he knew well by sight, ascend the hill at -Acton, about twenty minutes before the robbery was committed. - -This spot would be about where the Police Station now stands, in the -main road: less troubled nowadays with highwaymen than with electric -tram-cars. - -In the end, Rann was found guilty and sentenced to die. Collier was -also found guilty, but recommended to mercy, and was afterwards -respited. Ellen Roche was sentenced to fourteen years' transportation, -and her servant was acquitted. - -Thus the supper grew cold and was not eaten. The brave figure moved in -pea-green glory to his prison cell, and hoped there for a rescue that -never came. His last days were full-packed with the revelry the lax -prison regulations of the age permitted, and on Sunday, October 23rd, -he had seven girls to dine with him in gaol; and he the gayest of the -party. "Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for to-morrow we die." Or, at -any rate, in a month's time. So, with an air and a jest, behold him -on the fatal day, November 30th, 1774, the most admired figure in the -three-miles' journey from Newgate to Tyburn. Was it the cold November -air made him shiver, or the shadow of death, as, ladies' man to the -last, he raised his hat to the crowded windows lining Holborn and -thought how he would never come back? Whatever it was, it was no more -than involuntary: for, arrived at the fatal tree, he ended manfully in -his finery and his famous sixteen strings. - - - - -ROBERT FERGUSON—"GALLOPING DICK" - - -Robert Ferguson, who in after life became famous as "Galloping Dick," -was a native of Hertfordshire. His father, a gentleman's servant, -proposed a like career for him, and had a mental picture of his son -gradually rising from the position of stable-boy, in which he was -placed, to that of coachman. In such respectable obscurity would Robert -have lived and died, had his own wild nature not pioneered a career -for him. He had proved a dull boy at school, but proud, and out of -school-hours showed a strange original spirit of daring, so that he was -generally to be found captaining his fellows in some wild exploit. - -As a stable-boy, however, he proved efficient and obedient, and was -found presentable enough to take the postilion's place when the regular -man had fallen ill, on the eve of the family's journey to London in -their chariot. He performed that task to the satisfaction of every one, -but the other servant recovered, and the lad was obliged to return to -his stables and work in shirt sleeves or rough stable-jacket, instead -of titupping in beautifully white buckskin breeches, silk jacket, and -tall beaver hat, on one of the leading horses that drew the carriage -to town. The return to an inferior position through no fault of his -own was a bitter disappointment, and he determined to seek another -situation. - -Oddly enough, at this juncture of affairs, a neighbouring lady who was -in want of a postilion chanced to ask the family who employed young -Robert what had become of their smart young man, and, when informed of -the situation, engaged him. - -At this time he was close upon twenty years of age. Described as being -by no means handsome, he was of a cheerful and obliging temperament, -and might have long retained the post, had his employer not discovered -him in a discreditable love-affair with one of the maid-servants. -He was dismissed, but soon found another situation: but he never -afterwards kept a place for any length of time. Roystering companions -unsettled him and made him undesirable as a postilion. - -[Illustration: "GALLOPING DICK."] - -Coming up to London, he found employment in a livery-stable in -Piccadilly, but presently his father died and he found himself the -owner of his savings, amounting to £57. Alas! poor Robert. He had never -before possessed at one time the half of what he had now, and he acted -as though the sum of £57 was an endowment for life. He threw up the -Piccadilly livery-stable, and came out upon the world as a "gentleman"; -or in other words, ruffled it in fine clothes in fashionable places. -He frequented theatres in this novel character, and seems to have -impressed a number of perhaps not very critical people. Amongst these -was a dissolute woman whom he met at Drury Lane. She believed him to -be a man of wealth, and sought to obtain a share of it. Ferguson flung -away all his money on her. It could not have been a difficult task, -one would say, nor have occupied him long. And when all the money -was gone, he went back, sadder possibly, but still not wiser, to his -livery-stable situation in Piccadilly, as postilion. It was in this -employment that he observed the debonair gentlemen who had been his -rivals in the affections of this woman calling upon her, and received, -where he had been thrust forth with contumely when his money was at an -end, and when she discovered that he was no man about town, but only -one who got his living in the stables. False, perfidious Nancy! - -It was some time before the true character of those visitors was -revealed to him; but one day, acting as a postilion on the Great -North Road, the chaise he was driving was stopped by two highwaymen, -duly masked. One stood by the horses, while his companion robbed the -occupants of the chaise. It was a windy day, and a more than usually -violent gust blew the first highwayman's mask off. Instantly Ferguson -recognised the man who stood by the horses as one of his Nancy's -visitors. - -Seeing this, the unmasked robber perceived, clearly enough, that the -situation was peculiarly dangerous, and, when he had galloped off with -his companion, laid the facts before him. They agreed that there was -nothing for it but to await Ferguson's return at a roadside inn, and -to bribe him to silence. There, accordingly, they remained until the -chaise on its return journey drew up at the door. - -Two gentlemen, said the landlord, particularly desired to see the -postilion. He entered and accepted a price for his silence; further -agreeing to meet them that night at supper in the Borough. Meeting -there, according to arrangement, Ferguson was persuaded to throw in his -lot with the highway blades. His imagination took fire at the notion -of riding a fine horse, and, dressed in handsome clothes, presenting a -figure of romance; but his new-found friends were cool men of business, -and had nothing of that kind in view for their fresh associate. To cut -a fine figure was, no doubt, all very well, but the more important -thing was to know which travellers were worth robbing, and which were -not. If they could be reasonably well advised on that point, much -useless effort, and a considerable deal of risk, would be avoided, in -not stopping those whose pockets were so nearly next to empty as to -be not worth "speaking to" on the road. Their idea was that Ferguson -should continue in his employment of postilion, and, as a confederate, -keep them well informed of the movements of his clients. - -Ferguson was disappointed in not being allowed a spectacular part, but -the profitable nature of the scheme appealed to him, and he agreed to -this distinctly well-conceived plan. So a long series of unsuspecting -travellers driven by him owed their extraordinary ill-luck on the road -entirely to the agency of their innocent-looking postilion, who was so -professionally interested in their movements, who was so obliging with -the portmanteaus and valises, and who secretly kept a keen eye upon the -contents of his customers' purses. Quite often it would happen that a -trace would be broken in some lonely situation, and then, strange to -say, while it was being mended, a couple of highwaymen would infallibly -appear, and threatening the postilion with horrid oaths when he -pretended to show fight, would at their leisure ransack all the luggage -and coolly request all money and personal adornments to be handed over. - -Wine, women, and cards were Ferguson's downfall. Success in his new -line of life brought reckless conduct, and he grew so impossible -that the livery-stable, without in the least suspecting his honesty, -dismissed him for general unreliability. He then took to the road for a -while as a highwayman, and thus indulged his natural liking for finery. - -He was an excellent horseman, and daring to the verge—or beyond the -verge—of recklessness. On one occasion, he and two companions "spoke -to" and were robbing two gentlemen on the road to Edgeware, but were -interrupted by the appearance of three other well-mounted travellers, -who gave chase. Ferguson escaped, but his two companions were caught, -brought to trial, and executed. It was this exploit that first procured -him the name of "Galloping Dick," although his name was Robert. -Complimented by admiring friends on his escape, he declared he would -gallop a horse with any man in the kingdom. - -The name of "Galloping Dick" soon became well known, and was a name -of dread. No clattering horseman could come hurriedly along the road -without stirring the pulses of nervous travellers, who immediately -fancied "Galloping Dick" was upon them. Indeed, he soon became too -well known for any reasonable degree of safety, and he would then -for a while, for prudential reasons, find temporary employment as a -postilion. Frequently in custody at Bow Street, on various charges, he -was many times acquitted, on insufficient evidence; but was at last -arrested, at the beginning of 1800, on a charge of highway robbery, -sent for trial to the Lent Assizes at Aylesbury, convicted, and -executed. - - - - -JERRY ABERSHAW - - -The southern suburbs of London were haunted during the last quarter of -the eighteenth century by a youthful highwayman of a very desperate -kind. He was as successful as reckless, and captained a gang that made -Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common places to be dreaded as much as were -Hounslow Heath on the west, and Finchley Common in the north, and -brought the name of "Jerry Abershaw" into exceptional prominence. - -The real name of this highwayman was Louis Jeremiah Avershaw, and he -was born in 1773, of the usual "poor but honest" parents. Indeed, it -would seem, in enquiring into the lives of the highwaymen, that they -in general came of such stock, whose only crime was their poverty: -although _that_, as we well know in this happy land of ours, is a very -heinous offence, it being the duty of every English man and woman to -pay rates and taxes to keep a constantly growing official class in -well-paid and easy employment. - -We so rarely hear of a highwayman deriving from dishonest parents -that, it would seem, even in the more adventurous centuries, ill-led -lives were as a rule so short and sordid as to impress the children of -those who led them with the idea that honesty was not only really, in -the long run, the best policy, but that for evil courses there was no -long run at all. Otherwise, the life of the highwayman, if not by any -means, as a general rule, so gay as usually it was represented to be, -was sufficiently full of that spice of excitement which to the youthful -makes amends for much danger and discomfort, and sons might often have -succeeded fathers in the liberal profession of highway robbery. - -The boyhood of Jerry Abershaw has never been dragged from the obscurity -that enwraps it. No slowly-budding flower he, but one that in one brief -day flung open its petals. Or rather, in less flowery language, we -learn nothing of the first steps that led him to the highway, and find -him at the very first mention of his doings already a cool and assured -character, robbing with impunity, and making one place in especial a -spot to be dreaded. This was the hollow of Putney Bottom, through which -the Portsmouth Road runs on its way to Kingston. The little Beverley -Brook trickles by, to this day, in the hollow; and Combe Wood, whose -thickets formed so convenient a lair for Abershaw, and a rallying-place -for his gang, is still very much what it was then. - -Abershaw was not, of course, the first to see the strategic value of -the heath, and of such woody tangles as these, bordering the road for -quite three miles; for we read in Ogilby's great book on the roads, -published in 1675, of Kingston Hill, hard by as "not rarely infested -with robbers"; and a gibbet long stood near at hand, to remind those -robbers, and others who succeeded them, of their own probable fate. -But, if by no means the first, or even the last, who practised here, he -is easily the most famous, even though it be merely a pervasive fame, -not crystallised into many anecdotes. - -[Illustration: JERRY ABERSHAW ON PUTNEY HEATH.] - -The "Bald Faced Stag," that then stood, a lonely tavern, by the -roadside near the Beverley Brook, was a favourite meeting-place of -Abershaw and his fellows. It was afterwards rebuilt, as a superior -hostelry, in the days when the growth of travel and of coaching had -rendered the old roadside accommodation insufficient. This later house -may still be seen, standing nowadays as a private residence, with -imposing pillared portico, by the way. - -Whether the landlord of the original "Bald Faced Stag," was in league -with Abershaw and his gang, or not, is impossible to say. Very -generally, the tavern-keepers of that age were suspected, and rightly -suspected, of a guilty acquaintance with the highwaymen, but it would -be too much to assume that they were all of that character; and indeed -we find in the sad story of one John Poulter, otherwise Baxter, who was -hanged in 1754 for highway robbery, that the frequenting by highwaymen -against his wish of an inn he kept in Dublin first ruined his trade -and compelled him in self-defence at last to seek a living on the road. - -An innkeeper situated like him who kept the "Bald Faced Stag" in the -days of Abershaw would have no choice but to harbour the gang whenever -they felt inclined to confer their patronage upon him; but, to be quite -just, it would certainly appear that he was a willing ally, for, in the -most outstanding among the few stories told of Abershaw, it appears -that once, when taken ill on the road, the highwayman was put to bed -in the house and cared for while a doctor was procured. It was a Dr. -William Roots who answered the call, from Putney. The ailing stranger, -whose real name and occupation the doctor never for a moment suspected, -was bled, after the medical practice of the time, and the doctor was -about to leave for home, when his patient, with a great appearance of -earnestness, said: "You had better, sir, have someone to go back with -you, as it is a very dark and lonesome journey." This thoughtful offer -the doctor declined, remarking that "he had not the least fear, even -should he meet with Abershaw himself." The story was a favourite with -Abershaw: it afforded him a reliable criterion of the respect in which -the travelling public generally held him. - -The notoriety Abershaw early attained led to his early end. The -authorities made especial efforts to arrest him, and, learning that he -frequented a public-house in Southwark, called the "Three Brewers," -set a watch upon the place. One day the two officers detailed for this -duty discovered him in the house, drinking with some of his friends, -and entered to arrest him. But Abershaw was on the alert, and, as they -stood in the doorway, arose with a pistol in either hand, and, with a -curse, warned them to stand clear, or he would shoot them. Disregarding -this threat, they rushed in, and Abershaw, firing both pistols at once, -mortally wounded one officer and severely wounded the landlord in the -head. - -But he did not escape. He was tried at Croydon Assizes, on July 30th, -1795, before Mr. Baron Penryn, for murder; the wounded officer, David -Price, having died in the interval. A second indictment charged him -with having attempted to murder the other, by discharging a pistol at -him. - -Abershaw was taken by road from London to Croydon, and passing -Kennington Common, then the principal place of execution in Surrey, -he laughingly asked those in charge of him, if they did not share his -own opinion that he would himself be "twisted" there on the following -Saturday. That was the conventionally callous way in which the -highwaymen approached their doom. - -To prove the charge of killing Price was naturally the simplest of -tasks, and the jury, returning from a three-minutes' deliberation, duly -found him guilty. Prisoner's counsel, however, raising an objection -on some legal quibble as to a flaw in the indictment, the point was -argued for two hours—and not decided; the judge desiring to consult his -learned brethren on the point. There is a certain grim humour about -these proceedings; because, whatever the result of this was likely -to be, there was yet the second indictment to be tried, and on that -alone there could be no doubt of Abershaw being capitally convicted. -It was then proceeded with, and Abershaw himself, seeing how he must -inevitably be found guilty, and hanged, threw off all restraint. He -insolently inquired of the judge, if he were to be murdered by perjured -witnesses, and in violent language declared his contempt for the Court. -Even at that solemn moment, when, having been found guilty on the -second count, the judge, in passing sentence, assumed the black cap, -he was not affected, except by rage and the spirit of mockery, and -followed the action of the judge by putting on his own hat. The gaolers -were at last compelled by his violence to handcuff him, and to tie -his arms and legs. In that condition he was removed to gaol, to await -execution. - -There he must soon have realised the folly of resistance; for he became -quiet and apparently resigned. In the short interval that remained -between his sentence and that appearance on Kennington Common he had -accurately foreseen, he occupied himself with drawing rough pictures on -the whitewashed walls of his cell with the juice of black cherries that -had formed part of the simple luxuries his purse and the custom of the -prison permitted. These idle scribblings represented his own exploits -on the road. In one he appeared in the act of stopping a post-chaise -and threatening the driver: the words, "D—n your eyes! Stop!" appended. -The remainder of this curious gallery pictured the other incidents -common in a highwayman's life. - -The time then allowed convicted criminals between their sentence and -execution was very short. On August 3rd he was hanged on Kennington -Common; game—or, rather, callous—to the last. Arrived there, he kicked -off his boots among the great crowd assembled, and died unshod, to -disprove an old saying of his mother's, that he was a bad lad, and -would die in his shoes. He was but twenty-two years of age when he met -this fate, not actually for highway robbery, but for murder. His body -was afterwards hanged in chains in Putney Bottom, the scene of his -chief exploits, and an old and nasty legend was long current in those -parts of a sergeant in a regiment soon afterwards marching past firing -at the distended body, by which (to make short of an offensive story) -the neighbourhood was nearly poisoned. The sergeant was reduced to the -ranks for this ill-judged choice of a target. - - - - -JOHN AND WILLIAM BEATSON - - -The very general idea that the highwayman ended with the close of the -eighteenth century is an altogether erroneous one, and has already been -abundantly disproved in these pages. They not only continued into the -nineteenth century, but were very numerously executed for their crimes. -Early among those who belong to that era were John Beatson and William -Whalley. Theirs is a sad tale of business failure and of a desperate -recourse to the road, rather than the story of professional highwaymen. - -John Beatson was a Scotsman, who had in his youth been a sailor in -the merchant service, and had made many voyages to India and other -tropical countries. Tired at last of the sea, he settled at Edinburgh, -where he established himself as an innkeeper at the "College Tavern." -There he carried on a successful business for many years, and only -relinquished it at last in favour of his adopted son, William Whalley -Beatson, who for some time carried it on happily and profitably with -his wife. Unhappily, his wife died, and when he was left alone it was -soon seen, in the altered circumstances of the house, that it was -she, rather than her husband, who had in the last few years kept the -inn going. Left alone, and incapable of managing the domestic side of -the house, he was taken advantage of by the servants, who robbed him -at every opportunity; and, in short, in every respect the "College -Tavern" declined and ceased to pay its way. He gave it up and went to -London, with the idea of entering the wine and spirit trade there. -Arrived in London, he took a business in Bedford Street, Covent Garden, -and, finding it uncongenial, sold it to a man and accepted six months' -bills in payment. The purchaser went bankrupt within three months, -throwing Beatson himself into difficulties. At this juncture of affairs -he consulted with his adopted father as to what was to be done, and -the upshot of their long and anxious deliberations was that there was -no help for it but to try and retrieve their fortunes by robbing upon -the King's highway. Their first essay in this new business was begun -on July 18th, 1801, when they travelled from London to the "Rose and -Crown" at Godstone, Surrey, staying there the night. The next morning -they set off on foot, and at midday were at the "Blue Anchor," on the -road to East Grinstead. They dined there, and asked questions about -the mail, and did not leave until six o'clock. Between eight and nine -o'clock they were seen on East Grinstead Common. Half an hour after -midnight, the postboy who drove the mail-cart was stopped by two men -near Forest Row, south of East Grinstead. They produced a pistol and -threatened him with it if he refused to give up the bags. Then, he -unresisting, they led the horse into a meadow, where they took the bags -and carried them off. It was afterwards found that they had walked no -less a distance than six miles with them. They were afterwards found in -a wheatfield near the village of Hartfield, the letters strewn about in -the corn. - -They had taken all the Bank of England notes, and notes issued by -country banks, and had left drafts and bills of exchange worth upwards -of £9,500. - -The next morning the two Beatsons appeared at the "Chequers" at -Westerham, in a very exhausted condition, and had breakfast. With the -excuse that they were Deptford people, and under the necessity of -reaching the dockyard there in a hurry, they hastily hired a horse and -trap, paying for their refreshment with a £2 note, and for the hire -with one for £5. - -The people of the "Chequers" inn thought it strange, when their man -returned, to hear that he had driven them, not to the dockyard at -Deptford, but to a coach-office in the town, where they had at once -taken places in a coach for London. - -The fugitives did not hurry themselves when they reached town. On the -evening of their arrival, it was afterwards discovered, the elder -purchased a pair of shoes at a shop in Oxford Street, paying for them -with a £10 Bank of England note. They employed their time in London -in a shopping campaign, purchasing largely and always tendering -bank-notes, with the object of accumulating a large sum of money in -gold, by way of change. - -At the end of this week they procured a horse and gig and left London, -saying they intended to travel to Ireland. Meanwhile, the loss of -so many bank-notes had been widely advertised and the good faith of -persons who presented any of them for payment enquired into. The -movements of the men who had stopped the driver of the mail-cart and -robbed him were traced, and soon the Holyhead Road was lively with the -pursuit of them. - -They arrived at Knutsford, in Cheshire, only a short time before the -coming of the mail-coach bringing particulars of the robbery. Before -that, however, they had attracted a considerable deal of notice by -their singular behaviour at the "George" inn, where they had put up. To -draw attention by peculiarities of dress or demeanour is obviously the -grossest folly in fugitive criminals, whose only chance of safety lies -in unobtrusive manners and appearance. That would appear to be obvious -to the veriest novices in crime. But the Beatsons were no doubt by this -time agitated by the serious position in which they had irretrievably -placed themselves, and in so nervous a state that they really had not -full command of their actions. They adopted a hectoring manner at the -inn, and on the road had attracted unfavourable notice by the shameful -way in which they had treated their horse. - -On the arrival of the mail containing the official notices of the -robbery and descriptions of the two men concerned in it, the appearance -of these two men with the gig seemed so remarkably like that of the -robbers, that a Post Office surveyor was sent after them. They had -already left Knutsford, and had to be followed to Liverpool, where they -were discovered at an inn, and arrested. - -The mere hasty preliminary inspection of their travelling valise was -sufficient to prove that these were the men sought for. Bank-notes -to the amount of £1,700 were discovered, wrapped round by one of the -letters stolen; and the purchases of jewellery and other articles -carried with them were valued at another £1,300. - -Taken back to London, the prisoners were charged in the first instance -at Bow Street, and then committed for trial at Horsham. An attempt they -made to escape from Horsham gaol was unsuccessful, and they were found -hiding in a sewer. Their trial took place before Mr. Baron Hotham on -March 29th, 1802. No fewer than thirty witnesses were arrayed against -them; chiefly London tradesmen, from whom they had made purchases and -tendered notes in payment. There could hardly ever have been a clearer -case, and the result of the trial was never for a moment in doubt. - -The affectionate efforts of the elder man to shield his adopted son -drew tears from many eyes, but the readiness of that "son" to take -advantage of them and to throw the guilt upon him excited, naturally -enough, much unfavourable comment. Two statements had been prepared and -written by the prisoners, and both were read by the younger in court. -The first was by John Beatson, who declared himself to be guilty, but -his "son" innocent. Whalley's own statement, to the same effect, went -into a detailed story of how his "father" had given him a large number -of the notes, and had told him they were part of a large remittance he -had lately received from India. - -The story was so clumsy and unconvincing, and the story told by the -prosecution so complete in every detail, that both prisoners were -speedily found guilty. They were condemned to death, and were hanged on -Saturday, April 7th, 1802, at Horsham, before a crowd of three thousand -people. The elder Beatson was seventy years of age and the younger but -twenty-seven. - - - - -ROBERT SNOOKS - - -The careers of the highwaymen were, in the vast majority of cases, -remarkably short, and they were, for the most part, cut off in the -full vigour of their manly strength and beauty. The accursed shears -of Fate—or, to be more exact, a rope dangling from a beam—ended them -before experience had come to revise their methods and fit them out -with the artistry of the expert. - -But few were so summarily ended as the unfortunate Robert Snooks. -This person, a native of Hungerford, was in the year 1800 living at -Hemel Hempstead, in Hertfordshire, in the immediate neighbourhood of -Boxmoor. He had often observed the postboy carrying the well-filled -mail-bags across the lonely flat of Boxmoor, and (he is described as -having been of remarkably fine physical proportions) thought how easy a -thing it would be to frighten him into giving them up. Accordingly, on -one sufficiently dark night, he waited upon the moor for the postboy, -stopped him, and, adopting a threatening demeanour, instructed him to -carry the bags to a solitary spot and then go about his business. The -frightened official immediately hurried off to the postmaster of the -district: one Mr. Page, of the "King's Arms," Berkhamstead, and told -his tale; leaving Snooks to ransack the bags and take what he thought -valuable. - -The bags, turned inside out, were found, the next morning, with a heap -of letters, torn open and fluttering in all directions across the -fields. It subsequently appeared that the highwayman had secured a very -considerable booty, one letter alone having contained £5 in notes. -The postboy did not know the man who had terrorised him: only that he -was a "big man"; but the simultaneous disappearance of Snooks left no -reasonable doubt as to who it was. - -This was Snooks's first essay in the dangerous art, and it proved also -his last. Hurrying to London, he took up his abode in Southwark, and -presently had the dubious satisfaction of reading the reward-bills -issued, offering £300 for his capture. After a while he thought -himself comparatively safe, and was emboldened to make an effort at -negotiating one of the notes he still held. Afraid to do this in -person, he thought he might see what would happen if he tried to pass -one of the notes through the intermediary of the servant of the house -where he was lodging, and accordingly sent her to purchase a piece -of cloth for a coat, handing her a five-pound note. The tradesman -evidently found something suspicious about the note thus tendered, -and returned it, with the message that "there must be some mistake." -Whether the tradesman would have followed this up by communicating any -suspicions he may have had to the authorities does not appear; but "the -wicked flee when no man pursueth," and Snooks hurried off to what was -undoubtedly the most dangerous place for him. He fled to Hungerford, -his birthplace; yet, strange to say, he long evaded capture, and it was -not until 1802 that he was arrested, on the information of a postboy -who had been to school with him. He was in due course brought to trial -at Hertford Assizes, found guilty, and sentenced to death. It was -judged expedient, as a warning to others, that he should be executed on -the scene of his crime, the selection of the spot falling to Mr. Page, -who, besides being postmaster of Berkhamstead, was High Constable of -the Hundred of Dacorum. As a further warning, and one likely to be of -some permanence, it was originally proposed to gibbet the body of the -defunct Snooks on the same spot; so that, swinging there in chains on -the moor, it might hint to others the folly of doing likewise. But the -time was growing full late for such exhibitions; the inhabitants of the -district protested, and this further project was abandoned. - -Journeying from Hertford gaol on the morning of the fatal March 11th, -1802, Snooks, according to a surviving tradition, was given a final -glass of ale at the "Swan" inn, at the corner of Box Lane, and is said -to have remarked to the rustics hastening to the scene of execution: -"Don't hurry; there'll be no fun till I get there." - -The usual large and unruly crowd, that could always be reckoned upon -on such melancholy occasions, was present, and seemed to regard the -event as no more serious than a fair. To those thus assembled, Robert -Snooks, standing in the cart under the gallows, held forth in a moral -address: - -"Good people, I beg your particular attention to my fate. I hope this -lesson will be of more service to you than the gratification of the -curiosity which brought you here. I beg to caution you against evil -doing, and most earnestly entreat you to avoid two evils, namely, -'Disobedience to parents'—to you youths I particularly give this -caution—and 'The breaking of the Sabbath.' These misdeeds lead to the -worst of crimes: robbery, plunder, bad women, and every evil course. -It may by some be thought a happy state to be in possession of fine -clothes and plenty of money, but I assure you no one can be happy with -ill-gotten treasure. I have often been riding on my horse and passed -a cottager's door, whom I have seen dressing his greens, and perhaps -had hardly a morsel to eat with them. He has very likely envied me in -my station, who, though at that time in possession of abundance, was -miserable and unhappy. I envied him, and with most reason, for his -happiness and contentment. I can assure you there is no happiness but -in doing good. I justly suffer for my offences, and hope it will be a -warning to others. I die in peace with God and all the world." - -[Illustration: SNOOKS ADDRESSING THE CROWD AT HIS EXECUTION.] - -The horse was then whipped up, the cart drawn away from beneath the -gallows-tree, and Robert Snooks had presently paid the harsh penalty -of his crime. He had behaved with remarkable courage, and, espying an -acquaintance in the crowd, offered him his watch if he would promise -to see that his body received Christian burial. But the man, unwilling -to be recognised as a friend of the criminal, made no response, and -Snooks's body was buried at the foot of the gallows. A hole was dug -there, and a truss of straw divided. Half was flung in first; the body -upon that, and the second half on top. The hangman had half-stripped -the body, declaring the clothes to be his perquisite, and would have -entirely stripped it, had not the High Constable interfered, insisting -that some regard should be had to decency. - -A slow-moving feeling of compassion for the unhappy wretch took -possession of some of the people of Hemel Hempstead, who on the -following day procured a coffin, reopened the grave, and, placing the -body in the coffin, thus gave it some semblance of civilised interment; -but, those being the times of the body-snatchers, doubts have been -expressed of the body being really there. It is thought that the -body-snatchers may afterwards have visited the lonely spot and again -resurrected it. - -Two rough pieces of the local "plum-pudding stone" were afterwards -placed on the grave, and remained until recent years. - -Boxmoor is not now the lonely place it was. The traveller who seeks -Snooks's grave may find it by continuing northward from Apsley End, -passing under the railway bridges, and coming to a little roadside inn -called the "Friend at Hand." Opposite this, on the right-hand side -of the road, and between this road and the railway embankment runs a -long narrow strip of what looks like meadow land, enclosed by an iron -fence, This is really a portion of Boxmoor. At a point, a hundred and -fifty yards past the inn, look out sharply for a clump of five young -horse-chestnut trees growing on the moor. Close by them is a barren -space of reddish earth, with a grassy mound, a piece of conglomerate, -or "pudding-stone," and a newer stone inscribed "Robert Snooks, 11 -March, 1802." This has been added since 1905, and duly keeps the spot -in mind. - -[Illustration: SNOOKS'S GRAVE.] - - - - -HUFFUM WHITE - - -The decay of the highwayman's trade and its replacement by that of -the burglar and the bank-robber is well illustrated by the career of -Huffum, or Huffy, White, who was first sentenced for burglary in 1809. -Transportation for life was then awarded him, and we might have heard -no more of his activities, had not his own cleverness and the stupidity -of the authorities enabled him to escape from the hulks at Woolwich. -Thus narrowly missing the long voyage to Botany Bay, he made direct for -London, then as now the best hiding-place in the world. He soon struck -up an acquaintance with one James Mackcoull, and they proposed together -to enter upon a course of burglary; but at the very outset of their -agreement they were arrested. Mackcoull, as a rogue and vagabond, was -sent to prison for six months, and White was sentenced to death as an -escaped convict, the extreme penalty being afterwards reduced to penal -servitude for life. - -[Illustration: HUFFUM WHITE ESCAPING FROM THE HULKS.] - -On January 20th, 1811, Mackcoull was released, and at once, like -the faithful comrade he was, set about the task of securing White's -escape from the convict ship to which he had again been consigned. -Dropping overboard in the fog and darkness that enshrouded the lower -reaches of the Thames on that winter's evening into the boat that -Mackcoull had silently rowed under the bows of the ship, White was -again free. - -An astonishing enterprise now lay before White, Mackcoull, and a new -ally: a man named French. This was nothing less than a plan to break -into the premises of the Paisley Union Bank at Glasgow. Arrived in -Glasgow, they at length, after several disappointments, succeeded in -forcing an entry on a Saturday night, selecting that time for the sake -of the large margin it gave them for their escape, until the re-opening -of the bank on the Monday morning. Their booty consisted of £20,000 in -Scotch notes: a large sum, and in that form an unmanageable one, as -they were eventually to discover. - -The burglary accomplished, their first care was to set off at once for -London, posting thither by post-chaise, as fast as four horses could -take them. At every stage they paid their score, which they took care -should be a generous one, as beseemed the wealthy gentlemen they posed -as, with a £20 note: thus accumulating, as they dashed southward along -those four hundred miles, a heavy sum in gold. - -On the Monday morning the loss of the notes was of course at once -discovered. Information was easily acquired as to the movements of -the men who were at once suspected, and they were followed along the -road, and some days later White was arrested in London by a Bow Street -runner, at the house of one Scoltock, a maker of burglars' tools. None -of the stolen property was found upon White, Mackcoull having been -sufficiently acute to place all the remaining notes in the keeping of -a certain Bill Gibbons, who combined the trade of bruiser with that of -burglars' banker. - -Mackcoull himself went into hiding, both from the law and from his -associates, he having had the counting and custody of the notes, and -told White and French the amount was but £16,000. - -It now became quite evident to French, at least, that, so far as he -and his friends were concerned, the remaining notes were merely so -much waste-paper. Their numbers were bound to be known, and they could -not safely be negotiated. So he suggested to Mrs. Mackcoull that they -should propose to return the paper-money to the Bank, and save further -trouble, on the understanding that they should not be prosecuted. - -Mrs. Mackcoull appears to have had an influential friend named Sayer, -employed in close attendance upon the King, and by his good offices -secured a pardon for all concerned, on the conditions already named. -Unfortunately, she could not fully carry out the bargain agreed upon, -for, on the notes being counted, it was discovered that only £11,941 -remained. - -White, already in custody, was once more condemned to transportation -for life. The procedure must by this time have become quite staled by -familiarity, and we picture him going again to the hulks with an air of -intense boredom. - -He, of course, again escaped, and was soon again on his burglarious -career: this time at Kettering among other places. But the exploit -which concluded his course was the almost purely highwayman business -of robbing the Leeds mail-coach, on October 26th, 1812, near Higham -Ferrers. He had as accomplices a certain Richard Kendall and one Mary -Howes. White had booked an outside seat on the coach, and had, in the -momentary absence of the guard in front, cleverly forced open the lock -of the box in which the mail-bags were kept, extracted the bags, and -replaced the lid. At the next stage he left the coach. The accomplices, -who had a trap in waiting, then all drove off to London, White -immediately afterwards making for Bristol, where he was soon located, -living with two notorious thieves, John Goodman and Ned Burkitt. A -descent was made upon the house, and the two arrested, but White -escaped over the roof of a shed, and through the adjoining houses. - -He was traced in April 1813 to a house in Scotland Road, Liverpool, -where, in company with a man named Hayward, he was meditating another -burglary. The officers came upon them hiding in a cellar, and a -desperate struggle followed; but in the end they were secured. - -Richard Kendall and Mary Howes, _alias_ Taylor, were already in -custody, and White was arraigned with them at the ensuing Northampton -Assizes, for the robbery of the Leeds mail. Witnesses spoke at this -trial to having seen the men in the gig on the evening of October 26th, -on the road near Higham Ferrers, and afterwards at the house of Mary -Howes, who lived close by, and the keeper of the turnpike deposed to -only one gig having passed through that evening. There were no fewer -than forty witnesses, and the trial occupied fourteen hours. - -Mary Howes was acquitted, not from lack of evidence, but merely on a -technical flaw in the indictment; her offence having been committed in -another county. White and Kendall were convicted and sentenced to death. - -White again came near to escaping. By some unknown means, a file had -been conveyed to him, and on the night before the execution he filed -through his irons, and then forced a way through several doors, being -only stopped at the outer gate. The following morning, August 13th, -1813—unlucky date, with two thirteens—he met his fate with an unmoved -tranquility. He declared Kendall to be innocent. When the chaplain -asked him earnestly if he could administer any comfort to him at that -solemn moment, he replied: "Only by getting some other man to be hanged -for me." - -Kendall was then brought to the gallows, declaring himself to be -innocent, and a murdered man. - -Mackcoull, the earlier associate of White, disappeared for years, but -was arrested for a robbery in 1820, and died in prison soon after -receiving sentence. - -[Illustration: [++] Gibbet.] - - - - -INDEX - - - Abershaw, Jeremiah, i. 104; ii. 361-369 - - Adams, Richard, ii. 122 - - Allen, —, i. 123 - - — Robert, i. 276, 278-281 - - Arnott, Lieut., i. 97 - - Avery, —, ii. 121 - - - Beatson, John and William, ii. 370-375 - - _Beggar's Opera, The_, i. 240; ii. 296 - - Belchier, William, i. 224 - - Berkeley, 5th Earl of, i. 237-240 - - Bird, Jack, ii. 86-97 - - Blake, Joseph ("Blueskin"), ii. 134-136 - - Boulter, Thomas, ii. 238 - - Bow Street Patrol, i. 123 - - "Bowl" Inn, St. Giles-in-the-Fields, i. 166, 177-181 - - Bracy, —, i. 76 - - Bradshaw, Jack, ii. 101 - - Brown, Thomas, i. 211 - - Bunce, Stephen, ii. 117-120 - - - Carrick, Valentine, i. 145 - - Catnack, James, i. 127-130 - - Caxton, Gibbet, i. 201-204 - - Cherhill Gang, i. 117 - - Clarke, Sir Simon, Bart., i. 97 - - Clavel, John, i. 307-316 - - "Clever Tom Clinch," i. 166, 177 - - Clewer, Revd. William, ii. 81 - - "Clibborn's Post," i. 119-121 - - Cottington, John ("MulledSack"), i. 158; ii. 26-34, 210 - - Cox, Tom, i. 166, 254 - - "Cutpurse," Moll (Mary Frith), i. 262-268; ii. 128, 129 - - - Darkin, Isaac, ii. 264-270 - - Davis, William (the "Golden Farmer"), i. 317-332, 341 - - Denville, Sir Josselin, i. 17; ii. 55 - - Dickson, Christopher, i. 102 - - Dorbel, Tom, ii. 72 - - Dowe, Robert, i. 148, 153, 154 - - Drewett, Robert, i. 211 - - — William, i. 211 - - Dudley, Captain Richard, i. 387-397; ii. 55 - - Dun, Thomas, i. 17-22 - - Du Vall, Claude, i. 175, 214, 224, 254, 334, 342-355; ii. 173, - 249, 272 - - - Edwards, William, ii. 79 - - Elms, The, Smithfield, i. 157 - - — — St. Giles-in-the-Fields, i. 158, 165 - - — — Lane, Lancaster Gate, i. 158 - - — — Tyburn, i. 162 - - Everett and Williams, i. 254 - - - Falstaff, i. 62, 64, 217, 221 - - Ferguson, Robert ("Galloping Dick"), i. 105; ii. 353-360 - - Finchley Common, i. 245-249, 253-255, 319; ii. 122 - - Frith, Mary ("Moll Cutpurse"), i. 262-268; ii. 128, 129 - - - Gad's Hill, i. 62, 214, 217-221, 314; ii. 10 - - "Galloping Dick" (Robert Ferguson), i. 105; ii. 353-360 - - Gibbets, i. 122, 199-212, 214, 363 - - Gibson, John, i. 202 - - Giles, St., i. 157 - - "Golden Farmer," The (William Davis), i. 317-332, 341 - - - Hackney Marshes, i. 91; ii. 182, 208 - - Haggarty, —, i. 243 - - Hal, Prince, i. 62, 64, 217 - - Hall, John, i. 154; ii. 110-116 - - "Hand of Glory," The, i. 49-57, 210 - - "Hangman's Highway," i. 156-198 - - Harris, James, i. 89 - - Hartley John, i. 101 - - Hawes, Nathaniel, i. 253 - - Hawke (or Hawkes), William, i. 147, 224 - - Hawkins, John, i. 229-236 - - — William, i. 229, 231, 232, 236 - - Hill, Thos., i. 66 - - Hillingdon Heath, i. 323, 324 - - Hind, Capt. James, i. 65, 214, 273-306, 334; ii. 173, 249 - - Holborn, i. 163-175 - - — Bars, i. 172 - - — Hill, i. 164, 170, 171 - - Holloway, i. 243 - - Hood, Robin, i. 23-48, 57 - - Horner, Nicholas, ii. 148-157 - - Hounslow Heath, i. 89, 121, 122, 123, 224-244, 267, 346, 388; - ii. 29, 51, 71, 248, 252, 259 - - - Jackson, Francis, i. 356-386 - - Johnson, Charles, Historian of Highwaymen, i. 14, 17, 18, 124, 235, - 270, 335, 339, 392; ii. 41, 158, 166, 233 - - — Joe, ii. 167 - - Joiner, Abraham, i. 67 - - - King, Augustine, i. 84 - - — Matthew, ii. 206, 208, 209 - - — Robert, ii. 206 - - — Tom, ii. 198-203, 205-210, 228 - - Knightsbridge, i. 222-224 - - - Lansdowne Passage, i. 110 - - Lewis, Paul, ii. 316-319 - - Lorrain, Rev. Paul, i. 132-134 - - Low, Richard, ii. 115-117 - - - Maclaine, James, ii. 249, 271-300 - - Maidenhead Thicket, i. 59, 295; ii. 38 - - Marlborough Downs, i. 118 - - Mary-le-Bourne, St., i. 159-161 - - Mellish, Mr., Murder of, by highwaymen, i. 121 - - Miles, Edward, i. 210 - - Morgan, —, i. 99-101 - - "Mulled Sack" (Cottington, John), i. 158; ii. 26-34, 210 - - - Nevison, John, or William ("Swiftnicks"), ii. 1-25, 229, 231, - 232, 234 - - Newgate, i. 145, 146, 148-154, 156, 246, 249-254, 302; ii. 62, 63, - 131, 268, 296, 334-338, 352 - - — Ordinaries of, i. 124-126, 131-139, 142-145, 169, 187, 365; - ii. 117, 143, 272 - - Newmarket, i. 78-82, 173-175; ii. 301 - - New Oxford Street, i. 163, 176 - - - O'Brian, Patrick, ii. 81-85 - - Ogden, Will, ii. 98-104 - - "Old Mob" (Thomas Simpson), i. 254, 333-341 - - Ovet, Jack, ii. 105-109 - - Oxford Street, i. 163, 181, 192; ii. 279, 332 - - - Page, William, ii. 249-263 - - Parsons, William, ii. 241-248 - - Peace, Charles, i. 6-11 - - _Peine forte et dure_, i. 249-254 - - Phillips, Thos., i. 249-253 - - Piccadilly, Highwaymen in, i. 109 - - Plunkett, —, ii. 280-283, 286-290 - - "Poor Robin," ii. 90-93 - - Popham, Sir John, i. 62 - - Porter's Block, Smithfield, i. 158; ii. 63 - - Poulter, John, ii. 301-315 - - Pressing to Death, i. 249-254 - - Price, James, i. 211 - - Pureney, Rev. Thos., i. 132, 133, 135-139, 142; ii. 117, 143, 147 - - - Rann, John ("Sixteen-string Jack"), ii. 340-352 - - Ratsey, Gamaliel, i. 14-17 - - Reresby, Sir John, i. 82 - - Reynolds, Capt., i. 66 - - — Tom, ii. 98, 104 - - _Rizpah_, i. 204-206 - - Robin Hood, i. 23-48, 57; ii. 233 - - "Rowden the Pewterer," ii. 196, 198, 215 - - Rumbold, Thomas, ii. 35-40 - - - St. Giles-in-the-Fields, i. 157, 176-181 - - St. Mary-le-Bourne, i. 159-161 - - St. Sepulchre, i. 148-155, 163, 165 - - Salisbury Plain, i. 114, 117, 214, 318; ii. 41, 266 - - Shakespeare, Highwaymen in, i. 62-64, 217, 221 - - Sheppard, Jack, i. 137, 140, 183, 246, 247 - - Shooter's Hill, i. 214-217, 276; ii. 101, 189, 260 - - Shotover Hill, i. 255; ii. 30 - - Shrimpton, John, i. 256-258 - - Simms, Harry, i. 97 - - Simpson, Thomas ("Old Mob"), i. 254, 333-341 - - "Sixteen-string Jack" (Rann, John), ii. 340-352 - - Smith, Capt. Alexander, Historian of Highwaymen, i. 11-14, 75, 124, - 235, 270, 335, 339, 391; ii. 41, 81-83 - - Smith, Rev. Samuel, i. 132, 367 - - Smithfield, i. 157; ii. 63, 281 - - — Rounds, i. 158; ii. 34 - - Snooks, Robert, ii. 376-383 - - Spiggott, Wm., i. 248-253 - - Stafford, Capt. Philip, i. 269-272 - - Steele, Mr., Murder of, i. 240-244 - - Stratford Place, i. 158-161 - - Sunday Trading Act, i. 60 - - "Swiftnicks" (Nevison, John, or William), ii. 1-25, 229, 231, - 232, 234 - - Sympson, George, i. 229, 231 - - - Taylor, Tom, ii. 123-125 - - Tooll, "Captain" Edmund, i. 246 - - Tracey, Walter, ii. 158-165 - - Turpin, Richard, i. 124, 129, 215, 245, 247; ii. 1, 173-240, 249 - - Turpin's Oak, i. 245 - - Twm Shon Catti, ii. 65-72 - - Twysden, Bishop of Raphoe, i. 236 - - Tyburn, i. 133, 146, 153, 155, 156-198, 245, 249, 254, 281, 354, 397; - ii. 46, 59, 97, 116, 122, 147, 168, 248, 257, 284, 299, 319, 339 - - - Waltham Cross, i. 87 - - Watling Street, i. 159 - - Westons, The, ii. 320-339 - - Weymouth, Charles, i. 102 - - White, Huffum, ii. 384-391 - - Whitney, Capt. James, i. 86, 158; ii. 41-64, 173 - - "Who goes Home?" i. 92-95 - - Wickes, Edward, i. 254; ii. 166-172 - - Wild, Jonathan, i. 137, 187, 265; ii. 126-147 - - Wild, Robert, i. 70-74 - - Wilson, Ralph, i. 231, 232, 235, 236 - - Witherington, Thos., i. 171 - - Withers, John, ii. 75-80 - - Wright, —, i. 231 - - - - -_Printed and bound by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and -Aylesbury._ - - - - - ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ - │ Transcriber's Note: │ - │ │ - │ Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. │ - │ │ - │ Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. │ - │ │ - │ Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant │ - │ form was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. │ - │ │ - │ Mid-paragraph illustrations have been moved between paragraphs │ - │ and some illustrations have been moved closer to the text that │ - │ references them. The List of Illustrations was changed │ - │ accordingly. │ - │ │ - │ [++] indicates a caption added by the transcriber. │ - │ │ - │ Italicized words are surrounded by underline characters, _like │ - │ this_. Words in bold characters are surrounded by equal signs, │ - │ =like this=. │ - │ │ - │ Footnotes were moved to the end of chapters and numbered in one │ - │ continuous sequence. │ - │ │ - │ In the index the numbers i. and ii. refer to volumes i. and ii. │ - │ │ - │ Other notes: │ - │ Page 191: "... three several times;" changed to "... several │ - │ times;" │ - │ In this text Edgware is spelled Edgeware. │ - └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Half-hours with the Highwaymen, by -Charles G. 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Harper - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Half-hours with the Highwaymen - Picturesque Biographies and Traditions of the "Knights of the Road" - -Author: Charles G. Harper - -Illustrator: Paul Hardy - -Release Date: October 11, 2016 [EBook #53112] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HALF-HOURS WITH THE HIGHWAYMEN *** - - - - -Produced by deaurider, Christian Boissonnas and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="transnote"> -<p class="ac noindent">Transcriber's Note:</p> -<p class="noindent">This book was published in two volumes, of which this is the second. - The first volume was released as Project Gutenberg ebook #53111, available at - <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53111"> - http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53111</a></p> -</div> - -<p class="ac larger noindent"> -HALF-HOURS WITH THE HIGHWAYMEN</p> - - -<p class="ac p4 noindent">WORKS BY CHARLES G. HARPER</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Portsmouth Road</b>, and its Tributaries: - To-day and in Days of Old.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Dover Road</b>: Annals of an Ancient Turnpike.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Bath Road</b>: History, Fashion, and Frivolity on an Old - Highway.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Exeter Road</b>: The Story of the West of - England Highway.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Great North Road</b>: The Old Mail Road to Scotland. Two -Vols.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Norwich Road</b>: An East Anglian Highway.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Holyhead Road</b>: The Mail-Coach Road to Dublin. Two - Vols.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Cambridge, Ely, and King's Lynn Road</b>: The Great - Fenland Highway.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Newmarket, Bury, Thetford, and Cromer Road</b>: Sport - and History on an East Anglian Turnpike.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Oxford, Gloucester, and Milford Haven Road</b>: The - Ready Way to South Wales. Two Vols.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Brighton Road</b>: Speed, Sport, and History on the Classic - Highway.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Hastings Road</b> and the "Happy Springs of Tunbridge."</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>Cycle Rides Round London.</b></p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>A Practical Handbook of Drawing for Modern Methods of -Reproduction.</b></p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>Stage Coach and Mail in Days of Yore.</b> Two Vols.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Ingoldsby Country</b>: Literary Landmarks of "The Ingoldsby - Legends."</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Hardy Country</b>: Literary Landmarks of the Wessex - Novels.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Dorset Coast.</b></p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The South Devon Coast.</b></p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The North Devon Coast.</b></p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Old Inns of Old England.</b> Two Vols.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>Love in the Harbour</b>: a Longshore Comedy.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>Rural Nooks Round London</b> (Middlesex and Surrey).</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Manchester and Glasgow Road</b>; This way to Gretna -Green. Two Vols.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>Haunted Houses</b>; Tales of the Supernatural.</p> - -<p class="noindent indent2"><b>The Somerset Coast.</b> [<i>In the Press.</i>]</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_f04.jpg" id="i_f04.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_f04.jpg" width="422" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">SIXTEEN-STRING JACK.</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h1>HALF-HOURS WITH THE HIGHWAYMEN</h1> - -<p class="ac"><i>PICTURESQUE BIOGRAPHIES AND -TRADITIONS OF THE "KNIGHTS OF THE ROAD"</i></p> - -<p class="ac larger"><span class="sc">By</span> CHARLES G. HARPER</p> - -<p class="ac">VOL. II</p> - - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_f05.jpg" id="i_f05.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_f05.jpg" width="215" height="300" - alt="Man and woman talking." /> -</div> - -<p class="ac smaller"><i>Illustrated by Paul Hardy and by the Author, and - from Old Prints</i></p> - -<p class="ac p4"><span class="sc">London</span></p> - -<p class="ac larger">CHAPMAN & HALL, <span class="sc">Limited</span></p> - -<p class="ac">1908</p> - -<p class="ac xx-smaller"><i>All rights reserved</i></p> - -<p class="ac p4"> -PRINTED AND BOUND BY<br /> -HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD.,<br /> -LONDON AND AYLESBURY.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[Pg vii]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - <div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> -</div> - -<table id="TOC" summary="CONTENTS"> - <tr> - <td class="c1"></td> - <td class="c2"><span class="smaller sc">Page</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#NEVISON_SWIFT_NICKS"> - <span class="sc">Nevison: "Swift Nicks"</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">1</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#JOHN_COTTINGTON_alias_MULLED"><span class="sc">John - Cottington,</span> <i>alias</i> <span class="sc">Mulled Sack</span>"</a></td> - <td class="c2">26</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#THOMAS_RUMBOLD"><span class="sc">Thomas Rumbold</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">35</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#CAPTAIN_JAMES_WHITNEY"><span class="sc">"Captain" - James Whitney</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">41</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#TWM_SHON_CATTI"><span class="sc">Twm Shon Catti</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">65</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#JOHN_WITHERS_AND_WILLIAM"><span class="sc">John Withers - and William Edwards</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">75</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#PATRICK_OBRIAN"><span class="sc">Patrick O'Brian</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">81</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#JACK_BIRD"><span class="sc">Jack Bird</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">86</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#WILL_OGDEN_JACK_BRADSHAW_AND"><span class="sc">Will Ogden, - Jack Bradshaw, and Tom Reynolds</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">98</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#JACK_OVET"><span class="sc">Jack Ovet</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">105</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#JOHN_HALL_RICHARD_LOW_AND"><span class="sc">John Hall, - Richard Low, and Stephen Bunce</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">110</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#MR_AVERY_AND_DICK_ADAMS"><span class="sc">"Mr." Avery and Dick - Adams</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">121</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#JONATHAN_WILD"><span class="sc">Jonathan Wild</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">126</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#NICHOLAS_HORNER"><span class="sc">Nicholas Horner</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">148</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#WALTER_TRACEY"><span class="sc">Walter Tracey</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">158</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#NED_WICKS"><span class="sc">Ned Wicks</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">166</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#DICK_TURPIN"><span class="sc">Dick Turpin</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">173</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#WILLIAM_PARSONS_THE_BARONETS"><span class="sc">William Parsons, - the Baronet's Son</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">241</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#WILLIAM_PAGE"><span class="sc">William - Page</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">249</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#ISAAC_DARKIN_ALIAS_DUMAS"><span class="sc">Isaac Darkin</span>, - <i>alias</i> <span class="sc">Dumas</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">264</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#JAMES_MACLAINE_THE_GENTLEMAN"><span class="sc">James Maclaine, - the "Gentleman" Highwayman</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">271</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#JOHN_POULTER_ALIAS_BAXTER"><span class="sc">John - Poulter</span>, <i>alias</i> <span class="sc">Baxter</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">301</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#PAUL_LEWIS"><span class="sc">Paul Lewis</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">316 <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" - id="Page_viii">[Pg viii]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#THE_WESTONS"><span class="sc">The Westons</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">320</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#JACK_RANN_SIXTEEN-STRING_JACK"><span class="sc">Jack Rann: - "Sixteen-string Jack"</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">340</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#ROBERT_FERGUSONGALLOPING"><span class="sc">Robert - Ferguson—"Galloping Dick"</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">353</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#JERRY_ABERSHAW"><span class="sc">Jerry Abershaw</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">361</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#JOHN_AND_WILLIAM_BEATSON"><span class="sc">John and William - Beatson</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">370</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#ROBERT_SNOOKS"><span class="sc">Robert Snooks</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">376</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#HUFFUM_WHITE"><span class="sc">Huffum White</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">384</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[Pg ix]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <div class="chapter p4"> - <h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="ac larger">SEPARATE PLATES</p> - -<table id="ILLOS_1" summary="ILLUSTRATIONS SEPARATE PLATES"> - <tr> - <td class="c1"></td> - <td class="c2"><span class="smaller sc">Page</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_f04.jpg"><span class="sc">Sixteen-String Jack</span></a></td> - <td class="c2"><i>Frontispiece</i></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p007.jpg"><span class="sc">Nevison's Ride to - York</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">11</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p013.jpg"><span class="sc">"Swift Nicks" before Charles - the Second</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">17</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p031.jpg"><span class="sc">"Mulled Sack" robs the Army - Pay Waggon</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">33</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p043.jpg"><span class="sc">Whitney hugged by - the Bear</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">42</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p053.jpg"><span class="sc">Whitney and the - Usurer</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">53</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p073.jpg"><span class="sc">Twm Shon Catti and the - Highwayman</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">73</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p095.jpg"><span class="sc">Jack Bird fights - the Chaplain</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">95</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p113.jpg"><span class="sc">The Robbery at the - Hackney Baker's</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">115</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p145.jpg"><span class="sc">Jonathan Wild on the Way - to Execution</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">147</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p155.jpg"><span class="sc">Horner meets - his Match</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">154</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p179.jpg"><span class="sc">Turpin and his Gang in their - Cave in Epping Forest</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">177</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p187.jpg"><span class="sc">Turpin holds the Landlady - over the Fire</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">189</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p199.jpg"><span class="sc">Turpin meets - Tom King</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">201</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p213.jpg"><span class="sc">Turpin in his Cave</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">212</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p243.jpg"><span class="sc">William Parsons</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">242</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p253.jpg"><span class="sc">William Page</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">252</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p273.jpg"><span class="sc">Maclaine, the - Ladies' Hero</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">275</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p277.jpg"><span class="sc">James Maclaine</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">276</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p287.jpg"><span class="sc">Maclaine and Plunkett robbing - the Earl of Eglinton on Hounslow Heath</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">289</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p293.jpg"><span class="sc">Maclaine in the Dock</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">292</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p297.jpg"><span class="sc">Newgate's Lamentation; or, - the Ladies' Farewell to Maclaine</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">299</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p317.jpg"><span class="sc">Paul Lewis</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">316</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p335.jpg"><span class="sc">The Westons escaping - from Newgate</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">337 -<span class="pagenum"> - <a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[Pg x]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p349.jpg"><span class="sc">"Sixteen-string Jack" and - Ellen Roche in the Dock</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">348</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p355.jpg"><span class="sc">Galloping Dick</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">354</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p363.jpg"><span class="sc">Jerry Abershaw on - Putney Heath</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">365</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p379.jpg"><span class="sc">Snooks addressing the Crowd at - his Execution</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">381</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p385.jpg"><span class="sc">Huffum White escaping from - the Hulks</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">384</td> - </tr> -</table> - - -<p class="ac larger p2">ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT</p> - -<table id="ILLOS_2" summary="ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT"> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p023.jpg"><span class="sc">Nevison's Leg-irons, in York - Museum</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">23</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p135.jpg"><span class="sc">Jonathan Wild in the - Condemned Cell</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">136</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p139.jpg"><span class="sc">Satirical Invitation-card - to Execution of Jonathan Wild</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">139</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p175.jpg"><span class="sc">Turpin's Baptismal - Register, Hempstead</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">174</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p197.jpg"><span class="sc">Bold Dick Turpin</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">197</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p205.jpg"><span class="sc">Tom King</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">206</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p207.jpg"><span class="sc">Dick Turpin</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">207</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p209.jpg"><span class="sc">Tom King</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">209</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p211.jpg"><span class="sc">Tom King</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">211</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p213.jpg"><span class="sc">Dick Turpin</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">213</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p219.jpg"><span class="sc">Sir Ralph Rookwood and - Simon Sharpscent</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">219</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p222.jpg"><span class="sc">Turpin's Cell in - York Castle</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">222</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p225.jpg"><span class="sc">Ralph Ostler</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">225</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p227.jpg"><span class="sc">Turpin's Waist-girdle, - Wrist-shackles, and Leg-irons</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">226</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p229.jpg"><span class="sc">Maid of the Inn</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">229</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p229.jpg"><span class="sc">Highwaymen carousing</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">229</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p231.jpg"><span class="sc">Innkeeper</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">231</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p237.jpg"><span class="sc">Turpin's Stone</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">237</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p239.jpg"><span class="sc">Portmanteau, formerly - belonging to Turpin, discovered at Clerkenwell</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">240</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p247.jpg"><span class="sc">William Parsons</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">247</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p272.jpg"><span class="sc">James Maclaine</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">272</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p345.jpg"><span class="sc">Jack Rann</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">345</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="c1"><a href="#i_p383.jpg"><span class="sc">Snooks's Grave</span></a></td> - <td class="c2">383</td> - </tr> -</table> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p001.jpg" id="i_p001.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p001.jpg" width="400" height="164" - alt="Highwayman" /> -</div> - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="NEVISON_SWIFT_NICKS" id="NEVISON_SWIFT_NICKS"></a>NEVISON: "SWIFT NICKS"</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">When</span> Harrison Ainsworth wrote -<i>Rookwood</i>, that -fantastic romance of highway robbery and the -impossible exploits of the Rookwood family, he -did a singular injustice to a most distinguished -seventeenth-century highwayman, John Nevison -by name, and transferred the glory of his wonderful -ride to York to Dick Turpin, who never owned -a "Black Bess," and who never did anything of -the kind. Turpin, by virtue of Ainsworth's glowing -pages, has become a popular hero and stands -full in the limelight, while the real gallant figure -is only dimly seen in the cold shade of neglect.</p> - -<p>John or "William" Nevison, by some accounts, -was born at Pontefract, in 1639, of "honest and -reasonably-estated parents." Sometimes we find -him styled Nevison, at other times he is "alias -Clerk" in the proclamations issued, offering -rewards for his arrest. Occasionally, in the chap-books, -we find John Nevison and William Nevison -treated as two separate and distinct persons, no -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> -doubt because the recorded adventures of this -truly eminent man were so widely distributed over -the country, that it was difficult to believe them -the doings of one person. But there seems to be -no reasonable doubt that one and the same man -was the hero of all these doings, as also of the -famous Ride to York. Of course it is now by -far too late to snatch from Turpin the false glory -bestowed upon him. A hundred romances, a -century of popular plays, have for ever in the -popular mind identified him with the Ride to -York, and with all manner of achievements and -graces that were never his. Lies are brazen -and immortal; truth is modest; and the Great -Turpin Myth is too fully established to be -thoroughly scotched.</p> - -<p>But let us to the career of Nevison, as told in -the pages of what few authorities exist. He seems -to have been a precocious boy: precocious in -things evil. Indeed we must needs regard him -as a <i>wunderkind</i> in that sort, for between the ages -of thirteen and fourteen, and when still at school, -he is reported to have been the "ringleader in rudeness -and debauchery." He stole a silver spoon from -his father, who delegated the thrashing so richly -deserved to the schoolmaster, who seems to have -"laid on" in the thorough manner suggested to -Macduff. A vivid picture presents itself to us, -of William (or John) occupying a sleepless night, -rubbing the parts and meditating revenge. As -a result of his deliberations, he arose before peep -of day and, cautiously taking his father's keys, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> -stole to the domestic cashbox and helped himself -to the ten pounds he found there. Then, taking -a saddle and bridle from his father's stable, he -hastened to the paddock where the schoolmaster -had a horse out to graze. Saddling it, he made -off for London, which he reached in four days. -He dared not sell the horse, for by that means -he might have been traced, so he killed the unfortunate -animal when within one or two miles -of London.</p> - -<p>Buying a new suit of clothes and changing his -name, he soon found employment with a brewer. -In that situation he remained nearly three years, -and then left suddenly for the Continent, incidentally -with £200 belonging to the brewer. -Holland was the country he honoured with his -presence, and there he found a fellow-mind in the -person of a young Dutch woman who, robbing -her father of all the money and jewels she could -lay hands upon, eloped with him. They were soon -arrested, but Nevison broke prison, and with -some difficulty, made his way into Flanders, and -enlisted in the troops stationed there under -command of the Duke of York. It is not to be -supposed that such a restless temperament as -his would allow him long to remain subject to -restrictions and the word of command, and -accordingly he deserted, made across to England, -and, purchasing a horse and arms, and "resolving -for the Road," blossomed out as a full-blown -highwayman. As his original biographer prettily -puts it, he embarked upon "a pleasant life at the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> -hazard of his neck, rather than toil out a long -remainder of unhappy days in want and poverty, -which he was always averse to." Who, for that -matter, is not? Let us sigh for the days that -were, the days that are no more, when such -adventures as the highwaymen sought were to -be found on every highway. A short life, so long -as it was a merry, was sufficient for these fine -fellows, who desired nothing so little as a gnarled -and crabbed age, and nothing so much as a life -filled with excitement, wine, and the smiles of -the fair. Those smiles were apt to be purchased, -and generally purchased dear, but in that respect -the highwaymen were never disposed to be critical.</p> - -<p>Nevison's success, immediate and complete, -proclaimed his fitness for the career himself had -with due thought and deliberation chosen. At first -he kept his own counsel and haunted the roads -alone. Sometimes he went by the name of Johnson.</p> - -<p>At this early stage he met one evening on -the high road two farmers, who told him it was -dangerous to go forward, themselves having only -a few minutes before been robbed of forty pounds -by three highwaymen, scarce more than half a -mile off.</p> - -<p>"Turn back with me," he said, "and show me -the way they went, and, my life to a farthing if -I do not make them return your money."</p> - -<p>They accordingly rode back with him until they -had come within sight of the three robbers, when -Nevison, ordering the two farmers to stand behind, -rode up and spoke to the foremost of the three.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Sir," said he, "by your garb and the colour -of your horse, you should be one of those I look -after, and, if so, my business is to tell you that -you borrowed of two friends of mine forty pounds, -which they desired me to demand of you, and -which, before we part, you must restore."</p> - -<p>Two of the men then made haste to ride off.</p> - -<p>"How?" quoth the remaining highwayman. -"Forty pounds; d—n me, is the fellow -mad?"</p> - -<p>"So mad," replied Nevison, "that your life -shall answer me, if you do not give me better -satisfaction."</p> - -<p>With that Nevison drew his pistol and suddenly -clapped it to the man's chest; at the same time -seizing his horse's reins, in such a manner that he -could not draw either sword or pistols.</p> - -<p>"My life is at your mercy," he confessed.</p> - -<p>"No," said Nevison, "'tis not that I seek, -but the money you have robbed those two men of. -You must refund it."</p> - -<p>With the best grace he could, the highwayman -parted with what he had, saying his companions -had the rest.</p> - -<p>Nevison then, making him dismount, and -taking his pistols, desired the countrymen to -secure him, while he pursued the others. In the -gathering twilight, as he galloped up, they, -thinking it was their friend, drew rein.</p> - -<p>"Jack," said one to him, "why did you stop to -argue with that fellow?"</p> - -<p>"No, gentlemen," said Nevison, "you are -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> -mistaken in your man; though, by token of his -horse that I ride and his arms I carry, he hath -sent me to you, to ransom his life. The ransom, -sirs, is nothing less than your shares of the prize -of the day, which if you presently surrender, you -may go about your business. If not, I must have -a little dispute with you, at sword and pistol."</p> - -<p>One of them then let fly at him, but his aim -missing, Nevison's bullet in reply took him in the -right shoulder. He then called for quarter and -came to a parley, which ended in the two surrendering -not only their share of the two travellers' -money, but a total amount of a hundred and fifty -guineas. Nevison thereupon returned to the -farmers and, handing them their money, went his -way with the balance of one hundred and ten -guineas.</p> - -<p>This, it will at once be conceded, was by no -means professional conduct; and was indeed, we -may say, a serious breach of the highway law, by -which thieves should at any rate stand by one -another, shoulder to shoulder against the world.</p> - -<p>Nevison, however, like a true philosopher and -a false comrade, improved any occasion to his own -advantage, without scruple. You figure him thus, -rather of a saturnine humour, with an ugly grin on -his face, instead of a frank smile; but probably -you would be quite wrong in so doing. At any -rate, the ladies appear to have loved him, for we -learn that, "in all his pranks, he was very favourable -to the female sex, who generally gave him -the character of a civil, obliging robber." He -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> -was also charitable to the poor, and, being a true -Royalist, he never attempted anything against -those of that party.</p> - -<p>After many adventures, our William, or John, -as the case may be, one day secured no less a sum -than £450 by a fortunate meeting on the road -with a rich grazier who had just sold, and been -paid for, some cattle. He resolved to let the road -lie fallow, as it were, for a while, and to seek, in -a temporary retirement in his native place, that -repose which comes doubly welcome after a period -of strenuous professional endeavour.</p> - -<p>He was joyfully received by his father, who -still was living in the old town of Pontefract, -although some seven or eight years had passed -since his son had levanted and disappeared utterly -from the parental ken. He had long given up all -hopes of seeing his boy again; and now he was -returned, a young man of twenty-one years of age, -and with a respectable sum of money; the savings -of a frugal and industrious life in London, according -to his own account.</p> - -<p>Here is an idyllic picture: the highwayman -returned home, soothing the declining days of his -father, and living as quietly and soberly as though -he had never emptied a pocket on the King's -highway!</p> - -<p>After the death of his father, he left the quiet -existence at Pontefract, and opened the second -part of his career upon the road. He now so far -departed from his former practice as to become -the moving spirit in a numerous band whose -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> -headquarters were long situated at Newark. -They particularly affected Yorkshire, and inspired -the drovers and graziers who used the Great North -Road with dread.</p> - -<p>At times, however, he would range southward -again, by himself, and one of these expeditions -resulted in the marvellous feat that made him -famous at the time, and should have kept him so -for all time. His well-earned laurels, unhappily, -have been snatched by a heedless hand from his -brow, and placed on the unworthy head of Turpin. -Such are the strange vagaries of fame!</p> - -<p>Nevison's all-eclipsing exploit originated in a -four-o'clock-in-the-morning robbery upon Gad's -Hill, near Rochester.</p> - -<p>For some reason, Nevison appears to have been -particularly afraid of being recognised by the -traveller whom he stopped and relieved of his -purse on that May morning, and he immediately, -for the establishment of an <i>alibi</i>, conceived the -idea of riding such a distance that day as to make -it appear humanly impossible he could have been -near Rochester at that hour. He proposed to -ride to no less distant a place than the city of -York, two hundred and thirty miles away from -that "high old robbing hill." To the modern -commentator, writing with even pulse, it would -seem that, unless that traveller's purse had been -very well lined, the proceeds of the robbery -would not be nearly worth this tremendous -effort, after the taking of it.</p> - -<p>It would seem that in being so rash as to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> -rob a traveller in the dawning of that May -day, he had indeed been so unfortunate as to -happen upon some one who knew him; and -there was nothing else but to put as many -miles as he could between the dawn and the -setting of the sun. So behold him, mounted upon -his "blood bay" mare, galloping away for Gravesend. -He crossed the Thames to Tilbury, and so -went, by way of Horndon and Billericay, to -Chelmsford, where he halted an hour and gave his -gallant steed some balls. Thence through Braintree, -Bocking, Wethersfield, Fenny Stanton, -Godmanchester, and Huntingdon, where he halted -another half-hour; and so, straight down the Great -North Road (but avoiding the towns) to York. -Of course he must needs have had several remounts -on the way. It is unthinkable that one -horse could have performed such a journey. But -Nevison was no lone unfriended knight of the -road, and, in his extensive operations, had excellent -friends in different parts of the country, -who could help him on occasion to a good horse.</p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p007.jpg" id="i_p007.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p007.jpg" width="366" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">NEVISON'S RIDE TO YORK.</div> -</div> - -<p>Arrived at York, he halted only to put up his -horse, and to remove the travel-stains and signs of -haste from his person, and then made his way -to the nearest bowling-green, where it chanced -that so important a personage as the Lord Mayor -was playing bowls with some friends.</p> - -<p>Nevison took an early opportunity of asking -the time, and was told it was just a quarter to -eight. Having done this, and thus fixed the time -and the incident in the Lord Mayor's mind, he -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> -was satisfied, and after-events proved the wisdom -of his flight; for he was shortly afterwards -arrested on another charge of highway robbery, -and, among those who were present, in an effort -to identify him with other charges, was none other -than the early morning traveller upon Gad's Hill.</p> - -<p>The <i>alibi</i> on that count was triumphantly -established. Nevison called his York acquaintances, -and the Lord Mayor was appealed to. That -civic dignitary readily deposed to the fact that -this falsely-accused gentleman was on the York -bowling-green on the evening of that day: and in -the end, Nevison was acquitted on all charges.</p> - -<p>But the highwaymen of that age had a good -deal of the braggart in their composition. They -could not do a clever thing without taking the -world into their confidence; and so, heedless of -the danger to his career, Nevison told the story -of the ride to delighted ears. Instead of being -arrested on what was practically a confession, he -became the hero of the hour. The tale even -reached the ears of Charles the Second, who had -him presented, and, loving a clever rogue as he -did (and possibly with some fellow-feeling, in the -recollection of how himself had been a harassed -fugitive), pardoned him, and christened him "Swift -Nicks."</p> - -<p>Elsewhere, we read that the robbery took -place at Barnet, and that it was thence Nevison -rode to York. The traveller, it seems in this -version, had set out from the "Blossoms" inn, -Lawrence Lane, in the city of London, and lost -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> -five hundred and sixty guineas on this monumental -occasion.</p> - -<p>According to one account, this was "in or -about" May 1676; but it is difficult to fix the -dates of many of the seventeenth-century highwaymen's -doings within a few years, and this -would certainly appear to be an error, for it can -be proved that he bore the nickname "Swift -Nicks" years before. For example, we find in -December 1668 a proclamation offering £20 -reward for the arrest of several specified highwaymen, -including Swift Nicks; and another in the -<i>London Gazette</i> of November 18th, 1669, in which -"Swift Nix" is again mentioned. This proclamation -is in itself an interesting and valuable -sidelight upon the social conditions of that age:</p> - -<blockquote> -<p class="noindent ar"> -<span class="sc">Whitehall</span>, <i>Nov. 17th.</i></p> - -<p>His Majesty having been informed that divers lewd -and disorderly persons have committed great and -heinous Robberies, Murders, and Burglaries, imboldened -thereto either out of hope to escape the hand of Justice, -or by the carelessness and negligence in keeping due -Watches and Wards, and the pursuit of them by Hue -and cry, or the concealment of them and their Horses -by Inn-keepers, Ostlers, and others, and that some which -have been indicted for these offences, and others not -indicted but guilty of the same, continue their wicked -practices in spoiling his good subjects, of which number -are said to be Lewis, alias Lodowick, alias Claude de -Val, alias Brown, Swift Nix, alias Clerk, Humble -Ashenhurst, Martin Bringhurst, John Spencer, William -Stavely, William Stanesby, Thomas Stanley, Nicholas -Greenbury, William Talbot, Richard Wild, William -Connel, Nicholas James, and Herman Atkins, are -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> -notoriously known to be such, and of one party and -knot, etc. His Majesty minding to preserve all His -loving Subjects in their Lives and Estates from all -Rapine and Violence, was thus pleased to order His -Proclamation to be issued out, Commanding all His -Subjects and Officers of Justice to use their endeavours -for the apprehension of the said persons, and all others -who have been, or shall be guilty of the offences aforesaid, -that they may be proceeded against according to -Law and Justice, declaring His Will and Pleasure,</p> - -<p>That all Justices take Order, that due Watches and Wards -be kept by Horse and Foot for the apprehension of such -offenders; Commanding all Vintners, keepers of Common -Ordinaries, Gaming Houses, Inn-keepers, Horse-keepers, -and other persons where such persons shall be or resort, -to apprehend or cause them to be apprehended, etc., or -otherwise themselves to be proceeded against as far as -by due course of Law they may, declaring that whosoever -shall before the 20th of <i>June</i> next, apprehend or -cause to be apprehended any of the said persons above-named, -and brought into custody, and prosecute them -to a Conviction, shall have a reward of Twenty pounds -for every such offender, and for every other notorious -Robber, Burglar, or Murderer, the sum of Ten pounds -within 15 days after their Conviction, to be paid by the -respective Sheriff of the County where such conviction -shall be had, upon the Certificate of the Judge, or under -the hands of two or more Justices of the Peace before -whom they were convicted.</p></blockquote> - -<p>And so forth. This official proclamation clashes -discordantly with the kindly, forgiving character -of the King's interview with Nevison. Of course, -there would naturally be all the difference between -a proclamation and a private act of clemency; -and not even in those days, when a King might do -strange things, was it possible, or thinkable, to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> -give a highwayman liberty to rob as he pleased. -We may, perhaps, not without justification, surmise -that this highwayman's continued and -notorious activity wore out the easy-going -monarch's patience.</p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p013.jpg" id="i_p013.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p013.jpg" width="371" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">"SWIFT NICKS" BEFORE CHARLES THE SECOND.</div> -</div> - -<p>Nevison was arrested on one occasion and -lodged in Wakefield prison, but he broke out, and -was again holding up the lieges. At another time -he was released on giving a promise that he would -volunteer to serve in our newly acquired colony, -Tangier; but he promptly deserted. Once he was -thrown into Leicester gaol, heavily ironed, and -strictly guarded; so well-advised were the authorities -of his slippery character. Among those who -visited him in his cell was a friend in the disguise -of a doctor. This person, affecting to be struck -with horror at the sight of him, declared he was -infected with the plague; and added that, so far -as the prisoner himself was concerned, he might -die and be d——d for a rogue, and welcome; but -a more serious thing was that, unless he were -removed to a larger room, not only would he die, -but he would also spread the infection over the -entire prison.</p> - -<p>Nevison was very speedily removed to another -room, and the gaoler, implored by his wife, went -no further than the door. The physician, meanwhile, -came twice or thrice a day to see the -patient, and at last declared his case to be hopeless. -The highwayman's body was then artfully -painted over with blue spots, and he was given a -powerful sleeping draught. The physician was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> -shocked, the next time he called, to find him dead. -An inquest was hurriedly held: the jury keeping -a considerable distance away, with vinegar-saturated -handkerchiefs to noses. "Dead of the -plague," they declared; and hurried home to -make their wills.</p> - -<p>The friends of the dead highwayman proved to -the local world the strength and fearlessness of -their friendship by claiming the body, and were -allowed to coffin it and remove it. The coffin was -duly interred, but not Nevison, for he stepped out -at the first opportunity, and that very night, in -the character of his own ghost, was robbing wayfarers, -doubly terrified at this "supernatural" -reappearance.</p> - -<p>It was not long before the whole story leaked -out. Then ensued perhaps the busiest period of -his career. The drovers and farmers of Yorkshire -were put under regular contribution by him and -his gang: the carriers paid a recognised toll, in -the form of a quarterly allowance, which at one -and the same time cleared the road for them, and -offered protection against any other highway -marauders. Indeed, Nevison was in this respect -almost a counterpart of those old German barons -of the Rhine who levied dues on travellers, or in -default hanged or imprisoned them. The parallel -goes no greater distance than that, for those -picturesque nobles were anything but the idols of -the people; while Nevison was sufficiently popular -to have become the hero of a rural ballad, still -occasionally to be heard in the neighbourhood of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> -his haunts at Knaresborough, Ferrybridge, York, -or Newark. Here are two verses of it, not -perhaps distinguished by wealth of fancy or resourcefulness -of rhyme:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Did you ever hear tell of that hero,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Bold Nevison, that was his name?</div> - <div class="verse">He rode about like a bold hero,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And with that he gained great fame.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">He maintained himself like a gentleman,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Besides, he was good to the poor;</div> - <div class="verse">He rode about like a great hero,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And he gained himself favour therefor.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>A curious pamphlet survives, entitled <i>Bloody -News from Yorkshire</i>, dated 1674, and telling -how Nevison and twenty of his men attacked -fifteen butchers, who were riding to Northallerton -Fair, and engaged in a furious battle with them.</p> - -<p>As an interlude to these more serious affairs, -there is the story of how Nevison alone, going on -a southerly expedition, met a company of canting -beggars, mumpers, and idle vagrants, and proposed -to join their "merry" life. Their leader welcomed -his proposal, and indicated their course of -life. "Do we not come into the world arrant -beggars, without a rag upon us? And do we not -all go out of the world like beggars, saving only -an old sheet over us? Very well, then: shall we -be ashamed to walk up and down the world like -beggars, with old blankets pinned about us? No, -no: that would be a shame to us indeed. Have -we not the whole kingdom to walk in, at our -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> -pleasure? Are we afraid of the approach of -quarter-day? Do we walk in fear of sheriffs, -sergeants, and catchpoles? Who ever knew an -arrant beggar arrested for debt? Is not our meat -dressed in every man's kitchen? Does not every -man's cellar afford us beer? And the best men's -purses keep a penny for us to spend."</p> - -<p>As a preliminary to electing him of their band, -they asked him if he had any <i>loure</i> in his <i>bung</i>. -Seeing his ignorance of their cant phrases, they -said the question was, "Had he any money in his -purse?"</p> - -<p>"Eighteenpence," said he, "and you're welcome -to it."</p> - -<p>This modest sum was, by unanimous vote, -allocated for the purpose of a general booze, in -celebration of his admission. The ceremony, the -"gage of booze," as the historian of these things -terms it, consisted in pouring a quart of beer over -the head of the initiate, and the captain saying, -"I do, by virtue of this sovereign liquor, install -thee in the Roage, and make thee a free denizen -of our ragged regiment, so that henceforth it shall -be lawful for thee to cant, and to carry a doxy, or -mort, along with thee, only observing these rules: -first, that thou art not to wander up and down all -countries, but to keep to that quarter which is -allotted to thee; and, secondly, thou art to give -way to any of us that have borne all the offices of -the wallet before; and, upon holding up a finger, -to avoid any town or country village where thou -seest we are foraging for victuals for our army -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> -that march along with us. Observing these two -rules, we take thee into our protection, and adopt -thee a brother of our numerous society."</p> - -<p>Having ended his oration, the captain bade -Nevison rise, when he was congratulated by all -the company hanging about him, like so many -dogs about a bear, and making a hideous noise. -The chief, silencing them, continued: "Now that -thou art entered into our fraternity, thou must -not scruple to act any villainies, whether it be to -cut a purse, steal a cloak-bag or portmanteau, -convey all manner of things, whether a chicken, -sucking-pig, duck, goose, hen, or steal a shirt from -the hedge; for he that will be a <i>quier cove</i> (a -professed rogue) must observe these rules. And -because thou art but a novice in begging, and -understandest not the mysteries of the canting -language, thou shalt have a doxy to be thy -companion, by whom thou mayest receive instructions."</p> - -<p>Thereupon, he singled out a girl of about fourteen -years of age, which tickled his fancy very -much; but he must presently be married to her, -after the fashion of their <i>patrico</i>, the priest of the -beggars. The ceremony consisted of taking a hen, -and having cut off the head, laying the dead body -on the ground; placing him on one side and his -doxy on the other. This being done, the "priest," -standing by, with a loud voice bade them live -together till death did them part. Then, shaking -hands and kissing each other, the ceremony of the -wedding was over, and the whole group appeared -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> -intoxicated with joy. They could hardly, at any -rate, be intoxicated with booze, if eighteenpence -had been all they had to spend on liquor, and a -quart of that wasted.</p> - -<p>Night approaching, they all resorted to a -neighbouring barn, where they slept: Nevison -slipping out secretly before morning, and continuing -his journey.</p> - -<p>Butchers and Nevison were antipathetic, and -he and his gang had levied much tribute in Yorkshire -upon their kind. In 1684, two butchers, -brothers, Fletcher by name, tried to capture him -near Howley Hall, Morley.</p> - -<p>He shot one dead, and escaped. The spot is -still marked by a stone near Howley Farm. Not -long after this he was arrested at the "Three -Houses" inn, at Sandal, near Wakefield.</p> - -<p>He was at the time, and for long after, a -popular hero. The butchers, the graziers, the -farmers, the carriers might owe him a grudge, -but the peasantry dwelt upon his real or his -fancied generosity to the poor, and ballads about -him always commanded a ready sale. According -to a very popular example, entitled <i>Nevison's -Garland</i>, he pleaded "Not Guilty":</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="verse">And when then he came to the Bench,</div> - <div class="verse">"Guilty or not Guilty," they to him did cry,</div> - <div class="verse">"Not Guilty," then Nevison said,</div> - <div class="verse">"I'm clear e'er since the same Day,</div> - <div class="verse">That the King did my Pardon Grant,</div> - <div class="verse">I ne'er did rob anyone, nor kill</div> - <div class="verse">But that Fletcher in all my life,</div> - <div class="verse">'Twas in my Defence, I say still."</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p> - -<p>To commit murder in endeavouring -to escape arrest -was ever regarded by the -highwaymen as a venial sin: -a view not shared by the -law, and he was found guilty, -sentenced to death, and -hanged within a week from -his trial. He suffered at -Knavesmire, York, May 4th, -1685, in the forty-fifth year -of his age.</p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p023.jpg" id="i_p023.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p023.jpg" width="600" height="168" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">NEVISON'S LEG-IRONS, IN YORK MUSEUM.</div> -</div> - -<p>"He was something stupid -at the gallows," says the old -chronicler ("probably -drunk," adds a later commentator), -"yet he confess'd -everything."</p> - -<p>The older Nevison ballads, -which had some little literary -merit, as well as quaintness, -to recommend them, have -given place to vilely re-written -verses that have not -the merit of truth or of rhyme. -This is how a typical example -goes:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Oh! the Twenty-first day of last month,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Proved an unfortunate day;</div> - <div class="verse">Captain Milton was riding to London,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And by mischance he rode out of his way.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">He call'd at a house by the roadside, - <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span></div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">It was the sign of the Magpie,</div> - <div class="verse">Where Nevison had been drinking,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And the captain soon did he espy.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Then a constable very soon was sent for,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And a constable very soon came;</div> - <div class="verse">With three or four more in attendance,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">With pistols charged in the King's name.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">They demanded the name of this hero,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">"My name it is Johnson," said he,</div> - <div class="verse">When the captain laid hold of his shoulder,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Saying "Nevison, thou goeth with me."</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Oh! then in this very same speech,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">They hastened him fast away,</div> - <div class="verse">To a place called Swinnington Bridge,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">A place where he used for to stay.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">They call'd for a quart of good liquor,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">It was the sign of the Black Horse,</div> - <div class="verse">Where there was all sorts of attendance,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">But for Nevison it was the worst.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">He called for a pen, ink, and paper,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And these were the words that he said,</div> - <div class="verse">"I will write for some boots, shoes, and stockings,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">For of them I have very great need."</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">'Tis now before my lord judge,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Oh! guilty or not do you plead;</div> - <div class="verse">He smiled into the judge and jury,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And these were the words that he said:</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"I've now robbed a gentleman of two pence,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">I've neither done murder nor kill'd,</div> - <div class="verse">But guilty I've been all my life time,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">So, gentlemen, do as you will.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"It's when that I rode on the highway, - <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">I've always had money in great store;</div> - <div class="verse">And whatever I took from the rich</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">I freely gave it to the poor.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"But my peace I have made with my Maker,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And with you I'm quite ready to go;</div> - <div class="verse">So here's adieu! to this world and its vanities,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">For I'm ready to suffer the law."</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="JOHN_COTTINGTON_alias_MULLED" id="JOHN_COTTINGTON_alias_MULLED"></a> - JOHN COTTINGTON, <i>alias</i> "MULLED SACK"</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">John Cottington</span>, commonly known as "Mulled -Sack," was the son of a drunken haberdasher in -Cheapside, who wasted his substance to such an -extent in drinking with fellow-tradesmen of like -tastes, that he died in poverty and was buried by -the parish. He seems to have been in every way -an improvident person, for it is recorded that he -left fifteen daughters and four sons. John, our -present hero, was the youngest of these. At eight -years of age he was bound apprentice by the -overseers of the poor of the parish of St. Mary-le-Bow -to a chimney-sweep, and served his master in -the chimney-sweeping for five years. He then -ran away, for he was by this time thirteen years -of age, and considered himself grown up, and as -fully informed in the art and mystery of chimney-sweeping -as his instructor.</p> - -<p>He soon acquired the nickname by which he is -best known, from his fondness for mulled sack, -morning, noon, and night. His earlier activities -were exercised in that inferior branch of robbery -known as pocket-picking, which does not, however, -demand less skill and nerve (perhaps, indeed, it -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> -requires more) than was necessary in the nobler art -of collecting upon the roads. He was one of the -most expert cly-fakers and bung-snatchers in -London, frequenting Cheapside and Ludgate Hill -by preference; and is said to have been so -successful that he stole "almost enough to have -built St. Paul's Cathedral." This is, of course, an -amiable, but extravagant exaggeration; but the -exploits of all heroes, in all ages, have been -similarly magnified, and why not those of "Mulled -Sack"?</p> - -<p>Among the most robust and uncompromising of -the Royalists, he remained in England to war -with the usurpers in his own way, while the -Cavaliers had fled across the Channel. His warfare -was happy, inasmuch as it emptied the pockets -of the Commonwealth leaders, while it filled those -of himself and his confederates. If he could not -meet the enemies of the monarchy on the field, he -could, and did, slip a sly hand into their pockets, -and lighten them by many a gold watch and a -guinea. One of his greatest achievements was -the robbing of Lady Fairfax as she—wife of the -famous general—was stepping from her carriage -into the church of St. Martin, Ludgate, come to -hear a famous preacher of that age.</p> - -<p>"Mulled Sack" was that day dressed as a gentleman. -He did not often affect the part, being a -homespun fellow, and subdued from essaying fine -flights by those easy experiences of swarming up -the chimney-flues. But on this day he was unrecognisable -for himself, in quiet, but rich dress. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> -His associates were working with him, and had -removed the pin out of the axle of her ladyship's -coach, so that the heavy vehicle fell as it neared -the church door. "Mulled Sack" pressed forward -politely, to help her alight, and at the moment of -her setting foot to pavement cut her watch-chain -with a sharp pair of scissors, and gently removing -the watch itself—a handsome gold one, set with -diamonds—escorted her to the church door, raised -his hat as gracefully as he could, and then disappeared -in the crowd.</p> - -<p>It was not until, wearied with an inordinately -long sermon, she sought to discover the time, that -she missed the watch.</p> - -<p>"Mulled Sack" was less fortunate in an -attempt he made to pick the august pocket of -the Lord Protector, His Highness, Oliver, -by the Grace of God—Oliver Cromwell, -none other—as he was leaving the House of -Parliament. He was caught in the attempt, and -came near to being hanged for it. This put him -so sadly out of conceit with the art to which he -had given his best time, that he determined to -forsake it for the sister craft of highway robbery, -where a man was under no craven necessity -to sneak, and crawl, and cringe, but boldly -confronted his quarry, and with an oath, or with a -jest—entirely according to temperament—rode -up and demanded or "requested," or even, as was -the fashion among the most flamboyantly politeful, -"begged the favour of," the traveller's purse.</p> - -<p>He at first worked the roads in company with -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> -one Tom Cheney, with whom, robbing upon -Hounslow Heath, he encountered Colonel Hewson, -a warrior of those times who had by his military -genius raised himself from the humble station of -a cobbler. The Colonel was upon the Heath with -his regiment, riding some considerable distance -away, but still within sight of his men, when the -two highwaymen robbed him. A troop instantly -gave chase; Cheney desperately defended himself, -against eighteen, and was then overpowered and -captured, but "Mulled Sack," flying like the wind -upon his trusty horse, escaped. Cheney was -severely wounded in the affray, and begged that -his trial might be postponed on that account, -but, as it was feared he might die of his -wounds, and so escape hanging after all, he was -hurriedly—and no doubt also illegally—condemned -on the spot, and hanged there that same -evening.</p> - -<p>A certain Captain Horne was the next partner -"Mulled Sack" took, and he too was similarly -unfortunate in a like affair with that already -described. An early and ignominious fate seemed -to be the inevitable lot of those who worked with -our heroic pickpocket turned highwayman, and -either because the survivors grew shy of him in -consequence, or because he thought it best to play -a lone hand, he ever afterwards pursued a solitary -career.</p> - -<p>It was a successful career, so long as it was -continued, and affords an example to the young of -the substantial advantages to be derived from an -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> -industrious disposition, enthusiasm in the profession -of one's adoption, and that thoroughness in -leaving no stone unturned which should bring -even only a moderately-equipped young man to -the front rank of his profession. "Mulled Sack" -left no unturned stone, no pocket (that was likely -to contain anything worth having) unpicked, and -no promising wayfarer unchallenged within the -marches of the districts he affected. And what -was the result of this early and late application to -to business? Why, nothing less than the proud -admission made by his admiring biographer, -that "he constantly wore a watchmaker's and -jeweller's shop in his pocket, and could at any -time command a thousand pounds." How few -are those who, in our own slack times, could -say as much!</p> - -<p>He wore the watches and jewellery he had -taken on his rides just as old soldiers display the -medals won in their arduous campaigns, and they -implied not only the energy of the business man, -but the pluck of the soldier on the battlefield. As -the soldier fights for his medals, so "Mulled -Sack" warred for his—or, rather, other people's—watches.</p> - -<p>His greatest deed as a highwayman is that told -by Johnson, of his waylaying the Army pay-waggon -on Shotover Hill. Fully advised of the -approach of this treasure-laden wain, he lurked -on the scrubby side of that ill-omened hill over-looking -Oxford—it was ever a place for robbers—and, -just as the waggon started to toil painfully up, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> -rose from his ambuscade with pistols presented to -the head of the waggoner and to those of the three -soldiers acting as escort.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p031.jpg" id="i_p031.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p031.jpg" width="474" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">"MULLED SACK" ROBS THE ARMY PAY-WAGGON.</div> -</div> - -<p>It seems that there were also two or three -passengers in the waggon, but "Mulled Sack" was -as generous as the liquor whence he obtained his -name, for he "told them he had no design upon -them."</p> - -<p>"'This,' says he, 'that I have taken, is as -much mine as theirs who own it, being all extorted -from the Publick by the rapacious Members of -our Commonwealth to enrich themselves, maintain -their Janizaries, and keep honest people in subjection.'"</p> - -<p>The escort, never for a moment thinking it -possible that one highwayman would have the -daring to act thus, and dreading the onset of -others, bolted like rabbits.</p> - -<p>The Republican treasure thus secured by the -enterprising "Mulled Sack" totalled £4000, and -by so much the expectant garrison of Gloucester, -for whom it was intended, for a while went short. -Cottington was at this time but twenty years of -age. Youth will be served!</p> - -<p>It is sad to record a vulgar declension in the -practice of "Mulled Sack." He stooped to shed -blood, and murdered, as well as robbed a gentleman. -With the guilt of Cain heavy on him, he -fled to the Continent, and, by some specious -pretence gaining access to the Court held by -the fugitive Charles the Second, stole a quantity -of valuable plate. Returning to England, a little -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> -later, he fell into the hands of the sheriff's officers -who were keenly awaiting his reappearance, and -he was executed at Smithfield Rounds in 1656, for -the crime of murder, aged forty-five.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p034.jpg" id="i_p034.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p034.jpg" width="500" height="419" - alt="Man Being Hanged." /> - <div class="caption"></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="THOMAS_RUMBOLD" id="THOMAS_RUMBOLD"></a>THOMAS RUMBOLD</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">Thomas Rumbold</span>, born about 1643, at Ipswich, -was the son of the usual "poor but honest" -parents, and was early apprenticed to a bricklayer -in that town. But highly coloured stories of the -wonders of London fired his imagination and set -him to run away from home before little more -than a quarter of his time had been served. He -entered upon another kind of apprenticeship in -London: nothing less than a voluntary pupilage -with a thieves' fraternity; but very shortly left -that also and set up for himself as a highwayman. -He would seem to have had a career of about -twenty-six years in this craft, before the gallows -claimed him; so it is quite evident he had found -his true vocation. A complete account of his -transactions would doubtless make a goodly -volume, but they are not recorded at proper -length. The earlier years of his highway career -seem to be completely lost, and the painstaking -Smith, instead of showing us how he advanced -from small and timid successes to larger and -bolder issues, is obliged to plunge into the midst -of his life and begin with an adventure which, if -it is not indeed entirely apocryphal, can only have -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> -been the extravagant and stupid whim of a very -impudent and ingenious fellow, long used to wayside -escapades.</p> - -<p>Rumbold travelled, says Smith, from London -towards Canterbury, along the Dover Road, with -the intention of waylaying no less a personage than -Dr. Sancroft, the Archbishop, who was coming to -London, as Rumbold had been advised, in his travelling -chariot. Between Rochester and Sittingbourne -he espied the carriage and its attendant servants -in the distance, and, tying his horse to a tree, and -spreading a tablecloth on the grass of a field open -to the road, he sat himself down and began playing -hazard with dice-box and dice, all by himself, for -some heaps of gold and silver he placed conspicuously -on the cloth. Presently the Archbishop's -carriage creaked and rumbled ponderously by, -in the manner of the clumsy vehicles of that -time; and His Grace, curiously observing a man -acting so strangely as to play hazard by himself, -sent a servant to see what could be the meaning -of it.</p> - -<p>The servant, coming near, could hear Rumbold -swearing at every cast of the dice, about his losses, -and asked him what was the meaning of it. To -this Rumbold made no reply, and the servant -returned to the Right Reverend and informed him -the man must surely be out of his wits.</p> - -<p>Then the Archbishop himself alighted, and, -looking curiously around, and seeing none but -Rumbold, asked him whom he played with.</p> - -<p>"D——n it, sir!" exclaimed the player, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> -"there's five hundred pounds gone." Then, as -His Grace was about to speak again, casting the -dice once more, "There goes a hundred more."</p> - -<p>"Pr'ythee," exclaimed the Archbishop, "do -tell me whom you play with?"</p> - -<p>"With the devil," replied Rumbold.</p> - -<p>"And how will you send the money to him?"</p> - -<p>"By his ambassadors, and considering your -Grace as one of them extraordinary, I shall beg -the favour of you to carry it to him." He rose, -and walking to the carriage, placed six hundred -guineas in it, mounted his horse, and rode off -along the way he knew the Archbishop had to -travel; and, both he and His Grace having -refreshed at Sittingbourne, in different houses of -entertainment, Rumbold afterwards took the road -to London a little in advance of the carriage.</p> - -<p>Halting at a convenient place, and placing -himself on the grass, in the same manner as -before, he again awaited the carriage, this time -with but little money spread on the cloth.</p> - -<p>The Archbishop again observed him, and this -time really believing him to be a mad gamester, -was about to make some remark, when Rumbold -suddenly cried out joyfully, throwing the dice, -"Six hundred pounds!"</p> - -<p>"What!" exclaimed the Archbishop, "losing -again?"</p> - -<p>"No, by G—d!" returned Rumbold, "won -six hundred pounds this time. I'll play this hand -out, and then leave off, while I'm well."</p> - -<p>"And whom have you won of?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Of the same person that I left the six -hundred pounds for with you, before dinner."</p> - -<p>"And how will you get your winnings, my -friend?"</p> - -<p>"Of his ambassador, to be sure," said Rumbold, -drawing his sword. Thereupon, he advanced to -the carriage with pistols and drawn sword, and, -searching under the carriage-seat, found his own -six hundred guineas, and fourteen hundred besides; -with which forty pounds weight avoirdupois -of bullion, we are gravely told, he got clear -off.</p> - -<p>The incident is, without a doubt, one of Smith's -own inventions—and not one of the best. It -serves to show us how entirely lacking in criticism -he thought his public, to set before them, without -any criticism of his own, such a tale, in which -a highwayman who certainly could in real life -have been no fool, to have held his own so long -on the road, is made to act like an idiot without -any advantage likely to be gained by so doing. -We see him, in this preposterous story, taking -the trouble to carry six hundred guineas with him -and playing the fool needlessly, when he might -just as well have gone with empty pockets and -searched and robbed the carriage with equal -success.</p> - -<p>More easily to be credited is his robbing of -the Earl of Oxford at Maidenhead Thicket. Rumbold -was no exquisite, having, as we have already -learnt, been merely a bricklayer's apprentice -before he assumed the crape mask, and, mounting -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> -a horse and sticking a pair of pistols in his belt, -took to the road. He often assumed the appearance -of a rough country farmer; but he was, at the -same time, always a man of expedient. To say -of him that he had ostlers and chambermaids in -his pay, to give him information of likely travellers, -is but to repeat the practice of every eminent -hand in the high-toby craft. On the occasion -which led to his great exploit here, he had been -lurking for some well-laden travellers, who, -luckily for them, took some other route, and he -was just on the point of riding moodily off when -two horsemen rode up the hill. As they drew -near he perceived that they were the Earl of -Oxford and a servant. That nobleman knew -Rumbold (how the acquaintance had been made -we are not told), and so it was necessary for the -highwayman to assume some sort of disguise. -Here we perceive Rumbold's readiness of resource. -He threw his long hair over his face, and, holding -it in his teeth, rode up in this extraordinary -guise and demanded the Earl's purse, with threats -to shoot both if it was not immediately forth-coming.</p> - -<p>That nobleman was Aubrey De Vere, twentieth -and last Earl, the descendant of the old "fighting -Veres" and colonel of the Oxford Blues, a regiment -named after him, and not after the city of Oxford. -Despite all these things, which might have made -for valiance, he surrendered like the veriest woman, -and submitted to the indignity of being searched. -Rumbold rifled him, and at first found only dice -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> -and cards, until, coming to his breeches pockets, -he turned out a "nest of goldfinches"; that is -to say, a heap of guineas. Saying he would take -them home and cage them, Rumbold recommended -the Earl to return to his regiment and attend to -his duty, giving him eighteenpence as an encouragement.</p> - -<p>From these examples, it will readily be seen -that Maidenhead Thicket did not obtain its ill -repute without due cause.</p> - -<p>A number of incredible stories of Rumbold -are told, both by Smith and Johnson, who seem -to have made up for the little real information -we have of his more than twenty years' career by -writing absolutely unconvincing fiction around -him. He was at last executed at Tyburn in 1689.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="CAPTAIN_JAMES_WHITNEY" id="CAPTAIN_JAMES_WHITNEY"></a> - "CAPTAIN" JAMES WHITNEY</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">There</span> is much uncertainty about the parentage -and the career of James Whitney. The small -quarto tract entitled <i>The Jacobite Robber</i>, which -professes to give a life of Whitney by one who -was acquainted with him, says he was born "in -Hertfordshire, of mean, contemptible parentage, -about two years after the Restauration of King -Charles." Smith particularises Stevenage as the -place in Hertfordshire, and Johnson, who copies -almost everything in Smith, also adopts Stevenage. -Waylen, on the other hand, who wrote a singularly -good and well-informed book on the highwaymen -of Wiltshire, believed Whitney to have been a -son of the Reverend James Whitney, of Donhead -St. Andrews, and says the highwayman practised -largely on Salisbury Plain.</p> - -<p>The majority, believing in the Hertfordshire -origin of Whitney, fortify their statements by very -full and particular accounts of how he was -apprenticed to a butcher at Hitchin. We have -here an interpolated story of how he and his master -went to Romford to purchase calves (Essex calves -were so famous that a native of Essex nowadays -is still an "Essex calf"). The owner of one -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> -particularly fine calf they greatly desired to -purchase required too much for it. He happened -to be also the keeper of an alehouse, as well as -a stock-raiser. While the butcher and Whitney -were refreshing themselves in the house and the -butcher was grumbling because he could not -buy the calf at what he considered a fair price, -Whitney thought of an easier way, and whispered -to his master that it would be foolish to give -good money for the calf when it could be had -for nothing. The butcher and Whitney thereupon -exchanged knowing winks, and agreed to steal -the calf that very night.</p> - -<p>Unhappily for them, a man with a performing -bear had in the meanwhile arrived, and the landlord, -removing the calf from the stable where -it had been placed, installed the bear in its place.</p> - -<p>At last, night having fallen, master-butcher and -apprentice paid their reckoning and prepared to -go. Leaving the house, they loitered about until -all was quiet, and then, the two approaching the -outhouse where the calf had been, Whitney went -in to fetch it. The bear was resting its wearied -limbs when Whitney's touch roused it. He was -astonished in the dark to feel the calf's hair was -so long, and was still more astonished when he -felt the animal rear itself up on its hind legs -and put its arms lovingly round him. Meanwhile -the butcher, wondering what could keep -Whitney so long, began softly through the doorway -to bid him be quick.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p043.jpg" id="i_p043.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p043.jpg" width="533" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">WHITNEY HUGGED BY THE BEAR.</div> -</div> - -<p>Whitney cried out that he could not get away, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> -and he believed the devil himself had hold -of him.</p> - -<p>"If it <i>is</i> the old boy," rejoined his master, -with a chuckle, "bring him out. I should like -to see what kind of an animal he is."</p> - -<p>But Whitney's evident terror and distress soon -brought him to the rescue, and the bear was made -to release her prey.</p> - -<p>Before Whitney had served his full time with -the butcher, his master cashiered him for idleness. -After some little intervening time he became -landlord of a small inn at Cheshunt. He was -ever, says the author of <i>The Jacobite Robber</i>, -a passionate admirer of good eating and drinking, -especially at other people's expense. The inn, -says our author, was the "Bell" or the "White -Bear," he would not be sure which. If the -"Bell," it was a sign he should presently make -a noise over all England; if the "White Bear," -a token that the landlord was of as savage a nature -as any wild beast.</p> - -<p>As a matter of fact, it appears to have been -the "George"; but what significance may be -extracted from that I do not know.</p> - -<p>The inn did not pay its way on legitimate -trading, and the people of Cheshunt wondered -how Whitney could keep the pot boiling. Yet -they need not have wondered, while they could -see and hear, three or four times a week, a knot of -roaring gentlemen, who sang, drank, swore, and -revelled, the landlord himself joining in, until -it seemed as if the place were thronged with -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> -old Lucifer and his club-footed emissaries. These -guests were, in fact, highwaymen, as any one -might have perceived, from their extravagant -living and the unseasonable hours they kept.</p> - -<p>At first Whitney had no hand in his customers' -doings. As the quaint author of the tract already -referred to says:</p> - -<p>"It seems the conscientious Mr. Whitney, for -all he was a well-wisher to the mathematicks and -a friend to the tribe, did not at first care to -expose his own dear person on the road; not that -any one can justly tax him at the same time with -cowardice, or want of valour (for had he been -as plentifully stock'd with grace as he was with -valour, he had never taken that employment upon -him); but he prudently considered with himself -that at present he ran no Risque of hanging for -harbouring such people, and besides made a -comfortable penny of them: Whereas, should he -trade for himself, and scour the Highways to the -Tune of <i>Dammee, Stand and Deliver</i>, he must -certainly at one time or another make a Pilgrimage -to <i>Tybourn</i>, and swinging in a Rope he had -a Mortal Aversion to, because his Prophetical -Grand-Mother had formerly told him it was a dry -sort of a death.</p> - -<p>"But at last an Old Experienced Brother of the -Pad won him over to his Party, for, finding our -Inn-keeper to be notably stored with all those -ingredients and qualifications that are requisite to -fit a Man for such a Vocation, he was resolved to -leave no method unattempted till he had made -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> -an absolute conquest of him. In order to effect -this, he represents to him the meanness and servile -condition of his present calling, how he was -obliged to stand cap in hand to every pitiful -Rascal that came to spend Six-pence in his house; -that with all his care and diligence he only got a -little poor contemptible Pittance, scarce sufficient -to pay his Brewer and Baker, but on the other -hand, if he would be adopted into their society, -he would find Money come flowing in like a -Spring Tide upon him; he would live delicately, -eat and drink of the Best, and in short, get more -in an hour than now he did by Nicking, and -Frothing and wrong Reckonings for a whole -Twelve Month together. That, as for the Gallows, -a Man of Courage and Bravery ought never to be -afraid of it, and, should the worst come to the -worst, better Gentleman by far than himself had -made a Journey to the other World in their Shoes -and Stockings."</p> - -<p>Thus admonished, Whitney stripped off the -inn-keeper's apron, sold off his inn, and took -to the road, where he distinguished himself among -the foremost highway gentry of his time. As his -biographer is fain to acknowledge, he proved to -have "inherited all the Courage, Boldness, and -Dexterity of the famous Claude Du Vall and the -Golden Farmer, and the rest of his other noble -Predecessors of the Pad."</p> - -<p>This admiring authority then proceeds to give -us an account of Whitney's first action, and tells -how "he encountered a Jolly Red-fac'd Son of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> -the Church bravely Mounted, with a large -Canonical Rose in his Ecclesiastical Hat and his -Gown fluttering in the Wind. He looked as if he -had been hung round with Bladders. Him, within -two miles of St. Albans, he accosts after this -manner, 'Reverend Sir, the Gentlemen of your -Coat having, in all conscience, enough preached -up the edifying Doctrine of Passive Obedience -and Non-Resistance, and now I am fully resolved -to try the experiment, whether you Believe your -own Doctrine, and whether you are able to -Practise it. Therefore, worthy sir, in the name -of the above-mentioned Passive Obedience and -Non-Resistance, make no opposition, I beseech -you, but deliver up the filthy Lucre you carry -about you.'</p> - -<p>"Now you must know that this rosy-gilled -Levite had the wicked sum of six-score and ten -guineas clos'd up in the waistband of his breeches, -designed as a present to a worthy gentleman that -lately helped him to a fat living (for you must -not call it Symony for all the world, but christen -it by the name of Gratitude, and so forth) but -Captain Whitney, who, it seems, did not understand -any of these softening distinctions, soon eased him -of his Mammon, but not without a great deal of -expostulation on the Levite's part, and, what was -more barbarous, stript him of his spick-and-span -new sacerdotal habit, sent his Horse home before -him, to prepare his family, and having bound him -to his good behaviour, left him all alone to his -contemplations in an adjoining wood."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p> - -<p>He then met a poor clergyman in threadbare -gown, riding a sorry Rosinante, whose poor ribs -in a starved body looked like the bars of a bird-cage. -What would the typical outlaw, from the -days of Robin Hood, onwards, have done in such -a rencounter? Why, he would have given the -poor divine the new robe and some money; and -this Whitney did; handing him four or five bags -of the best, saying: "Here is that will buy you -a dozen or so of clean bands!" "Thus," says -the biographer, "our brave Captain dispensed -charities with one hand and plundered with the -other."</p> - -<p>One day, patrolling Bagshot Heath, he met a -gentleman, and desired his purse and watch.</p> - -<p>"Sir," said the gentleman, "'tis well you -spoke first, for I was just going to say the same -thing to you."</p> - -<p>"Why then," quoth Whitney, "are you a -gentleman-thief?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," replied the stranger, "but I have had -very bad success to-day, for I have been riding up -and down all this morning, without meeting with -any prize."</p> - -<p>Whitney, upon hearing this doleful tale, -wished him better luck, and took his leave.</p> - -<p>That night, Whitney and this strange traveller -chanced to stay at the same inn, but Whitney had -so changed his dress in the meanwhile, and altered -his manner, that he was not recognised. He -heard his acquaintance of that morning telling -another guest how smartly he had outwitted a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> -highwayman that day, and had saved a hundred -pounds by his ready wit; and this revelation of -how easily he had been hoodwinked made him -determined, if it were at all possible, to take his -revenge on the morrow. Meanwhile, he listened -to the conversation.</p> - -<p>The guest, who had been told of the adventure, -replied that he also had a considerable sum upon -him, and that he would like, if it were agreeable, -to travel next day in company with so ready-witted -a traveller.</p> - -<p>Accordingly, the next morning they set forth -together, and Whitney followed, a quarter of an -hour later. He soon overtook them, and then, -wheeling suddenly about, demanded their purses.</p> - -<p>"We were going to say the same to you, sir," -replied the ready-witted one.</p> - -<p>"Were you so?" asked our hero; "and are -you of my profession, then?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," they both chorused.</p> - -<p>"If you are," said Whitney, "I suppose you -remember the old proverb, 'Two of a trade can -never agree'; so you must not expect any favour -on that score. But to be plain, gentlemen, the -trick will do no longer: I know you very well, -and must have your hundred pounds, sir; and -your 'considerable sum,' sir," turning to the -other; "let it be what it will, or I shall make -bold to send a brace of bullets through each of -your heads. You, Mr. Highwayman, should have -kept your secret a little longer, and not have -boasted so soon of having outwitted a thief. There -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> -is now nothing for you to do but to deliver or -die!"</p> - -<p>These terrible words threw them into a sad -state of consternation. They were unwilling -enough to lose their money, but even more -unwilling to forfeit their lives; therefore, of two -evils they promptly chose the least, and resigned -their wealth.</p> - -<p>Whitney then met on Hounslow Heath, one -Mr. Hull, a notorious usurer, who lived in the -Strand. He could hardly have chosen a wretch -more in love with money, and therefore less -willing to part with it. When the dreadful -words, "Stand and deliver!" were spoken, he -trembled like a paralytic and began arguing that -he was a very poor man, had a large family of -children, and would be utterly ruined if the -highwayman were so hard-hearted as to take his -money. Besides, it was a most illegal, also -dangerous, action, to steal; to say nothing of the -moral obliquity of those who did so.</p> - -<p>"You dog in a doublet," exclaimed the now -angered Whitney, "do you pretend to preach -morality to an honester man than yourself. You -make a prey of all mankind, and grind to death -with eight and ten per cent. This once, however, -sir, I shall oblige you to lend me what you have, -without bond, consequently without interest: so -make no more words."</p> - -<p>The usurer thereupon reluctantly produced -eighteen guineas, and handed them over with an -ill grace, scowling darkly at the highwayman, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> -and telling him he hoped one day to have the -pleasure of seeing him riding up Holborn Hill, -backwards.</p> - -<p>It was a foolish thing to remind a gentleman -of the road that he would probably some day be -an occupant of the cart, travelling to Tyburn. -Whitney had already turned to go when these -words fell upon his ear; but he now turned back, -thoroughly enraged.</p> - -<p>"Now, you old rogue," said he, "let me see -what a figure a man makes when he rides backwards, -and let me have the pleasure, at least, of -beholding you first in that posture."</p> - -<p>With that, he pulled Hull off his horse, and -then setting him on the animal's back again, face -to tail, tied his legs together, and then gave the -horse two or three cuts, so that it cantered smartly -away and never stopped until Hounslow was -reached; where the people, who knew the money-lender -well and liked him little, had a hearty -laugh at his expense before they untied him.</p> - -<p>Whitney always affected to appear generous -and noble. Meeting one day with a gentleman -named Long, on Newmarket Heath, and having -robbed him of a hundred pounds in silver, which -he found in the traveller's portmanteau, tied up -in a great bag, the gentleman told him he had a -great way yet to go, and, as he was unknown -upon the road, was likely to suffer great inconvenience -and hardship, if he had not at least -some small sum. Would he not give him back a -trifle, to meet his travelling expenses?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p053.jpg" id="i_p053.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p053.jpg" width="387" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">WHITNEY AND THE USURER.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p> - -<p>Whitney opened the bag of silver, and held -it out at arm's length towards him, saying: "Here, -take what you have occasion for."</p> - -<p>Mr. Long then put in his hand, and took out a -handful, as much as he could hold; to which -Whitney made no sort of objection, but only said, -with a laugh: "I thought you would have had -more conscience."</p> - -<p>Smith tells a long story of how Whitney and -his band one day met a well-known preacher, a -Mr. Wawen, lecturer at Greenwich Church, and, -easing him of his purse, made him preach a -sermon on the subject of thieving. A very similar -story is told of Sir Gosselin (?Joscelin) Denville and -his outlaws, who in the reign of Edward the -Second did surprising things all over England, not -least among them the waylaying and robbing of a -Dominican monk, Bernard Sympson by name, in a -wood between Henley-on-Thames and Marlow, -and afterwards compelling him to preach a sermon -to like effect. Captain Dudley is said to have done -the same; and indeed, whether it were the slitting -of a weasand ("<i>couper gorge, par ma foy</i>," as -Pistol might say), the taking of a purse, or the -kissing a pretty woman, the highwaymen of old -were all-round experts. But that they should -have so insatiable a taste for "firstly, secondly, -and thirdly, and then finally, dear brethren," I -will not believe. Some ancient traditional highway -robber once did so much, no doubt, and the -freak has been duly fathered on others of later -generations: just as the antique jests at the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> -expense of College dons at Oxford and Cambridge -are furbished up anew to fit the present age.</p> - -<p>The Reverend Mr. Wawen responded as well -as he could manage to Whitney's invitation, and, -whether it be genuine or a sheer invention of -Alexander Smith's, it is certainly ingenious, and -much better reading than that said to have been -preached by the Dominican monk, some three -hundred and fifty years earlier.</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen," began the lecturer from Greenwich -church, "my text is THEFT; which, not to -be divided into sentences or syllables, being but -one word, which itself is only a monosyllable, -necessity therefore obliges me to divide it into -letters, which I find to be these five, T. H. E. F. T., -Theft. Now T, my beloved, is Theological; H is -Historical; E is Exegetical; F is Figurative; and -T is Tropological.</p> - -<p>"Now the theological part of my text is in two -portions, firstly, in this world, and secondly, in the -world to come. In this world, the effects it works -are T, tribulation; H, hatred; E, envy; F, fear; -and T, torment. For what greater tribulation can -befall a man than to be debarred from sweet liberty, -by a close confinement in a nasty prison, which -must needs be a perfect representation of the Iron -Age, since nothing is heard there but the jingling -of shackles, bolts, grates, and keys; these last, my -beloved, as large as that put up for a weathercock -on St. Peter's steeple in Cornhill.</p> - -<p>"However, I must own that you highwaymen -may be a sort of Christians whilst under this tribulation, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> -because ye are a kind of martyrs, and suffer -really for the truth. Again, ye have the hatred of -all honest people, as well as the envy of gaolers if -you go under their jurisdiction without money in -your pockets. I am sure all of your profession -are very sensible that a gaoler expects, not only to -distil money out of your irregularities, but also to -grow fat by your curses; wherefore his ears are -stopped to the cries of others, as God's are to his, -and good reason too; for, lay the life of a man in -one scale, and his fees in the other, he would lose -the first to obtain the second.</p> - -<p>"Next, ye are always in as much fear of being -apprehended as poor tradesmen in debt are of the -Serjeant, who goes muffled like a thief too, and -always carries the marks of one, for he steals upon -a man cowardly, plucks him by the throat, and -makes him stand till he fleeces him. Only the -thief is more valiant and the honester man of -the two.</p> - -<p>"And then, when ye are apprehended, nothing -but torment ensues; for when ye are once clapt up -in gaol, as I have hinted before, you soon come -under the hangman's clutches, and he hangs you -up, like so many dogs, for using those scaring -words, 'Stand and deliver!'</p> - -<p>"The effect which theft works in the world to -come is eternal, and there is no helping it. I -shall therefore proceed to the historical part of my -text, which will prove, from ancient history, that -the art of Theft is of some antiquity, inasmuch as -that Paris stole Helen, Theseus stole Ariadne, and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> -Jason stole Medea. However, antiquity ought to -be no plea for vice, since laws, both Divine and -human, forbid base actions, especially theft. For -history again informs us that Sciron was thrown -headlong into the sea for thieving: Cacus was -killed by Hercules: Sisyphus was cut in pieces; -Brunellus was hanged for stealing the ring of -Angelicus; and the Emperor Frederick the Third -condemned all thieves to the galleys.</p> - -<p>"The Exegetical part of my text is a sort of -commentary on what was first said, when I set -forth that your transgressions were a breach of -both divine and humane ordinances, which are -utterly repugnant to all manner of theft; wherefore, -if ye are resolved to pursue these courses -still, note, my respect is such to you, although -you have robbed me, that if you can but keep -yourselves from being ever taken, I'll engage to -keep you always from being hanged.</p> - -<p>"The figurative part of my text is still to be -set forth. Though I call you 'gentlemen,' yet -in my heart I think ye to be all rogues; but I -mollify my spleen by a <i>Charientismus</i>, which is a -figure or form of speech mitigating hard matters -with pleasant words. Thus, a certain man -being apprehended, and brought before Alexander -the Great, King of Macedon, for railing against -him, and being demanded by Alexander why -he and his company had so done, he made answer: -'Had not the wine been all drunk, we had -spoken much worse.' Whereby he signified that -those words proceeded rather from wine than -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> -malice, by which free and pleasant confession -he assuaged Alexander's great displeasure, and -obtained remission.</p> - -<p>"But now, coming to the Tropological part of -my text, which signifies drawing a word from -its proper and genuine signification to another -sense, as, in calling you most famous thieves; I -desire your most serious attention, and that you -will embrace this exhortation of St. Paul the -apostle. 'Let him that stole, steal no more.' -Or else the letters of my text point towards a -tragical conclusion; for T, 'take care;' H, -'hanging;' E, 'ends not'; F, 'felony;' T, -'at Tyburn.'"</p> - -<p>The parson having ended his sermon, which -some of Whitney's gang took down in shorthand, -they were so well pleased with what he had -preached, that they were contented to pay him -tithes; so, counting over the money they had -taken from him, and finding it to be just ten -pounds, they gave him ten shillings for his pains, -and then rode away to seek whom they might -next devour.</p> - -<p>He then met Lord L—— shortly afterwards, -near London, and robbed him single-handed. -Knowing that his lordship moved in close attendance -upon the King, William the Third, and -perhaps being keenly conscious that the many -serious robberies committed by himself and his -men were drawing the net uncomfortably close -around them, he made an offer to compound with -the authorities. He said if the King would give -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> -him an indemnity for past offences, he would -bring in thirty of his gang, for military service in -Flanders. So saying, he whistled, and, quite in -the Roderick Dhu style, twenty or thirty mounted -bandits at once appeared.</p> - -<p>Whitney, having thus given proofs of his -words, continued that, if the King refused his -offer, His Majesty might send a troop of Dutchmen -to apprehend him and his, but they would -find it a hard task to take any, and that he and -his men would stand on their defence, and bid -them defiance.</p> - -<p>There is little or nothing of the "Jacobite -Robber" in the stories told of Whitney; but it -seems to have been fully recognised that he was a -somewhat belated adherent of James the Second. -He gathered around him a gang that varied in -numbers according to circumstances, but was -occasionally about thirty strong. These he was -enabled by his superior courage and resource to -captain; and with the imposing mounted force -they presented, he laid many important and wealthy -personages under contribution near London. It -was doubtless his gang that stopped and robbed -the great Duke of Marlborough of five hundred -guineas near London Colney, on the night of -August 23rd, 1692, and as a Jacobite, Whitney -would be particularly pleased at the doing of it. -It is almost equally certain that the numerous other -rich hauls about that time on the St. Albans road -were the handiwork of Whitney's party. On -December 6th, 1692, there was a pitched battle -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> -between Whitney's force and a troop of dragoon -patrols, near Barnet. One dragoon was killed, -and several wounded, and Whitney is most circumstantially -said to have then been captured; -but as an even more circumstantial account tells -us, with a wealth of detail, how he was finally -captured in Bishopsgate Street, on December 31st, -this cannot be altogether correct.</p> - -<p>Was it, we wonder, his professed Jacobite -views that made many travellers so good-humoured -with him as they are said to have been when he -lightened their pockets? A fellowship in political -views does not in our own days necessarily make a -stranger free of our purse. Whitney, for example, -meeting Sir Richard B—— between Stafford and -Newport, accosted him with a "How now? -whither away?"</p> - -<p>"To London," replied the knight; whereupon -Whitney troubled him for £4.</p> - -<p>Then, much to our surprise, we read of Sir -Richard, who appears to have known Whitney -very well by sight, saying, "Captain, I'll give -you a breakfast, with a fowl or two." It would -have come more naturally to read that he offered -to give him in charge!</p> - -<p>Whitney politely declined, but said he would -drink to the knight's health then and there; and, -halting a passing waggon, broached a cask out of -it on the spot.</p> - -<p>In spite of a conflict of testimony, it seems to -be clearly established that Whitney was finally -captured on December 31st, 1692. He appears to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> -have at some earlier time been taken, after a -desperate fight with a "bagonet," and lodged in -Newgate, whence he broke out with a four-pound -weight on each leg. On this last occasion he -made a determined resistance at the door of the -house in which he was beset, fighting for over an -hour with the officers and the mob. Most of his -gang were afterwards captured; including a livery-stable -keeper, a goldsmith, and a man-milliner.</p> - -<p>Whitney appears to have been a man of -medium height, to have had a scarred face, and to -have lost one thumb: sliced off, probably, in one -of his encounters with the patrols.</p> - -<p>He endeavoured to purchase his liberty by -"offering to discover his accomplices, and those -that give notice where and when money is conveyed -on the road in coaches and waggons." -This offer was not accepted, and the order went -forth that he was to be hanged at the Maypole in -the Strand. Then he shifted his ground to include -more startling secrets that he was ready to divulge, -"if he may have his pardon." Jacobite plots -were the commonplaces of that day. King James -was not greatly liked by even the most ardent -Jacobite, but King William was detested, and -even those who had placed William on the throne -did so merely as a political expedient. Thus the -personally unpopular King was for ever harassed -with plots hatched to assassinate him; and when -Whitney hinted, not obscurely, that he could tell -terrible tales if he would, it was thought advisable -to have the highwayman out in a sedan-chair and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> -to take him to Kensington, under escort, that he -might be examined, touching these plots. But -it was soon discovered that he really knew nothing -and that his idle "confessions" and "revelations" -had no basis in fact.</p> - -<p>He was not content to remain in Newgate -in worn and shabby clothes.</p> - -<p>"He had his taylor," says Luttrell, "make -him a rich embroidered suit, with perug and -hat, worth £100; but the keeper refused to let -him wear them, because they would disguise him -from being known."</p> - -<p>That somewhat obscure phrase seems to mean -that Whitney intended, under cover of his fine -new suit, to make a dash for liberty.</p> - -<p>His execution was finally fixed for February 1st, -1693, at Porter's Block, Smithfield. He made a -very proper and a singularly restrained and -well-chosen speech at the fatal spot:</p> - -<p>"I have been a very great offender, both against -God and my country, by transgressing all laws, -human and divine. I believe there is not one here -present but has often heard my name before my -confinement, and have seen a large catalogue -of my crimes, which have been made public -since. Why should I then pretend to vindicate -a life stained with deeds of violence? The -sentence passed on me is just, and I can see -the footsteps of Providence, which I had before -profanely laughed at, in my apprehension and -conviction. I hope the sense which I have of -these things has enabled me to make my peace -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> -with Heaven, the only thing that is now of any -concern to me. Join in your prayers with me, -my dear countrymen, that God will not forsake -me in my last moments."</p> - -<p>"He seem to dye very penitent," says the -original chronicler of these things: "and was an -hour and a halfe in the cart before being -turned off."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="TWM_SHON_CATTI" id="TWM_SHON_CATTI"></a>TWM SHON CATTI</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">A singular</span> character, half mythical, and his -exploits almost wholly so, is Twm Shon Catti; a -prankish creature whom, nevertheless, the people -of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire will not -willingly let die.</p> - -<p>Twm, it need hardly be said, was a Welshman. -His name, duly translated from Cymraeg into -English, means "Tom John Kate," <i>i.e.</i> "Tom, -the son of Kate." Who was his other parent -remains a matter of uncertainty, but he is thought -to have been a local magnate, Sir John Wynne of -Gwydir. Kate, his mother, was a country girl, of -Tregaron, and Twm himself was born apparently -about the third quarter of the seventeenth -century; that is to say, if the half sprite and half -human being of the legends can be said to belong -to any easily-ascertained span of years. Some -of his exploits certainly seem to belong to a later -period.</p> - -<p>But however that may be, he is yet the hero of -a very wide countryside, in which any peasant is -still able to give a very fair biography of him to -the passing stranger, and is also quite competent -to show him Twm's cave, in Dinas Hill, or -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> -"Llidiard-y-Ffin," overlooking the river Towy, -near Ystrad Ffin. Composed in equal parts of -Will-o'-Wisp, Dick Turpin (the idealised Turpin -of legend, not the cowardly brute of cold-drawn -fact), and Robin Hood, his career is one of marvels. -Horse-thief, highwayman at one time and out-witter -of highwaymen at another, special providence -to the deserving, and scourge of the wicked, -he always comes successfully out of encounters -and difficulties. If for that peculiarity alone, he -might reasonably be held mythical.</p> - -<p>Starting in life as a farmer's boy, he afterwards -found a place in the service of the local -lord of the manor, in which his Puck-like pranks -were first developed. As the secret of his birth -was more or less an open one, these escapades -were not often visited with the punishment -another would almost certainly have incurred; -and, besides, he was generally looked upon as a -"natural": as one, that is to say, who is not more -than half-witted. Thus, when he would steal the -parson's horse in Llandovery and sell it to a -squire some twenty miles off, he proved the truth -of that old law which says one man may with -impunity steal a horse, while another may not -safely even look over the fence.</p> - -<p>It all depends upon the man. In Twm's case, -such an exploit was not the criminal business that -would have brought an ordinary man to the -gallows, but merely an escapade serving, like -Prince Hal and Poins' fooling of Falstaff with -the men in buckram, as "argument for a week, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> -laughter for a month, and a good jest for -ever."</p> - -<p>At the rather uncertain period in which Twm -flourished there also flourished a highwayman in -the locality, who, from his daring and savage -disposition, was known as "Dio the Devil." This -terrific person had carried off the young and -beautiful wife of Sir John Devereux, lord of -Ystrad Ffin, and Twm was successful in rescuing -her. The obvious reward for this service was, -bearing Twm's almost gentle origin in mind, to -receive him in his house on equal terms: or, as -some accounts have it, he entered the service of -Sir John as jester. But whether he went as -such, or not, he certainly acted the part very -thoroughly, and kept the establishment always -well entertained.</p> - -<p>Twm was a perfect centaur of a horseman, and -Sir John Devereux was almost as good in the -saddle. Twm's custom was to back himself in -heavy wagers to perform extraordinary feats of -horsemanship, and then proceed, by hair-raising -doings, to win the bets. Not only the physical, but -the mental agility of these things took strangers -at an utterly dumbfoundered disadvantage; -but the most astonishing of all was the one now -to be related. An English guest who was staying -with Sir John happened also to be a remarkable -horseman, and had the advantage his Welsh host -had not, of owning a thoroughbred. The talk ran -high one day on the subject of horses and equitation, -and the whimsical Twm promptly wagered -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> -twenty pounds he would put his horse to a jump -where the Englishman dare not follow. Conversant -with the not very fine specimens of horses -to be found in his host's stable, the Englishman -with contempt accepted the bet, quite easy in his -mind that he must win.</p> - -<p>A "numerous and distinguished company," as -a modern chronicler of fashionable doings might -say, assembled on the mountain-side on the -appointed day, to see the challenger take this as -yet unknown leap, and the stranger follow if he -dared. They knew their Twm well enough to be -quite convinced he had some mad project in view, -to discomfit the Englishman; and what Welshman -was there who would not have travelled far, -and at much discomfort, to witness the humiliation -of the "Saxon."</p> - -<p>Twm was last upon the to-be-contested field, -and a great shout of laughter went up as he was -seen riding along upon a wretched horse, in the -last stage of decrepitude. The Englishman did -not quite know whether to feel insulted or amused, -but Twm, once arrived on the scene, did not -linger. Quickly he took a thick cloth and bound -it over the head of his horse; and then, bidding -the Englishman follow him, put his mount at a -rift in the mountain-side some hundreds of feet -deep. Over leapt the horse, and was in another -half a minute lying dead, shattered in its fall -on the rocks below.</p> - -<p>Even those of his countrymen who knew the -resourcefulness of their hero, and had backed him -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> -heavily, now lost heart; but in another minute -up rose the head and shoulders of Twm above the -edge, and he presently leapt among them unhurt, -to receive his winnings from the astounded -Englishman. He had adroitly slipped from the -horse's back at the moment of his taking off, and -leapt into the bushes that grew out of the face -of the cliff. The horse itself merely met its end -in a different manner from that already ordained -for it that day, when it was to have been -slaughtered, as being past work.</p> - -<p>His friend and patron, Sir John Devereux, -perceiving how well able Twm was to take care -of himself, and being under the necessity of -despatching a considerable amount of money in -gold to London, and obliged at the same time to -remain at home, he entrusted him with the -commission. He would have given Twm an -escort of one or two servants, but that worthy, -shrewdly remarking that it would be as much worth -their while as that of a highwayman to rob him, -declined all company, and, in the oldest clothes he -could find, set out alone on a shaggy Welsh pony. -He had gone two-thirds of his journey without -adventure, and put up one night, contentedly -enough, at what is described as the "Hop Pole," -a "lonely inn on the bleak downs near Marlborough"—although -there really seems never to -have been a house of that name near: perhaps -"Shepherd's Shore," or the "Waggon and Horses" -at Beckhampton would serve better. When he -retired for the night, and was lying still and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> -wakeful, he overheard the landlady and a strange -man discussing him. The landlady was saying -she did not suppose a traveller like our Twm, -"dressed like a scarecrow and mounted on a piece -of animated carrion, for which the rooks cawed as -he rode along," was worth robbing.</p> - -<p>"I don't know so much about that," he heard -the other—obviously a highwayman—reply. -"Very often these miserable-looking people you -see on the roads disguise their wealth in this -way, and are in reality carrying a great deal of -money about with them: sometimes half a year's -rent of a considerable estate. This fellow -seems to be one of that kind. We shall see -to-morrow."</p> - -<p>Twm remembered having seen a plaguey ill-looking -fellow in the house, and lay long awake, -wondering what he should be at, and pleased that, -anyhow, he was not to be interfered with that -night. But he felt sure of being followed as soon -as ever he left the house, and bethought him, -there and then, of an ingenious plan. Before -their very eyes next morning, he rummaged in -the peak of his saddle, as if to arrange it more -comfortably, and in so doing managed to disclose -some gold to their covetous gaze. Then he was -soon off; not travelling very fast, as may be -supposed, on his laden pony. So soon as he was -out of sight of the inn, he hopped off and -transferred the money from the saddle to his -pockets. Then he resumed his way.</p> - -<p>Presently, as he had expected, he heard the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> -highwayman thundering along in his rear. When -the pursuer came well in sight, Twm hurriedly -dismounted again, and, unloosening the saddle, -flung it as far as he was able into a pond that -spread by the wayside. Dismounting himself, -the highwayman, leaving Twm for the moment, -plunged knee-deep into the pond for the treasure, -as he supposed, and Twm leapt nimbly on his -thoroughbred horse: no highwayman of tradition -ever riding a horse that was not thoroughbred, -whatever the sorry jades the real ones had often -to bestride.</p> - -<p>When Twm cantered happily into Marlborough -on the highwayman's steed, and told his story, -the townspeople, who it appears had suffered -much from the knights of the road, welcomed him -as a hero, and entertained him at the Town Hall. -If he had not been in a hurry, they might perhaps -have presented him with the freedom of the borough. -Perhaps they did so on his return. He sold his -horse for a good round sum, for he thought it -dangerous to ride up to London on so fine a mount. -Therefore, armed with one pistol, he resumed the -journey on foot, and to my mind it seems either a -testimony to the honesty or the lack of enterprise -among the burgesses of Marlborough, that some -one or other of them did not follow him into the -secluded glades of Savernake Forest, through -which his road lay, and do for him.</p> - -<p>But he neared London without other encounters, -until he came upon Hounslow Heath. -Here the tale of the confiding highwayman and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> -the apparently stupid countryman, often told, but -always fresh, had its origin. Twm was duly -pulled up on the Heath by a robber, who appears -to have been none other than Tom Dorbel, famous -in his day. Dorbel was bristling with an armoury -of pistols. Our ingenious Twm, affecting to -be seized with the abject terror of a country -lout, earnestly begged the ruffian, before he -robbed him, to put half-a-dozen bullets through -his coat, so that his master might easily see how -good a fight he had made of it, before yielding -his treasure. He took off his coat for the purpose, -and the highwayman very obligingly complied -with this very reasonable request.</p> - -<p>Twm capered about like the idiot he pretended -to be. "That wass ferry coot of you—yess, -inteet," he said; "and if you wass put another -look you, through my hat, it wass pe petter still, -whateffer."</p> - -<p>The highwayman, wondering what special kind -of lunatic he had happened upon, fired his last -pistol through the hat as desired, when "Now," -said Twm, himself producing a pistol, "it iss my -turn. Out with your coin, or I will put a pig -hole through your pody." And Twm not only -saved his master's coin, but robbed the highwayman -as well.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p073.jpg" id="i_p073.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p073.jpg" width="600" height="382" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">TWM SHON CATTI AND THE HIGHWAYMAN.</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="JOHN_WITHERS_AND_WILLIAM" id="JOHN_WITHERS_AND_WILLIAM"></a> - JOHN WITHERS AND WILLIAM EDWARDS</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">John Withers</span>, one of the most ferocious of those -highwaymen who did not scruple to add murder -to their crimes, was born in the last quarter of -the seventeenth century, at Lichfield. He was the -son of a butcher, in so small a way of business -that his father could not find employment for -him; and so, in order to get a start in life, he -set off for London. Arrived there, he was drawn -by his natural bent into the company of criminals, -and, throwing in his lot with them, was soon -arrested and found guilty on charges of larceny, -with violence. He escaped punishment by accepting -the offer, generally made at that time, of -enlisting in the army, and was sent out to the -Flanders expedition. Here, perhaps, we see an -explanation of the well-known expression, "Our -armies swore terribly in Flanders." If it was -composed largely of reprieved criminals, there can -be no doubt that its language could not have -been choice, nor its conduct exemplary. "My -blackguards," the Duke of Wellington styled his -men, who fought so well and endured so greatly -in the Peninsula; for even so lately as that -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> -period the rank-and-file were composed of the -offscourings of society; but they must have been -well-mannered gentlemen, compared with the -soldiers of a century earlier.</p> - -<p>Sacrilege presently engaged the attention of -Withers in Flanders. Entering a church in Ghent -during high mass, and observing the people -placing money in a box that stood in front of -a figure of the Virgin, he awaited a favourable -opportunity, picked the lock, and filled his pockets -with the contents. "Unfortunately," says his -sympathetic biographer, "in haste to carry off his -plunder, some of the money fell upon the pavement, -ringing out sharply in the stillness of the -church; so that he was detected in the act."</p> - -<p>Taken before the venerable Cardinal, and -examined, he was about to be taken off in custody; -when, falling upon his knees, with uplifted hands -he begged the Cardinal to listen to him. He then -declared with ready lies, that, brought up as a -heretic, and falling into evil ways that had brought -him to want and misery, he had seen the folly -of his life, and offered prayers before the effigy -of the Virgin Mary. While he was thus praying, -he continued, the figure pointed to the box, as -if it were giving him leave to take what was -necessary to supply his wants. In consequence -of this singular interposition on his behalf, he -concluded he had made up his mind to become -a Roman Catholic, but at the moment of this -decision he had been arrested.</p> - -<p>This singular narrative was heard by the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> -Cardinal with much surprise, and at the close of -it he exclaimed, fervently, "A miracle indeed!" -All who had heard it also shared the same opinion -and "it being justly concluded that none had -a better right to dispose of the money than the -Virgin herself, to whom it was devoted," Withers -was carried in solemn procession, as a convert -singularly honoured, and placed before the high -altar while an Ave Maria was sung.</p> - -<p>It is not, it may be added, necessary to believe -this precious story in its entirety. Withers was, -of course, as we shall see, capable of worse than -this, and the probability is that the actual theft -was committed by him; but we can hardly believe -the Roman Catholic clergy quite such fools -as they figure here.</p> - -<p>At Antwerp, Withers made a second essay in -sacrilege. There he stole a great silver crucifix. -But he felt that there was really no career for -him in these enterprises, and so, deserting from -the army, he crossed to England, and took up the -profession of highwayman.</p> - -<p>It would be of little interest to follow Withers -in all his highway doings, but the adventure of -himself and two companions with an actor on the -road is perhaps worth repeating. They espied -one morning a gentleman walking alone and -displaying all the gestures of passion, distraction, -and fury to excess; casting his eyes to -heaven, stretching forth his arms imploringly, -or folding them moodily upon his breast. Near -by was a pond.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Make haste!" exclaimed Withers to his -companions, "'tis even as we thought; the poor -gentleman is just going to kill himself for love." -Then, rushing towards him, two of them taking -an arm each, Withers addressed him earnestly: -"Pray, sir, consider what you do! what a sad -thing it would be to drown yourself here. Be -better advised and consider, before it is too late."</p> - -<p>The actor was indignant. "What a plague is -all this for?" he asked. "I am not going to -hang, stab, or drown myself. I am not in love, -but only a player, learning a part."</p> - -<p>"A player, are you?" rejoined Withers. "If -I had thought that, you should have drowned -yourself, or hanged yourself indeed, before we -had taken the pains to follow you up and down. -But, to make amends for our trouble, the least -you can do will be to give us what money you -have."</p> - -<p>So saying, they bound his hands and legs -together, emptied his pockets of ten shillings, and -took away a silver-hilted sword he carried.</p> - -<p>It is, in this connection, curious to observe the -animus displayed against the stage. It is met -largely in the satire of the time, and not -merely in the literature inspired by the Puritans, -but even in those by no means puritanical books -and plays in which the highwaymen figure as -heroes. Thus, in the play, the <i>Prince of Priggs</i>, -written around the career of Captain Hind, but -not intended to be staged, we find the prologue -chiefly concerned with a sneer at those "apes and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> -parrots," silenced under the sour rule of the -Commonwealth:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="verse">Since that the Apes and Parrots of the Stage,</div> - <div class="verse">Are silenc'd by the Clamours of the Age;</div> - <div class="verse">Like Conies forc'd to feed on bran and grass,</div> - <div class="verse">(The true Desciples of <i>Pithagoras</i>)</div> - <div class="verse">Whose Copper-Lace, - <a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a> - <a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> and Copper-Noses once</div> - <div class="verse">Made them to think themselves great <i>Prester-Johns</i>:</div> - <div class="verse">You'l (sure) have cause to praise, and thank that man,</div> - <div class="verse">Can make each thief a compleat <i>Roscian</i>:</div> - <div class="verse">Then much good doe't you (Sirs) fall to and eat,</div> - <div class="verse">You ne're had cheaper (perhaps) better meat.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - <p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a> - <a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> - <i>i.e.</i> imitation gold-lace.</p> -</div> - -<p>The last adventure of Withers was that in -which he and a companion, William Edwards by -name, near Beaconsfield beset a nobleman and his -servant. Withers' horse was shot in the resistance -they made, and, mounting behind his friend, they -took to flight. But the horse with two riders was -no match for the others, not so heavily burdened; -and, being hard pressed along the road, the two -fugitives dismounted and ran across country in the -direction of London. Sleeping in the hedges -overnight, the next morning they continued their -flight. Meeting, one mile on the London side of -Uxbridge, with a penny postman, they robbed -him of eight shillings; and Withers, to prevent -their being identified, drew a large butcher's knife -he carried, and barbarously cut his throat. They -then ripped up his body, filled his stomach with -stones, and flung him into the little stream that -here flows across the road. The burial registers of -Hillingdon church bear witness to this and to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> -another murder they appear to have committed at, -or near, the same place; "1702, November 13. -Will Harrison, Postman, murdered near the -Great Bridge between Hillingdon and Uxbridge. -November 28. Edward Symonds, Drover, murdered -at the same time, and about the same place, -and by the same hands."</p> - -<p>Withers and Edwards were arrested the following -January in Norfolk, for a highway robbery -committed there, and were tried and executed at -Thetford, April 16th, 1703.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="PATRICK_OBRIAN" id="PATRICK_OBRIAN"></a>PATRICK O'BRIAN</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">"Patrick O'Brian,"</span> says Captain Alexander -Smith, "was a native of Ireland." Perhaps we -might, without undue stress of mind, have guessed -as much. It seems that his parents were very -indigent natives of Loughrea, and so Patrick left -his native land for England, and presently enlisted -in the Coldstream Guards. But he was not a -good soldier; or, at any rate, if good in that -profession, infinitely better in the practice of all -kinds of vice. He was resolved not to want -money, if there were any to be obtained, no -matter the means to it; but began cautiously by -running into debt at public-houses and shops; and -then followed up that first step by borrowing -from every acquaintance, until that source was -dried up.</p> - -<p>When all these means to existence were -exhausted, O'Brian went upon the road. The -first person whom he met was, strange to say, -another unmitigated scoundrel: none other, in -fact, than the Reverend William Clewer, vicar of -Croydon, who here demands a little paragraph -entirely to himself.</p> - -<p>William Clewer, who was collated to the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> -living of Croydon in 1660, was notorious, we are -told, for his singular love of litigation, unparalleled -extortions, and criminal and disgraceful -conduct. His character became so bad, and his -ways of life so notorious, that he was eventually -ejected in 1684. He must have been, indeed, -pre-eminently bad, to have been ejected in that -easy-going age. Dispossessed of his living, on -these substantial grounds, he at last died, in 1702, -and was buried in St. Bride's, Fleet Street.</p> - -<p>We are indebted to Smith for the account of -the meeting of O'Brian and this shining light -of the clerical profession:</p> - -<p>"O'Brian, meeting with Dr. Clewer, who was -try'd once and burnt in the hand at the Old -Bailey for stealing a silver cup, coming along -the road from Acton, he demanded his money; -but the reverend doctor having not a farthing -about him, O'Brian was for taking his gown. At -this our divine was much dissatisfied; but, perceiving -his enemy would plunder him, quoth he: -'Pray, sir, let me have a chance for my gown'; -so, pulling a pack of cards out of his pocket, he -further said: 'We'll have, if you please, one game -of all-fours for it, and if you win it, take it and -wear it.' This challenge was readily accepted -by the footpad; but, being more cunning than -his antagonist at slipping and palming the cards, -he won the game, and the doctor went contentedly -home without his canonicals."</p> - -<p>On one memorable occasion, O'Brian happened, -in his lurkings upon the road, to stop a man who -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> -proved to be an acrobat, and who, when Patrick -bade him "stand and deliver!" instantly jumped -over his head. The ignorant and superstitious -Irishman thought he had chanced upon the -devil himself, come to sport with him before his -time, and while he was trembling and crossing -himself, the acrobat, rolling along the road in -a series of somersaults and cartwheels, got clear -away.</p> - -<p>These adventures appear to have been mere -tentative experiments, for we learn that O'Brian -then deserted from the army and commenced -highwayman in earnest. He one day stopped the -carriage of none other than Nell Gwynne and -addressed her thus: "Madam, I am a gentleman. -I have done a great many signal services to the -fair sex, and have, in return, been all my life -maintained by them. Now, as I know you to be -a charitable woman, I make bold to ask you for -a little money; though I never had the honour -of serving you in particular. However, if any -opportunity shall ever fall in my way, you may -depend upon it I will not be ungrateful."</p> - -<p>Nell, we are told, made this mercenary knight-errant -a present of ten guineas.</p> - -<p>It was the same with O'Brian as with every -other wicked man, says Smith; he was eager to -lead others into the evil path himself had chosen. -In particular, he induced a young man named -Wilt to become a highwayman; and Wilt was -unfortunate enough to be apprehended in his first -experiment and to be hanged for it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p> - -<p>O'Brian was also arrested, and hanged at -Gloucester. After his body had swung the usual -time, it was cut down and his friends were allowed -to carry it off. When it was taken indoors, it -was observed to move slightly, strange to say; -upon which a surgeon was hurriedly called; and, -what with being bled and his limbs being exercised, -O'Brian was presently restored to life.</p> - -<p>This marvellous recovery was kept a strict -secret for a time, and it was hoped the experience -would have a salutary effect, the more especially -as his friends were willing to contribute towards -his support in some retired employment. He -agreed to reform his life, and, indeed, while the -memory of the bitterness of death was fresh upon -him, kept his promise; but as that dreadful -impression wore off by degrees, he returned to his -former ways. Abandoning an honest life, he -procured a horse (Smith says he purchased one, -but we may be allowed our doubts upon that -matter) "and other necessaries": <i>i.e.</i> pistols, -powder and ball, and sword, and again visited the -road.</p> - -<p>This was about one year after his execution -and supposed death, and the travelling public of -the districts he had principally affected had long -grown tired of congratulating themselves upon -his disappearance, and were quite accustomed to -thinking of him as a memory. It was, therefore, -a bad shock to the gentleman whom he had last -robbed, and for plundering whom he had been, to -all appearance, satisfactorily turned off, when he -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> -was the first person to be stopped by O'Brian in -this second series of his adventures.</p> - -<p>His consternation, we are told, and may readily -believe, was great. "Wher—why?" he asked, -with chattering teeth, "I ther—thought you had -been hanged a twelvemonth ago."</p> - -<p>"So I was," rejoined O'Brian, "and therefore -you ought to imagine that what you see now is -only my ghost. However, lest you should be so -uncivil as to hang my ghost too, I think the best -way is to secure you." So saying, he discharged -a pistol through the gentleman's head, and, -alighting from his horse, in a fury hewed the -body to pieces with his hanger.</p> - -<p>Later, he committed a fearful atrocity in Wiltshire, -which, although fully detailed in contemporary -literature, cannot be set forth here. -He carried off at the same time no less a sum of -money than £2,500; but was fortunately brought -to justice after a further two years of miscellaneous -plundering, chiefly through the evidence of an -accomplice lying under sentence of death in -Bedford gaol. He was taken at his lodgings -in Little Suffolk Street, by the Haymarket, and -then sent down to Salisbury, to be tried for his -Wiltshire enormity. Once lodged in gaol there, -he confessed a series of crimes, for which he was -executed on April 30th, 1689, aged thirty-one.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="JACK_BIRD" id="JACK_BIRD"></a>JACK BIRD</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">Jack Bird</span> was humbly born and as humbly -educated. When it is added that he was born in -the second half of the seventeenth century, it -will rightly be supposed that his education did -not include any of the sciences, and that it -probably did not go far beyond teaching him to -write his own name. He had no use for even -that small accomplishment, for he was apprenticed -to a baker, and before his indentures were expired -had run away and 'listed for a soldier in the foot-guards; -being almost immediately sent out to the -Low Countries. He served under the Duke of -Monmouth at the siege of Maestricht, but found -too many masters in the army, and so deserted -and made his way to Amsterdam, where he -commenced a new career by stealing a piece of -silk. He was detected in the act, taken before -a magistrate, and condemned to a term of hard -labour in the "rasp-house," where he was set to -rasping log-wood, and to other severe drudgeries, -for the term of twelve months. Unaccustomed -to such hard labour, Jack fainted at his tasks, but -the labour-master set it down to laziness, and to -cure it, chained him in the bottom of an empty -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> -cistern by one foot, and caused a number of taps -to be turned on, so that the cistern began rapidly -to fill and the prisoner to be obliged, as the cistern -was deeper than his own height, to work vigorously -at a pump fixed in it, lest the water should -gain upon, and drown, him. An hour's experience -of this ingenious punishment rendered him quite -anxious to return to the labour that had before -been too much for him.</p> - -<p>At the end of his term of bondage he hastened -to take leave of Holland and the Hollanders, who -had proved themselves such connoisseurs in quaint -punishments. In England, justice certainly was -more severe, and hanged men who stole quite -trivial things, but it did not make people perform -such hard labour, and Jack was one of those who -would rather die than work. There are many -of his kind even now.</p> - -<p>Although hard labour was distasteful to our -hero, he was by no means satisfied to live as -humbly as he had been born, and his thoughts -turned lightly to the road, as a likely place on -which to pick up a good living without over-exertion. -There was the choice of footpad or -highwayman, and of course he chose the higher -branch of the profession; for a footpad had to -pad the hoof and be content, after all, with -robbing the comparatively poor; while a highwayman -could cut a fine figure on horseback, -plunder the best, and be at little personal -fatigue in doing so. Many foolish fellows, -commencing highwayman, would hire, or even -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> -purchase, a horse; not so Jack Bird. "Thorough" -was his motto, and he began business by stealing -the mount he fancied. At the same time he took -excellent good care to go fully armed, for we -read that he provided himself with six good pistols -and a broadsword. In this fortified condition, -and in the dress of a gentleman, he opened his -campaign. His first few attempts were highly -successful, but he soon learned, in a painful -adventure on the Dover Road, between Gravesend -and Chatham, that fortune is fickle. There he -encountered one Joseph Pinnis, a pilot, who was -returning from London, where he had received -ten or twelve pounds for piloting a Dutch ship -up-river. He had been so unfortunate as to -lose both hands during an engagement in the -Dutch war, some years earlier, and it seemed -to our callous highwayman an easy task to rob -him.</p> - -<p>Summoned to "Stand and deliver!" the pilot -replied, "You see, sir, that I have never a hand, -so cannot take my money out of my pocket. Be -so kind, therefore, as to take the trouble to search -me."</p> - -<p>The highwayman, without the slightest misgiving, -complied with this very reasonable request, -and securing the pilot's purse, began to examine -its contents, when he found himself suddenly -seized around the waist by the traveller, who -appeared to have enormous strength in his arms, -even though he had no hands. He succeeded in -overthrowing the highwayman, and falling upon -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> -him, beat him fearfully about the face with his -metal-shod wrists.</p> - -<p>Presently some other travellers approached, -and, asking the cause of the struggle, Pinnis told -them: asking them to take a hand and give the -ruffian a further drubbing, and adding that he -was almost out of breath with what he had done -already.</p> - -<p>The travellers then, informed of the whole -affair, conducted Bird in custody to a magistrate, -who committed him to Maidstone gaol, where he -was tried and condemned to death, but was afterwards, -for some reason that has escaped the -historian, pardoned and set at liberty, to work -more outrages upon unarmed and inoffensive folk.</p> - -<p>At first, however, the danger and indignity -he had passed through, of being so completely -vanquished by a handless man, whom he had at -first foolishly despised, quite put him out of -conceit with himself and the road, and he resolved -to abandon an employment which had at first -promised so well, only to turn out so ill. But -work—real work—was uncongenial as ever, and as -he had to exist somehow, it happened that the -road called him successfully again, after all.</p> - -<p>The first person he encountered in his new -series of adventures was a Welsh drover, who -proved to be a muscular man, and the very devil -of a fellow with that nasty weapon, the quarter-staff. -"Once bit, twice shy," murmured Jack, -withdrawing swiftly out of reach. "If a villain -of a sailor without hands can overthrow me, I -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> -shall not venture my carcase within reach of one -that has hands, for fear of something worse." So, -he pulled a pistol from the armoury he carried in -his belt, and from a safe distance shot the drover -through the head. He then searched the body -and found, to his disgust, only eighteenpence. -But he summoned what philosophy he could over -this disappointment, and, cynically remarking -that "'Tis a price worth killing a man for, any -time," rode off without the least remorse.</p> - -<p>On another occasion he met the original -"Poor Robin," the almanac-writer and humorous -prognosticator; and as he did not disdain to exact -contributions from the poor, as well as the rich -(although "Poor Robin" probably was by no -means so poor as his name would imply), he desired -the calendar-maker to halt and surrender. As -this was the first time Poor Robin had heard such -language, and as he had received no hint of this -occasion from the stars, he stood and stared, as if -himself had been planet-struck.</p> - -<p>"Come now," said Jack, "this is no child's -play: I am in earnest."</p> - -<p>Robin pleaded the poverty to which, he said, -his nickname bore witness.</p> - -<p>"That," returned Bird, "is a miserable, threadbare -excuse, and will not save your bacon."</p> - -<p>"But," pleaded the almanac-maker, "as -author of those calendars that yearly come out -in my name, I have canonised a great many -gentlemen of your profession; look in them for -their names, and let this be my protection."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p> - -<p>But all in vain; Bird ransacked his pockets, -and from them extracted fifteen shillings, took a -new hat from his head, and requested him, as he -had now given him cause, to canonise him also.</p> - -<p>"Ay!" exclaimed Poor Robin grimly, "that -will I, when you have suffered martyrdom at -Tyburn, which will not be long hence."</p> - -<p>"Poor Robin's" publications, it may be said, -in this connection, are well worth examination. -In an age when Lilly, Perkins, and a host of -others issued prophetic almanacs, divining future -events from the stars, and were extensively believed -in, "Poor Robin's" almanac, year by year, -made much fun out of those pretensions; fun -that sometimes reads curiously modern. Seventeenth-century -humour is, as a rule, as flat to the -modern taste as champagne opened and left to -stand, but much of "Poor Robin's" wit and -humour still sparkles. While Perkins, with a -provoking solemnity, would give a chronological -table of events from the Year One and would -proceed by degrees from "Adam, created 1, <span class="sc">B.C.</span>, -3962," and would continue by way of "Methuselah, -born 687, <span class="sc">B.C.</span>, 2306," to "The Tyrant Oliver -began his government, December 16th, 1653"; -"Poor Robin" would devote his attention largely -to the days when highwaymen were hanged, and -would draw farcical conclusions from planetary -dispositions. Thus we find him saying:</p> - -<p>"Now the effects of the conjunction of Saturn -and Mars will much operate: such conjunctions -are always attended with remarkable accidents. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> -There was one in the year 1672, and the German -Princess rode up Holborn Hill; another in 1673, -and Du Vail visited the three-legged tenement at -Hyde Park Corner. I might instance in divers -other examples, but these shall suffice."</p> - -<p>The so-called "German Princess" was an -adventuress, really a native of Canterbury, and a -daughter of one of the choristers in the Cathedral -there, named Moders. She was hanged at Tyburn, -in 1678 (not in 1672), and so was Du Vall (not at -Hyde Park Corner, and not in 1673).</p> - -<p>In his burlesque monthly forecasts of the -weather and public events, he evidently reflects -upon his serious contemporaries, whose predictions -would occasionally go wrong, and who, like our -modern "Old Moore," would in consequence grow -less cocksure and more cautious, and would then -more or less cleverly tell readers to "expect" -something or other, together with such eminently -safe remarks for February and March as, "Wind -and rainstorms are to be looked for by the -farmer."</p> - -<p>In February 1664, for example, "Poor Robin," -in burlesque of this kind of thing, warns his readers -to "expect some showers of rain, either this month -or the next, or the next after that, or else we shall -have a very dry spring.... The twenty-seventh -day of this month died Cardinal Mazarine, and if -you would know the reason why he died, then, I -answer, it was because he could live no longer."</p> - -<p>Under June, he declares that, "If the frost nips -the fruit trees, there will be no apples." In July, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> -"Fleas will grow troublesome, and will lie with -you without leave," and elsewhere we find that -"Tyburn shall be a great eye-sore to Highway -men and cut-purses," and that "The leafless tree -betwixt London and Paddington will this month -bear fruit, but it will be only Medlers, and they -are stark naught until they are rotten." The -which extracts fully illustrate the allusions in the -short life of Jack Bird.</p> - -<p>Made bold by a long series of successes, Bird -procured a good horse and determined never again -to stoop to robbing for mere shillings. A meeting -with the Earl of ——, rolling along in his -carriage, accompanied by his chaplain, and attended -by two servants, gave him his first opportunity -of putting this excellent determination -into practice.</p> - -<p>"You must stop, my lord!" exclaimed Bird, -threatening him with one pistol, and the coachman -with the other.</p> - -<p>"The devil I must!" said his lordship; "who -the——"—here the chaplain gave a loud cough, -and the word was lost in the throaty rasp he produced—"what -the——" ("ahem!" from the chaplain) -"are you then, fellow, that you bid me pull -up on the roadway for you, you——?"</p> - -<p>"An honest collector of tolls, your lordship," -said Bird: "your purse this instant!"</p> - -<p>"So! that is the way of it?" replied his lordship. -"I am very little anxious about the small -sum I have about me, but I intend you shall fight -for it."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span></p> - -<p>Bird then flew into a passion, and swore -terribly, after the low fashion then proverbially -prevalent among our soldiers in the Low Countries. -He waved his pistols excitedly.</p> - -<p>"Don't lose your temper," said my lord. -"When I said 'fight,' I meant boxing, and not -shooting, and I will fight you fairly for all the -money I have, against nothing."</p> - -<p>"That is an honourable challenge, my lord," -replied Bird, "provided none of your servants be -near us."</p> - -<p>His lordship then commanded them to withdraw -to a distance. The chaplain, however, could -not endure the thought of the Earl fighting while -he was but an idle spectator, and requested the -honour of being his patron's champion.</p> - -<p>Matters were arranged: the divine stripped off -his gown, and in another half a minute the scene -resounded with the thuds and grunts of the combatants, -as they planted blows home on each other's -faces and bodies. In less than a quarter of an -hour the chaplain was knocked out of time, with -only breath enough remaining to exclaim, "I'll -fight no more!" Bird was unquestioned victor. -"Now, my lord," said he, turning to the carriage, -"if it please your lordship, I will take a turn with -you."</p> - -<p>"Not I!" earnestly replied the Earl, "for if -you can beat my chaplain, you will surely beat -me, for we have tried it out before." So saying, -he handed the highwayman the sum of twenty -guineas he was carrying.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p095.jpg" id="i_p095.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p095.jpg" width="358" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">JACK BIRD FIGHTS THE CHAPLAIN.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span></p> - -<p>Bird's career was closed by a foolish act. He, -in company with a woman, knocked down and -robbed a man in Drury Lane. The woman was -seized on the spot, but Bird escaped. Going, however, -to visit her in prison, he himself was -arrested; and, being found guilty, he was executed -at Tyburn, March 12th, 1690, aged forty-two.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="WILL_OGDEN_JACK_BRADSHAW_AND" id="WILL_OGDEN_JACK_BRADSHAW_AND"></a> - WILL OGDEN, JACK BRADSHAW, AND TOM REYNOLDS</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">Will Ogden</span>, who was born in Walnut Tree -Alley, Tooley Street, Southwark, now claims our -attention. He was a waterman by trade and a -highwayman by inclination, so that he presently -exchanged the river for the road. But he did not -blossom out all at once as a fully-equipped highwayman. -He passed a kind of transition period -of about two years in the plundering of ships lying -in the Pool, between Southwark and Billingsgate, -and in the rifling of waterside shops. In these -activities he was associated with one Tom -Reynolds, a native of Cross Key Alley, Barnaby -Street, and admiral of a sludge-barge. Being -apprehended in the burglary of a watch-maker's -shop, they were lodged in Newgate, and tried and -convicted at the Old Bailey; but received a -pardon, on what grounds does not appear.</p> - -<p>This ended their burgling experiences, and -they then agreed to go upon the road, in the -humbler, padding form of the highwayman's -trade.</p> - -<p>Early in their experiences, Ogden one evening -met a parson walking home by the light of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> -moon, and approached him in the character of a -distressed seaman walking the highway to the -nearest port, where he might chance to get a ship. -His dismal story excited the compassion of the -parson, who gave him sixpence and passed on.</p> - -<p>He had not proceeded far when Ogden, who -had hurried round in advance of him by a side -lane, approached him again, and renewed his -story.</p> - -<p>"You are the most impudent beggar I ever -met," exclaimed the parson; but Ogden told him -he was in very great want, and that the sixpence -he had received would not carry him very far. -The parson then gave him half-a-crown, which -Ogden gratefully accepted, adding: "These are -very sad times, and there's horrid robbing -abroad; so, if you have any more money about -you, you may as well let me have it, as another -who don't deserve it so much, and may perhaps -even ill-use you, and, binding you hand and foot, -make you lie in the cold all night. If you'll -give me your money, I'll take care of you, and -conduct you safely home."</p> - -<p>An offer of this kind, so delicately and yet -so significantly framed, had only to be made to -be accepted by any prudent man, who did not -feel himself equal to knocking that impudent -humorist on the head; and so the parson made -a virtue of necessity, and, as cheerfully as he -could, handed him all his money; about forty -shillings.</p> - -<p>Ogden then remarked, "I see you have a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> -watch, sir; you may as well let me have that -too." Whereupon the watch also changed hands.</p> - -<p>As they were thus plodding along two or three -men, accomplices of the ingenious Ogden, came -out of the wayside bushes; but Ogden calling -out their pass-words, "The moon shines bright," -they let them proceed. A little further on, the -same incident was repeated, by which the parson -could clearly see that, had he not met with the -gentle and persuasive Ogden, he might in all -likelihood have fallen into far worse hands, and -have been ill-used and tied up, even as he had -been warned.</p> - -<p>The clergyman was at last brought safely to -his own door, and so greatly appreciated this -safe-conduct—though at the loss of some forty -shillings and a watch—that he invited Ogden in; -but that person was as cautious as ingenious, -and declined. He thought the clergyman was -laying a trap for him; but he said he had no -objection to taking a drink outside. The good -parson then brought a bottle of wine, and, drinking -to Ogden, gave him the bottle and the glass -to help himself, upon which he ran off with both.</p> - -<p>A little later, Ogden met a well-known dandy -of that time, Beau Medlicott by name. He -commanded the Beau to stand and empty his -pockets, but instead of doing so, he drew his -sword and made some half-hearted passes with it. -Ogden thereupon drew his pistols, and the Beau -was obliged to yield to superior armament. But -Ogden might have left that fashionable person -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> -alone, for he had little about him. Like the more -or less famous music-hall character, "La-di-da," -of whom he must surely have been the ancestor, -he was scarcely worth robbing. Of what was that -music-hall celebrity possessed?</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="verse">He'd a penny papah collah round his throat, la-di-da;</div> - <div class="verse">A penny papah flowah in his coat, la-di-da;</div> - <div class="verse">In his mouth a penny pick, in his hand a penny stick,</div> - <div class="verse">And a penny in his pocket, la-di-da, la-di-da,</div> - <div class="verse">And a penny in his pocket, la-di-da!</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>The contents of Beau Medlicott's pockets were -pitiful enough to draw tears of rage from any -self-respecting highwayman: consisting only of -two half-crowns; and one of them was a brass -counterfeit!</p> - -<p>Ogden very rightly gave that cheap toff a good -thrashing.</p> - -<p>Reynolds does not appear in the stories -just narrated; but in addition to another ally, -Bradshaw by name, said to have been a grandson -of that Serjeant Bradshaw who was one of the -regicides, he now appears lurking in the woods on -Shooter's Hill, one night in 1714, for whatever -fortune might be pleased to send them. It was -poor sport that evening, for only a servant-girl, -one Cecilia Fowley, came along the road, carrying -her box; but these low-down footpads despised -nothing, and were ready to rob any one.</p> - -<p>It was not worth the while of the three, they -thought, to rush out of their lurking-place for -the sake of one servant-girl, and so they deputed -Bradshaw for the job. He accordingly sprang -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> -into the road, seized the box, and broke it into -fragments. It contained the girl's clothes, "and -fifteen shillings, being all her wages for three -months' service." (Servants were cheap then, it -seems.)</p> - -<p>Turning over these things, Bradshaw turned -out a hammer, which the girl seized, and suddenly -dealt him a blow with it upon the temple, followed -by another with the claw of the hammer upon -his neck, which tore his throat open. He fell -down in the road, and died there.</p> - -<p>At that moment, up came a gentleman, to -whom the girl narrated the circumstances. He -searched the dead man's pockets, and found in -them a large sum of money and a whistle. -Putting the whistle to his mouth, he blew upon it—a -rash enough thing to do—and thereupon Ogden -and Reynolds leapt out from the wayside coverts. -Finding, however, that something disastrous had -happened, and that it was a stranger who had -whistled them, they fled.</p> - -<p>Odgen and Reynolds at a later date met a -tallyman, who was a well-known trader in St. -Giles, and demanded his money. "Money!" he -exclaimed; he was merely a poor man, who had -the greatest difficulty in earning his daily bread.</p> - -<p>"Thou spawn of h—ll!" exclaimed Ogden, -in a violent passion—or, at least, an excellent -imitation of it—"have pity on thee, shall I? No, -sirrah, I know thee too well, and I would almost -as soon be kind to a bailiff or an informing -constable, as to you. A tallyman and a rogue -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> -are terms of similar import. Every Friday you -set up a tenter in the Marshalsea Court, upon -which you rack and stretch poor prisoners like -English broadcloth, beyond the staple of the wool, -till the threads crack; which causes them, with -the least wet, to shrink, and presently to wear -threadbare. I say that you, and all your calling, -are worse rogues than ever were hanged at -Tyburn."</p> - -<p>After this abominable abuse, Ogden went over -his pockets, stripped him naked, and bound him -hand and foot, and left him in a ditch, "to -ruminate on his former villainies." By which -it would seem quite evident that tallymen shared -the hatred felt for attorneys.</p> - -<p>Ogden and Reynolds were the particular -friends of Thomas Jones and John Richardson, -the one a butler and the other a footman, in the -employ of a gentleman living at Eltham. They -instructed the footman and the butler in their -own business, and it was not long before they -took to robbing on Blackheath, whenever their -master was away from home. On one of these -occasions, they plundered a gentleman, and left -him bound on the heath, and, their master coming -home unexpectedly, found him there, and after -the manner of a Good Samaritan, took him to his -own house, and gave him a glass of wine, to -recruit his spirits. The butler no sooner appeared, -than the ill-used traveller, much to the astonishment -of himself and his master, recognised him -as one of the men who had attacked and robbed -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> -him. The guilty pair were eventually hanged at -Rochester, on April 2nd, 1714.</p> - -<p>Ogden and Reynolds ended at last at Kingston, -on April 23rd, 1714; Ogden himself dying with -an air of complete indifference. He threw a -handful of small change among the crowd, with -the remark: "Gentlemen, here is a poor Will's -farewell."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="JACK_OVET" id="JACK_OVET"></a>JACK OVET</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">Jack Ovet</span> was born at Nottingham, and after -serving his time as apprentice to a shoemaker, -took up that useful employment for a livelihood. -But he soon grew tired of his awl and his -cobblers'-wax, and disregarding the old saw which -advises cobblers (and, no doubt, also boot and shoe -makers) to "stick to their last," deserted his last -and his bench, and took to the highway. A shoemaker -newly emancipated from his useful, but -not romantic, trade does not impress us as a figure -of romance; but that is merely prejudice; and -really he started off at score, and at his first essay -robbed a gentleman of twenty of the best, without -a moment's hesitation. The dispute as to whom -the guineas should belong took place on the road -to London from his native Nottingham, so you -will perceive how quickly Ovet fell into his stride. -Ovet argued that the guineas were rightly his, -"by the law of capture"; thus following the -theory of the poet who put the law of ownership -in property so neatly in declaring it:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="verse">His to take who has the power,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And his to keep who can.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>"Yours, you impudent scoundrel!" bellowed -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> -the traveller; "if I had not been taken unawares, -we would have seen about that."</p> - -<p>Ovet, already prepared to take the ancient -traditional line of chivalric consideration, said he -would fight fairly for the money. "Here it is -again, and whoever is best man, let him keep it." -The enraged traveller agreed to this proposal, and -they fell to fighting with swords, with the result -that the gentleman was mortally wounded, and -Ovet went off with the purse.</p> - -<p>Our ex-shoemaker was a quarrelsome fellow, -and soon after this killed another man in a heated -dispute, but escaped capture. Skulking in remote -places, afraid of being taken at a disadvantage, he -soon found himself short of money, and waylaid a -train of pack-horses. Cutting open their packs, he -discovered a number of guineas among the goods, -and finally went off with a hundred and eighty, -and three dozen silver knives, forks, and spoons.</p> - -<p>One day Jack Ovet, drinking at a wayside inn, -overheard a soapboiler and a carrier consulting -how the carrier could most securely carry a -hundred pounds to a friend in the country. It -was finally decided to convey the money in a -barrel of soap. The carrier was highly pleased -with the notion, and laughingly remarked that if -any rogue were to rob his waggon, "the devil's -cunning must be in him if he looks for any money -in the soap-barrel."</p> - -<p>Jack Ovet, later in the day, overtook him upon -the road and commanded him to stop, else he -would shoot both him and his horses.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I must make bold to borrow a little money -out of your waggon," he said; "therefore, if you -have any, direct me to it, that I may not lose any -time, which, you know, is always precious."</p> - -<p>The carrier, quite unmoved in his fancied -security, replied that he had none, and if he did -not believe him, he might, if he would, search -every box and bundle in his waggon.</p> - -<p>Ovet then, simulating a violent passion, began -to toss down every box, parcel, and barrel in the -waggon, until at last, coming to the soap-barrel, he -flung it down with all his force, so that it broke -in pieces, the money-bag appearing in midst of -the soap scattered on the road.</p> - -<p>Then, jumping down, he exclaimed, "Is not -he that sells this soap a cheating villain, to put -this bag of lead into it, to make the barrel weigh -heavier? However, that he may not succeed in -his roguery, I'll take it and sell it in the next -house I come to, for it will wet my whistle to the -tune of two or three shillings."</p> - -<p>So saying, he was making off, when the poor -carrier cried out, "Hold, hold, sir! that is not -lead. It is a bag with a hundred pounds in it, -for which I must be accountable."</p> - -<p>"No, no," returned Ovet, "this can't be -money; but if it is, tell the owner that I'll be -answerable for it, if he'll come to me."</p> - -<p>"To you! Where, then, sir, may one find -you?"</p> - -<p>"Why, truly," rejoined Ovet, with a chuckle, -"that's a question soon asked, but not so soon -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> -answered. The best answer I can give you is -that you'll probably find me in a gaol before night, -and then perhaps you may have what I have -taken, and forty pounds more."</p> - -<p>The highwaymen were generally susceptible -creatures, and Ovet not less so than his brethren. -One day, robbing the Worcester stage-coach, filled -on that occasion with young women, he was -violently smitten with one in particular.</p> - -<p>"Madam," he declared, "your charms have -softened my temper. Cast not your eyes down, -nor cover your face with those modest blushes; -and, believe me, what I have taken from necessity -is only borrowed, and shall be honourably restored, -if you will let me know where you may be found."</p> - -<p>The young woman gave him her address, and -a week later, overcome by the most violent -passion, he wrote her a love-letter in which, in -the most bombastic and ridiculous style, he expressed -his love. "Although I had the cruelty -to rob you of twenty guineas," he concluded, "you -committed at the same time a greater robbery, -by taking my heart. Do, I implore you, direct a -favourable answer."</p> - -<p>But this was the discouraging reply:</p> - -<blockquote> -<p> -"<span class="sc">Sir</span>,—</p> - -<p>"Yours I received with as great dissatisfaction -as when you robbed me. I admire -your impudence in offering yourself to me as a -husband, when I am sensible it would not be long -ere you made me a hempen widow. Perhaps -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> -some foolish girl or another may be so bewitched -as to go in white, to beg the favour of marrying -you under the gallows; but, indeed, I shall -neither venture there, nor in a church, to marry -one of your profession, whose vows are treacherous, -and whose smiles, words, and actions, like small -rivulets, through a thousand turnings of loose -passions, at last arrive at the dead sea of sin.</p> - -<p>"Should you, therefore, dissolve your eyes into -tears; were every accent in your speech a sigh; -had you all the spells and magic charms of love, -I should seal up my ears. You have already -broken your word, in not sending what you -villainously took from me; but, not valuing that, -let me tell you, for fear you should have too great -a conceit of yourself, that you are the first, to -my recollection, whom I ever hated; and, sealing -my hatred with the hopes of quickly reading your -dying speech, in case you die in London, I -presume to subscribe myself."</p> - -<p class="ar"> -"Yours, never to command."</p> -</blockquote> - -<p>Soon after this harrowing dismissal, Jack Ovet -was taken, tried, and executed, ending in May -1708, in the thirty-second year of his age.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="JOHN_HALL_RICHARD_LOW_AND" id="JOHN_HALL_RICHARD_LOW_AND"></a> - JOHN HALL, RICHARD LOW, AND STEPHEN BUNCE</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">John Hall</span>, born in 1675 of poor parents in -Bishop's Head Court, off Gray's Inn Lane, was -one of those late seventeenth and very early -eighteenth-century evil-doers, who anticipated the -sordid career of the modern thief, without any -redeeming qualities. A chimney-sweep by trade, -he was, among other things, a highwayman, but -he more often padded the hoof upon the highway -than rode along it, and he would turn his hand, -according to what he deemed the necessities of -the moment, to pocket-picking, shop-lifting, or -ringing the changes, with equal facility. At the -same time, he was not altogether a fortunate -malefactor. As a pickpocket, he was frequently -detected and, we learn, "treated in the usual -manner, by ducking in the horsepond," by those -who did not want the trouble of prosecuting him. -Happening upon more vindictive persons, he was -arrested, time after time, and thrown into Bridewell -and often whipped. Which was the more desirable, -to be flung into a horsepond, or be whipped, -it must be left to individual tastes to decide. It -depends largely, no doubt, upon the comparative -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> -filthiness of the pond and the kind of lash in use -by the brawny warders of Bridewell.</p> - -<p>He was eminently versatile, but the public -has ever looked with suspicion upon versatility; -and perhaps for this, among other reasons, his -name is scarcely famous: only notorious in a small -way as a jack-of-all-trades, except honest ones, -and a great master in no particular one.</p> - -<p>He was, it may be at once granted, industrious -enough in his perverted way, and was for always -frequenting churches, fairs, markets, and public -assemblies: he had also generally a confederate -at hand, to whom he would swiftly pass on the -swag, to be himself found empty-handed when -searched, and with nothing on him to prove his -guilt; quite in the modern style.</p> - -<p>He had, as a shoplifter, the same painfully -chequered fortunes that studded his pocket-picking -career with deplorable incidents. In -January 1682 he was convicted at the Old Bailey -of stealing a pair of shoes, and was whipped at -the cart's tail. A little later, still smarting from -that correction, he was back at the same trade, -and in the long span of eighteen years suffered -a series of duckings, whippings, and the distressing -indignities that are the common rewards of clumsy -rogues, sufficient to have cured many an one. But -Jack Hall was clearly an "habitual." The delight -of sport gilded his occupation, and salved -his moral and physical hurts; and, after all, -although he was a more than commonly blundering -criminal, it was in itself no mean feat in those -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> -severe times to follow the course he steered, -and yet for so long to keep his neck out of the -noose.</p> - -<p>After eighteen years of miscellaneous villainy, -he was convicted of breaking into the house of one -Jonathan Bretail, and for this was sentenced to be -hanged. With so lengthy a record as this, he -was fortunate indeed in receiving a pardon conditional -upon his being transported within six -months to the American colonies. Fortunate -colonies! But he escaped at the last moment -from the convict ship, and England therefore did -not lose her Hall.</p> - -<p>Having tried many kinds of petty robbery -with no very great or continued success, and being -too well known as a pickpocket and shoplifter, -against whom every pocket was buttoned, all tills -locked, and goods carefully secured, he struck -out a new line; robbing country waggons and -stealing portmanteaus off coaches. But even here, -in this arduous branch of a thief's varied business, -ill-luck malevolently pursued him; for he was -caught in the act and convicted in 1702. This -brought him a period of two years' enforced -seclusion in Bridewell, and the painful and -disfiguring sentence of branding in the cheek, -by which all men might know him on sight for -a convicted felon, and be warned accordingly. -This inevitable carrying his own condemnation -with him wherever he went severely handicapped -him when he was again at liberty; and it was -probably for this reason that he returned to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> -burglary, which, conducted at night-time, might -reasonably offer inducements to a man with a -scarred face.</p> - -<p>With Stephen Bunce, Dick Low, and others, -he broke into the shop of a baker named Clare, at -Hackney, soon after midnight. They proceeded -at once to the bakehouse, where they surprised -the journeyman and apprentice at work, and, -tying them neck and heels, threw them into the -kneading-trough. One stood guard over them -with a drawn sword, while the others went -upstairs to rob the house.</p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p113.jpg" id="i_p113.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p113.jpg" width="600" height="370" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">THE ROBBERY AT THE HACKNEY BAKER'S.</div> -</div> - -<p>The elderly Mr. Clare was awakened from -sleep and bidden disclose where his money lay, -but he stoutly refused, in spite of all their threats, -until Hall seized a little girl, the baker's granddaughter. -"D——n me!" he said, "if I won't -bake the child in a pie and eat it, if the old rogue -won't be civil."</p> - -<p>Mr. Clare seems to have been alarmed by this -extravagant threat. Perhaps the flaming "F" -for felon, or "T" for thief, on Hall's cheek, made -him appear exceptionally terrible. At any rate, -Mr. Clare then revealed his hoard of gold, which -amounted to between seventy and eighty guineas; -and with that, very satisfied, the midnight band -departed.</p> - -<p>Although this daring raid was naturally the -subject of much excited comment, the robbers -were not captured, and they were presently bold -enough to break into the house of a man named -Saunders, a chairman in the same locality. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> -Saunders was informed that Hall was one of the -thieves, and, knowing him well by sight, he -pursued him and his gang at three o'clock in the -morning, accompanied by a watchman. The gang -fired at their pursuers, and the watchman fell, -wounded in the thigh. Hall escaped altogether, -and although some of his accomplices were -captured, they were acquitted, from lack of -sufficient evidence.</p> - -<p>In 1705 Hall was again in trouble, under the -alias of "Price," but was acquitted on the charge -of housebreaking then brought against him. He -was similarly fortunate in October 1706, when -he was charged in company with Arthur Chambers -with being concerned in stealing a handkerchief. -Such a trivial theft would seem hardly to need -collaboration.</p> - -<p>Later on, he was again in custody, but meanly -obtained his liberty by turning evidence against -two accomplices.</p> - -<p>Finally, in 1707 he was arrested with his old -pals, Stephen Bunce and Dick Low, for a burglary -committed at the house of Captain Guyon, near -Stepney. All three were convicted, and suffered -in company at Tyburn, on December 7th, 1707.</p> - -<p>Dick Low was a not very distinguished person, -and indeed his name, except in association with -Hall and Bunce, is utterly unworthy of record in -these annals. He was more expert at stealing -from shops and emptying tills than in any other -branch of the thieving profession, and would have -made an expert area-sneak had areas been then in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> -existence. Unfortunately they came in about a -century later. But he was an expert at the -"running-smobble," which consisted in two or -three confederates planning to rob a shop after -dark: one going in with an exaggerated pretence -of drunkenness and creating a disturbance; while -the others would enter on the excuse of seeing -what the matter could be, and then, turning out -the lights, clearing out the till, and laying hands -on any light articles of value that might be -within reach. One of them would come provided -with pepper, or handfuls of mud and throw it in -the faces of the shopkeeper and his assistants, -when they began to cry "Stop, thief!"</p> - -<p>For the rest, Dick Low was a violent, sullen -brute, often, like his two allies, in Newgate, and -when there generally in the bilboes for savage -assaults on his fellow-prisoners.</p> - -<p>Stephen Bunce, or Bunch, began his iniquities -as soon as he could toddle, and, according to the -Reverend Mr. Thomas Pureney, the Ordinary of -Newgate, was old in crime while he was yet an -infant in years. Another biographer picturesquely -says he was "born a thief," which, as his parents -were the inevitably "poor but honest" folk of the -conventional type of biography, seems an extreme -criticism.</p> - -<p>The depravity of Stephen Bunce was, however, -so precocious that, as a child, he would go and play -with the children of a charcoal-man, who lived -near his native London alley, for the express -purpose of filling his pockets with the charcoal, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> -and then selling it, for hot codlins, to a woman who -kept an apple-stall. One day, when the codlins -were more than ever tempting and the charcoal -not so easily to be stolen, he asked the woman for -some apples on trust, but she refused, and Stephen -resolved upon revenge.</p> - -<p>On the next opportunity, pocketing a larger -quantity of charcoal than usual, he filled the -holes in it with gunpowder and then stopping -them with black sealing-wax, sold the charcoal to -the unsuspecting woman, who presently replenished -her fire with it, with the natural result that -her brazier was blown to pieces and herself almost -frightened out of her wits.</p> - -<p>Graduating in crime as he grew up, Stephen -naturally worked his way through picking and -stealing at the coffee-houses to practising on the -road. "Amongst others of his notorious pranks, he -often played several comical tricks, the most -remarkable whereof is this, <i>viz.</i>: One day being -upon some prospect in Essex, and destitute of -money, as he was coming along a footpath from -Brentwood to London, he espied over the hedges a -gentleman mounted upon a very fine gelding, -valued at above forty pounds. Bunce presently -gets the length of two or three fields before the -gentleman, and going over a stile at the turning -of a lane, he there lays himself down by a ditch-side, -with his ear close to the ground, till the -gentleman was come up with him. Seeing him -lie in that posture, he asked him the meaning -of it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Bunce, in a sort of admiration, holding up his -hands, as much as to say, 'Don't disturb me,' -gave no answer for some time, and then, rising, -said, 'Sir, I have heard much talk of fairies, but -could never believe there were any till now; -for, upon my word, under this spot of ground there -is such a fine harmony of melodious tunes playing, -upon all sorts of charming instruments, so -ravishing to the ears, that a man with the great -transports thereof (providing they were continually -to play) could lie here for ever.'</p> - -<p>"The gentleman, eager to hear these fine -raptures, alights from his gelding, and lays his -ear to the ground, with his face towards Bunce, -but told him he could hear nothing.</p> - -<p>"'Oh! sir,' replied Bunce, 'lay the other ear to -it.' With that the gentleman very attentively -lays his other ear to the ground, to hear these -harmonious sounds, and his back being then -towards Bunce, he presently mounts the gelding, -and rid as fast as he could away.</p> - -<p>"When being come within a quarter of a mile -of Romford, he alights and turns the gelding loose, -thinking if the gentleman used any inn in that -town, the gelding would make to it; and it did -accordingly run into the 'Red Lion.' At the -same time, the ostler happened to come out, and, -seeing the gelding running in without a rider, -cried out, 'O! master, master; here's Mr. What-d'ye-call-him's -gelding come without him' (calling -him by his name).</p> - -<p>"Bunce being just by, takes the advantage of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> -hearing what the gentleman's name was, and -replied that he was engaged with some gentleman -at Brentwood, desiring the innkeeper to send him -£10, and had sent his gelding for pledge, as -designing to be there himself in two or three -hours' time.</p> - -<p>"'Ay, ay,' quoth the innkeeper, a hundred -pounds was at his service, if he had sent for it, -and accordingly gave Bunch £10, with which -he came up to London.</p> - -<p>"About four or five hours later, the gentleman -came up to the inn, puffing and blowing, in his -jack-boots, asking the innkeeper if he had seen -any one with his gelding.</p> - -<p>"The innkeeper bid him not fret, for his man -had left his gelding there, and he had given him -£10, according to his desire.</p> - -<p>"'Rat him for a dog,' quoth the gentleman, -'he's none of my man; but I'm glad he's left my -gelding here and raised no more money than that -upon him. However, it shall be a warning to me -for ever, alighting from my horse to hear fairies -play upon musick.'"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="MR_AVERY_AND_DICK_ADAMS" id="MR_AVERY_AND_DICK_ADAMS"></a> - "MR." AVERY AND DICK ADAMS</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">Then</span> there was Avery, who appears in the -chronicles as "Mr." Avery. He had in his youth -been apprenticed to a bricklayer, and followed -that trade when out of his indentures. He also -followed that of a highwayman, and it is recorded, -in sub-acid manner, that he worked so hard at it -that it killed him at last, against his will: which -is an oblique way of saying that it finally brought -him to Tyburn tree.</p> - -<p>Questing one day up and down the road, like the -ravens in search of food, he met an honest tradesman. -They rode together for some time, when -Avery asked him what trade he followed. The -man replied that he was a fishmonger, and, with -a polite show of interest, asked Avery's trade.</p> - -<p>"Why," said the highwayman, "I am a limb of -St. Peter also."</p> - -<p>"What!" exclaimed the other, astonished, -"are you a fishmonger too? Indeed, I don't -understand your meaning, sir."</p> - -<p>Whereupon Avery, pulling out his pistol, -coolly observed: "My meaning may soon be -comprehended, for there's not a finger upon my -hand but will catch gold or silver, without any -bait at all." -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> -So, taking all the unfortunate man possessed, -and cutting the girth and bridle of his horse, to -delay any likelihood of pursuit, he rode off for -London.</p> - -<p>On another occasion he met an exciseman on -Finchley Common. The exciseman would not -deliver his money until Avery had shot his horse -dead and threatened to do the like to him. Then, -daunted by Avery's terribly high words, and almost -frightened out of his wits to hear what dreadful -volleys of oaths came out of his mouth, he stopped -it as soon as he could with twelve pounds, saying: -"Here, take what I have, for if there be a devil, -certainly thou art one."</p> - -<p>"It may be so," replied Avery, "but yet much -of a devil though I am, I see an exciseman is not -so good a bait to catch him as some people would -make out."</p> - -<p>"No, he is not," returned the exciseman; "the -hangman is the only bait to catch such devils as -you."</p> - -<p>It was ill work, as a rule, exchanging insults -with a highway gentleman, but Avery, content -with the main thing, rode off unmoved. He was -hanged at last, at Tyburn, January 31st, 1713.</p> - -<p>Dick Adams, who derived from Gloucestershire -and at an early age was in the service of a respectable -Duchess (their Graces, you know, were not all -what they might have been, in the way of personal -character, in the seventeenth century), at last -found his way into the Life Guards, but as his -pay did not suffice to support his extravagance, he -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> -sometimes collected upon the highway. With -some of his companions of the road, he on one -occasion robbed a gentleman of a gold watch and -a purse of a hundred and twenty guineas. Now -observe how the greedy are made to suffer for -their greediness! Not content with their fine -booty, he must needs covet the gentleman's coat; -and so cantered after him, saying: "Sir, you have -got a very fine coat on; I must make bold to exchange -with you;" and off the coat had to come, -and the traveller went angry away. Presently -however, as he was riding along in that shabby -misfit, he thought he heard something jingling in -a pocket; something that sounded very differently -from the jingling of his horse's bridle. Thrusting -in his hand, he, to his astonishment, found his -watch and all his money that Adams in his hurry -had forgotten to remove out of the pockets of his -own coat when this exchange, which certainly -proved, after all, to be no robbery, was made.</p> - -<p>We may dwell a moment upon the rage of -Adams and his party, when they came to the -next hedgeside inn and sat down to examine their -gains, which had thus vanished away, like the -early dews of morning.</p> - -<p>It is pleasant to read of honest men occasionally -coming to their own again, and of incidents of -painful retribution. Such an incident as that -recorded above deserves a fellow, and we find it -in the painful adventure in which Tom Taylor -was the luckless sufferer. We do not hear much -of Tom Taylor, who was, indeed, more of a pickpocket -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> -than a highwayman. We do learn, however, -that he was the son of a clergyman, and -that "he was executed along with Moll Jones." -Clearly, Tom Taylor was an undesirable and the -companion of undesirables. He was accustomed -to dress himself in smart clothes and attend -theatres and public entertainments, and there—an -unsuspected fine gentleman—to pick pockets. -On one such occasion he emptied a gentleman's -pocket of forty guineas, and we are told that, in -a disguise, he seated himself the next night beside -the same person, who recognised him but made -no sign, having this time come prepared. He had, -in fact, baited his pocket with a handful of guineas, -which set up a pleasant jingling and made poor -Tom's mouth water. Poor Tom, we say advisedly, -bearing in mind the sequel. He began presently -to "dive" for those guineas and found, to his -dismay, that the gentleman had really in the -truest sense, "baited" his pocket, for it had been -sewn all round with fish-hooks, and the wretched -Taylor's hand was held fast.</p> - -<p>Having in vain attempted to disentangle himself, -he said to the gentleman: "Sir, by a mistake, -I have somehow put my hand into your pocket, -instead of into my own"; but, without taking the -least notice, that merciless person rose from his -seat and made for the "Rose" tavern, Tom -helplessly along with him, his hand all the while -remaining in the pocket. Arrived there, it was -no difficult matter to make him cry "Mercy!" -and to induce him to send for one of his comrades, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> -to bail him out, so to say. It cost the unfortunate -Tom Taylor eighty guineas to get free again. The -account of these things then concludes on the -proper note of poetic justice: "Nor was the -gentleman satisfied with this, but caned him in -a most unmerciful manner, and then turned him -out to the mob, who ducked him in a pond, and -broke one of his legs."</p> - -<p>The succeeding chapters of Tom Taylor's -chequered career do not concern us, but we learn, -without surprise, that this ferocious buffeting and -bruising—to say nothing of the fish-hooks—determined -him to abandon the "diving" trade.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="JONATHAN_WILD" id="JONATHAN_WILD"></a>JONATHAN WILD</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">To</span> cheat that arch-rogue and cunning friend and -betrayer of rogues, Jonathan Wild, out of a place -in these pages would be too mean an action. He -towers above the ordinary run of bad men as a -very giant in wickedness. Although he was -himself no highwayman, he was friend of and -associate with all of their trade, and as such -has a right here.</p> - -<p>Jonathan Wild was a native of Wolverhampton, -the son, according to some, of a carpenter; -but, by more trustworthy records, his father was -a wig-maker. He was born about 1682. His -father apprenticed him to a Birmingham buckle-maker. -While at Birmingham he married, but, -deserting his wife and child, he made for London, -and was for a short period a gentleman's servant. -Returning for a brief space to the buckle-making -trade, he soon found himself in debt, and then, -by what was a natural transition in those times, -lodged in the Poultry Compter. The Compter -(it is also styled the Wood Street Compter) was -something over and above a prison for debtors -and others: and was indeed nothing less than an -academy and forcing-house of villainies, where -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> -incipient scoundrels were brought on early in -season, like cucumbers under glass. It was not -singular in this, for all the prisons of that age -shared the like well-earned reputation. Something -of the horrors of imprisonment for debt, -as then practised, may be judged by the fact -that Wild was here for four years; but for a -portion of the time he had the advantage over -his fellow-prisoners of being appointed assistant-gaoler. -Wild never at any time lacked address -and tact, and these qualities here stood him in -good stead.</p> - -<p>It was in this abode of despair that he first -met Mary Milliner, who was ever afterwards -associated with him. She was already old in -crime, though not in years, and was his initiator -into the first practical rogueries he knew. But -he was a criminal by instinct, and needed only -introductions to the world of crime. Once shown -the methods in vogue, he not only became a -master in their use, but speedily improved upon -them, to the wonderment and admiration of all -the cross-coves in London.</p> - -<p>Released at length from durance, he and Mary -Milliner set up a vile establishment in Lewkenor's -Lane, and later took a low public-house, a resort -of the padding-culls of the City—the sign of the -"Cock," in Cock Alley, Cripplegate.</p> - -<p>Wild had also made acquaintance, while in the -Wood Street Compter, of a deep-dyed scoundrel, -a certain Charles Hitchen, an ex-City marshal, -who had lost his post through irregular practices, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> -and had become an associate with and director -of thieves, and an expert blackmailer. Hitchen -was his early instructor in the curious art of -acting as intermediary between the thieves and -those persons who had been robbed of goods, or -had had their pockets picked of watches and -other valuable jewellery; but Wild was a genius -in his own way, with a talent for organisation -never equalled in his line, before or since, except -perhaps by Moll Cutpurse, who flourished a -century earlier. Moll, however, was ever staunch -to her friends and accomplices, but Wild was -always ready to sell his intimates and to send -them to the cart, if it were made worth his -while. So their careers run parallel for only a -little distance and then widely separate.</p> - -<p>Wild in a very little time broke with Hitchen. -He left his instructor far behind, and did business -on so Napoleonic a scale that he speedily aroused -the furious jealousy of his sometime associate, -who, unable to contain himself at the thought -of Wild, once his pupil, taking nearly all his -profitable business away, published a singular -pamphlet, intended to expose the trade. This -was styled "The Regulator; or, a Discovery of -Thieves, Thief-takers, and Locks": "locks" being -receivers of stolen property. It had not the -desired effect of spoiling his rival's trade; and -Jonathan continued to thrive amazingly. As a -broker and go-between in nearly all the felonies -of his time committed in and immediately around -London, he speedily came to the front, and he -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> -was exceptional in that he most adroitly and -astonishingly doubled the parts of Receiver-General -of stolen property and self-styled "Thief-catcher-General -of Great Britain and Ireland."</p> - -<p>It might at the first blush, and indeed even after -long consideration, seem impossible to pose with -success at one and the same time as the friend -and the enemy of all who get their living on -the cross, but Jonathan Wild achieved the apparently -impossible and flourished exceedingly on -the amazing paradox.</p> - -<p>The first steps in this mesh of scoundrelism -that Wild drew are not sufficiently detailed, and -Fielding's "History of the Late Mr. Jonathan -Wild the Great" is rather an effort in whimsical, -satirical imagination than in sheer biography. -The considerable number of chap-book "Lives" -of this arch-villain are also absolutely untrustworthy. -But it is abundantly evident that he -was a man of imagination and a master at -organising, for we find him the brain-centre of -all the robberies committed at that time in and -around London, himself the secret, supreme -director of them all, and at the same time the -apparently "honest broker" who, for a consideration -(quite after the old manner of Moll Cutpurse), -would undertake to restore missing property. -This self-appointed "Thief-taker" had numerous -contingents, to each of which was allotted its -special work. One attended churches, another -visited the theatres, yet another detachment devoted -their best energies to the art of shop-lifting, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> -and another still took situations as domestic -servants, and in that capacity made away with -their employers' plate and jewellery. It all seems -like the fantastic imagining of a novelist, but it -is sufficiently real, and the theory of mutual -benefits accruing to Wild and his gang by this -unnatural alliance is quite sound. He received -the stolen property and held it to ransom, -dividing (more or less unfairly) the amounts received -with his thieves, who could not, without -running great risks, sell it. All concerned -benefited: the plundered citizens repurchased -their valuables cheaply, Wild took an excellent -commission, and the thieves, pickpockets, and -highwaymen made a good living without much -risk. The reverse of this charming picture of -distributed benefits was the alarming increase -of robberies and the decrease of arrests and convictions; -and another serious outcome of Wild's -organisation was that he absolutely commanded -the lives of those who worked with him. None -with impunity offended the great man, who -was merciless in his revenge, swearing away -the lives of those who dared cross him. Among -the numerous satirical old prints relating to -Jonathan Wild there is a gruesome picture of -devils lighting him with flaring torches on the -red way to Hell, together with a trophy of -twenty-five hanging persons, men and women, -all duly named, whom he brought to the gallows -as a result of differences of opinion in the business -matters between them, or merely for the reason -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> -that they had outlasted their use and had become -inefficient thieves, and it would pay him better -to secure their conviction. And it is to be -observed that in all this while he was well known -to be a director of robberies and receiver of -stolen goods. It was scandalously notorious that, -while he advertised himself in the newspapers -as "Thief-catcher-General of Great Britain and -Ireland," he was colleague of those he professed -to catch. And, as the law then stood, he could -not be brought to book. Everything was possible -to the cunning and daring of Jonathan Wild, -who could not merely bring a man to trial, but -could snatch him from the very jaws of death -by making the prosecutor so drunk that he was -not present to give evidence at the trial; whereupon -the accused was discharged.</p> - -<p>In fifteen years' activities of this kind, Wild -amassed enormous sums. He established himself -in a fine house in the Old Bailey, conveniently -opposite Newgate, and there lived in fine style -with his Molly, the widow of a criminal who had -been hanged at Tyburn. A footman followed -him in livery; he dined in state: "His table was -very splendid, he seldom dining under five Dishes, -the Reversions whereof were generally charitably -bestow'd on the Commonside felons." Jewellery -and valuables not ransomed were shipped by him -to Holland, in a sloop he regularly maintained -for the purpose, bringing contraband goods on the -return voyage.</p> - -<p>There is this undoubted tribute to Jonathan -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> -Wild's greatness, that Parliament was at last -moved to pass an Act especially designed to cope -with his villainies, and to lay him by the heels. -This was the Act of 1718, "For the farther -preventing Robberies, Burglaries, and other -Felonies, and for the more effectual transportation -of Felons." A portion of this measure constituted -it a felony for any one to solicit or to accept -a reward on the pretence of restoring stolen -property to the owners, unless they prosecuted -the thieves.</p> - -<p>But this clause was evaded without much -difficulty by the astute Wild. He merely reconstituted -his business, and made it an Enquiry -Office, where no money was accepted. Clients -still came in numbers to him, seeking their lost -property, for it was certain, all the while, that he -had really a guilty knowledge of at least three-quarters -of the robberies committed in London. -This revised procedure was for the owners who -called upon him to be informed that he had made -enquiries, and that he had heard the articles might -be recovered if a reward was despatched to a place -named. The owners would then generally, acting -on his advice, send out, by the hands of a ticket-porter -(ticket-porters were the "commissionaires" -of that period) the reward agreed upon. The porter -was instructed to wait at a street-corner until -a person delivered a package into his hands, -whereupon he was to hand over the reward. -The celerity attending these transactions was -remarkable.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span></p> - -<p>In other instances Wild would advise his -clients to advertise their loss and to offer a reward -payable to any person who should deliver the lost -property to Mr. Jonathan Wild, or at his office; -and no questions asked. Perhaps the most marvellous -thing in these negotiations was the assumed -disinterestedness of Mr. Jonathan Wild himself, -who, although the most notorious evil-doer in -London, posed delightfully as the instrument of -good, restoring the lost valuables of utter strangers -entirely without fee or reward, from the Christian -love he bore the human race. Fielding truly -styled him "the Great Man."</p> - -<p>Wild's impudence increased with his success, -and he is found petitioning the Corporation for -the freedom of the City to be conferred upon him, -in recognition of his great services in bringing -criminals to justice. It does not appear that the -City responded.</p> - -<p>Wild's career first became seriously threatened -early in 1724, when, greatly alarmed for his own -safety, he is found imploring the Earl of Dartmouth -to shield him from what he styles the -"persecution" of the magistrates, who, he declares, -had procured thieves and other bad characters to -swear false evidence against him. The scandal of -Wild's continued existence had at last become -too gross for even that age. But his time was -not yet come, and he continued as before; mindful -perhaps of the old adage, "threatened men live -long." He nearly ended, however, by a more -summary process than any known to the law; and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> -entirely through his own bloodthirsty treatment -of "Blueskin," one of his own associates.</p> - -<p>Joseph Blake, better known in all the stories -of the highwaymen as "Blueskin," who was -hanged at Tyburn on November 11th, 1724, was -an expert highwayman, thief, and pickpocket—or, -to speak in the professional terms then in -use among these fraternities, a "bridle-cull," a -"boman," and a "diver." He had long been a -busy servant of Jonathan, and frequently worked -in company with Jack Sheppard, but he would -perhaps be little known in these later times were -it not for his having come very near sending the -Great Man out of the world, and thus cheating -the gallows, already growing ripe for him.</p> - -<p>"Blueskin," rebelling, it may be presumed, -against Wild on some question of money, was -promptly arrested by that astute Director-General -of Thieves, in his character of thief-taker, and -committed to Newgate on a charge of house-breaking. -It was almost invariably fatal to -quarrel, or even to have a mere difference of -opinion, with that powerful and revengeful man. -Wild was in court at the Old Bailey, to give -evidence, when "Blueskin" beckoned him over to -the dock. Inclining his ear to gather what the -prisoner was pretending to whisper, Wild instantly -found himself seized in "Blueskin's" frenzied -grasp, and the court with horror saw his throat -cut from ear to ear. The deed was done with a -penknife, and the wound was severe and dangerous, -but Wild eventually recovered, much to the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> -surprise of those who saw the ferocity of the -attack, and greatly to the sorrow of the criminal -classes of London, who knew right well that they -were suffered to live only as long as they were -useful and profitable to Wild, and careful to -exercise a due subservience to him.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p135.jpg" id="i_p135.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p135.jpg" width="383" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">JONATHAN WILD IN THE CONDEMNED CELL.<br /> - <span style="padding-left:15em;"><i>From an old Print.</i></span></div> -</div> - - -<p>Indeed, it was at first thought that Wild must -certainly die, and Swift at that moment wrote the -famous <i>Blueskin's Ballad</i>, of which here are two -verses:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0_8">Then, hopeless of life,</div> - <div class="verse indent0_8">He drew his penknife,</div> - <div class="verse">And made a sad widow of Jonathan's wife.</div> - <div class="verse">But forty pounds paid her, her grief shall appease,</div> - <div class="verse">And ev'ry man round me may rob, if he please.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Some rob in the customs, some cheat in the 'xcise,</div> - <div class="verse">But he who robs both is esteemèd most wise.</div> - <div class="verse">Churchwardens, who always have dreaded the halter,</div> - <div class="verse">As yet only venture to steal from the altar.</div> - <div class="verse indent0_8">But now to get gold</div> - <div class="verse indent0_8">They may be more bold</div> - <div class="verse">And rob on the highway, since honest Wild's cold;</div> - <div class="verse">For Blueskin's sharp penknife has set you at ease,</div> - <div class="verse">And ev'ry man round me may rob, if he please.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>Swift, however, was in too great a hurry: -Jonathan Wild did not die then, and the thieves -were not yet released from his iniquitous bondage. -His wife was not then made a "sad widow," -although she was soon to become one; and thus -earned the remarkable distinction of having been -twice a "hempen widow."</p> - -<p>In January of the following year, 1725, the -captain of Wild's sloop, a man named Roger -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> -Johnson, who had been arrested on a charge of -contraband trading with Holland, sent hurriedly -to him. Wild, never at a moment's loss, assembled -a mob, and provoked a riot, by which the prisoner -was rescued.</p> - -<p>Himself arrested at his own house in the Old -Bailey, on February 15th, 1725, on a charge of -being concerned in the theft of fifty yards of lace -from the shop of Catherine Stetham, in Holborn, -on January 22nd, he was, after considerable delay, -put upon his trial at the Old Bailey on May 15th. -The lace stolen was valued at £50.</p> - -<p>He was further charged with feloniously -receiving of Catherine Stetham "ten guineas on -account, and under colour of helping the said -Catherine Stetham to the said lace again; and -that he did not then, nor at any time since, -discover or apprehend, or cause to be apprehended -and brought to Justice, the persons that committed -the said felony."</p> - -<p>The evidence adduced at the trial is first-hand -information of Wild's method in organising a -robbery. Henry Kelly, one of the chief witnesses -against him, told how he went on that day to see a -Mrs. Johnson who then lived at the prisoner's house. -He found her at home, and with her the great -Jonathan and his Molly, and they drank a quartern -of gin together. By-and-by, in came a certain -woman named Peg Murphy with a pair of brocaded -clogs, which she presented to Mrs. Wild. After -two or three more quarterns of gin had passed -round, Murphy and Henry Kelly rose to leave.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Which way are you going?" asked Wild.</p> - -<p>"To my lodging in 'Seven Dials,'" replied -Kelly.</p> - -<p>"I suppose," remarked Wild, "you go along -Holborn?"</p> - -<p>Both Kelly and Murphy answered that they -did.</p> - -<p>"Why, then," he said, "I'll tell you what: -there's an old blind bitch that keeps a shop within -twenty yards of Holborn Bridge and sells fine -Flanders lace, and her daughter is as blind as -herself. Now, if you'll take the trouble of calling -upon her, you may speak with a box of lace. I'll -go along with you, and show you the door."</p> - -<p>The Judge at this moment intervened with the -question, "What do you understand by 'speaking -with a box of lace'?"</p> - -<p>Even in our own day judges are commonly -found enquiring the meaning of phrases whose -significance is common knowledge which one -might reasonably suppose to be shared even on -the Olympian heights of the King's Bench and -other exalted divisions of the High Court. Every -one in Jonathan Wild's day understood perfectly -well that to "speak with" a thing was to steal -it, and this was duly expounded to his lordship.</p> - -<p>Then Kelly went on to explain how Wild, -himself, and Murphy went along Holborn Hill until -they came within sight of the lace-shop, which -Wild pointed out to them.</p> - -<p>"You go," he said, "and I'll wait here and -bring you off, in case of any disturbance."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p139.jpg" id="i_p139.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p139.jpg" width="392" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption"><i>To all the Thieves, Whores, Pick-pockets, Family Fellons &c. - in Great Brittain & Ireland, Gentlemen & Ladies You are hereby desir'd to - accompany y<sup>r</sup> worthy friend y<sup>e</sup> Pious Mr. I——W—d from his - Seat at Whittingtons Colledge to y<sup>e</sup> Tripple Tree, where he's - to make his last Exit on, and his Corps to be Carry'd from thence to be decently - Interr'd amongst his Ancestors.</i></div> - <div><i>Pray bring this Ticket with you</i></div> - <div>SATIRICAL INVITATION-CARD TO EXECUTION OF JONATHAN WILD.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p> - - -<p>Murphy and Kelly accordingly entered, in the -character of purchasers, and turned over several -kinds of lace, pretending to be very difficult to -please. This piece was too broad, that too narrow, -and t'other not fine enough. At last the old -woman went upstairs to fetch a finer piece, when -Kelly took a tin box of lace and gave it to -Murphy, who hid it under her cloak. Then the -old woman came down with another box and -showed them several more pieces, but the confederates -made as if they could not agree about -the price, and so left the shop and joined Wild, -where they had parted from him. They told him -they had "spoke"; whereupon they all returned -to his house and opened the box, in which they -found eleven pieces of lace. "Would they have -ready money?" asked Wild, "or would they wait -until the advertisement for the stolen lace came -out?"</p> - -<p>Funds were very low at the time with Murphy -and Kelly, and they asked for ready money, -Wild then giving them about four guineas.</p> - -<p>"I can't afford to give any more," he said, -"for she's a hard-mouthed old bitch, and I shall -never get above ten guineas out of her."</p> - -<p>Kelly took the lion's share of the money—three -guineas—and Murphy had the remainder.</p> - -<p>Wild was acquitted on the first charge, of being -concerned in the actual theft, but for feloniously -receiving the ten guineas the trial was continued.</p> - -<p>Catherine Stetham the elder said that on -January 22nd she had a box of lace, valued -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> -at £50, stolen out of her shop. She went, that -same night, to the prisoner's house to enquire -after it; but, not finding him at home, she -advertised the stolen goods, offering a reward -of fifteen guineas, and no questions to be asked. -There was no reply to her advertisement, and she -went again to the prisoner's house, and saw him -there. He asked her to give a description of the -persons she suspected, which she did, as nearly -as she could, and he promised to make enquiries, -and suggested she should call again in three days.</p> - -<p>She did so, when he said he had heard something -of her lace, and expected to hear more in -a little time. Even as they were talking a man -came in and said that, by what he had learned, -he believed a man named Kelly, who had already -stood his trial for passing gilded shillings, had -been concerned in stealing the lace.</p> - -<p>She then went away, and returned on the day -the prisoner was apprehended. She had told him -that, although she had advertised a reward of only -fifteen guineas for the lace, she would be prepared -to give twenty, or even five-and-twenty, rather -than lose it.</p> - -<p>"Don't be in such a hurry, good woman," -he rejoined; "perhaps I may help ye to it for -less, and if I can, I will. The persons that have -got your lace are gone out of town; I shall set -them quarrelling about it, and then I shall get it -the cheaper."</p> - -<p>On March 10th he sent her word that if she -would go to him at Newgate, with ten guineas in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> -her pocket, he would he able to help her to her -lace. She went. He asked her to call a porter, -but she told him she did not know where to find -one, so he sent out and obtained a ticket-porter. -The porter was given ten guineas, to call upon the -person who was said to have the lace, and he -returned in a little while with a box which was -said to contain all the lace, with the exception of -one piece.</p> - -<p>"Now, Mr. Wild," said she, "what must I -give you for your trouble?"</p> - -<p>"Not a farthing, madam," said he. "I don't -do these things for worldly interest, but for the -benefit of poor people who have met with misfortunes. -As for the piece of lace that is missing, -I would not have ye be uneasy, for I hope to get -it for you ere long; nay, and I don't know but in -a little time I may not only help ye to your ten -guineas again, but to the thief too. And if I can, -much good may it do you; and as you are a -widow and a good Christian, I desire nothing of -ye but your prayers; and for them I shall be -thankful. I have a great many enemies, and God -knows what may be the consequences of this -imprisonment."</p> - -<p>The consequences were the most serious known -to the law. Wild was sentenced to death. No -sentence in that court had ever been so popular. -When asked if he had anything to say why this -judgment should not be passed upon him, he -handed a paper to the Judge, setting forth the -numbers of criminals he had been instrumental in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> -bringing to Justice, and in a very feeble voice -said: "My lord, I hope I may, even in the sad -condition in which I stand, pretend to some little -merit, in respect of the services I have done -my country, in delivering it from some of the -greatest pests with which it was ever troubled. -My lord, I have brought many a bold and daring -malefactor to just punishment, even at the hazard -of my own life, my body being covered with scars -received in these undertakings. I presume, my -lord, to say I have some merit, because, at the -time these things were done, they were esteemed -meritorious by the Government; and therefore I -beg, my lord, some compassion may be shown, -upon the score of these services. I submit myself -wholly to His Majesty's mercy, and humbly beg a -favourable report of my case."</p> - -<p>But the law had too long been waiting for -him, and his enormities were too great, for any -mercy to be hoped for; and he was left to die. -He did not afford an edifying spectacle in that -condemned hold to which he had consigned so -many, reflecting that, as "his Time was but short -in this World," it was necessary to improve it -to the best advantage "in Eating, Drinking, -Swearing, Cursing, and talking to his Visitants." -His old crony, the Reverend Thomas -Pureney, the Ordinary, he flouted; and, for the -little spiritual consolation he at the last moment -required, he called in an outsider. But this -did not prevent Pureney from concocting a -lying account and offering it for sale after his -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> -execution. Therein we read, as though in Wild's -own words:</p> - -<p>"Finding that there was no room for mercy (and -how could I expect Mercy, who never show'd any?), -as soon as I came into the condemned Hole, I began -to think of making a preparation for my Soul; and -the better to bring my stubborn Heart to Repentance, -I thought it more proper to have the advice -and the Council and Directions of a Man of -Learning, a Man of sound Judgment in Divinity, -and therefore Application being made to the -reverend Mr. <i>Nicholson</i>, he very Christian-like -gave me his Assistance: And I hope that my -Repentance has been such as will be accepted in -Heaven, into which Place, I trust in God, my Soul -will quickly be received. To part with my Wife, -my dear <i>Molly</i>, is so great an Affliction to me, -that it touches me to the Quick, and is like -Daggers entering into my Heart. As she is -innocent, and I am the Guilty Man, let her not -suffer in her Charracter and Reputation for my -Crimes: Consider that she is a Woman, and how -ungenerous it would be to reflect upon one whose -weakness will not permit her to defend herself -so well as her Innocence will carry her.</p> - -<p>"And now, good People, you see to what a -shameful End my Wickedness has brought me; take -warning therefore by my Example, and let my -unhappy Fate deterr you from following wicked -Courses, and cause such of you to forsake your -Crimes, who are now fallen into them. Remember -that though Justice has leaden feet, yet she -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> -has Iron hands, and sooner or later will overtake -the unwary Criminal. I am now upon the point -of departing out of this World; joyn with me, -therefore, in Prayer while I have life, and pray to -God to receive my poor Soul into his blessed -Arms, and to make us all happy with our Saviour -Jesus Christ. Amen."</p> - -<p>All the foregoing was the sheer invention of -the egregious Pureney, and Wild really went -unrepentant to his end at Tyburn, May 24th, 1725. -He sought, by taking laudanum, to cheat the -gallows of its due, but failed in the attempt. The -day of his execution was one of great rejoicings in -London, and huge crowds lined the way, pelting -Wild, as he rode in the cart, with stones and dirt.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p145.jpg" id="i_p145.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p145.jpg" width="324" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">JONATHAN WILD ON THE WAY TO EXECUTION.</div> -</div> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="NICHOLAS_HORNER" id="NICHOLAS_HORNER"></a>NICHOLAS HORNER</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">Nicholas Horner</span> was a younger son of the vicar -of Honiton, in Devonshire, and was born in 1687. -He was wild and unmanageable almost from -infancy, and showed little promise of remaining in -the humble post of attorney's clerk, in which his -father placed him, in London, when he was seventeen -or eighteen years of age. He remained, -however, with the attorney for three years, learning -more in the way of drinking and dicing at the -"Devil" and the "Apollo" taverns in the Strand, -than of law in Clement's Inn. He then ran away, -and remarked when he exchanged his quill-pen, -his parchments, and his stool in the lawyer's office, -for the pistols, the crape mask, and the mettlesome -horse of the highwayman, that he was -only exchanging one branch of the profession to -which he had been articled for another and a higher—becoming -a "highway lawyer," a "conveyancer" -and a "collector." Unfortunately for him, -he began to practise in this new branch before he -had properly made himself acquainted with the -rudiments of its procedure, and was in consequence -taken in an interview with his first client, and -lodged in Winchester gaol, where he remained for -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> -three months before his trial came on. In the -meanwhile, the friends of his family, seeing how -scandalous a thing it would be if a clergyman's -son were convicted of highway robbery, and sentenced -to die by the rope of the hangman, strongly -endeavoured to persuade the gentleman whom he -had robbed to fail in identifying him. But their -efforts were fruitless, for he was determined to -prosecute, and the trial in due course was held, -and the prisoner found guilty and formally sentenced -to death.</p> - -<p>His friends were more successful in the -petitions they forwarded to the Queen, herself -an excellent Churchwoman, and disposed to stretch -a point that its ministers might be saved from -unmerited reproach. Horner was pardoned on -condition that his friends undertook that he -should be sent out of the kingdom within three -months, and that they should undertake to keep -him in exile for seven years. It was an excellent -offer, and they accepted, shipping him to India, -where he remained for the stipulated time, passing -through many adventures which, although detailed -by Smith, are not concerned with the -highway portion of his career, and are not even -remotely credible.</p> - -<p>Returning to his native shores, he found both -his father and mother dead, and received from the -executors of his father's will the amount of £500, -all his father had to leave him. That sum did not -last him long. What are described as "the -pleasures of town" soon brought him again to his -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> -last guinea; and he, of course, once more took -to the road.</p> - -<p>"Well overtaken, friend," he said to a farmer -he came up with on the road. "Methinks you -look melancholy; pray what ails you, sir? If -you are under any afflictions and crosses in the -world, perhaps I may help to relieve them."</p> - -<p>"Ah! my dear sir," replied the farmer, "were -I to say I had any losses, I should lie, for I have -been a thriving man all my life, and want for -nothing; but indeed I have crosses enough, for I -have a d—d scolding wife at home, who, though -I am the best of husbands to her, and daily do my -best to make her and my children happy, is always -raving and scolding about the house like a madwoman. -I am daily almost nagged out of my -life. If there be such a thing as perpetual motion, -as some scientific men say, I'm sure it is in my -wife's tongue, for it never lies still, from morning -to night. Scolding is so habitual to her that she -even scolds in her sleep. If any man could tell -me how to remedy it, I have a hundred pounds in -gold and silver about me which I would give him -with all my heart, for so great a benefit which -I should receive by the taming of this confounded -shrew."</p> - -<p>Horner, listening to this most pleasant tune -of a hundred pounds, said: "Sir, I'll just tell the -ingredients with which nature first formed a scold, -and thus, the cause of the distemper being known, -it will be easier to effect a cure. You must understand, -then, that nature, in making a scold, first -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> -took of the tongues and galls of bulls, bears, -wolves, magpies, parrots, cuckoos, and nightingales, -of each a like number; the tongues and tails -of vipers, adders, snails, and lizards, six each; -<i>aurum fulminans</i>, aqua fortis, and gunpowder, of -each a pound; the clappers of seventeen bells, and -the pestles of thirty apothecaries' mortars, which -becoming all mixed, she calcined them in Mount -Stromboli and dissolved the ashes in water, distilled -just under London Bridge at three-quarters flow-tide, -and filtered through the leaves of Calepin's -dictionary, to render the operation more verbal; -after which she distilled it again through a -speaking-trumpet, and closed up the remaining -spirits in the mouth of a cannon. Then she -opened the graves of all recently-deceased pettifoggers, -mountebanks, barbers, coffeemen, newsmongers, -and fishwives at Billingsgate, and with -the skin of their tongues made a bladder, covered -over with drumheads and filled with storms, -tempests, whirlwinds, thunder and lightning. -Lastly, to irradiate the whole elixir, and make -it more churlish, she cut a vein under the tongue -of the dog-star, drawing thence a pound of the -most choleric blood; and from which sublimating -the spirits, she mixed them with the foam of a -mad dog; and then, putting all together in the -before-mentioned bladder, stitched it up with -the nerves of Socrates' wife."</p> - -<p>"A damned compound, indeed." said the -farmer; "and surely it must be impossible for any -man to tame a shrew at this rate."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Not at all," replied Horner, "for when she -first begins to be in her fits, you shall perceive it -by the bending of her brows; then apply to her a -plaster of good words: after that, give her a -wheedling potion; and if that will not do, take a -bull's tail, and, applying the same with a strong -arm from shoulder to flank, it shall infallibly -complete the cure."</p> - -<p>The farmer was very well pleased with this -prescription, and, giving Horner many thanks and -treating him liberally at the next inn, they continued -to ride on together. At last, coming to -a convenient place, Horner said, "Please pay me -now, sir, for my advice."</p> - -<p>"I thought the entertainment I provided for -you just now at the inn was all the satisfaction -you required," retorted the surprised farmer.</p> - -<p>"No, sir," said Horner, "you promised a -hundred pounds if any one would find you a remedy -for your scolding wife; and a bargain is a bargain -all the world over, in the market or on the road": -so presenting his pistol at the farmer's head, -"d—n me, sir," he continued, "presently deliver -your bag, or you are a dead man!"</p> - -<p>The farmer delivered the bag, which, if it did -not contain quite a hundred pounds, formed an excellent -recompense for the time Horner had spent -in exercising his fantastic imagination upon him.</p> - -<p>Shortly after this exploit, Horner met a gentleman -on Hounslow Heath, saluting him with the -customary demand to hand over his dibs.</p> - -<p>The traveller gave him six guineas, all he had, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> -saying: "Sir, you love money better than I do, to -thus venture your neck for it"; to which Horner -rejoined, "I follow the way of the world, sir, -which now prefers money before friends, or -honesty; yea, some before the salvation of their -souls; for it is the love of money that makes the -unjust judge take a bribe, the corrupt lawyer to -plead an evil cause: the physician to kill a man -without fear of hanging, and the surgeon to prolong -a cure. 'Tis this that makes the tradesman -tell a lie in selling his wares; the butcher to blow -his veal; the tailor to covet so much cabbage; the -miller to cheat in his corn-grinding; the baker to -give short weight, and to wear a wooden cravat -for it; the shoemaker to stretch his leather, as he -does his conscience: and the gentlemen of the pad—such -as myself—to wear a Tyburn tippet, or old -Storey's cap on some country gallows. So good-day -to you, sir, and thank you, and never despise -money in a naughty world."</p> - -<p>Horner now experienced a sad blow to his -self-esteem, in an adventure in which he was -made to play a ridiculous part, and to be the butt -afterwards of his acquaintances. A lady of considerable -position and wealth was travelling from -Colchester to London by stage-coach, and happened -to be the only passenger for a considerable distance. -At Braintree the coachman very politely warned -her that, if she had anything of value about her, -she had better conceal it, for there were several -gay sparks about the neighbouring heath, whom -he thought to be highwaymen. Thanking him, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> -the lady placed her gold watch, a purse full of -guineas and some valuable lace under the seat; -and then disarranged her hair, like poor Ophelia, -to act the part of a lunatic.</p> - -<p>Presently, Horner rode up to the coach, -presented a pistol, and demanded her money. -Instantly she opened the coach-door, leapt out, -and taking the highwayman by the leg, cried in -a very piteous voice, "Oh, dear cousin Tom, I am -glad to see you. I hope you'll now rescue me -from this rogue of a coachman, for he's carrying -me, by my rogue of a husband's orders, to Bedlam, -for a mad woman."</p> - -<p>"D—n me," replied Horner, "I'm none of -your cousin. I don't know you, but you must -be mad, and Bedlam is the best place for you."</p> - -<p>"Oh! cousin Tom," said she, clinging to him, -"but I will go with you, not to Bedlam."</p> - -<p>"Do you know this mad creature?" asked -the now distracted highwayman of the coachman.</p> - -<p>"Yes," he replied, entering into the spirit of -the thing; "I know the lady very well. I am -now going, by her husband's orders, to London, -to put her in a madhouse, but not into Bedlam, as -she supposes."</p> - -<p>"Take her, then," exclaimed Horner, "even -if it were to the devil." So saying, he set spurs -to his horse, and made off as fast as he could, for -fear of her continuing to claim cousinship with -him.</p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p155.jpg" id="i_p155.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p155.jpg" width="354" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">HORNER MEETS HIS MATCH.</div> -</div> - -<p>This story, afterwards appearing in the <i>Weekly -Journal, or British Gazetteer</i>, of December 27th, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> -1718, and coming to Horner's knowledge, he was -almost beside himself with rage, at being so easily -tricked. The tale enjoyed a wide circulation, -and seems to have impressed other travellers; for -when Horner soon afterwards adventured down -into the West of England, and stopped a carriage -near Honiton, in which was a lady travelling -from Exeter to London, he beheld another frantic -creature with dishevelled hair, who greeted him -as "cousin."</p> - -<p>"You hypocritical——!" he roared out; -"because I was once bit this way by one of your -d—d sex, d'ye think I must always be bit so?"</p> - -<p>Saying this he turned over every cushion in -the carriage, and found under them sufficient for -his trouble: a gold watch, and other valuables -and money, in all to the value of some two hundred -pounds.</p> - -<p>But this was Horner's very last stroke of -business. He was taken only two hours later, -in attempting to rob two gentlemen, and after -a patient trial at Exeter, was hanged there on -April 3rd, 1719, aged thirty-two.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="WALTER_TRACEY" id="WALTER_TRACEY"></a>WALTER TRACEY</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">"The</span> adventures of this individual," says Johnson, -"are neither of interest nor importance." He then -proceeds to recount them at considerable length, -sufficiently disproving his own words in the course -of his narrative.</p> - -<p>Tracey was heir to an estate of £900 annual -value, in Norfolk. His father, himself a man of -liberal education, wished his son to share the like -advantage, and sent him to Oxford, where he -hoped he would take a degree and then enter the -Church. But Walter was a gay and idle blade; -thoughtless and reckless. His character was -otherwise gentle, open, and generous: so it will -be noted that if his recklessness suited him for -the profession of highwayman, his alleged mildness -of disposition was distinctly a drawback. At -the least of it, he seems to have been singularly -unfitted for the Church, and, indeed, had never -an opportunity of entering it, for his wild life as -a student led to his being expelled from the -University.</p> - -<p>Our precious, delightful humbug, Johnson, -greedily telling the story of the highwayman and -omitting no scandalous detail from the task in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> -which he revelled, halts at this point to make an -insincere moral reflection, which he felt would -be called for by some of his readers, even in the -middle of the eighteenth century, when morals -and improving discourses were alike at a heavy -discount.</p> - -<p>"The road to vice," he remarks, with his -tongue in his cheek, "is of easy access, and, -fascinating as it appears when you proceed, it -closes behind, and leaves nothing on the retrospect -but ruggedness and gloom. Tracey had -entered the delusive path, and though he had -the wish, possessed not the fortitude, to retrace -his steps."</p> - -<p>That was bad for Tracey. He and his companions, -we learn, for some time amused their -parents with various artifices; "but were at last -denied any further pecuniary assistance." In -this Micawberish high-falutin style, are Tracey's -experiences told.</p> - -<p>To fill their pockets, Tracey and his friends went -upon the road. Expelled from the University, he -reformed for awhile, and made his way through -England until he arrived in Cheshire, where he -took service with a wealthy grazier. He soon -became fond of the country, and reconciled to his -now humble lot, and being a youth of elegant -appearance, and possessing very pleasing and -fascinating manners, his friendship was courted -by every one. He was proficient in music and -singing, and often, when the toils of the day were -over, the villagers would assemble at his master's -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> -door, and "measure their gay steps to the sound -of his violin; 'in fact, as Mr. Micawber might -say,' they danced to his fiddling."</p> - -<p>The country girls vied with one another for -his attention; but the grazier's daughter (or -perhaps the prospect of the grazier's money) was -the object of his choice; and so firmly had he -gained the esteem of his master, that their -marriage was agreed upon, and at length celebrated -with every mark of happiness and satisfaction.</p> - -<p>For a time he remained happy in this condition -of life; especially as his wife had brought a part -of her father's property with her. He managed -farm and stock with skill and industry, and -might have become an ornament and a shining -light in the Cheshire cheese-farming, only for the -vagabond blood in him. He found a respectable -life insufferably dull after his early riotous days; -and was so loud in his praise of town and its -delights, that he at length disturbed the content -of his wife and his father-in-law as well, and -induced them to realise all their property, and to -accompany him to London, where, he said, he -expected to procure some lucrative situation.</p> - -<p>Johnson, perhaps thinking this to be too great -a demand upon the credulity of his readers, feels -constrained to add at this point a criticism of his -own. "It was no small proof of the influence -he had over the resolutions and actions of others, -that he could thus induce a country farmer to -forget his accustomed habits, and follow an -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> -adventurous son-in-law into scenes with which -he was altogether unacquainted." We may -heartily agree with him here.</p> - -<p>Having disposed of their joint stock and other -property, they proceeded to London by way of -Trentham, in Staffordshire, where they intended -to rest for a day or two. In the house where they -stayed Tracey met some of his old college -friends, with whom he spent a jovial time. This -confirmed him in his desire to return to his former -extravagant way of living, and he seems instantly -to have lost all his new-found honesty and sense -of responsibility, under the influence of this old -acquaintance.</p> - -<p>Early next morning he arose and, stealing his -father-in-law's pocket-book, and everything of value -that lay handy, went off on his horse, and thus, -without a word of farewell, disappeared. "Thus," -remarks our author, ready with the moralising -reflections we know he really detested, "he in a -moment blasted the good hopes which the reader -must have entertained of him; and his future -serves only to confirm that contempt which every -honourable mind must feel for him, after so -infamous an action. Every endeavour to discover -his retreat proved ineffectual, and his wife and -father-in-law never heard of him again, until he -expiated his crimes by an ignominious death."</p> - -<p>It appears that Tracey proceeded to Coventry, -where he alighted at an inn, in which he observed -an unusual stillness. Entering the house, and -hearing sounds of quarrelling upstairs, his curiosity -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> -led him to enquire what was amiss, and walking -abruptly into one of the rooms, surprised the -innkeeper and his wife in a heated dispute. The -innkeeper, an elderly man, had married a woman -much younger than himself, and had discovered, -too late, that she had really been angling for his -money, rather than for himself: hence these -disagreements.</p> - -<p>The dispute ran high as Tracey entered. Both -husband and wife were eager to state their -respective grievances, and he listened patiently. -Having heard both sides, he summed up judicially.</p> - -<p>"Money," he said, "has been the cause of this -confusion. Without it you may live in peace -and quietness; so, for your own sakes, hand me -at once the money you possess"; handling a -loaded pistol significantly the while. He took -first eighty-five guineas, and then his farewell.</p> - -<p>On his way south he met a young Oxonian, -whom he accompanied as far as Ware, where they -passed the evening in great harmony and friendship. -Proceeding next day, Tracey frequently -remarked that his companion's valise—a prosperous-looking -article—was certainly too weighty -for him. But, in constantly recurring to the -subject, he aroused his companion's suspicions that -this pleasant fellow, whom he had picked up on -the road, was none other than a highwayman. -He said nothing of his suspicion, but was -resolved to be even with him. Presently, remarking -that he was travelling to take up his degree -of Master of Arts, he hinted that he had with -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> -him, in his portmanteau, sixty pounds for his -expenses.</p> - -<p>"Have you so?" said Tracey. "That is very -convenient for me at this time, for I want to -borrow just such a sum, and you could not lend -it to a better person than myself."</p> - -<p>So, without more ado, he helped himself to the -valise, untying it from the other's horse and -strapping it on his own.</p> - -<p>The student poured forth the most lamentable -entreaties, and begged Tracey not to thus deprive -him of what was to establish his future prospects -in life. The money, he declared, was all borrowed, -and if it were sto—— er! <i>borrowed</i> from him at -this juncture, he had not the least prospect of -ever being able to repay it.</p> - -<p>All these tears and protestations moved Tracey -only so far as to give him his own purse, containing -some four pounds, to carry him on for a few -days. He then disappeared down a bye-road with -the valise, and the student saw him no more, and -perhaps had no wish to see him again; for, as -Tracey discovered when he halted at the next -hedge-row alehouse and unstrapped the valise, -the sixty pounds was purely imaginary, and its -contents were nothing but two old shirts, half -a dozen dirty collars, a ragged and threadbare -student's gown, a pair of stockings minus the feet, -a pair of shoes with but one heel between them, -a comb, some needles and thread, and a ham. -The picturesque force of the sucking highwayman's -language when he discovered these treasures, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> -and how simply he had been taken in, must have -considerably astonished the landlord of that wayside -tavern.</p> - -<p>The biographers of Ben Jonson mention his -once being robbed by Tracey in very humorous -style. Tracey met the poet, whom he knew well -by sight, on a road in Buckinghamshire, and -demanded his purse. To this "Rare Ben," as -his epitaph in Westminster Abbey styles him, -answered in the following impromptu:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="verse">"Fly, villain! hence, or by thy coat of steel,</div> - <div class="verse">I'll make thy heart my leaden bullet feel;</div> - <div class="verse">And send that thricely thievish soul of thine</div> - <div class="verse">To Hell, to be the Devil's valentine."</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>Upon which Tracey is supposed to have -replied:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Art thou great Ben? or the revivèd ghost</div> - <div class="verse">Of famous Shakespeare? or some drunken host,</div> - <div class="verse">Who, being tipsy with thy muddy beer,</div> - <div class="verse">Dost think thy rhymes will daunt my soul with fear?</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Nay, know, base slave, that I am one of those</div> - <div class="verse">Can take a purse as well in verse as prose;</div> - <div class="verse">And when thou'rt dead, can write upon thy hearse,</div> - <div class="verse">'Here lies a poet who was robbed in verse.'"</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>This ingenious reply disarmed Jonson, who -thus discovered that he had both a wit and a -knave to contend with. He endeavoured to save -his money, but to no purpose, and had to resign -it to the man who, it seemed, could rhyme better, -impromptu, than himself, and at greater length. -This was not the only misfortune that befel Jonson -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> -on this journey; for, when within two or three -miles of London, he was attacked by a gang of -thieves, who knocked him from his horse, bound -him hand and foot, and threw him into a park, -where some other wayfarers who had shared the -same fate were lying. One of his unfortunate -companions calling out that he and his wife and -children were undone, another, who was tied up -also, said, "Pray, if you are all undone come and -undo me"; which afforded Ben a hearty laugh, -and a subject upon which he afterwards expressed -his poetical powers.</p> - -<p>Tracey was not one of your common highwaymen -who expended their money as fast as they -earned it. He was of a saving disposition, and -after some time amassed sufficient to keep him in -comfort during the rest of his life. Unfortunately -there is little dependence to be placed upon the -honesty of the world, as Tracey found, for the -person to whom he had entrusted his savings -embezzled them; and so our highwayman's intention -to retire was upset, and he was reduced to -going once more upon the road. His hand seems -by this time to have lost its cunning, or else he -had the very worst luck, for he was soon taken, in -an attempt to rob the Duke of Buckingham; and, -after being brought to trial at Winchester, was -executed there in 1634, aged thirty-eight.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="NED_WICKS" id="NED_WICKS"></a>NED WICKS</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">The</span> famous Edward Wicks—more famous as -"Ned," one of the favourites of the romancing -Harrison Ainsworth—was born in 1684, and was -the son of an innkeeper at Coventry. His father -had him properly grounded in reading, writing, -and 'rithmetic, with the ambition of seeing him a -clerk, but the youthful Edward shunned the desk, -and for a few months filled the post of exciseman. -The excisemen of that day were looked upon -with that suspicion and hatred with which tax-gatherers, -tithe-collectors, landlords, people who -render accounts for payment, and the like vermin, -have ever been regarded from the earliest times, -and ever will be by all right-minded folk; and -Edward soon quitted the unpopular post of gauger, -not only because of its unpopularity, but for -reasons not altogether unconnected with an inability -to make his accounts balance. His reasons -for the change are, however, put in a different -light by Smith, who, with sardonic humour, says: -"Not thinking that a post sufficient to cheat Her -Majesty's subjects, he was resolved to impose upon -'em more by taking all they had on the highway." -Or, in milder fashion, according to Johnson, "he -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> -chose rather to gather contributions for himself -than for the King." For "King" read "Queen," -for Wicks practised in the reign of Queen Anne.</p> - -<p>The first two interviews he held with travellers -upon the highway were successful, but the third -brought him misfortune, for he was apprehended -near Croydon, and sent to prison in the Marshalsea, -a doleful hold, at that time said to be "a lively -representation of the Iron Age, since nothing but -gingling of keys and rattling of shackles and bolts -and grates are here to be heard."</p> - -<p>His third attempt would no doubt have -remained also his last, had it not been for the -exertions of his friends, who, during the interval -between his arrest and the trial at Sessions, got at -the prosecutor and bribed him with sixty guineas, -to fail in identifying him. As the prosecutor had -been robbed of only thirty shillings, he profited -largely by the transaction and was doubtless sorry -it could not be often repeated.</p> - -<p>Wicks was accordingly acquitted, on the failure -of this suborned prosecutor to swear to him; and -was immediately on the road again; this time in -partnership with a certain Joe Johnson, alias -Saunders. Near Colnbrook they held up a stage-coach -containing four gentlemen, one of whom -discharged a blunderbuss at the luckless Joe, who -received seven or eight bullets, and was thus -wounded so severely that he was easily seized: -the more easily in that Wicks instantly made off, -with the speed of the wind. The "chivalry" of -the highwaymen, of which we read so much in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> -novels, was an elusive thing, and was apt to be -altogether missing in the stress of danger. The -highwayman who would stand by a wounded -comrade was a very rare bird: so rare, indeed, -that we are inclined to doubt his existence.</p> - -<p>Joe Johnson, committed to prison, was charged -by one Woolley with an earlier robbery, of a silver -watch and some money, and was found guilty -and hanged at Tyburn, February 7th, 1704, aged -twenty-two.</p> - -<p>The fate of the companion whom he had so -basely deserted in the moment of his greatest need -did not warn Wicks from his perilous career, and -we are assured that he "pursued his wicked -courses with a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction." -One day he overtook the Duke of -Marlborough at St. Albans, but His Grace had -too large a retinue for it to be safe to venture an -attack, and so the great Churchill escaped, for -once in a way.</p> - -<p>Then, riding on towards Cheshunt, he found -his way to a little cottage in a bye-road, where -he discovered a poor old woman, bitterly weeping. -She told him she was a poor widow, with no -money to pay her rent, and expected the landlord -every moment to come and seize what few goods -she had.</p> - -<p>Wicks bade her rest contented, and he would -make things easy; and, pulling off the richly -laced clothes he wore, and putting on an old coat -the woman lent him, he awaited the arrival of the -hard-hearted landlord; who presently came and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> -demanded payment. Ned thereupon, rising out of -the chimney-corner with a short pipe in his mouth, -said, "I understand, sir, that my sister here, poor -woman, is behindhand for rent, and that you -design to seize her goods, but as she is a desolate -widow and hath not wherewithal to pay you at -present, I hope you will take so much pity and -compassion on her mean circumstances as not to -be too severe: pray let me persuade you to have a -little forbearance."</p> - -<p>Said the landlord, "Don't talk to me of forbearance; -I'll not pity people to ruin myself. I'll -have my money. I want my rent, and if I am -not paid now, I'll seize her goods forthwith, and -turn her out of my house."</p> - -<p>When Ned found that no entreaties or persuasions -would prevail, he said, "Come, come, -let's see a receipt in full, and I'll pay it."</p> - -<p>Accordingly the receipt was given, and the -rent paid, and the landlord made ready to go.</p> - -<p>But Wicks warned him of the dangers of the -roads. "'Tis drawing towards night, sir, and there -are many robbers about. I would advise you to -stay here till to-morrow, and go in the morning."</p> - -<p>"No, no!" exclaimed the landlord impatiently, -"I'll go now. I can go seven miles before dark. -I don't care what robbing there is abroad. -Besides, I am not afraid of being robbed by any -one man, be he whom he may."</p> - -<p>So, taking his horse, away he rode, and Wicks, -hastily re-assuming his fine clothes, quietly after -him, at a cautious interval.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span></p> - -<p>Taking a circuitous course and putting his -mare to a hand-gallop, Wicks was already waiting -the landlord at the edge of a dark pond on a -lonely stretch of road, when the old man rode -by. In that situation, as the shades of night -were falling, he robbed him of the rent and of as -much beside, which he later kept for his honest -brokerage, after making the widow a present of -the original amount. Hastening back to the -cottage, he had already resumed the rustic clothes -and was seated in the chimney corner, when a -knocking came at the door. It was the landlord -returning to tell the story of his woes. He said -he had been robbed by a rogue in a lace coat, who -swore a thousand oaths at him.</p> - -<p>"I told you how unsafe it was," said Wicks, -from his corner; "but you would not take my -advice."</p> - -<p>The landlord begged leave to stay the night, -and went the following morning upon his way.</p> - -<p>The obvious criticism of this is that, having -already been robbed, his best and safest course -would have been to make haste on his way -home, the remainder of the journey, without -turning back.</p> - -<p>Ned Wicks one day met Lord Mohun on the -road between Windsor and Colnbrook, attended -by only a groom and a footman. He commanded -his lordship to "stand and deliver!" for he was -in great want of money, and money he would -have, before they parted company. Lord Mohun, -a noted bully and rustler of that age, proposed -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> -that, if the highwayman was so insistent, they -should fight for it, and Wicks very readily accepted -this proposal; whereupon, my lord, seeing him -busily preparing his pistols for the engagement, -began to back out of the bargain. Wicks, perceiving -this, said contemptuously: "All the -world knows me to be a man, and such a man -am I that, although your lordship could, in a -cowardly manner, murder Mumford the actor, -and Captain Cout, I am by no means afraid of -you. Therefore, since you will not fight, I -order you to down with your gold, or expect -no quarter!"</p> - -<p>Thus meeting with more than his match, Lord -Mohun fell into a passionate fit of swearing. -"My lord," said Wicks, when he could get a word -in edgeways, "I perceive you swear perfectly -well, <i>extempore</i>: come, I'll give your honour a -fair chance for your money, and that is, he that -swears best of us two shall keep his own, and the -money of he who loses as well."</p> - -<p>My lord, an expert in this line, through long -cursing over losses at cards, eagerly agreed to this -new bargain, and threw down a purse of fifty -guineas. Wicks staked a like sum, and the -competition started.</p> - -<p>After a quarter of an hour's prodigious swearing -on both sides, it was left to his lordship's groom -to declare the winner.</p> - -<p>He said: "Why, my lord, your honour swears -as well as ever I heard any Person of Quality in -my life; but, indeed, to give the Strange Gentleman -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> -his due, he has done better than yourself, -and has won the wager, even if it were for a -thousand pounds."</p> - -<p>After a few successful years of constant attention -to his profession, Wicks was at last executed -at Warwick, on August 29th, 1719, aged twenty-nine.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="DICK_TURPIN" id="DICK_TURPIN"></a>DICK TURPIN</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">Richard Turpin</span>, the hero of half a hundred -plays, and of many hundred ballads and chap-book -histories, now demands our attention. His name -stands out, far and away above that of any other -of the high-toby fraternity. Not Claude Du Vall -himself owns half his celebrity, nor Hind, nor -Whitney, nor Sixteen-String Jack. Ballad-mongers, -playwrights of the old penny-gaff order, -and novelists, with Harrison Ainsworth at their -head, have ever united to do him honour and have -conspired—innocently as a rule—to deprive -another and a worthier highwayman of his due, in -order to confer it upon "Dick." The familiar -"Dick" itself shows us how the great public long -ago took Turpin to its ample bosom, and cherished -him, but the student of these things smiles a little -sourly as he traces the quite unheroic doings of -this exceptionally mean and skulking scoundrel, -and fails all the time to note anything of a -dashing nature in his very busy but altogether -sordid career.</p> - -<p>Turpin never rode that famous Ride to York -upon Black Bess: another and an earlier than he -by some sixty years—the bold and daring Nevison—performed -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> -that ride, as we have already shown; -and the chivalry, the courtesy, and consideration, -generally so much in evidence in the plays and -the stories, are by no means found in the many -contemporary reports of his doings.</p> - -<p>Richard Turpin was born on September 21st, -1705, at the village of Hempstead, in Essex. -There are those who find a fanciful appropriateness -in the fact, that a man, whose wife was to -become a "hempen widow," should have been -born at a place so significantly named. Those -who are curious enough to seek it, may duly find -the record of the future highwayman's baptism in -the parish register, and will find the baptism of -an elder sister, Maria, recorded nearly three years -and a half earlier, April 28th, 1702.</p> - -<p>The Reverend William Sworder, vicar of -Hempstead, who performed the baptism, and -thereafter made an entry of it in his register, was -evidently proud of his acquaintance with the -language of the ancients, and less pleased with -his native tongue, for his entries are generally in -Latin: and thus we find the infant Dick and his -parents figuring, "<i>Richardus, filius Johannis et -Mariae Turpin.</i>"</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p175.jpg" id="i_p175.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p175.jpg" width="600" height="60" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">TURPIN'S BAPTISMAL REGISTER OF HEMPSTEAD.</div> -</div> - -<p>John Turpin at that time kept the inn that -even now, somewhat altered perhaps in detail, -looks across the road to the circle of pollard trees -known as "Turpin's Ring," and thence up to the -steep church-path. It was then, it appears, known -as the "Bell," but at times is referred to as the -"Royal Oak," and is now certainly the "Crown." -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> -Such are the difficulties that beset the path of the -historian. Nor has this mere nomenclature of -the ancestral roof-tree been the only -difficulty. Were there not seven cities -that claimed to be the birthplace of -Homer? In like manner at least one -other place, Thaxted, is said to have -been Turpin's native home; but with -the register as witness we can flatly -disprove this, and give the honour of -producing the famous person to Hempstead.</p> - -<p>The youthful Turpin was apprenticed -to a butcher in Whitechapel, -and soon afterwards set up in business -for himself at Waltham Abbey, at -the same time marrying at East Ham -a girl named Hester Palmer, whose -father is said to have kept the "Rose -and Crown" inn at Bull Beggar's -Hole, Clay Hill, Enfield.</p> - -<p>As a butcher, he introduced a novel -method of business by which, except -for the absurd and obstinate old-fashioned -prejudices that stood in his -way, he might soon have made a -handsome competence. This method -was simply that of taking your cattle -wherever they might best be found, -without the tiresome and expensive formality of -buying and paying for them. It might conceivably -have succeeded, too, except that he -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> -worked on too Napoleonic a scale, and stole a -herd. It was a herd belonging to one "Farmer -Giles," of Plaistow, and unfortunately it was -traced to his door, and he had to fly. More -restrained accounts, on the other hand, tell us it -was only two oxen that were taken.</p> - -<p>The Plaistow-Waltham Abbey affair rendered -Turpin's situation extremely perilous, and he -retired north-east in the Rodings district, generally -called in those times "the Hundreds of Essex"—to -"Suson," say old accounts, by which Seward-stone -is meant.</p> - -<p>But although a comparatively safe retreat, it -was exceedingly dull, and nothing offered, either -in the way of the excitements he now thirsted for, -or by way of making a living. He was reduced to -the at once mean and dangerous occupation of -robbing the smugglers who then infested this, and -indeed almost every other, country district. It was -mean, because they, very like himself, warred with -law and order; and dangerous, because although -he might only attack solitary "freetraders," there -was that strong fellow-feeling among smugglers -that made them most ferociously resent interference -with their kind. Turpin probably ran -greater risks in meddling with them than he -encountered at any other period in his career.</p> - -<p>Sometimes he would rob them without any -beating about the bush: at others he would make -pretence of being a "riding-officer," <i>i.e.</i> a -mounted Revenue officer, and would seize their -goods "in the King's name."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span></p> - -<p>But that line of business could not last long. -Writers on Turpin generally say he wearied of it: -but the truth is, he was afraid of the smugglers' -vengeance, which, history tells us, could take -fearful forms, scarcely credible in a Christian -country, did we not know, by the irrefragible -evidence of courts of justice, and by the terrible -murders by smugglers in Hampshire, duly expiated -in 1749, to what lengths those desperate men -could go.</p> - -<p>He turned again, therefore, to the neighbourhood -of Waltham, and, with a few chosen spirits, -haunted Epping Forest. There they established -themselves chiefly as deer-stealers, and soon -formed an excellent illicit connection with unscrupulous -dealers in game in London, to whom -they consigned many a cartload of venison, which -generally travelled up to town covered over with -an innocent-looking layer of cabbages, potatoes, or -turnips.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p179.jpg" id="i_p179.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p179.jpg" width="380" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">TURPIN AND HIS GANG IN THEIR CAVE IN EPPING FOREST.</div> -</div> - -<p>But the prices they obtained for these supplies -did not, in their opinion, pay them sufficiently for -the work they did, or the risks they ran, and they -then determined to throw in their lot with a -notorious band of housebreakers and miscellaneous -evil-doers, dreaded in Essex and in the eastern -suburbs of London as "Gregory's Gang." The -earliest of their exploits in this new class of -venture was the robbing of Mr. Strype, who kept -a chandler's shop at Watford, a district hitherto -unaffected by them. They cleared the house of -everything of any value, without offering Mr. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> -Strype any violence (which was thought to be -very good of them) and so disappeared; to reappear -always unexpectedly in widely-sundered -districts.</p> - -<p>Nothing came amiss to them. In one night -they robbed both Chingford and Barking churches, -but found little worth their while; and then, -in a manner most baffling to the authorities of -those times, would for a time disband themselves -and work separately, or some of them would lie -entirely by for a while. An odd one or two would -even be taken and hanged, which rendered it more -than ever desirable for their surviving brethren -to make themselves scarce for a time. But want -of money was not long in bringing such generally -spendthrift and improvident rogues back again to -the calling they had chosen. Several among them -were already too well and too unfavourably known -as deer-stealers to the verderers of Epping Forest -for their reappearance in those glades to be safe, -but Turpin, among others, ventured. Mr. Mason, -one of the chief of these verderers, rangers, or -keepers, was especially active in putting down this -poaching, and the gang vowed they would repay -him for it. But more immediate schemes claimed -their attention. First among these was a plan for -robbing a farmhouse at Rippleside, near Barking. -There would seem to have been eight or nine of -them on this occasion. After their manner, they -knocked at the door at night, and when, properly -afraid of strangers coming after dark, the people -refused to open, they rushed forward in a body -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> -and broke the door in. Having bound the farmer, -his wife, his son-in-law, and the servant-maid, -they ransacked the house, and stole £700.</p> - -<p>"This will do!" exclaimed Turpin, captaining -the band; adding regretfully, "if it were always -so!"</p> - -<p>The attack then made by the gang upon the -house of Mr. Mason, the vigilant keeper of Epping -Forest, was probably determined upon in the first -instance from a desire rather to be revenged upon -him for interfering with their earlier deer-stealing -operations, than from the idea of plunder. Turpin -was not present on this occasion, for although he -had intended to take part in the act of vengeance, -he was at the time in London, squandering his -share of the Rippleside robbery, and in too -advanced a state of intoxication to meet his -accomplices as he had arranged to do.</p> - -<p>Rust, Rose, and Fielder were the three concerned -in the affair, and it clearly shows the spirit -in which they entered upon it, when it is said that, -before starting, they bound themselves by oath -not to leave anything in the house undamaged. -An oath would not necessarily be of any sacred -quality of irrevocability with scoundrels of this or -any other type, but when the compact fitted in -with their own earnest inclinations, there was no -difficulty in adhering to it.</p> - -<p>Fielder gained admission to the house by -scaling the garden wall and breaking in at the back -door, then admitting the other two by the front -entrance. Mason was upstairs, sitting with his -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> -aged father in his bedroom, when the three suddenly -burst in upon them, and, seizing them, bound them -hand and foot. They asked the old man if he knew -them: he said he did not, and they then carried -him downstairs and laid him, helplessly tied up, -under the kitchen dresser. Mason, the keeper, -had a sack forced over his head and tied round his -waist; his little daughter, terrified at what she -heard, slipping hurriedly out of bed and out of -doors, and hiding in a pigstye.</p> - -<p>The revengeful three then entered upon the -work of wanton destruction upon which they had -come. They first demolished a heavy fourpost -bedstead, and then, each armed with a post, -systematically visited every room in the house and -battered everything to pieces. Carpets, curtains, -bedclothing, and linen, and everything that could -not be broken, were cut to shreds. Money had -not been expected, but in smashing a china punch-bowl -that stood somewhat out of the way, on a -high shelf, down fell a shower of a hundred and -twenty-two guineas, with which they went off, -doubly satisfied with revenge and this unlooked-for -plunder. They hastened up to London and -joined Turpin at the Bun-House in the Rope -Fields, and shared their booty fairly with him, -although he had not been present to earn his -portion—an unusual support of that generally -misleading proverb, "There is honour among -thieves."</p> - -<p>From 1732 and onwards a solitary inn, on the -then desolate, remote, and often flooded Hackney -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> -Marshes was greatly frequented by Turpin on his -way to and from Epping and London. This inn, -the "White House" by name, then kept by one -Beresford, was the resort of sportsmen interested -in cock-fighting. Turpin was known there as -a private gentleman. The house was demolished -and entirely rebuilt in 1900; but another at -Tyler's Ferry, Temple Mills, also a white-faced -house, remains, and claims a similar association.</p> - -<p>On January 11th, 1735, Turpin and five of his -companions, Ned Rust, George Gregory, Fielder, -Rose, and Wheeler, went boldly to the house of -a Mr. Saunders, a rich farmer at Charlton, Kent, -between seven and eight o'clock in the evening, -and, having knocked at the door, asked if Mr. -Saunders were at home. When they learned that -he was within, they rushed immediately into the -house and found the farmer, with his wife and -some friends, playing at cards. They told the -company they would not be injured if they -remained quiet, and then proceeded to ransack -the house. First seizing a trifle in the way of -a silver snuff-box that lay on the card-table, they -left a part of their gang to stand guard over the -party, while the rest took Mr. Saunders and forced -him to act the part of guide, to discover the whereabouts -of his valuables. They broke open some -escritoires and cupboards, and stole about £100, -exclusive of a quantity of plate. Meanwhile, the -maid-servant had retreated into her room upstairs -and bolted the door, and was calling "Thieves!" -at the top of her voice, out of window. But the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> -marauders presently found their way upstairs, -broke open the door and secured and silenced her: -not, apparently, doing her any considerable injury: -and then at leisure thoroughly searched every -corner of the house, and gleaned everything of -a portable nature that was worth taking. There -was no hurry. They discovered some relics of -the late Christmas festivities in the larder, in the -shape of mince-pies, and sat down impudently, -with the master of the house and his friends, to -partake of them. One of the gang, by careful -foraging, had found a bottle of brandy, and -broached it at the table, hospitably offering some -to Mr. Saunders and his friends, and assuring -them, with a quaint humour, that they were as -welcome as could be to it. Mrs. Saunders did not, -however, see the humour of it, and was fainting -from terror; and so they mixed her some brandy-and-water, -to revive her.</p> - -<p>At length, having taken everything possible, -and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, they made -off, declaring that if any of the family gave the -least alarm within two hours, or if they dared to -advertise the marks on the stolen plate, they -would infallibly return at some future period, and -murder them.</p> - -<p>It was afterwards ascertained that they then -retired to a public-house in Woolwich, near by, -where the robbery had been planned, and soon -afterwards crossed the river and resorted to an -empty house in Ratcliffe Highway, where they -deposited the plunder until they had found a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> -purchaser ready to buy without asking any -inconvenient questions.</p> - -<p>A week later, the same gang visited the house -of a Mr. Sheldon, near Croydon church. They -arrived at about seven o'clock in the evening, and, -finding the coachman in the stable, immediately -gagged and bound him. Then, leaving the stable, -they encountered Mr. Sheldon himself, in the -yard, come to hear what the unaccustomed sounds -of scuffling and struggling in the stable could -mean. The unfortunate Mr. Sheldon was then -compelled to act as guide over his own house, -and to show the gang where all his valuables -resided. Jewels, plate, and other valuable articles -were removed, together with a sum of eleven -guineas; but at the last moment, they returned -two guineas, and apologised more or less handsomely -for their conduct. They then had the -effrontery to repair to the "Half Moon" tavern, -close at hand, and to each take a glass of spirits -there, and to change one of the guineas of which -they had robbed Mr. Sheldon.</p> - -<p>The manners of the gang would thus appear to -be mending, but their unwonted politeness did not -last long, as we shall presently see.</p> - -<p>In giving some account of the doings of Turpin, -either singly or in association with others, it is -desirable, as far as possible, to tell his story largely -by the aid, and in the exact words, of the newspapers -of the time. Only in this manner is it -likely that a charge of exaggeration can be -avoided. Where all have boldly enlarged upon -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> -the popular theme and have as richly brocaded it -as their imaginations permit, to revert to plain -facts becomes a healthy exercise.</p> - -<p>The <i>London Evening Post</i> of February 6th, -1735, is the original authority for the next two -incidents; two of the foremost in all popular -accounts of Turpin's life. So much extravagant -nonsense has been written, and is still being -written, and will yet continue to be written about -Dick Turpin, that any original documents about -him are particularly valuable. They help to -show us what we must discredit and what we may -safely retain. Indeed, without such newspaper -paragraphs, the conscientious writer, faced with the -flood of indubitably spurious Turpin "literature," -might in his impatience with its extravagance, -refuse to credit any portion of it. But the newspapers -of that day serve amply to show that in -this case, truth is equally as strange as fiction. -Not stranger, as the proverb would have us -believe, but certainly as strange.</p> - -<p>Thus we read in the <i>London Evening Post</i>: -"On Saturday Night last, about Seven o'Clock, -five Rogues enter'd the House of the Widow -Shelley, at Loughton in Essex, having Pistols etc., -and threaten'd to murder the old Lady, if she did -not tell them where her Money lay, which she -obstinately refusing for some Time, they threaten'd -to lay her across the Fire if she did not instantly -tell them, which she would not do; but her Son -being in the Room, and threaten'd to be murder'd, -cry'd out, he would tell them if they would not -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> -murder his Mother, and did; whereupon they -went up Stairs and took near £100, a Silver -Tankard, and other Plate, and all Manner of -Household Goods; they afterwards went into the -Cellar, and drank several Bottles of Ale and Wine, -and broil'd some Meat, eat the Relicts of a Fillet -of Veal, etc. While they were doing this, two of -their Gang went into Mr. Turkle's, a Farmer's, -who rents one End of the Widow's House, and -robb'd him of above £20 and then they all went -off, taking two of the Farmer's Horses to carry -off their Luggage; the Horses were found on -Sunday Morning in Old Street; they staid (the -Rogues, not the horses) about three Hours in the -House."</p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p187.jpg" id="i_p187.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p187.jpg" width="357" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">TURPIN HOLDS THE LANDLADY OVER THE FIRE.</div> -</div> - -<p>This house, still in existence, although part of -it has been rebuilt, is identified with a place now -styled "Priors," but at that time known as "Traps -Hill Farm." The heavy outer door, plentifully -studded with nail-heads, is said to have been -added after this visit.</p> - -<p>This incident is probably the original of the -story told of Turpin holding the landlady of the -"Bull" inn, Shooter's Hill, over the fire; although -it is inherently possible that he and his scoundrelly -crew, having certainly threatened to do as much -at Loughton, and having done the like to a -farmer at Edgeware, actually perpetrated the -atrocity.</p> - -<p>The startling paragraph already quoted is -followed immediately by another report, a good -deal more startling: "On Tuesday Night," it -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> -says, very circumstantially, "about Eight o'Clock, -five Villains"—it will be noticed that by this time -the "Rogues" of the earlier narration have -become "Villains," and their conduct, by natural -consequence, infinitely more heinous—"came to -the House of Mr. Lawrence, a Farmer at Edgewarebury, -near Edgeware, in Middlesex, but the Door -being bolted, they could not get in, so they went -to the Boy who was in the Sheep-house, and -compell'd him to call the Maid, who open'd the -Door; upon which they rush'd in, bound the -Master, Maid, and one Man-Servant, and swore -they would murder all the Family, if they did not -discover their Money, etc.; they trod the bedding -under foot, in case there should be money hidden -in it, and took about £10 in Money, Linnen etc., -all they could lay their Hands on, broke the old -Man's Head, dragg'd him about the House, -emptied a kettle of water from the fire over him, -which had fortunately only just been placed on it, -and ravish'd the Maid, Dorothy Street, using her -in a most barbarous Manner, and then went off, -leaving the Family bound, lock'd the Door, and -took the key away with them: The Son, who came -Home soon after they were gone, call'd the Boy -to take his Horse, but could make nobody hear, -but at last the old Man call'd out, and told him -Rogues had been there" (surely, he meant "Villains"), -"as they were all bound, and that the -Rogues said they would go rob his Brother; -whereupon he rode and alarm'd the Town, went -to his Brother's, but they had not been there; they -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> -pursued them to the Turnpike, and found they -had been gone through for London about an Hour. -They were all arm'd with Pistols, and one had a -Handkerchief all over his Face."</p> - -<p>Neither of these accounts mentions the name -of Turpin, but these outrages were immediately -ascribed to a gang of which he was a member.</p> - -<p>The same evening journal of February 11th -has a later account: "Mr. Lawrence, the Farmer -at Edgeware-Bury, who was robb'd last Week (as -we mention'd) lies so ill, of the Bruises etc., he -receiv'd, that its question'd whether he'll recover: -the Rogues, after he had told them where his -Money was, not finding so much as they expected, -let his Breeches down, and set him bare—on the -Fire, several times; which burnt him prodigiously."</p> - -<p>There seems, by this account, to have been -much in common between this gang and those -"chauffeurs" described by Vidocq in his <i>Memoirs</i>; -bands of robbers who pervaded the country districts -of France, and adopted the like methods of -persuasion with people who could not otherwise be -made to disclose the whereabouts of their hoards.</p> - -<p>This ferocious attack upon the farm at Edgewarebury -was the first of a series in which the -gang appeared on horseback. They had already -done so well that they felt they could no longer -deny themselves the luxury of being fully-furnished -highwaymen. But they did not purchase; they -merely hired; and imagination pictures some of -them as very insufficient cavaliers, holding on by -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span> -their horses' necks. For it is not given to a -footpad, graduating in the higher branch of his -profession, instantly to command an easy seat -in the saddle; and the scene at the "Old Leaping -Bar" inn, High Holborn, whence they set out -to ride to the "Ninepin and Bowl" at Edgeware, -must have been amusing in the extreme.</p> - -<p>Six of Turpin's gang assembled next on the -7th of February at the "White Bear" inn, Drury -Lane, and planned to rob the house of a -Mr. Francis, a farmer in the then rural fields of -Marylebone. Arriving at the farm about dusk, -they first saw a man in a cowshed and seized and -bound him, declaring they would shoot him if -he should dare to make any attempt to break -loose, or to cry out. In the stable they found -another man, whom they served in the like manner. -Scarcely had they done this when they met -Mr. Francis at his own garden gate, returning -home. Three of the gang laid their hands upon -his shoulders and stopped him; and the farmer, -thinking it to be a freak of some silly young -fellows, out for the evening, was not at all -alarmed. "Methinks you are mighty funny, -gentlemen," he said good-humouredly; upon -which, showing him their pistols in a threatening -manner, he saw his mistake.</p> - -<p>No harm, they said, should come to him if he -would but give his daughter a note by one of -them, authorising her to pay bearer a hundred -pounds in cash.</p> - -<p>Mr. Francis declared he could not do so; he -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> -had not anything like that amount in the house; -upon which they ran him violently into the stable -and tied him up also. Then, knocking at the -door of the house, and Miss Francis opening it, -they pushed into the passage and secured her as -well. The foremost men were particularly rude -and violent, but Turpin, who came in at the -rear, appears to have remonstrated with them -about this gross usage, and to have stopped it: -only assuring her that it would be best she -remained quiet, and that if she made any resistance -she would be treated even worse.</p> - -<p>A maid-servant, hearing this, cried out, "Lord, -Mrs. Sarah! what have you done?"</p> - -<p>One of the gang then struck the maid, and -another hit Miss Francis, and swore they would -be murdered if they did not hold their peace.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Francis, hearing the disturbance from an -inner room, called out, "What's the matter?" -on which Fielder ran forward, and crying "D——n -you, I'll stop your mouth presently!" broke -her head with the handle of a whip he carried, -and then tied her to a chair.</p> - -<p>Miss Francis and the maid were tied to the -kitchen-dresser, and Gregory was deputed to watch -them, with a pistol in his hand, lest they should -cry out for assistance or try to struggle free while -the others were raiding the house.</p> - -<p>A not very considerable reward met their unhallowed -industry; including a silver tankard, -a gold watch and chain, a silver medal of Charles -the First, a number of minor silver articles, and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> -four or five gold rings. A find of thirty-seven -guineas was more to the point, and a brace of -pistols was not to be despised. They were even -so particular about details, in the hour-and-a-half -search they made, that they took away with -them such inconsiderable items as a wig, six -handkerchiefs, four shirts, a velvet hat, and some -pairs of stockings. A frugal and meticulous gang, -this!</p> - -<p>As a result of these bold attacks in the suburbs -of London, a great feeling of indignation and -insecurity arose, and a reward of £100 was at once -offered for the apprehension of the gang, or of -any members of it. Information having come -to some of the Westminster peace-officers that -these confederates were accustomed to meet in an -alehouse situated in a low alley in Westminster, -the place was beset, and Turpin, Fielder, Rose, -and Wheeler were found there. After a short -fight with cutlasses, the last three were secured. -No one appears to have been seriously hurt in -this affray, except the usual harmless, innocent -person, present by mere chance; in this case, -a certain Bob Berry, who received a dangerous -cut on the arm, below the elbow. Turpin -dexterously escaped out of window, and, obtaining -a horse (<i>not</i> the celebrated "Black Bess," who -never existed outside the imagination of Harrison -Ainsworth and the pages of his <i>Rookwood</i>), rode -away to fresh fields and pastures new. Fielder -and Rose were tried and found guilty, chiefly on -the testimony of Wheeler, who turned King's -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> -evidence. They were hanged at Tyburn, and -afterwards gibbeted.</p> - -<p>The <i>Gentleman's Magazine</i> refers shortly to -the execution, and includes a certain, or an -altogether uncertain, Saunders: "Monday, -March 10th, the following malefactors, attended -by a guard of fifty soldiers, were executed at -Tyburn, appearing bold and undaunted; viz. Rose, -Saunders, and Fielder, the Country Robbers." -It is significant of the horrors of that era that ten -others were hanged in company with them, for -various crimes.</p> - -<p>The gang was thus broken up, but rogues -have, as it were, a magnetic attraction for one -another, and Turpin was not long alone. It must -have been a dull business waiting solitary on -suitable, <i>i.e.</i> dark or foggy, nights in lonely -situations for unsuspecting wayfarers; an experience -calculated to get on the nerves, and so -it is scarcely remarkable that many highwaymen -elected to hunt in couples; although in the long -run it was safer to work alone and unknown. -No fear then of treachery on the part of a trusted -comrade, always ready to "make a discovery," -as the technical phrase ran, to save his own neck -from the rope, a little while longer.</p> - -<p>But Turpin seems to have sought, and found, -one companion for a little while, for he duly -appears in an account of how two gentlemen were -robbed about eight o'clock on the evening of -July 10th, between Wandsworth and Barnes -commons, "by two Highwaymen, suppos'd to be -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> -Turpin the Butcher, and Rowden the Pewterer, -the remaining two of Gregory's Gang, who robb'd -them of their Money and dismounted them; made -them pull off their Horse's Bridles, then turning -them loose, they rode off towards Roehampton, -where a Gentleman was robb'd (as suppos'd by -the same Highwaymen), of a Watch and £4 in -Money."</p> - -<p>Old maps of this district hint, not obscurely, -that this was no mere isolated, chance danger in -the neighbourhood; for the eye, roaming along -those charts, towards Richmond, notes "Thieves' -Corner" boldly marked at what is now the -junction of the Sheen Road and Queen's Road, -where the "Black Horse" of old, a very shy and -questionable kind of brick-built, white-washed -alehouse, stood until it was pulled down about -the year 1902 and rebuilt in the flashy modern -style. Adjoining, was, and still is, for that matter, -"Pest House Common": cheerful name! while -Rocque's map of 1745, not marking that inimical -corner, transfers the affected area to the stretch -of highway between Marshgate and Manor Road -and Richmond Town, and styles it "Thieves' -Harbour." On the opposite side, in sharp contrast, -is marked "Paradise Row." Rocque also styles -the common, "Pestilent Common." Altogether, -in fact, a pestilent neighbourhood.</p> - -<p>How well-named was "Thieves' Corner" we -may perhaps judge from a brief and matter-of-fact -account (as though it were but an ordinary -occurrence, demanding little notice) of a Reverend -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> -Mr. Amey, "a country clergyman who lodges at -the 'Star' inn, in the Strand," being robbed two -nights earlier than the foregoing robbery "two -miles this side of Richmond in Surrey, of his -Silver Watch, four Guineas, and some Silver, by -two Highwaymen, well-mounted and well-dress'd. -The Rogues turn'd his Horse loose and went off -towards Richmond."</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p197.jpg" id="i_p197.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p197.jpg" width="600" height="475" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">BOLD DICK TURPIN.<br /> - (<i>According to Skelt.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>Again, this time in the <i>Grub Street Journal</i> of -July 24th, 1735, we find a trace of the busy Dick, -in the following: "Monday, Mr. Omar, of Southwark, -meeting between Barnes-Common and -Wandsworth, Turpin the butcher, with another -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> -person, clapt spurs to his horse, but they coming -up with him, oblig'd him to dismount, and Turpin -suspecting that he knew him, would have shot -him, but was prevented by the other, who pull'd -the pistol out of his hand."</p> - -<p>On Sunday, August 16th, Turpin and Rowden -the Pewterer seem to have been particularly busy -and to have had a good day; for it is recorded by -the same authority that they robbed several gentlemen -on horseback and in coaches. The district -they favoured on this occasion was the Portsmouth -Road between Putney and Kingston Hill.</p> - -<p>In another fortnight's time or so, having made -these parts of Surrey too hot to hold them longer, -and being apparently unwilling to transfer their -activities beyond ten or twelve miles' radius from -London, they opened a most aggressive campaign -in suburban Kent. "We hear," says the <i>Grub -Street Journal</i> of October 16th, "that for about -six weeks past, Blackheath has been so infested -by two highwaymen (suppos'd to be Rowden and -Turpin) that 'tis dangerous for travellers to pass. -On Thursday Turpin and Rowden had the insolence -to ride through the City at noonday, and in Watling -Street they were known by two or three porters, -who had not the courage to attack them; they -were indifferently mounted, and went towards -the bridge; so 'tis thought are gone the Tonbridge -road."</p> - -<p>It was while patrolling the road towards -Cambridge (on Stamford Hill, according to some -historians) that Turpin first met Tom King. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> -Observing a well-dressed and well-mounted -stranger riding slowly along, Turpin spurred up -to him, presented a pistol, and demanded his -money. The stranger merely laughed, which -threw Turpin into a passion, and he threatened -him with instant death if he did not comply. -King—for it was he—laughed again, and said, -"What! dog eat dog? Come, come, brother -Turpin; if you don't know me I know you, and -shall be glad of your company."</p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p199.jpg" id="i_p199.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p199.jpg" width="361" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">TURPIN MEETS TOM KING.</div> -</div> - -<p>This was the beginning of an alliance. These -brethren in iniquity soon struck up a bargain, -and, immediately entering on business, committed -so large a number of robberies that no landlord of -any wayside inn of the least respectability cared -to welcome them, for fear of being indicted for -harbouring such guests. Thus situated, they -fixed on a spot between the King's Oak and the -Loughton road, in Epping Forest, where they -made a cave, "large enough to receive them and -their horses," says an old account. This was -enclosed within a thicket of bushes and brambles, -through which they could look, without themselves -being observed. From this station they used to -issue, and robbed such numbers of persons that at -length the very pedlars who travelled the road -carried firearms for their defence. At such times -when they could not safely stir from this hiding-place, -Turpin's wife was accustomed to secretly -convey to them such articles of food and such -other things as might be necessary to their -comfort. When, at a later period, Turpin's cave -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> -was discovered, and he was reduced to skulking -about the forest, it was found to be by no means a -despicable retreat. It was dry, and carpeted with -straw, hay, and dry leaves; and such articles as -two clean shirts, two pairs of stockings, a piece of -ham, a bottle of wine, and some feminine apparel, -served to show that this was not altogether an -anchorite's cell. Some old accounts go so far as -to say that Turpin altogether occupied this cave -for six years, but that is not credible.</p> - -<p>One day, as Turpin and Tom King were spying -up and down the road from their cave, through -the screen of furze and bramble that hid them -from passers-by, they saw a gentleman driving -past whom King knew very well as a rich City -merchant, of Broad Street. He was on his way to -his country estate at Fairmead Bottom, in a -carriage with his children. King made after him, -and on the Loughton road called upon the coachman -to stop. The merchant, however, was a man -of spirit, and offered a resistance, supposing there -to be only one highwayman; upon which, King -called Turpin, by the name of "Jack," and bid -him hold the horses' heads. They then proceeded -to take his money, which he parted with, without -any further trouble; but strongly demurred to -parting with his watch, which he said was a -family heirloom, the gift of his father. The -altercation, although short, was accompanied by -threats and menaces and frightened the children, -who persuaded their father to give up the watch; -and then an old mourning ring became an object -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> -of dispute. Its value was very small, but King -insisted upon having it, when Turpin interposed -and said they were not so ungentlemanly as to -deprive a traveller of such a relic, and bade King -desist. This concession prompted the merchant to -ask whether they would not, as a favour, permit -him to repurchase his watch from them; upon -which King said: "Jack, he seems to be a good, -honest fellow; shall we let him have the -watch?"</p> - -<p>"Aye," said Turpin; "do as you will."</p> - -<p>The merchant, then inquiring the price, King -replied, "Six guineas," adding, "we never sell -one for more, even though it be worth six-and-thirty." -Then the merchant promised not to -discover them, and said he would leave the money -at the "Sword Blade" coffee-house in Birchin -Lane, and no questions asked.</p> - -<p>The <i>Country Journal</i> for April 23rd, 1737, says -that on Saturday, April 16th, as a gentleman of -West Ham and others were travelling to Epping, -"the famous Turpin and a New Companion of his -came up and attack'd the Coach, in order to rob -it; the Gentleman had a Carbine in the Coach, -loaded with Slugs, and seeing them coming, got it -ready, and presented it at Turpin, on stopping the -Coach, but it flash'd in the Pan; upon which says -Turpin 'G—d D—— you, you have miss'd me, -but I won't you,' and shot into the Coach at him, -but the Ball miss'd him, passing between Him -and a Lady in the Coach; and then they rode off -towards Ongar, and dined afterwards at Hare -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> -Street, and robbed in the Evening several -Passengers on the Forest between Loughton and -Romford, who knew him; he has not robb'd on -that Road for some Time before."</p> - -<p>It is possible that this adventure gave Turpin -the idea of providing himself with a carbine and -slugs in addition to his pistols, for, following the -contemporary newspaper record of his movements, -we learn from several London papers, notably the -<i>London Daily Post</i> and the <i>Daily Advertiser</i>, -that when a servant of Thompson, one of the -under-keepers of Epping Forest, went in search of -him and his retreat in those leafy recesses, with a -higgler on Wednesday, May 4th, Turpin shot the -man dead with a charge of slugs from a carbine. -Detailed accounts set forth how Mr. Thompson's -servant, animated with hopes of a hundred pounds -reward, went out, armed with a gun, in company -with the higgler, in search for Turpin. When -they came near his hiding-place, the highwayman -saw them, and, taking them for sportsmen, called -out that there were no hares near that thicket.</p> - -<p>"No," replied Mr. Thompson's man, "but I -have found a Turpin!" and, presenting his gun, -required him to surrender.</p> - -<p>Turpin, replying to him in a friendly manner, -and at the same time gradually retreating into the -cave, slyly seized his carbine, and shot him in the -stomach.</p> - -<p>He then fled from the Forest, and was reported, -by the <i>London Daily Post</i> of May 12th, to have -been very nearly captured in the small hours of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> -the morning of the 11th by three peace-officers, -who, late the night before, received information -that he proposed to sleep at a certain house near -Wellclose Square. Three men accordingly beset -the house, but they were observed by a woman on -the look-out, and Turpin, hurriedly aroused, fled -through the roof, and over the chimneypots of the -adjoining houses.</p> - -<p>It will be observed by these various newspaper -paragraphs and scattered notices, that Turpin -was always changing his associates, and it is -obvious that the stories which would have us believe -he and Tom King set up an exclusive partnership, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> -are not to be implicitly believed. Turpin and the -many of his kind, with whom he associated from -time to time, no doubt, worked together or apart, -or in alliance with others, just as changing -circumstances from week to week dictated.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p205.jpg" id="i_p205.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p205.jpg" width="600" height="459" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">TOM KING.<br /> - (<i>From Skelt's Drama.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>Tom King is usually said to have been killed -under dramatic circumstances in the yard of the -"Red Lion" inn, at the corner of the Whitechapel -Road and Leman Street; but although we read -much of him in the picturesque romances of the -highway, it is by no means easy to trace Tom's -movements, and he remains, whatever brave -figure he may be in fiction, a very shadowy figure -as seen in recorded facts. He, it appears, was -one of three brothers. The other two were named -Matthew and Robert, and it was really Matthew -King who was mortally wounded in the yard of -the "Red Lion" in 1737, in the affray with the -Bow Street runners. The newspapers of the time -record how, a week later, he died of his wounds -in the New Prison, Clerkenwell, on May 24th.</p> - -<p>The affair was the outcome of Turpin having -stolen a fine horse of considerable celebrity at -that time, a racehorse named "White Stockings," -belonging to a Mr. Major, who, riding it, was -overtaken one evening by Turpin, Tom King, and -a new ally of theirs, named Potter, near the -"Green Man," Epping. Turpin made him dismount -and exchange horses, and took away his -riding-whip; and then the three confederates -went their way to London.</p> - -<p>Mr. Major immediately made his loss known -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> -at the "Green Man," to Mr. Bayes, the landlord, -who at once said: "I daresay Turpin has done it, -or one of that crew," and then advised him the -best thing to do would be to get a number of -handbills immediately printed, describing the -horse, and offering a reward. It was characteristic -of the thoroughpaced rascality of Turpin, that the -very horse he had compelled Mr. Major to change -with him was stolen. It was identified as one -that had been missing from Plaistow marshes. -And the saddle had been stolen too, and was -afterwards claimed.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p207.jpg" id="i_p207.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p207.jpg" width="600" height="352" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">DICK TURPIN.<br /> - (<i>Skelt.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>Although this was on Saturday night, the -handbills were at once struck off and put into -circulation, and by Monday morning information -was brought to the "Green Man," that a horse -answering the description of "White Stockings," -had been left at the "Red Lion," in the Whitechapel -Road. The innkeeper went to the house -with some Bow Street runners, determined to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> -wait there until some one called for the horse; -and about eleven o'clock at night Matthew King -came for it. When he was seized, he declared -he had bought the animal; but a whip he held -in his hand proved to be the identical one stolen -by Turpin, and although a portion of the handle -had been broken off, Mr. Major's name could still -be read on it. An offer was made to Matthew -King, that he would be released if he would -disclose the actual robber, and he thereupon said -it was a stout man in a white duffel coat, who -was at that moment waiting in the street.</p> - -<p>A movement was then made to capture the -man in the duffel coat, who proved to be Tom -King; but he resisted and fired at his would-be -captors. The pistol merely flashed in the pan, and -King then attempted to draw another; but it got -twisted in his pocket, and Bayes' hands were -being laid upon him, when he cried out to Turpin, -who was waiting on horseback at a little distance, -"Dick, shoot him, or we are taken, by God!"</p> - -<p>Turpin was heavily armed. Nothing less than -three brace of pistols contented him, in addition -to a carbine slung across his back. He fired, -and shot (the stories say) Tom King.</p> - -<p>"Dick, you have shot me; make off," the -wounded man is represented as saying, but is -afterwards said to have cursed him for a coward, -and to have informed the authorities that if they -wanted him, he might most likely be found at a -certain place on Hackney Marsh: indicating, no -doubt, the "White House."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span></p> - -<p>Turpin is indeed said to have at once made for -that retreat and to have exclaimed, "What shall -I do? where shall I go? d——n that Dick Bayes, -I'll be the death of him, for I have lost the best -fellow I ever had in my life. I shot poor King -in endeavouring to kill that dog."</p> - -<p>That is the accepted version, but it seems to be -incorrect in several particulars. As before mentioned, -Matthew King was the victim of that -ill-considered aim. A -somewhat different -account is given in -Turpin's alleged confessions -to the hangman, -printed in the, in -most respects, reliable -pamphlet narrating his -life and trial, published -in York in four editions -in 1739. In those -pages Turpin "said he -was confederate with -one King, who was executed in London some -time since, and that once, being very near taken, -he fired a pistol in the crowd, and by mistake, -shot the said King in the thigh, who was coming -to rescue him."</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p209.jpg" id="i_p209.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p209.jpg" width="368" height="400" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">TOM KING.<br /> - (<i>Skelt.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>That entirely reverses the position, and may or -may not be an imperfectly recollected account of -what Turpin said.</p> - -<p>There is no doubt that a Tom King, a highwayman, -was executed at Tyburn, in 1753, many -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> -years after the Tom King who was supposed to -have been shot dead.</p> - -<p>If Turpin had been really so terrified for his -safety after the Whitechapel affair as represented, -he must speedily have recovered himself, for he -was busy all that month in his vocation. Comrades -might die tragically, but his own pockets, -always leaking like a colander, must be replenished. -Really, however narrowly the career of this much-discussed -highwayman is scanned, it seems hopeless -to paint a consistent picture of him. He -was, by the testimony of many witnesses, a -cowardly fellow, not often with sufficient resolution -to rob unaccompanied, and even on those -occasions when he did play a lone hand, he wore a -perfect armoury of weapons and attacked only the -unarmed. One Gordon, lying at Newgate on a -charge of highway robbery, told how he had once -proposed to Turpin that himself and his brother, -Turpin, and another should seize the money going -down to pay the King's ships at Portsmouth. -They were to stand in a very narrow pass and -with swords and pistols attack the convoy. The -scheme recalls the fine mid-seventeenth century -exploits of "Mulled Sack" and his contemporaries, -and if the enterprise had been undertaken, a -splendid booty might have become theirs. But -Turpin's courage failed him, and he backed out. -Gordon said he was sure Turpin would be guilty -of many cowardly actions, and die like a dog. His -career, although a busy one, never touched great -heights, and was commonly concerned with mean -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> -thefts and raids, but he must have been possessed -of some nerve to continue actively robbing in the -neighbourhood of London where he was so well -known, after a hundred pounds was advertised -to be waiting for any one who brought about his -arrest. It is not merely a tradition that he so -continued: we have the facts abundantly in the -public prints of the time.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p211.jpg" id="i_p211.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p211.jpg" width="274" height="400" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">TOM KING.<br /> - (<i>Skelt.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>Thus, the <i>London Magazine</i> has this note -respecting him: "The noted -Highwayman, Turpin the -Butcher, (who lately kill'd -a Man who endeavour'd to -take him on Epping Forest) -this Night robbed several -Gentlemen in their Coaches -and Chaises at Holloway and -the back Lanes at Islington, -and took from them several -Sums of Money. One of the -Gentlemen signified to him -that he had reigned a long -Time, and Turpin replied, ''Tis no matter for -that. I am not afraid of being taken by you; -therefore don't stand hesitating, but give me the -Cole.'" (Or, by another account, "the coriander-seed.")</p> - -<p>A London newspaper of the close of May is -found stating that "Turpin, the renown'd Butcher-Highwayman, -committed a robbery almost every -day this month."</p> - -<p>But these were his last exploits in the neighbourhood -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> -of London. The position presently grew -so difficult that the merest elementary instincts -of self-preservation suggested a flight to other -scenes.</p> - -<p>By a proclamation issued in the <i>London -Gazette</i> of June 25th, 1737, "His Majesty was -pleased to promise his most gracious pardon to -any of the Accomplices of Richard Turpin who -shall discover him, so that he may be apprehended -and convicted of the Murder, or any of the -Robberies he has committed; as likewise a Reward -of £200 to any Person or Persons who shall -discover the said Criminal, so that he may be -apprehended and convicted as aforesaid; over and -above all other Rewards to which they may be -entitled." In this proclamation, Turpin is described -as being 5 feet 9 inches in height, and it -further appears that he was not by any means -the prepossessing and even elegant figure he -presents in the engraving that shows him reclining -exquisitely in his cave; dainty boots on his feet, -and a ladylike hand thrown over his carbine. He -had high cheekbones, his face tapered to a narrow -point at his chin, and he was deeply pitted with -small-pox.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p213.jpg" id="i_p213.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p213.jpg" width="350" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">TURPIN IN HIS CAVE.<br /> - <span style="padding-left:18em;"><i>From an old Engraving.</i></span></div> -</div> - -<p>Really, he was, it will be gathered, not an -engaging ruffian; but there is, unfortunately, no -portrait existing which can lay the slightest claim -to be authentic. A rough woodcut, no doubt from -the strictly unauthentic imagination of the wood -engraver, or the wood-chopper who engraved, or -rather hewed it out, appears in one of the popular -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> -old chap-books, and shows him to have rather a -plentiful development of chin and an expression -that somewhat baffles description, but which -conveys the very decided impression that he was -not the kind of person one would much like to -meet in a lonely lane on a dark night.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p215.jpg" id="i_p215.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p215.jpg" width="398" height="400" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">DICK TURPIN.<br /> - (<i>From a strictly unauthentic source.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>Rowden the Pewterer, whom we have shown -to have accompanied Turpin so frequently in 1735, -chiefly in his adventures in Surrey, was taken -about this time and transported -in July 1737.</p> - -<p>With the price of -£200 upon his head, and -with the additional promise -of a pardon for any -accomplice who would -betray him, Turpin's -position was now more -than ever desperate. He -fully realised this, and -took the only possible -course, that of removing himself into the country, -far away from his accustomed haunts. After -three months at Long Sutton, in Lincolnshire, -he appears to have selected Yorkshire as the safest -part, and staying some time at the ferry-house. -Brough, and then at Market Cave and North -Cave, to have settled at Welton, ten miles from -Beverley, in October 1737. There he posed as -a gentleman horse-dealer, Palmer by name. -Sometimes he would range southward to Long -Sutton in Lincolnshire, but always where he went -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> -the farmers and others missed their horses, in -the most mysterious way. No one suspected the -"gentleman" horse-dealer, who mixed freely in -the company of the Yorkshire yeomen and knew -a thing or two about cock-fighting and proved -himself a singularly good judge of stock—qualities -which would render any one popular at that time, -with the Yorkshire tykes. His ugly mug was a -mere accident, and as for his rough manners, why -the tykes themselves were rough and ready, and -so they easily excused, or perhaps even did not -notice, his overbearing ways.</p> - -<p>But his evil temper got the better of him one -day, when, returning from a shooting expedition, -and being perhaps half-drunk, he wantonly shot -one of his neighbour's fowls. When the owner -resented this, Turpin, or "Palmer," threatened to -serve him in the same way (<i>i.e.</i> "if he would only -stay till he had charged his piece, he would shoot -him too"), and in the result he was arrested on a -charge of brawling, at the "Green Man" inn. -When he came before the magistrates in Quarter -Sessions at Beverley, the singular fact was discovered -that this man, so well known in the -neighbourhood, had many acquaintances, but no -friends who would speak to his character or go -bail for him. It then appeared that he had come -as an entire stranger to the district less than two -years earlier; and in short, in one way and -another, it was all at once discovered that he was -a suspicious character, whose doings had better be -investigated. He was accordingly remanded, and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> -enquiries resulted in his being charged with -stealing a black mare, blind of the near eye, off -Heckington Common, in Lincolnshire, near Sleaford. -He had declared himself a native of Long -Sutton, and said his father lived there and his -sister kept house for him. He had been, he -continued, in business there, but had been obliged -to abscond, owing to his having contracted some -debts he found himself unable to pay, in an -unfortunate transaction in which he had bought -some sheep that had proved to be diseased. -Enquiries proved these statements to be entirely -false. He had no relations at Long Sutton, -but he was known there, and badly wanted, -as a sheep-stealer, suspected also of horse-stealing.</p> - -<p>It is significant of Turpin's activity in horse-stealing, -that the <i>Worcester Journal</i> of September -29th, 1738, has the following curious item: -"A few days since, the Father of the noted -Turpin was committed to Chelmsford Gaol, for -having in his Possession a Horse supposed to be -stolen out of Lincolnshire, which, he pleads, was -left with him by his Son, to pay for Diet and -Lodging." Research fails to discover the result -of this committal.</p> - -<p>John Palmer, or Richard Turpin, was sent -from Beverley to York Castle to stand his trial at -the assizes for stealing the horse from Heckington; -and from his grim dungeon cell, still in existence -in the Castle, he wrote a letter to his brother, or, -according to the evidence at his trial, his brother-in-law, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> -at Hempstead, asking him to be a referee as -to character:</p> - -<blockquote> -<p> -<span class="sc ar">York</span>, <i>Feb. 6, 1639</i>.<br /> -<br /> -"<span class="sc">Dear Brother</span>,<br /> -</p> - -<p>"I am sorry to acquaint you that I am -now under confinement in York Castle, for horse-stealing. -If I could procure an evidence from -London to give me a character, that would go a -great way towards my being acquitted. I had not -been long in this county before my being apprehended, -so that it would pass off the readier. For -heaven's sake, my dear brother, do not neglect me; -you will know what I mean when I say,</p> - -<p> -<span style="padding-left:70%;">"I am, your's,</span><br /> -<span class="sc"><span style="padding-left:80%;">"John Palmer</span>."</span></p> -</blockquote> - -<p>The letter was not prepaid, and the recipient, -not recognising the handwriting of the address, -refused to receive it and pay the sixpence -demanded. As it happened, Mr. Smith, the -schoolmaster who had taught Turpin to write, -saw the letter, and recognising the handwriting, -carried it to the magistrates, so that it might -legally be opened, and perhaps the very much -wanted Turpin be arrested from the information -it possibly contained. Perhaps this public-spirited -person really thought he saw a chance of obtaining -the £200 reward offered; but, however that -may be, the letter disclosed the fact that Turpin -was lying in prison at York, and Smith eventually -appeared at the trial and identified him. It -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> -is not known who, if indeed any one, received the -reward.</p> - -<p>The rumour that Turpin had been taken, and -was a prisoner in York Castle, was no sooner -circulated than people flocked from all parts to -get a sight of him, and debates ran very high -whether he was the real person or not. This -making a holiday show of a prisoner in his cell -seems odd to us moderns; but it was then, as we -see constantly in these pages, the usual thing, and -a practice that greatly enriched the turnkeys; or -the warders, as we should call them.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p219.jpg" id="i_p219.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p219.jpg" width="400" height="266" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">SIR RALPH ROOKWOOD AND SIMON SHARPSCENT.<br /> - (<i>Skelt.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>Among others who visited Turpin was a young -fellow who pretended to know the famous highwayman. -After having looked for a considerable -time at the prisoner, he turned to the warder on -duty, and said he would bet him half a guinea this -was not Turpin; whereupon Turpin, in his turn -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> -inclining to the warder, whispered, with cynical -humour, "Lay him the wager, you fool, and I'll -go you halves!"</p> - -<p>The trial of "John Palmer, <i>alias</i> Paumer, <i>alias</i> -Richard Turpin," as the official account of the -proceedings has it, took place at the York Assizes, -March 22nd, 1739, "before the Hon. Sir William -Chapple, one of His Majesty's Justices of the -Court of King's Bench, for stealing a black gelding, -the property of Thomas Creasy."</p> - -<p>Thomas Creasy deposed that in the August -of 1738 he was owner of the black gelding, and -missed it on the eighteenth of the month. He -had hired men and horses, and had ridden some -forty miles to try and obtain news of its whereabouts, -and had paid criers to cry it in different -market towns. He had also told one Richard -Grasby of his loss, and described the animal to -him, and at a later date Grasby told him his horse -was at an inn called the "Blue Bell" at Beverley. -He then went to Beverley and saw the landlord of -the "Blue Bell," and described the horse to him -as a black gelding, with a little star on his forehead. -The landlord then took him to the stable -and showed him the horse.</p> - -<p>James Smith was then called, and asked if he -knew the prisoner at the bar. He said he did. -He had known him at Hempstead, in Essex, where -he was born. He had known him since he was a -child. His name was Richard Turpin, and his -father kept the "Bell" inn in that village. -Richard Turpin had married one of his maids. It -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> -was about five years since he had last seen him. -He had taught him at school, and there was no -doubt whatever that this was the same man.</p> - -<p>Asked how it happened that, living so far -distant as Essex, he came to be present as a -witness at this trial, he said that at the Hempstead -post-office one day he observed a letter directed -to Turpin's brother-in-law, who had refused to -pay the postage on it. Looking narrowly at the -handwriting, he thought he recognised it as that -of Richard Turpin, whom he had taught to write. -Turpin then being very much in demand by the -magistrates, he took the letter forthwith to a local -Justice of the Peace, who opened it, and found it -was sent from York Castle, and purported to come -from one "John Palmer."</p> - -<p>The justices had sent him a subpœna to appear -for the prosecution at York. He had been shown -into the prison yard, and there he had seen and -recognised Turpin, who was there under the name -of Palmer.</p> - -<p>"Palmer," then informed that he might ask -Mr. Smith any questions he desired, merely -replied he did not know him.</p> - -<p>Mr. Edward Saward, of Hempstead, then -called and asked if he knew prisoner, said he did. -He was born and brought up at the "Bell," kept -by his father, John Turpin. He had known him -twenty-two years. ("Upon my soul, I have," -he added; to which counsel rejoined, "My friend, -you have sworn once already; you need not swear -again.") "I knew him ever since he was a boy -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> -and lived at the 'Bell.' He lived with his -father there, and I was friendly with him. I -knew him also after he had set up for himself, -and I have bought a great many good joints of -meat from him." The prisoner had at first -affected not to know him; but afterwards had -acknowledged the acquaintance, and had added: -"Let's bung our eyes up with drink."</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p222.jpg" id="i_p222.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p222.jpg" width="600" height="407" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">TURPIN'S CELL IN YORK CASTLE.</div> -</div> - -<p>The prisoner's sole defence was that he had -bought the horse; but he could produce no -evidence to show he had actually done so, and -could not mention the name of the person from -whom he had bought him, nor the place where -the transaction had been completed.</p> - -<p>The jury had no difficulty in returning a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> -verdict of "guilty," and, indeed, did so without -leaving the court. Turpin was then formally -sentenced to death.</p> - -<p>He wrote to his father, and made great efforts -to obtain a reduction of his sentence to transportation; -but without result. A letter received -from his father was a feature of a pamphlet, -detailing his trial and adventures, published at -York in April 1739. There is no reason to doubt -its genuine character:</p> - -<blockquote> -<p class="ar"> -<i>March 29, 1739.</i></p> -<p class="sc">Dear Child, -</p> - -<p>"I received you Letter this Instant, with -a great deal of grief; according to your Request, -I have writ to your Brother John, and Madam -Peek, to make what intercession can be made to -Col. Watson, in order to obtain Transportation -for your Misfortune; which, had I £100 I would -freely part with it to do you good; and for God's -Sake, give your whole Mind to beg of God to -pardon your many Transgressions, which the Thief -upon the Cross received Pardon for at the last -Hour, tho' a very great Offender. The Lord be -your Comfort, and receive you into his eternal -Kingdom.</p> - -<p><span style="padding-left:55%;">"I am yours Distress'd,</span><br /> -<span style="padding-left:70%;">"Yet Loving Father,</span><br /> -<span style="padding-left:80%;"> -<span class="sc">"John Turpin.<br /> -"Hemstead.</span></span></p> - -<p>"All our Loves to you, who are in much Grief -to subscribe ourselves your distressed Brother -and Sister, with Relations."</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span></p> - -<p>Turpin principally concerned himself in those -twenty-six days that bridged the distance between -sentence and execution in joking, drinking with -the many visitors who came to see him, and telling -stories of his adventures. He turned a deaf ear -to the ministrations of the Ordinary, and was -infinitely more concerned that he should make -a last "respectable" appearance in this world, -on the scaffold, than for his welfare in the next. -Nothing would satisfy him but new clothes, a -brand-new fustian frock, and a smart pair of -pumps to die in. On the morning before the -fatal April 17th he gave the hangman £3 10<i>s.</i> 0<i>d.</i>, -to be divided among five men, who were to follow -him as mourners, and were to be furnished with -black hat-bands and mourning gloves. When -the time came, and he went in the tumbril to be -turned off upon York's place of execution at -Knavesmire, he bowed to the ladies and flourished -his hat like a hero. It is true that when he had -arrived at the tragic place his leg trembled, but -he stamped it down impatiently. He talked for -half an hour with the hangman, until the crowd -began to grow impatient, but then mounted the -ladder provided, and threw himself off in the -most resolute fashion. He had the reward of his -courage, for he died in a moment.</p> - -<p>It should here be explained that hanging in -those old times, before the drop had been introduced, -was generally a cruel and clumsy method. -As a rule, the culprit was driven up in the cart -immediately under the gallows, and the noose then -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> -adjusted round his neck. When all was ready, -the cart was simply drawn away and the victim -left hanging, to be slowly and agonisingly -suffocated. Thus the horrible spectacle was often -witnessed of compassionate persons—and sometimes -the relations of the hanging man—pulling -his legs to more speedily end his sufferings. In -the museum at Dorchester there may to this day -be seen two heavy weights made for the purpose -of thus shortening the misery of -criminals hanged at the gaol there, -and bearing the word MERCY.</p> - -<p>It sometimes happened, in -those days, that a criminal would -be ineffectually hanged, and afterwards -cut down and revived. -"Half-hanged Smith" was a -burglar who obtained his nickname -in this manner at Tyburn; -but he was convicted, a few years -later, of a similar crime, and -effectually hanged on that occasion. Another, -cut down and revived, declared the sensation of -being hanged was sufficiently bad, but that of -being restored to life was indescribably agonising, -and said he wished those hanged who had cut -him down.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p225.jpg" id="i_p225.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p225.jpg" width="223" height="400" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">RALPH OSTLER.<br /> - (<i>Skelt.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>The shocking old alternative to being slowly -hanged when the cart was withdrawn was the -method by which criminals with sufficient courage -were enabled to anticipate the modern drop, by -throwing themselves off the ladder, and so securing -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> -an instant and practically painless death. But -this was making the condemned their own executioners, -and, to all intents and purposes, suicides. -It also required a considerable amount of resolution.</p> - -<p>Turpin's body lay in state for a day and a -night at the "Blue Boar" inn, Castlegate, York, -and was buried the following morning in the -churchyard of St. George's, Fishergate Postern. -That evening it was disinterred by some of the -city surgeons, for dissection, but the mob, with -whom Turpin had already become a hero, determined -that his remains should not be dishonoured, -rescued the body and reinterred it in lime, so as -to effectually prevent any other attempts.</p> - -<p>The Ride to York and Black Bess are alike -myths, but the spot was long pointed out upon -the racecourse at York (perhaps it still is), where -that gallant mare sank down exhausted and died. -So strong a hold have myths upon the imagination, -that it is hardly possible the most painstaking -historian will succeed in popularly discrediting -the <i>bona fides</i> of that ride, invented and so -stirringly described by Harrison Ainsworth in -1834, in his <i>Rookwood</i>.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p227.jpg" id="i_p227.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p227.jpg" width="414" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">TURPIN'S WAIST-GIRDLE, WRIST-SHACKLES, AND LEG IRONS.</div> -</div> - -<p>Ainsworth was the unconscious predisposing -cause of much of <i>Skelt's Juvenile Drama</i>, that -singular collection of remarkably mild plays for -toy theatres, allied with terrific scenes and the -most picturesque figures conceived, drawn and -engraved in the wildest spirit of melodrama, and -in the most extravagant attitudes. No such -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> -scenery ever existed as that drawn by Skelt's anonymous -artists. It was a decided improvement upon -Nature; and no heroes so heroic and no villains -so villainous could possibly have lived and moved -as those imagined by his staff of draughtsmen. -<i>Dick Turpin</i> was of course in the forefront of -the thirty-three plays published by Skelt, and the -pictured characters do full justice—and perhaps -a trifle over—to the entirely illegitimate fame -Turpin has acquired. You see -them reproduced here, engraved -line for line from Skelt, scattered -over the pages of this reconsideration -of Turpin. Firstly, you -have the great brethren, Turpin -and Tom King, themselves, -mounted on noble steeds that -stretch themselves gallantly in -their stride; and then you have -Sir Ralph Rookwood and that -intelligent officer, Simon Sharpscent, -also on horseback, hurrying off in company, -but upon the trail of the highwaymen. Simon -Sharpscent, you will observe, has in his hand a -something that looks not unlike a Field Marshal's -bâton. It is the police-officer's crown-tipped -staff of office; and producing it he will presently -say, dramatically: "I arrest you in the -King's name!"</p> - -<p>Always, with the remarkable exception of the -group of "Highwaymen Carousing," these characters -are intensely dramatic in their attitudes; -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span> -but the carousing highwaymen are unexpectedly -wooden; although they look capable of being -daredevil fellows when the generous wine, or the -old ale—whichever it may be—has done its work. -Even the "Maid of the Inn" is a creature of -romance.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p228.jpg" id="i_p228.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p228.jpg" width="245" height="400" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">MAID OF THE INN.<br /> - (<i>Skelt.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p229.jpg" id="i_p229.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p229.jpg" width="400" height="262" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">HIGHWAYMEN CAROUSING.<br /> - (<i>Skelt.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>Although Ainsworth invented Turpin's Ride to -York, he certainly did not invent Black Bess, nor -did he conceive the ride as an attempt to establish -an <i>alibi</i>; for he shows him hotly pursued by the -officers of the law, nearly all the way. In -Ainsworth's pages you find no reason why the -ride should have been undertaken. I have elsewhere -remarked that Ainsworth invented Black -Bess, as well as robbed Swiftnicks of the glory of -the ride; but a further acquaintance with the -literature of the early part of the nineteenth -century discloses the curious fact that Horace -Smith in 1825, in a volume entitled <i>Gaieties and -Gravities</i>, included a story called "Harry Halter," -in which that highwayman hero is represented as -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span> -sitting at the "Wig and Water Spaniel," in -Monmouth Street, with his friends of the same -persuasion, Ned Noose, and Old Charley Crape, -and singing the ballad of</p> - -<p class="ac noindent"><span class="sc">Turpin and the Bishop</span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Bold Turpin upon Hounslow Heath</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">His black mare Bess bestrode,</div> - <div class="verse">When he saw a Bishop's coach and four</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Sweeping along the road;</div> - <div class="verse">He bade the coachman stop, but he,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Suspecting of the job,</div> - <div class="verse">His horses lash'd—but soon roll'd off,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">With a brace of slugs in his nob.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Galloping to the carriage-door,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">He thrust his face within,</div> - <div class="verse">When the Chaplain said—"Sure as eggs is eggs,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">That is the bold Turpin."</div> - <div class="verse">Quoth Turpin, "You shall eat your words</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">With sauce of leaden bullet";</div> - <div class="verse">So he clapp'd his pistol to his mouth,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And fired it down his gullet.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">The Bishop fell upon his knees,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">When Turpin bade him stand,</div> - <div class="verse">And gave him his watch, a bag of gold,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And six bright rings from his hand.</div> - <div class="verse">Rolling with laughter, Turpin pluck'd</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">The Bishop's wig from his head,</div> - <div class="verse">And popp'd it on the Chaplain's poll,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">As he sate in the corner dead.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Upon the box he tied him then,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">With the reins behind his back,</div> - <div class="verse">Put a pipe in his mouth, the whip in his hand,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And set off the horses, smack!</div> - <div class="verse">Then whisper'd in his black mare's ear,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Who luckily wasn't fagg'd,</div> - <div class="verse">"You must gallop fast and far, my dear,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Or I shall be surely scragg'd."</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">He never drew bit, nor stopp'd to bait, - <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span></div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Nor walk'd up hill or down,</div> - <div class="verse">Until he came to Gloucester's gate,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Which is the Assizes town.</div> - <div class="verse">Full eighty miles in one dark night,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">He made his black mare fly,</div> - <div class="verse">And walk'd into Court at nine o'clock</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">To swear an Alibi.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">A hue and cry the Bishop raised,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And so did Sheriff Foster,</div> - <div class="verse">But stared to hear that Turpin was</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">By nine o'clock at Gloucester.</div> - <div class="verse">So all agreed it couldn't be him,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Neither by hook nor crook;</div> - <div class="verse">And said that the Bishop and Chaplain was</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Most certainly mistook.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>Here we certainly find Black Bess, not treated -to two capital letters, and only referred to as "his -black mare Bess" (it was reserved -for Ainsworth to discover the -worth of the alliteration and the -demand it made for two capital -B's), but we thus have traced the -invention of that coal-black steed -one remove further back, and there -it must rest, for a time, at any -rate.</p> - -<p>It seems pretty clear that Smith -was acquainted with the exploit -of Swiftnicks, but why he transferred -the ride to Turpin, and the purpose of -establishing an <i>alibi</i> to Gloucester, does not appear, -unless indeed he wanted a rhyme to "Foster."</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p231.jpg" id="i_p231.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p231.jpg" width="211" height="400" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">INNKEEPER.<br /> - (<i>Skelt.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>Dickens, who wrote <i>Pickwick</i> in 1836, eleven -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> -years after <i>Gaieties and Gravities</i> was published, -had evidently read Smith's book, for in Chapter -XLIII. we find Sam Weller represented as singing -to the coachman a condensed and greatly altered -version, beginning:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="verse">Bold Turpin vunce, on Hounslow Heath</div> - <div class="verse">His bold mare Bess bestrode—er;</div> - <div class="verse">Ven there he see'd the Bishop's coach</div> - <div class="verse">A-coming along the road—er.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>That Swiftnicks actually performed the famous -ride was generally believed, as elsewhere described -in these pages; and unless any later evidence can -be adduced to deprive him of the credit, he must -continue to enjoy it. But it is curious to note -that riding horseback between York and London -under exceptional circumstances has often been -mentioned. A prominent instance is the wager -accepted by John Lepton, esquire to James the -First, that he would ride six times between London -and York on six consecutive days. Fuller, in his -<i>Worthies</i>, tells us all about it. He first set out -on May 20th, 1606, from Aldersgate, London, and -completed the journey before nightfall, returning -the next day; and so on until he had won the -wager, "to the great praise of his strength in -acting, than to his discretion in undertaking it," -says Fuller, with an unwonted sneer.</p> - -<p>Turpin was certainly described in his own lifetime -as "the noted," "the renowned," "the -famous," but those were merely newspaper phrases, -and the notability, the renown, or the fame -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> -commented upon in to-day's paper is, we are by -way of seeing in our own age, the oblivion of next -week. The <i>London Magazine</i>, commenting briefly -on his execution, styles him a "mean and stupid -wretch," and that estimate of him is little likely -ever to be revised, although it may readily and -justly be amplified by the epithets "brutal" and -"cowardly." The brutalities of himself and his -associates kept the suburbs of London for a while -in terror, but he evidently had made little impression -on the mind of Captain Charles Johnson, -whose book on <i>The General History of Highwaymen</i>, -published in 1742, three years after Turpin's -execution, has no mention of him.</p> - -<p>Yet, side by side with these facts, we are -confronted with the undoubted immediate ballad -fame he acquired in the north, of which here are -two pitiful specimen verses:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="verse">For shooting of a dunghill cock</div> - <div class="verse">Poor Turpin he at last was took;</div> - <div class="verse">And carried straight into a jail,</div> - <div class="verse">Where his misfortune he does bewail,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">O rare Turpin hero,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">O rare Turpin O!</div> - <div class="verse">Now some do say that he will hang—</div> - <div class="verse">Turpin the last of all the gang;</div> - <div class="verse">I wish the cock had ne'er been hatched,</div> - <div class="verse">For like a fish in the net he's catched.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>Pedlars hawked these untutored productions -widely over the country, and it will be noticed -with some amusement that, just as Robin Hood -had been made a popular ballad hero, robbing the -rich to give to the poor, and succouring the widow -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> -and the orphan, and just as Nevison had been -similarly enshrined, so Turpin, who would have -been mean enough to rob a poor man of his beer, -a poor widow of her last groat, or to steal a penny -out of a blind man's pannikin (the worst of crimes), -was instantly converted into a blameless martyr. -We may, however, readily imagine the ill-treated -Mr. Lawrence of Edgewarebury, rubbing his -roasted posteriors and vehemently dissenting from -that estimate of Turpin.</p> - -<p>But the ballad-writers did not pretend to -historical accuracy, or to grammar, scansion, or -anything but a rude way of appealing to the -feelings of the rustics, whose lives of unremitting -toil for poor wages embittered them more than -they knew against the rich; to this extent, that -they imagined virtue resided solely in the lowly -cot, and vice and oppressive feelings exclusively in -the lordly hall. Those who were poor were -virtuous, and the highwayman who emptied the -pockets of the rich performed a meritorious service. -Hence ballads like the following grievous example, -in which Turpin appears, in spite of well-ascertained -facts, to have been executed at Salisbury:</p> - -<p class="ac noindent"><span class="sc">Turpen's Appeal to the Judge in his defence; or the -Gen'rous Robber</span></p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>Printed and sold by J. Pitts, 6, Great St. Andrew Street, Seven Dials</p></blockquote> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="verse">Come all you wild and wicked young men</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">A warning take by me,</div> - <div class="verse">A story now to you I'll tell</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Of Turpen of Salisbury.</div> - <div class="verse">He was a wild and wicked blade - <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span></div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">On the High road did he hie,</div> - <div class="verse">But at last was tried, and cast,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And condemn'd he was to die.</div> - <div class="verse">When before the Judge he came</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And at the Bar he did stand,</div> - <div class="verse">For no pardon he did ask,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">But boldly he held up his hand,</div> - <div class="verse">Declared the truth before the Judge</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Who was to try him then:—</div> - <div class="verse">"I hope, my Lord, you'll pardon me,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">I'm not the worst of men,</div> - <div class="verse">I the Scripture have fulfilled,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Tho' a wicked life I led,</div> - <div class="verse">When the naked I've beheld,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">I've cloathed them and fed;</div> - <div class="verse">Sometimes in a Coat of Winter's pride,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Sometimes in a russet grey,</div> - <div class="verse">The naked I've cloathed, the hungry fed,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And the Rich I've sent empty away.</div> - <div class="verse">As I was riding out one day,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">I saw a Prisoner going to Jail,</div> - <div class="verse">Because his debts he could not pay,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Or yet sufficient bail.</div> - <div class="verse">A true and faithful friend he found</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">In me that very day;</div> - <div class="verse">I paid the Creditor forty pounds</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Which set the Prisoner free.</div> - <div class="verse">When he had my guineas bright,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">He told them into his purse,</div> - <div class="verse">But I could not be satisfied:</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">To have 'em again I must.</div> - <div class="verse">Boldly I mounted my prancing steed,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And crossing a point of land,</div> - <div class="verse">There I met the Creditor,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And boldly bade him stand.</div> - <div class="verse">Sir, the debt you owe to me</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Amounts to Forty pounds</div> - <div class="verse">Which I am resolved to have</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Before I quit this ground.</div> - <div class="verse">I search'd his pockets all around, - <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span></div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And robb'd him of his store,</div> - <div class="verse">Wherein I found my forty pounds</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And Twenty Guineas more.</div> - <div class="verse">What harm, my Lord Judge, he said,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">What harm was there in this,</div> - <div class="verse">To Rob a Miser of his store,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">By my stout heartedness.</div> - <div class="verse">I never rob'd or wrong'd the poor,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">As it plainly does appear;</div> - <div class="verse">So I hope you'll pardon me</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And be not too severe."</div> - <div class="verse">Then the Judge unto bold Turpen said</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">"Your stories are but in vain,</div> - <div class="verse">For by our laws you are condemn'd,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And must receive your pain.</div> - <div class="verse">Repent, repent, young man, he said,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">For what is done and past,</div> - <div class="verse">You say the hungry you've cloathed and fed,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">But you must die at last."</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>It is of course possible that this ballad was -not meant for Dick Turpin at all; for, so widespread -in rural districts had his fame early grown, -that "Turpin" became almost a generic name for -local highwaymen, just as after Julius Cæsar all -the Emperors of Rome were Cæsars. It was -a name to conjure with: and this no doubt goes -some way to explain the infinitely many alleged -"Turpin's haunts" in widely separated districts: -places Turpin could not have found time to haunt, -unless he had been a syndicate.</p> - -<p>Away down in Wiltshire, in the neighbourhood -of Trowbridge, between Keevil and Bulkington, -and in a soggy level plain watered by an affluent -of the Wiltshire Avon, there stands in a wayside -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span> -ditch a hoary object called "Turpin's Stone," -inscribed, in letters now almost entirely obliterated,</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="verse">Dick Turpin's dead and gone,</div> - <div class="verse">This Stone's set up to think upon.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p237.jpg" id="i_p237.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p237.jpg" width="600" height="541" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">TURPIN'S STONE.</div> -</div> - -<p>This curious wayside relic may be found on the -boundary-line of the parishes of Bulkington and -Keevil, near a spot oddly named Brass Pan Bridge, -and standing in an evil-smelling ditch that receives -the drainage of the neighbouring pigsties. It is -a battered and moss-grown object, and its inscription, -despite the local version of it given -above, is not really decipherable, as a whole. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> -"Turpin" may be read, easily enough, but if the -word above it is meant for "Dick," why then -the sculptor of it spelled the name "Dicq," a feat -of illiterate ingenuity that rather staggers belief. -Brake-loads of Wiltshire archæologists have visited -the spot in summer, when county antiquaries -mostly archælogise, and, braving typhoid fever, -have descended into the ditch and sought to -unravel the mystery of this Sphinx: without -result.</p> - -<p>The village of Poulshot, birthplace of Thomas -Boulter, a once-dreaded highwayman, is not far -off, and it is possible that Boulter, who had a very -busy and distinguished career on the highways of -England in general, and of Salisbury Plain in -particular,<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a> -<a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> may have been named locally "Dick -Turpin," after the hero who died at York under -tragical circumstances, with the aid of a rope, in -1739. Boulter himself ended in that way in 1778, -at Winchester, and so the transference of names -was quite possible. He, it is significant to note, -had a mare named "Black Bess," which he stole in -1736 from Mr. Peter Delmé's stables at Erle Stoke.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a> -<a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> -See the "Exeter Road," pp. 217-228.</p></div> - -<p>There are Turpin "relics" and associations at -the "Spaniards," on Hampstead Heath, and we -find the <i>Times</i> of August 22nd, 1838, saying: -"The rear of the houses on Holborn Bridge has for -many years been the receptacle for characters of -the most daring and desperate condition. There, -in a secret <i>manège</i> (now a slaughter-house for her -species), did Turpin suffer his favourite Black -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span> -Bess to repose for many a night previously to her -disastrous journey to York." The <i>Times</i> had -evidently swallowed the Ride to York story -whole, and relished it.</p> - -<p>Another, and more cautious commentator says, -"He shot people like partridges. Many wild and -improbable stories are told of him, such as his -rapid ride to York, his horse chewing a beef-steak -on the way; but, setting these aside, he was hardy -and cruel enough to shine as a mighty malefactor. -He seems, to quote the Newgate jest, to have been -booked, at his very birth, for the <i>Gravesend Coach</i> -that leaves at eight in the morning."</p> - -<p>"Many years ago," we read in Pink's <i>History -of Clerkenwell</i>, "a small leather portmanteau was -found at the 'Coach and Horses' tavern, at -Hockley-in-the-Hole, with the ends of wood, -large enough to contain a change of linen, besides -other little <i>etceteras</i>. On the inner side of the -lid, lightly cut in the surface of the leather, is the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span> -name, '<span class="sc">R. TVRPIN</span>.' Whether or no this portmanteau -(such an one as horsemen formerly carried -behind them, strapped to the saddle), belonged to -that famous highwayman," says Pink, "we will -not attempt to decide."</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p239.jpg" id="i_p239.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p239.jpg" width="600" height="296" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">PORTMANTEAU, FORMERLY BELONGING TO TURPIN, DISCOVERED - AT CLERKENWELL.</div> -</div> - -<p>But here there should not be much room for -doubt. The relic was probably genuine. It was -illustrated in Pink's book, but the whereabouts of -it are not now known.</p> - -<p>The irons worn by Turpin in his cell at York -Castle are now preserved in the York Museum, -together with those used for Nevison. They have -a total weight of 28 lb.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="WILLIAM_PARSONS_THE_BARONETS" id="WILLIAM_PARSONS_THE_BARONETS"></a> - WILLIAM PARSONS, THE BARONET'S SON</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">William Parsons</span>, born in 1717, was the youngest -son of a respectable baronet, Sir William Parsons, -of Nottingham; and was so well connected that -he could claim no less a personage than the -Duchess of Northumberland for aunt. Sent to -Eton, to complete his education, he left "Henry's -holy shade" in considerable disfavour, and on a -visit to an uncle at Epsom so misconducted himself, -that he was bidden never show his face there -again. His behaviour was no better at Cheshunt, -where another relative had the misfortune to -receive him for a time. He was then packed off -to sea, as midshipman, aboard the <i>Drake</i>. Returning -at the end of a cruise to England, he -continued in the gaming habits he had early -learnt, and, to provide funds for his amusements, -called upon his highly-placed aunt and stole a -gold-mounted miniature from her dressing-room. -This he was obliged to sell for one-fourth its -value. We next find him at Buxton, stealing a -gold-buckled pair of shoes in the assembly-room -belonging to a Mr. Graham, and realising on them -while the owner, vainly seeking, lost all his -dances.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span></p> - -<p>A cruise aboard the <i>Romney</i> then took him -to Newfoundland. He played cards and cheated -aboard ship, and acquired so bad a character that -it was plainly intimated the Navy was not his -vocation and he had better leave it. He accordingly -left the service and soon found himself -deserted by his friends and without a stiver in his -breeches pockets.</p> - -<p>Realising his wild nature, his father thought -it best to secure him some post that should take -him abroad for at least a few years, by which time -his hot blood might have cooled down. To this -end, he procured him a billet with the Royal -African Company, on the West Coast of that then -very Dark Continent; but the scapegrace was -soon back in England, having quarrelled with the -governor of James Fort on the Gambia River, to -whom he had been accredited. He landed even -more destitute, if possible, than before, and of -necessity lived the simple life, by existing for four -whole days on three half-penny worth of bread. -The public fountains supplied him freely with -water, wherewith to wash down those frugal -meals.</p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p243.jpg" id="i_p243.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p243.jpg" width="480" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">WILLIAM PARSONS.</div> -</div> - -<p>He dared make no more applications to his -father for assistance, for that father was then -smarting at having paid £70 to redeem his honour -over a discreditable affair that had taken place in -Africa, where the reckless youth had forged a -letter purporting to come from his aunt, the -Duchess, saying she would be answerable for any -debts her nephew might incur, up to that amount. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span> -It was folly of the worst, and most unremunerative, -kind, for that aunt, with whom he had -originally been a favourite, revoked the will she -had made in his favour, and left the £25,000, that -would have come to him, to his sister.</p> - -<p>It is evident that William Parsons was what -would be called in modern times a "degenerate." -In 1740 he borrowed a large sum of money by a -pretence that he was his elder brother, who was -the prospective owner of a considerable legacy. -He then succeeded in making a respectable -appearance for a time, and married a young lady -of good family and fortune. By that marriage he -acquired a sum of £4,000, but his wife's trustees, -being not quite satisfied with him, took care to -secure the bulk of her property in such a manner -that he could not touch it. Entering the Army -in 1741, as an ensign in a foot regiment, he -embarked upon an extravagant manner of living: -obtained a quantity of gold and silver plate from -confiding tradesmen, and kept a large number of -servants. He could never resist the gaming-tables, -and although himself a rogue and a -swindler, always found others there who proved -more finished than himself, and thoroughly fleeced -him.</p> - -<p>He would then turn to forgery, and successfully -negotiate forged bills under well-known -names. The Duke of Cumberland's signature was -used for £500. Nothing came amiss to his perverse -ingenuity; and he would even, as an army -officer, call upon tailors and pretend to having a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span> -contract for the supply of uniforms. He would -pocket a handsome commission and receive the -goods and sell them for what they would fetch. -To be his friend was to be marked down for being -defrauded, and often to be placed in the most embarrassing -situations. Thus in 1745, when the -Jacobite rebellion was disturbing the country, he -borrowed a horse of a brother officer and rode -away with it, intending to desert to the rebels. -But, thinking better of it, he went no further than -Clerkenwell, where he sold the horse. The late -owner was, in consequence, arrested on charges -of desertion and high treason, and things might -quite conceivably have gone hard with him.</p> - -<p>Accounts of Parsons' next doings do not quite -agree. By one of them we learn that he went -to Florida as a lieutenant, but according to -another and a more probable version, he was -shipped to the plantations in Virginia as a convict, -who had been found guilty of forgery at -Maidstone Assizes, and sentenced to be transported. -Family influence had no doubt prevented his -being hanged.</p> - -<p>Working as a slave in the plantations belonging -to Lord Fairfax, he attracted the attention of -that nobleman, who took him from the gang of -convicted malefactors, with whom, under strict -supervision, he hoed and delved under the blazing -sun, and befriended him. It did not pay to -befriend William Parsons. He stole one of the -best horses belonging to his benefactor, and, going -upon those early colonial roads, soon accumulated, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> -as a highwayman, a sufficient sum to buy himself -a passage back to old England.</p> - -<p>By fraud, backed up with consummate -assurance, he obtained £70 at his port of landing, -and came at once to London. A scheme for plundering -his sister, who -by this time had -succeeded to her -aunt's legacy of -£25,000, then engaged -his attention. -He hatched a plot -with a discharged -footman, for that man -to pose as a gentleman -of fortune, and -to make advances to -her, and even to -forcibly carry her off -and marry her against -her will, if needs -were. Some women -servants were also in -the plot, and were -even given duly -signed bonds in £500 -and lesser sums, to lend their aid. The footman -and Parsons were, in the event of this scheme -proving successful, to share the £25,000 in -equal parts.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p247.jpg" id="i_p247.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p247.jpg" width="233" height="400" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">WILLIAM PARSONS.</div> -</div> - -<p>By a mere accident, the plot was discovered in -a milliner's shop in the West End, where a lady -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span> -friend of Miss Parsons had pointed out to her -a finely dressed gentleman, "who was going to -marry Miss Parsons." This led to enquiries, and -an exposure of the whole affair.</p> - -<p>The last resource of this thorough-paced -scoundrel was the road. He chiefly affected the -western suburbs and Hounslow Heath, and it was -in a robbery on that widespreading waste that he -was captured. He had obtained information that -a servant, with a valise containing a large sum in -notes and gold, was to leave town and meet his -master at Windsor; and so set out to lie in wait -for him. But he had already been so active on -the Heath that his face was too well known, and -he was recognised at Brentford by a traveller who -had suffered from him before. Following him -into Hounslow Town, this former victim suddenly -raised an alarm and caused him to be seized. -Taken to the "Rose and Crown" inn, Parsons -was recognised by the landlord and others, as one -who had for some time scoured the Heath and -committed robberies. His pistols were taken from -him, and he was committed to Newgate, and in -the fulness of time tried, convicted, and sentenced -to death. The efforts of his family connections -were again used to save him from the gallows, -and themselves from the stigma of it; but his -career was too notorious for further leniency, and -he was hanged at Tyburn on February 11th, 1751.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="WILLIAM_PAGE" id="WILLIAM_PAGE"></a>WILLIAM PAGE</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">"There</span> is always room on top" has long been -the conclusive reply to complaints of overcrowding -in the professions. However many duffers may -already be struggling for a bare livelihood in -them, there yet remains an excellent career for -the recruit with energy and new methods. The -profession of highwayman aptly illustrates the -truth of these remarks. It was shockingly over-crowded -in the middle of the eighteenth century, -even though the duffers were generally caught in -their initial efforts and hanged; and really it is -wonderful where all the wealth came from, to -keep such an army of "money-changers" in -funds.</p> - -<p>William Page, who for twelve years carried on -a flourishing practice in the "Stand and Deliver!" -profession, was one of those few who lived very -near the top of it. His name is not so familiar as -those of Du Vall, Hind, Maclean, or Turpin, but -not always do the really eminent come down to us -with their eminence properly acknowledged. He -was born about 1730, the son of a bargeman to -a coal merchant at Hampton-on-Thames. The -bargeman was unfortunately drowned at Putney -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span> -in 1740, and his widow was reduced to eking out -a meagre livelihood by the distilling of waters -from medicinal herbs. She is described as "a -notable industrious woman," and certainly it was -not from her example that William learned the -haughty and offensive ways that would not permit -him long to keep any of the numerous situations -he took, after leaving the Charity School at -Hampton, where he acquired what small education -he had. He started life as tapster's boy at the -"Bell" alehouse, in his native town, and thence -changed to errand-boy in the employment of -"Mr. Mackenzie," apothecary. Soon his youthful -ambition took him to London, where he obtained -a situation in the printing-office of Woodfall, in -Little Britain, who became in after-years notorious -as printer of the "Letters of Junius"; but "that -business being too great a confinement for his -rambling temper, he left it, and went footboy -to Mr. Dalrymple, Scots Holland warehouse in -London."</p> - -<p>He rapidly filled the situations of footman to -one Mr. Hodges, in Lincoln's Inn Fields; porter -to a gentleman in Cork Street, and footman to -Mr. Macartney in Argyle Buildings. He then -entered the service of the Earl of Glencairn, but -left that situation to become valet to a certain -Captain Jasper. Frequently discharged for "his -proud and haughty spirit, which would not brook -orders from his masters," and prevented him, on -the other hand, being on good terms with his -fellow-servants, he at last found himself unable to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span> -obtain another place. This was a sad time for -William Page. In service he had learned extravagant -habits, the love of fine clothes and the -fascination of gambling; but his arrogant ways -had brought him low indeed.</p> - -<p>"Being by such means as these extremely -reduced in his circumstances, without money, -without friends, and without character, he could -think of no better method of supplying his wants, -and freeing himself from a servile dependency, -than by turning Collector on the Highway. This -he imagined would not only take off that badge of -slavery, the livery he had always worn with -regret, but would set him on a level with -gentlemen, a figure he was ever ambitious of -making."</p> - -<p>His first steps were attended with some difficulty, -for he laboured under the disadvantage, at -the moment of coming to this decision, of having -no money in his pockets; and to commence -highwayman, as to begin any other business or -profession, it was necessary to have a small -capital, for preliminary expenses. But a little -ingenuity showed him the way. Pistols and a -horse were the tools of his trade, and pistols, of -course, first. A servant of his acquaintance -knew a person who had a brace of pistols to sell, -and Page took them, "to show a friend on -approval." He then hired a horse for deferred -payment, and with the pistols went out and -immediately and successfully robbed the Highgate -coach. Thus, with the £4 he in this manner -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span> -obtained, he paid for the pistols and settled with -the livery-stable keeper for his horse-hire. In -another day or two he had touched the wayfaring -public for a sum sufficient to purchase a horse of -his own; and thus commenced his twelve-years' -spell of highway adventure, in which, although he -had many exciting experiences, he was arrested -only once before the final escapade that brought -him to the gallows.</p> - -<p>An early freak of his was the robbing of his -former master, Captain Jasper, on Hounslow -Heath. The Captain was crossing the ill-omened -place with a lady in a post-chaise, when Page rode -up, bade the postilion stop, and ordered the -Captain to deliver.</p> - -<p>"That may be, sir," retorted the Captain -angrily, "but not yet," and, pulling out a pistol, -fired at him. His aim was not good, but he hit -somebody: none other, indeed, than his own -postilion, who was struck in the back, "and -wounded very much."</p> - -<p>Then said Page, "Consider, sir, what a rash -action you have been guilty of. You have killed -this poor fellow, which I would not have done for -the world. And now, sir, I repeat my orders, and -if you refuse any longer to comply, I will actually -fire upon you."</p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p253.jpg" id="i_p253.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p253.jpg" width="429" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">WILLIAM PAGE.</div> -</div> - -<p>The Captain then snapped his second pistol at -him, but it missed fire. Page then swore he -would shoot the lady; intending to do nothing of -the kind, but only to alarm the Captain the more. -But in Captain Jasper our highwayman had met -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> -sterner stuff than common, and the gallant -soldier, the better to protect her, forthwith sat -himself in her lap. On Page continuing to declare -he would shoot him, the Captain leapt out of the -chaise at him, and at that moment Page fired, but -with intention to miss, and the shot passed -harmlessly by. Again the Captain pulled the -trigger of his pistol, and again it missed fire.</p> - -<p>Then Page declared his ultimatum: "You -must now surrender, or I absolutely will shoot -you." Whereupon the Captain, having done all -he possibly could, delivered up his gold watch and -ten or eleven guineas. Page then demanded his -sword, but he quite rightly, as a soldier, demurred -to such a humiliation.</p> - -<p>"You may see by my cockade I am an officer, -and I would sooner part with my life and soul -than with my sword," he bravely declared.</p> - -<p>Page generously acknowledged his spirit. "I -think myself," he said, "thou art the bravest -fellow that ever crossed these plains, but thou -art an obstinate fellow; and so, go about your -business."</p> - -<p>He introduced some interesting novelties into -the well-worn business. The chief of these was -the distinctly bright idea of driving from London -in a phaeton with a pair of horses and at some -lonely spot disguising himself with a wig and -another suit of clothes. Then, saddling one of -the horses and leaving the phaeton, he would -carefully emerge upon the high road and hold up -coaches, post-chaises, or solitary equestrians. This -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> -accomplished, he returned to his phaeton, harnessed -the horse again, resumed his former attire, and -drove back to town, like the gentleman of fashion -and leisure he pretended to be. One day, pursuing -this highly successful programme, he was nearly -undone by the action of some countryfolk who, -finding an abandoned phaeton and one horse -strangely left in a coppice, went off with it. The -simple people, making along the road with this -singular treasure-trove, were themselves followed -by some unlucky travellers whom Page had just -robbed, and violently denounced as confederates. -Page was fully equal to the occasion. Nearly -stripping himself, and casting his clothes down a -convenient well, he returned to London in that -plight and declared himself to have been treated -like the man in the Scriptures, who "fell among -thieves"; although it does not appear that the -traveller in question had a carriage. His phaeton -had been stolen, and himself robbed and left almost -naked.</p> - -<p>This precious story was fully believed, and -the country people themselves stood in some considerable -danger. They were flung into prison -and would no doubt have been convicted had Page -appeared against them. This he, for obvious -reasons, refused to do, and they found themselves -at liberty once more, resolved to leave any other -derelict carriages they might chance to see severely -alone.</p> - -<p>Page, in course of time, married a girl of his -native town. She could not long remain ignorant -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span> -of his means of livelihood, and earnestly begged -him to leave the road and take to honest work. -Few, however, quitted the highway except for the -"three-legged mare" at Tyburn, and the one- or -two-legged mares of other places; and he held -on his way. Now and again he would disappear -for a time, after some particularly audacious -exploit, to reappear when the excitement it had -caused was over. On one of these occasions he -shipped to Barbados and Antigua, stayed there -for seven or eight months, and then returned to -England, desperately in want of money. The -line of least resistance indicated the road once -more.</p> - -<p>His first exploit after this reappearance was -the robbing of one Mr. Cuffe, north of Barnet. -The traveller, being driven along the road alone -and unarmed in a post-chaise, had no choice but -to surrender his purse, and held it out from the -window at arm's length. But Page's horse, not -being used to this kind of business, shied violently, -and Page thereupon ordered the postilion to dismount -and hand it him, which he did, and he -then gracefully and at leisure retired.</p> - -<p>On his return to town, leading this high-mettled -horse down Highgate Hill, Page was -followed by three men on horseback, who, having -heard of this robbery down the road, suspected he -might be the man. They immediately planned -how they were to take him, and then, one of them -riding quietly up, said, "Sir, I have often walked -my horse up Highgate Hill, but never down; -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> -but since you do, I will also, and bear you -company."</p> - -<p>Page readily agreed, without the least suspicion -of any design against him, and so they entered -into a very friendly conversation. After walking -in this manner some little distance, the gentleman -finding a fit opportunity, keeping a little behind, -suddenly laid hold of his arms and pinioned them -so tightly behind him that he was not able to stir; -seeing which, the other two, then on the opposite -side of the road, crossed over and secured him -beyond any possibility of escape. They found in -his pockets four loaded pistols, a powder-horn, and -some bullets, a crape mask, and a curious and -ingenious map himself had drawn, showing all the -main roads and cross roads for twenty miles round -London.</p> - -<p>They then took him before a Justice of the -Peace at Highgate, who put many searching -questions, without gaining any information. He -was, however, committed to Clerkenwell Bridewell, -and was afterwards examined by none other -than Henry Fielding, magistrate and novelist. -Sent from the Old Bailey to stand his trial at -Hertford Assizes, he was acquitted for lack of -exact evidence, although every one was fully -satisfied of his guilt, for, however strange the -times, they were not so strange that honest gentlemen -carried such a compromising collection of -things about with them on the roads.</p> - -<p>His narrow escape did not disturb him, and he -was soon again on his lawless prowls. On Hounslow -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span> -Heath he robbed a Captain of one of the -Guards regiments, and was pursued into Hounslow -town by that officer, shouting "Highwayman!" -after him. No one took any notice. Page got -clear away, and afterwards boasted of having, the -following night at a theatre in London, sat next -the officer, who did not recognise him.</p> - -<p>An interlude followed in the activities of our -high-spirited highwayman. He and an old -acquaintance struck up a more intimate friendship -over the tables of billiard-rooms in London, and -there they entered into an alliance, with the -object of rooking frequenters of those places. -But their returns were small and precarious, and -did not even remotely compare with the rich -harvest to be gathered on the road, to which he -accordingly returned.</p> - -<p>It was Page's ill-fortune to meet with several -plucky travellers, who, like Captain Jasper, would -not tamely submit to be robbed, and resisted by -force of arms. Among them was Lord Downe, -whose post-chaise he, with a companion, one day -stopped at Barnet. Presenting his pistol, he -issued the customary orders, but, to his surprise, -Lord Downe himself drew a pistol, and discharged -it with such excellent aim, that Page was shot -in the body, and bled very copiously. His companion's -horse, alarmed at the shot, grew restive, -and thus his friend was for a while unable to -come to his aid. Page, however, again advanced -to the attack; but my lord was ready with -another pistol, and so the highwaymen thought -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span> -it best to make off. They hurried to London, and -Page sought a doctor, who found the wound so -dangerous, that he refused to treat him without -consultation. The other doctor, immediately on -arriving, recognised Page, and asked him how he -came by the wound; to which Page replied, that -he had received it in a duel he had just fought.</p> - -<p>"I will extract the ball," replied the doctor; -"but," he added significantly, "I do not wish to -see your face again, for I believe you fought that -duel near Barnet."</p> - -<p>Shortly after his recovery from this untoward -incident, he and one ally, Darwell, by name, -an old schoolfellow, waiting upon chance on -Shooter's Hill, met two post-chaises, in one of -which was a "supercargo" belonging to the East -India Company, and in the other a person, who -is simply described as a "gentleman."</p> - -<p>Page's accomplice opened the encounter by -firing a pistol, to which the supercargo replied in -like manner; but with a better aim, for the bullet -tore away a portion of his coat, under the armpit. -A second shot from the highwayman was also -ineffective. Then Page rode up and attacked the -other chaise. A desperate fusillade followed; but -the only damage done was that Page's horse -was slightly wounded. At last, the post-chaise -travellers having expended all their ammunition, -the two highwaymen compelled them to alight, -and the postilions to dismount; and then, having -bound the hands of all of them with rope, they -ordered these unfortunate persons, on peril of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span> -their lives, to remain on that spot for one hour. -They then returned to the chaises, removed the -travelling trunks, and, carrying them off on horseback, -hid them securely.</p> - -<p>Then they hastened back to London. The -next morning, in two chaises, they returned to -the spot, and in security brought back the trunks, -which contained, not only a large amount of -money, but a mass of important documents -belonging to the East India Company.</p> - -<p>A reward of forty guineas was offered, by -advertisement in the newspapers of the time, for -the return of the documents, "and no questions -asked." The advertisers themselves, by so doing, -risked a fine of £50 for compounding a felony; -but, in any case, the reward was never claimed, -although Page carefully returned the papers -anonymously.</p> - -<p>The fact which at last cut the knot of William -Page's existence was the robbing of Captain -Farrington in 1757, on Blackheath. Among other -things the Captain was compelled to render to -this Cæsar of the roads was a gold repeater watch. -Hotly pursued, Page gave the hue-and-cry a long -chase for it, and finally, arriving at Richmond, -had himself and his exhausted horse ferried across -to Twickenham.</p> - -<p>Soon after, finding the south of England ringing -uncomfortably with the fame of his doings, he -took ship for Scotland, but landed at Scarborough, -where, at the fashionable spa, he gambled heavily -and strutted awhile as a man of considerable -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> -fortune. But he must have been at last really -alarmed and prepared to consider turning over -a new leaf, for he went north to see his former -master, the Earl of Glencairn, who, he thought, -would be able to recommend him to employment -in the plantations. The Earl, however, received -him coldly, and he came south again, to resume -his chosen profession, in company with Darwell, -whom he had by constant alternate threats and -persuasions seduced from the reformed life he -was leading and the respectable situation he -held, to take up again this hazardous calling.</p> - -<p>Together they scoured the road to Tonbridge, -Darwell forming, as it were, a rearguard. Page -was pursued beyond Sevenoaks by five mounted -men armed with pistols, and a blunderbuss, who -dashed past Darwell, and after a struggle seized -his leader, who presently escaped again. In their -return, disappointed, they made a prisoner of -Darwell, who, suspecting something of the kind -would happen, had already thrown away his pistols. -In spite of his indignant protestations that he -was a private gentleman, and would not endure -such an outrage, he was searched and a part of -Captain Farrington's watch was found upon him, -with the maker's name and most of the distinguishing -marks more or less carefully obliterated. -Questioned closely, he declared he had picked it up -upon the road. As for the highwayman they had -just now nearly captured, he knew nothing of -him: had never set eyes on him before.</p> - -<p>But, in spite of these denials, Darwell was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span> -taken off in custody and examined before a magistrate, -who so plied him with questions, threats -of what would happen to him if he continued -obstinate, and promises of clemency if he would -make discovery of his companion, that he at last -turned King's evidence. During the interval, he -was lodged in Maidstone gaol.</p> - -<p>A fortnight later, Page was arrested in one -of their old haunts in London, the "Golden Lion," -near Grosvenor Square. He was at first taken -to Newgate, but afterwards remitted to Maidstone, -and tried there for the robbery of Captain -Farrington. Convicted and sentenced to death, -he was hanged on Penenden Heath, April 6th, -1758.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="ISAAC_DARKIN_ALIAS_DUMAS" id="ISAAC_DARKIN_ALIAS_DUMAS"></a> - ISAAC DARKIN, <i>ALIAS</i> DUMAS</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">Isaac Darkin</span> was the son of a cork-cutter in -Eastcheap, and was born about 1740; too late to -appear in the stirring pages of Alexander Smith -or Charles Johnson, in which he would have made, -we may be sure, an admired figure. All those -who knew him, on the road or in the domestic -circle, agreed that he was a handsome fellow; and -travellers, in particular, noticed his taking ways. -These were first displayed in 1758, when he robbed -Captain Cockburn near Chelmsford. No less -taking, in their own especial way, were the police -of the neighbourhood in that time, for they -speedily apprehended Isaac, and lodged him in -Springfield gaol. He was duly arraigned at the -next assizes, and no fewer than eight indictments -were then preferred against him. He pleaded -guilty to the robbing of Captain Cockburn, but -not guilty on the other counts; and was, after a -patient trial, found guilty on the first and -acquitted on the others. He was then sentenced -to death, but was eventually respited on account -of his youth, and finally pardoned on condition -that he enlisted in the 48th Regiment of foot, -then serving in the West Indies, at Antigua. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span> -Drafted with others aboard a ship lying in the -lower reaches of the Thames, presently to set sail -for that distant shore, he effected his escape, -almost at the moment of up-anchor, by dint of -bribing the captain of a merchant vessel lying -alongside, to whom he promised so much as a -hundred pounds to help him out. He was -smuggled aboard the merchantman, and so cunningly -disguised that when a search-party, suspecting -his whereabouts, boarded the ship, and -searched it, even to the hold, they did not recognise -him in a particularly rough and dirty sailor -who was swearing nautical oaths among the ship's -company on deck. So the transport-vessel sailed -without him, and he, assuming the name of -Dumas, rioted all through the West of England, -robbing wealthy travellers and gaily spending his -takings on what he loved best: fine clothes and -fine ladies. He was so attentive to business that -he speedily made a name for himself, the name -of a daring votary of the high toby. This reputation -rendered it politic on his part to enlist in the -Navy, so that in case of being arrested for highway -robbery, he could prove himself to have a -respectable occupation, that would help to discredit -the charge of being a highwayman.</p> - -<p>He soon became a valued recruit, and was -promoted to midshipman; and it is quite likely -that if he had been sent on active service he -would have distinguished himself in a more -reputable career than that in which he was so -soon to die. But his duties kept him for considerable -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span> -periods in port, and he seems to have had -ample leave from them; for we find him hovering -near Bath and gaily robbing the wealthy real -or imagined invalids going to, or returning from, -the waters.</p> - -<p>On the evening of June 22nd, 1760, he fell in -with Lord Percival, travelling by post-chaise over -Clarken Down, near Bath, and robbed him of -twelve, thirteen, or fourteen guineas—my lord -could not positively swear to the exact amount. -He then made off in the gathering twilight, and -galloped across country, to Salisbury Plain and -the little village of Upavon, where he was arrested -in a rustic alehouse, and sent thence to Salisbury -gaol. At his trial he indignantly denied being a -highwayman, or that he was an Englishman. He -declared his name was Dumas, that he had lately -come from Guadaloupe, where he had taken a part -in the late military operations; and said that the -so-styled "suspicious behaviour" and damaging -admissions he was charged with, when arrested at -the inn, were merely the perplexities of a foreigner, -when suddenly confronted by hostile strangers.</p> - -<p>This special pleading did not greatly deceive -judge or jury, but the prosecution broke down -upon a technical detail, and Darkin was acquitted; -not, however, without an affecting address to the -prisoner from the judge, Mr. Justice Willmott, -who urged him to amend his ways, while there -was yet time.</p> - -<p>It is thus quite sufficiently evident that, -although the Court was bound to acquit the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span> -prisoner, no one had the least doubt of his guilt. -His narrow escape does not appear to have impressed -Darkin, or "Dumas"; but he was anxious -enough to be off, as we learn from a contemporary -account of the proceedings, in which it is quaintly -said: "He discovered great Impatience 'till he -had got off his Fetters and was discharged, which -was about five o'clock in the evening, when he -immediately set out for London in a post-chaise."</p> - -<p>The fair ladies of Salisbury sorrowed when he -was gone. They had been constant in visiting -him in prison, and had regarded him as a hero, -and Lord Percival as a disagreeable hunks. -The hero-worship he received is properly noted -in the account of his life, trial, and execution, -issued in haste from an Oxford press in 1761, -shortly after the final scene had been enacted. -In those pages we read: "During Mr. Dumas' -imprisonment at Salisbury, we find his sufferings -made a deep impression upon the tender Hearts -of the Ladies, some of whom, having visited him -in his Confinement, his obliging Manner, genteel -Address, lively Disposition, and whole Deportment -so struck them that his Fame soon became the -Discourse of the Tea Table; and at the happy -Termination of His Affair with my Lord Percival, -produced between them the following Copy of -Verses:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Joy to thee, lovely Thief! that thou</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Hast 'scaped the fatal string,</div> - <div class="verse">Let Gallows groan with ugly Rogues,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5"><i>Dumas</i> must never swing.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Dost thou seek Money?—To thy Wants - <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span></div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Our Purses we'll resign;</div> - <div class="verse">Could we our Hearts to guineas coin</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Those guineas all were thine.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">To Bath in safety let my lord</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">His loaded Pockets carry;</div> - <div class="verse">Thou ne'er again shall tempt the Road,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Sweet youth! if thou wilt marry.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">No more shall niggard travellers</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Avoid thee—We'll ensure them:</div> - <div class="verse">To us thou shalt consign thy Balls</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">And Pistol; we'll secure 'em.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Yet think not, when the Chains are off,</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">Which now thy Legs bedeck,</div> - <div class="verse">To fly: in Fetters softer far</div> - <div class="verse indent-1_5">We'll chain thee by the Neck."</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>But in the short space of six weeks from his -acquittal at Salisbury and his triumphal exit in -a post-chaise for London, he was again arrested on -a charge of highway robbery, this time for robbing -a Mr. Gammon at Nettlebed, on the road to -Oxford. Committed to trial at Newgate, he was -transferred to Oxford gaol, and tried there on -March 6th. He had up to now been phenomenally -fortunate, but things at this crisis looked -a great deal more serious. He acknowledged "he -had experienced many narrow scrapes, but never -such a d—d one as this," and he was presently -found guilty and condemned to death, this time -without any extenuating circumstances being -found.</p> - -<p>Isaac Darkin was what in our times would be -called a "superior person." Slang he disdained -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> -to use, bad language was anathema to him; and -if he did, indeed, condescend to describe a person -of mean understanding as "a cake," or "a flat," -that was the most he permitted himself. His -delicacy was so great that he never mentioned a -"robbery," a "robber," or a "highwayman," but -spoke instead of persons who had been "injured," -or of "the injured parties." And as he was so -nice in his language, so he was particular in his -dress and deportment. As an eulogist of him said, -not without a little criticism: "He was possessed -of too great a share of pride for his circumstances -in life, and retained more of it to the last than -was becoming in a person in his unhappy situation. -He had a taste for elegance in every respect; was -remarkably fond of silk stockings, and neat in his -linen; had his hair dressed in the most fashionable -manner every morning; his polished fetters were -supported round his waist by a sword-belt, and -tied up at his knees with ribbon."</p> - -<p>Although but the son of a cork-cutter, he had -lived, in the estimation of his contemporaries, like -a gentleman. Like a gentleman he spent his last -days, and if he did indeed seem to boast a little -when, a few days before his execution, he declared -he had been nine times in gaol, and seven times -tried on a capital charge, that was merely a -pardonable professional exaggeration. His claim -to have gleaned over six hundred guineas from -the road has, on the other hand, the look of an -under-estimate. The rumbustious fellows of a -hundred years earlier would have thought that -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span> -very bad business; they often took much more in -a single haul. But times were changing, and not -for the better, from the highwaymen's point of -view.</p> - -<p>Isaac Darkin died like a gentleman, without -apparent fear, and without bravado, at Oxford, on -March 23rd, 1761, and was at that time, as himself -remarked, without apparent pathos or truckling -to weak sentiment, "not twenty-one."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="JAMES_MACLAINE_THE_GENTLEMAN" id="JAMES_MACLAINE_THE_GENTLEMAN"></a> - JAMES MACLAINE, THE "GENTLEMAN" HIGHWAYMAN</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">The</span> career of James Maclean, or Maclaine, shows -that it was not really difficult to become a -"gentleman" highwayman. Born at Monaghan -in 1724, he was the second son of Lauchlin -Maclaine, a Presbyterian minister, who, although -settled in Ireland, was a Scotsman of unmixed -Scottish blood, and of undoubted Scottish sympathies. -There are plenty of materials for a life -of his son James, the highwayman, for the story -of his career had a remarkable attraction for all -classes of people at the time when he went to -die at Tyburn, in 1750; and consequently the -"Lives" and "Memoirs" of him are numerous. -There are also several portraits of him, most of -them showing a distinctly Scottish type of countenance, -but not one solving the mystery of his -extraordinary fascination for women. Indeed, -the full-length portrait of him engraved in Caulfield's -<i>Remarkable Characters</i>, in which he is -styled "Macleane, the Ladies' Hero," shows a -heavy-jowled person, with dull, yet staring fish-like -eyes; exactly the kind of person who might -be expected to create an unfavourable impression. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span> -Perhaps the artist does him an injustice, but none -of the several artists and engravers who have -handed down to us their respective versions of -his features have succeeded in imparting the -slightest inkling of good looks to him, and few of -the portraits agree with one another. He was tall -above the average, -as the various -prints show; and -he wore fine -clothes. It was -these exceedingly -fine feathers, and -the fashionable resorts -he affected, -that gave him the -distinction of -"gentleman" -highwayman; and -it is to be feared -that his exquisite -dress, in larger -measure than the -quality of his manners, -influenced -the ladies of 1750, who wept over his fate just as -the equally foolish women of 1670 had wept over -the hanging of Du Vall.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p272.jpg" id="i_p272.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p272.jpg" width="274" height="400" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">JAMES MACLAINE.<br /> - <span style="padding-left:10em;"><i>From a contemporary Portrait.</i></span></div> -</div> - -<p>The Ordinary of Newgate saw nothing remarkable -in Maclaine. He speaks of him as "in -person of the middle-size, well-limbed, and a -sandy complexion, a broad, open countenance -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span> -pitted with the small-pox, but though he was -called the <i>Gentleman Highwayman</i>, and in his -dress and equipage very much affected the fine -gentleman, yet to a man acquainted with good -breeding, and that can distinguish it from impudence -and affectation, there was very little in -his address or behaviour that could entitle him -to the character."</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p273.jpg" id="i_p273.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p273.jpg" width="452" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">MACLAINE, THE LADIES' HERO.</div> -</div> - -<p>Archibald, the elder brother of this fashionable -hero, was an entirely respected and blameless -person, who entered the Church, and was pastor -of the English community at The Hague for -forty-nine years, from 1747 to 1796.</p> - -<p>James, the future knight of the road, was -intended by his father for a merchant; but that -pious father died when James was eighteen -years of age, and so the youthful "perfect master -of writing and accompts," as he is styled, instead -of proceeding, as intended, to a Scottish -merchant in Rotterdam, received a modest inheritance, -with which he immediately took himself -off to Dublin, where he lost or expended it all -inside twelve months, in dissipation, after the -example of the Prodigal Son in the Scriptures.</p> - -<p>Only, unfortunately for him, when the money -was gone, and he would, given the opportunity, -perhaps have returned, like that illustrious exemplar, -from his husks and his harlots, to -partake of the fatted calf, there was no father, -no home, and no fatted calf to which he might -return.</p> - -<p>But he had still some relatives left in Monaghan, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span> -and he thought he might be received by -them. In this he was altogether mistaken when -he tried to put it to the proof, and was reduced -almost to the point of starvation there, when he -attracted the attention of a gentleman, who offered -him a footman's place in his service. He did -not keep this situation long. He was too impudent -to his master, and too patronising towards -the other servants. He was discharged, and for -a time subsisted upon a scanty allowance from -his brother.</p> - -<p>In this extremity he found a gentleman of -Cork, a "Colonel F——n," who was confiding -enough to engage him as butler. But he apparently -did not make a good butler; and was, moreover, -discovered making away with his master's -property, and discharged. We next find him in -London, thinking of joining the Irish Brigade -in the French service; but abandoning the idea -from conscientious scruples against being employed -in Popish surroundings. Maclaine had -a very tender conscience and a timid nature, and -what with his religious scruples and the fear of -being shot (to which he does not allude, but -which was very vivid to him), he had to abandon -the notion of wearing a fine uniform, which we -may suspect had originally given him the impulse -to a military life.</p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p277.jpg" id="i_p277.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p277.jpg" width="398" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">JAMES MACLAINE.</div> -</div> - -<p>Maclaine did not at this period keep very -reputable society; but was in 1746 again occupying -a position with the forgiving "Colonel -F——n." The Colonel seems to have, on this -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span> -second occasion, found him an undesirable servant; -whereupon, "being prepossessed with the perfections -of his person," he proposed to enlist in -Lord Albemarle's troop of horseguards. The -Colonel, as an old soldier, thought this, no doubt, -the best thing, and, with an advance of ten -pounds, bade him go where glory waited him.</p> - -<p>Maclaine accordingly enlisted. He had visions -of being seated on a prancing steed—"steed" -being the superlative of "horse"—and, dressed -in something with plenty of blue or scarlet and -gold in it, taking part in ceremonial processions -and escorts. Unhappily, soon after he had enlisted, -he heard that the troop was to proceed at -once to Flanders on active service, and hurriedly -got, somehow, out of the dangerous position.</p> - -<p>He then made some attempt to settle down -and live respectably, for he married the daughter -of a Mr. Maclagen, a horse-dealer in the Oxford -Road—the Oxford Street of to-day. His wife -brought a small dowry of £500, and with this -they set up business in the grocery and chandlery -way in Welbeck Street. Unhappily for any views -he may have entertained of a settled life as a -tradesman, his wife died in 1748. It appeared -then that the business had not prospered, or -that their style of living had been beyond their -means, for the stock and furniture were then -found to be worth only £85.</p> - -<p>Maclaine's first idea after this domestic -catastrophe was one very prevalent at that time: -the notion of posing as a gentleman of fortune -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span> -and of fashion, with the object of ensnaring the -affections of some susceptible young lady of means -and marrying her for her money. He accordingly -realised all his effects, and, placing his two -infant daughters in the care of his mother-in-law, -burst upon the town as one of the elegants of -the day.</p> - -<p>A needy neighbour, like himself a tradesman, -Plunkett by name, who had failed as a chemist, -was induced by this hopeful widower to act a -part as his footman, and together they frequented -places of fashionable assemblage, both in London -and at Tunbridge Wells, on the look-out for -heiresses. But the game was shy, and meanwhile -the small capital of £85 was fast melting away. -Fine clothes were ten times more expensive in -that age than the finest clothes of to-day, -and although it was possible to obtain a good -deal on credit, it was not at all workable to visit -Vauxhall and such expensive places, and to cut -a dash there, for any considerable time on so -inconsiderable a capital.</p> - -<p>It was Plunkett who at this stage of affairs, -when their funds were nearly exhausted, suggested -the road as a place where money might -usually be had for the asking.</p> - -<p>"A brave man," said Plunkett, "cannot want. -He has a right to live, and need not want the -conveniences of life. While the dull, plodding, -busy knaves carry cash in their pockets, we must -draw upon them to supply our wants. Only -impudence is necessary, and the getting better -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span> -of a few idle scruples. Courage is scarcely -necessary, for all we have to deal with are -mere poltroons." But when poltroon meets poltroon, -when the timid traveller, ready to hand -over his purse on demand, cannot do so because -the coward highwayman dare not reach out and -take it, what happens? It is an embarrassing -moment, whose fortunes are (or were) determined -only by chance.</p> - -<p>Plunkett did not know the manner of man -he had to deal with until they had taken the -road together. He had always seemed a bold, -swaggering fellow, and big enough in all conscience; -but when it came to highway robbery -he was a helpless companion.</p> - -<p>Their first affair was with a grazier, going -home from Smithfield with the proceeds of his -day's business in his pocket. Plunkett, suddenly -enlightened as to Maclaine's want of nerve, took -the conduct of the incident firmly in hand at -once, or the results might have been disastrous -for both. He took £60 from the grazier, while -Maclaine looked on and spoke no word, inwardly -in greater fear than he, and ready, had there -been any sign of resistance, to fly.</p> - -<p>Their next attempt was to stop and rob a -coach on the St. Albans road.</p> - -<p>It was agreed that Maclaine should stop the -coachman and present his pistol on one side, -while Plunkett did the same on the other. But -although he rode up several times, intending to -challenge the Jehu with the traditional cry of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span> -the bold and fearless fellows who did the like -every night, his heart failed him; so Plunkett -had to carry it off as best he could, while Maclaine -sat shivering with cowardice in the background, -in spite of the "Venetian mask" that covered the -upper part of his face and concealed his identity -sufficiently well.</p> - -<p>But Plunkett, as may have been already -gathered, was a man with sufficient resolution -for two, and although Maclaine was quaking with -terror on every occasion, he brought him in some -fashion up to the scratch in a long series of -robberies. They frequently hired or stabled -horses at Hyde Park Corner, and thence rode out -for a day and a night upon Hounslow Heath, or -elsewhere.</p> - -<p>"In all this while," we learn, he scarcely ever -thought of his daughters, "and seldom visited his -mother-in-law." O villain!</p> - -<p>When in town, he had lodgings on the first -floor over a shop in St. James's Street, and presented -a gorgeous figure to morning callers. He -was even more gorgeous in the evening, when -he frequented places of public entertainment, -and obtained the freedom of some fashionable -houses. But the morning picture he presented -will probably suffice. He then wore a crimson -damask banjan, a silk shag waistcoat turned with -lace, black velvet breeches, white silk stockings, -and yellow morocco slippers.</p> - -<p>On one exceptional occasion, Plunkett and -Maclaine went as far as Chester, and did good -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span> -business on the way; but their best haul was -on Shooter's Hill, where they stopped and robbed -an official of the East India Company of a large -sum.</p> - -<p>With his share of the plunder, Maclaine took -a little holiday on the Continent, and visited his -brother at The Hague, probably astonishing that -worthy man by his sudden magnificence. He then -returned and rejoined Plunkett.</p> - -<p>Horace Walpole wrote at different times several -accounts of how he was once stopped by these -brothers-in-arms. It was a moonlight night, in -the beginning of November 1749, nearly a year -before Maclaine's career was brought to a close, -that Horace was returning from Holland House, -Kensington, to London. The hour was ten o'clock, -the place Hyde Park. What trifles, or what -amount of money Messrs. Maclaine and Plunkett -took on this occasion we are not told; for Walpole -does not take his correspondents so completely -and voluminously into his confidence over this -affair as he generally did. He only tells them, -and us, that the pistol of "the accomplished -Mr. Maclean," as he calls him, went off—by -accident, he is careful to say—and that the bullet -passed so close as to graze the skin beneath his -eye and stun him. The bullet then went through -the roof of the carriage.</p> - -<p>The incident that so nearly brought the life of -Horace Walpole to an untimely end, and might -thus have left the world much poorer in eighteenth-century -gossip, was conducted, as he tells us, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> -"with the greatest good-breeding on both sides." -He further adds that the reason of Maclaine being -out that night and taking a purse <i>that</i> way was, -he had only that morning been disappointed of -marrying a great fortune. It does not seem at all -an adequate reason; but that was the eighteenth -century and this is the twentieth, and perhaps we -cannot see eye to eye on all these matters.</p> - -<p>But, at any rate, Maclaine afterwards behaved -very nicely about the articles he had taken; -sending a note to Walpole as soon as ever he had -returned to his lodgings, in which he made his -excuses, if not with the witty grace of a Voiture, -at least expressed in a manner ten times more -natural and easily polite. He declared that, had -the bullet found its billet in Walpole's head, he -would certainly have put one through his own. -Then, in a postscript, which, like the postscripts -in letters written by feminine hands, contained -the whole substance of and reason for the letter, -Maclaine added that he would be pleased to meet -the gentleman at Tyburn (O ominous tryst!) at -twelve at night, where the gentleman might -purchase again any trifles he had lost.</p> - -<p>There, if not particularly elsewhere, Maclaine -seems to have indeed proved himself, in one brief -moment, a "gentleman" highwayman. You see -the argument passing in his mind. The trifles -were indeed trifles intrinsically, but they might -have had some sentimental worth, of old or new -association, that would have made the loss of -them a grievous thing to their rightful owner. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span> -Well, then, if that owner liked to ransom them -for a trifling sum, here was his chance. A very -considerate offer.</p> - -<p>But Horace Walpole did not accept the -rendezvous. Possibly he doubted the honour of -a highwayman met at such a spot.</p> - -<p>The "gentleman highwayman" resented criticism, -as will be seen by the following story: -Maclaine frequented Button's Coffee House, in -Russell Street, Covent Garden, and paid particular -attention to the barmaid there, daughter of the -proprietor. The attentions of such a fine gentleman -as he appeared to be were very flattering to -the girl, and very noticeable to other frequenters -of the house, one of whom, a certain Mr. Donaldson, -knew Maclaine, and took the opportunity of -warning the girl's father of his real character. -The father in his turn cautioned his daughter, -and foolishly let slip the name of the person -who had warned him; and she, of course, -passed on the information to the engaging -Maclaine.</p> - -<p>On the next occasion when Donaldson visited -Button's, and while he was sitting in one of the -boxes, Maclaine entered, and in a loud voice, and -the pronounced Irish brogue that was ever on -his tongue, said: "Mr. Donaldson, I wish to spake -to you in a private room."</p> - -<p>Mr. Donaldson, being unarmed, and naturally -afraid of being alone with such a man as he knew -Maclaine to be, said that as there could not -possibly be anything pass between them that the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span> -whole world was not welcome to know, he begged -leave to decline the invitation.</p> - -<p>"Very well," rejoined Maclaine, "we shall -meet again."</p> - -<p>A day or so later, as Mr. Donaldson was -walking near Richmond in the evening, he saw -Maclaine on horseback, approaching him; but -fortunately at that moment a gentleman's carriage -appeared, and Maclaine rode after it; Donaldson -hastening into the protection that the streets of -Richmond town afforded. It is probable that, -but for this timely diversion, Maclaine would -have shot the man who dared tell the truth -about him.</p> - -<p>But the end of the alliance of Maclaine and -Plunkett was now at hand. On June 26th, 1750, -at two o'clock in the morning, they stopped the -Salisbury stage on Turnham Green. The courage -of the coach passengers was at a low ebb at that -unconscionable hour, and they suffered themselves -to be robbed, without making the least resistance. -They numbered five men and one woman. The -men were bidden step out, and, doing so, were -searched and robbed at leisure. A Mr. Higden -had an exceptionally fine waistcoat, and had to -part with even that to Maclaine, who was a -connoisseur in waistcoats. A Mr. Lockyer also -was constrained to give up a wig. From the lady -was taken "only what she chose to give." Here, -at any rate, is a faint sweet relic of an older -courtesy.</p> - -<p>As an afterthought, Maclaine went back for -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span> -two or three of the portmanteaux stored away in -the hoot.</p> - -<p>They then, riding off westward, met the Earl -of Eglinton, travelling in his post-chaise. He had -an escort of two mounted servants, but as they -were over half a mile behind at the time, he -might equally well have been travelling alone.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p287.jpg" id="i_p287.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p287.jpg" width="600" height="344" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">MACLAINE AND PLUNKETT ROBBING THE EARL OF EGLINTON ON - HOUNSLOW HEATH.</div> -</div> - -<p>Maclaine, riding up to the postboy, threatened -him with a pistol and told him to stop instantly; -but, at the same time, was sufficiently cautious to -so place himself that the occupant of the post-chaise -would be unable to fire at him without -hitting the postboy. The highwaymen were, as -a rule, exceedingly well-informed persons; and -Maclaine knew perfectly well that Lord Eglinton -carried a blunderbuss with him, and had the -reputation of always being ready and willing to -use it.</p> - -<p>But in the strategic position he had taken up, -he was quite safe, and meanwhile Plunkett had -advanced from the rear and taken his lordship -completely by surprise. He threatened, indeed, -instantly to shoot him, if he did not throw the -blunderbuss away; and my lord flung the weapon -from him at once, as though it had been red-hot. -Plunkett then took seven guineas from him.</p> - -<p>Maclaine was not behindhand, and seized his -lordship's overcoat and the blunderbuss which -was lying upon the heath. He was a frugal -person, and in that particular did credit to his -Scots ancestry. A curious old print shows this -robbery, famous in its day, and in it Maclaine and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> -Plunkett do certainly look most awe-inspiring in -their attitudes: Maclaine, in particular, being -apparently engaged in pushing his pistol through -the postboy's head. But that is doubtless artistic -licence.</p> - -<p>Maclaine did a very foolish thing when he -returned to his St. James's Street rooms, early -that same day. He sent for a Jew dealer to come -and make an offer for some clothes he wished to -sell; none other, in fact, than those he had taken -from the coach, and when they were shortly -advertised as having been stolen, the mischief -was done. As if that were not folly enough, -Maclaine's frugality had led him also to remove -the gold lace from one of the stolen coats and to -offer it for sale. He chanced to take it to the -very laceman who had recently sold it. His -arrest was then a matter of course. Equally of -course, he strongly protested against the indignity -of a "gentleman" being arrested for theft, and -then he broke down and wept in "a most dastardly -and pusillanimous manner, whimpering and crying -like a whipt schoolboy."</p> - -<p>Maclaine declared that the absconded Plunkett -had left the clothes with him, in part satisfaction -of a debt he owed, and that he, Maclaine, was to -have sold them for what they would fetch, as part -liquidation of the debt.</p> - -<p>Any so-called confession he might have made, -he now declared impossible. What should a -gentleman like himself know of highway robbery? -"It is true enough that when first apprehended, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span> -the surprise confounded me and gave me a most -extraordinary shock. It caused a delirium and -confusion in my brain which rendered me incapable -of being myself, or knowing what I said -or did. I talked of robberies as another man -would do in talking of stories; but, my Lord, -after my friends had visited me in the Gate-house, -and had given me some new spirits, and when I came -to be re-examined before Justice Lediard, and was -asked if I could make any discovery of the robbery, -I then alleged I had recovered my surprise, that -what I had talked of before concerning robberies -was false and wrong, and was entirely owing to a -confused head and brain."</p> - -<p>He called nine witnesses to character; among -them Lady Caroline Petersham, who is represented -in a curious print of the trial at the Old Bailey, -under examination.</p> - -<p>The elegant Maclaine stands prominently in -the dock handsomely attired, but, alas! heavily -fettered, with his laced hat under his left arm. -One hand holds his lengthy written defence, the -other is affectedly spread over his breast, in -gentlemanly protestation of his being an injured -person. His is a tall, upstanding figure; but he -appears, by the evidence of the print, to have had a -face like a pudding: and the majority of the -counsel seated at a table in front of him are shown -regarding it with easily understood curiosity and -astonishment.</p> - -<p>One of the dignified persons on the bench is -represented addressing Lady Caroline: "What has -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span> -your Ladyship to say in favour of the Prisoner at -y<sup>e</sup> Bar?"</p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p293.jpg" id="i_p293.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p293.jpg" width="550" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">MACLAINE IN THE DOCK.</div> -</div> - -<p>With a dramatic gesture, she replies: "My -Lord, I have had the Pleasure to know him well: -he has often been about my House, and I never -lost anything."</p> - -<p>In spite of this cloud of witness, our gentleman -was convicted, and that with the utmost -dispatch, for the jury returned their verdict of -"guilty" without leaving the box.</p> - -<p>The time between his condemnation and -execution was spent in an affectation of repentance, -that does not read very pleasantly. He suddenly -found himself a great sinner, and indeed revelled -luxuriantly in the discovery. But there was not -the true note of abasement and conviction in all -this; for he went among his fellow-criminals like -a superior person, and offered them consolation -from the rarefied heights of his "gentility," that -must have been excessively galling to them. Their -profanity and callousness shocked him profoundly. -Probably their behaviour was not less profane -when he, condemned to die for misdeeds similar -to their own, presumed to lecture them on the -error of their ways. But preaching was in his -blood, and would find expression somehow, and he -found excuse for his almost consistent lack of -courage on the road in the moral reflection that -it was conscience made a coward of him. But -conscience did not prevent him sharing in the -swag when the enterprise was carried through.</p> - -<p>He said it was true that, since he had entered -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span> -upon the highway, he had never enjoyed a calm -and easy moment; that when he was among ladies -and gentlemen they observed his uneasiness, and -would often ask him what was the matter, that he -seemed so dull. And his friends would tell him -that surely his affairs were under some embarrassment; -"But they little suspected," said he, "the -wound I had within."</p> - -<p>He protested in a good cause he believed there -was not a man of greater natural courage than -himself, but that in every scheme of villainy he put -Plunkett on the most hazardous post. "There," -said he, "I was always a coward—my conscience"——always -that sickly, unconvincing iteration. -But the insistence of conscience that Plunkett -should always be placed in the way of the bullets -is at least amusing.</p> - -<p>Walpole tells how Maclaine had rooms in -St. James's Street, opposite White's Club, and -others at Chelsea. Plunkett, he says, had rooms -in Jermyn Street. Their faces were as well known -in and about St. James's as that of any of the -gentlemen who lived in that quarter, who might -also be in the habit of going upon the road, if the -truth were known about everybody. Maclaine, -he said, had quarrelled, very shortly before his -arrest, with an army officer at the Putney Bowling -Green. The officer had doubted his gentility, and -Maclaine challenged him to a duel, but the -exasperating officer would not accept until Maclaine -should produce a certificate of the noble -birth he claimed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span></p> - -<p>"After his arrest," says Walpole, "there was -a wardrobe of clothes, three-and-twenty purses, -and the celebrated blunderbuss found at his -lodgings, besides a famous kept-mistress." Walpole -concluded he would suffer, and as he wished -him no ill, he did not care to follow the example -of all fashionable London, and go to see him in -his cell. He was almost alone in his thus keeping -away. Lord Mountfield, with half White's Club -at his heels, went to Newgate the very first day. -There, in the cell, was Maclaine's aunt, crying -over her unhappy nephew. When those great and -fashionable frequenters of White's had gone, she -asked, well knowing who they were, but perhaps -not fully informed of their ways, beyond the fact -that they gambled extravagantly: "My dear, -what did the Lords say to you? Have you ever -been concerned with any of them?"</p> - -<p>"Was it not admirable?" asks Walpole; adding, -"but the chief personages who have been to -comfort and weep over their fallen hero are Lady -Caroline Petersham and Miss Ashe: I call -them 'Polly' and 'Lucy,' and asked them if he -did not sing: 'Thus I stand like the Turk with -his doxies around'?"</p> - -<p>In that last passage, Walpole refers to Gay's -<i>Beggar's Opera</i>, written in 1716 and produced -in 1728; a play written around an imaginary -highwayman, "Captain Macheath," who might -very well have stood for Maclaine himself. Polly -and Lucy were two of Macheath's friends in the -opera.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span></p> - -<p>We have Walpole's own authority for the -otherwise almost incredible statement that three -thousand people went to see Maclaine in his -cell, the first Sunday after he was condemned. -He fainted away twice with the heat of the -cell. "You can't conceive the going there is to -Newgate, and the prints that are published of -the malefactors and the memoirs of their lives -and deaths, set forth with as much parade as -Marshal Turenne's."</p> - -<p>The fatal October 3rd came at last, when he -was to die. A curious etched print published at -the time, at the small price of threepence, entitled -"Newgate's Lamentation, or the Ladies' Last -Farewell of Maclaine," shows the parting, and -bears the following verses:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> - <div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Farewell, my friends, let not your hearts be fill'd,</div> - <div class="verse">My time is near, and I'll with calmness yield.</div> - <div class="verse">Fair ladies now, your grief, I pray, forbear,</div> - <div class="verse">Nor wound me with each tender-hearted tear.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Mourn not my fate; your friendships have been kind,</div> - <div class="verse">Which I in tears shall own, till breath's resign'd.</div> - <div class="verse">Oh! may the indulgence of such friendly love,</div> - <div class="verse">That's been bestowed on me, be doubled from above.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - - -<p>Thus fortified, and giving his blessing, for what it -might be worth, he went to Tyburn diligently -conning his prayer-book all the way, and not once -glancing at the crowds.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p297.jpg" id="i_p297.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p297.jpg" width="600" height="427" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">NEWGATE'S LAMENTATION; OR, THE LADIES' FAREWELL TO MACLAINE.</div> -</div> - -<p>To the constable who had arrested him, and -who now came to beg his forgiveness, he replied -earnestly: "I forgive you, and may God bless -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span> -you, and your friends; may He forgive my enemies -and receive my soul." And then he was turned -off, and died quite easily. There was a great sale -for the many more or less truthful lives of him -hawked round the gallows.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="JOHN_POULTER_ALIAS_BAXTER" id="JOHN_POULTER_ALIAS_BAXTER"></a> - JOHN POULTER, <i>ALIAS</i> BAXTER</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">The</span> story of John Poulter is one of the saddest -that here present themselves to be recorded. He -was born at Newmarket, of poor parents, and -was given a sufficient schooling for his station. -At thirteen years of age he was taken into service -in the stables of the Duke of Somerset, and remained -there for six years, leaving with an -excellent character for smartness and industry. -He then went into the employ of Colonel Lumley, -and was on three occasions sent to France, in -charge of racehorses; always giving complete -satisfaction. But this slight experience of foreign -travel seems to have unsettled him, and he craved -for adventures under alien skies. We next find -him, accordingly, sailing on a Bristol merchant -ship and voyaging to the West Indies, to the -American Colonies, and to Newfoundland; seeing -life in a humble but effective way.</p> - -<p>Returning to England at last, and, sailor-like—or -at any rate, like sailors of those times—falling -at once into abandoned company, he met, -at Lichfield on February 1749, a dissolute set of -persons living disreputably upon their wits; -among them a certain John Brown, alias Dawson, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span> -who, with an experience of the highway trade, -easily persuaded the adventurous Poulter to join -him and his associates.</p> - -<p>Brown, Poulter, and company, fully armed, -then set out to prey upon all and sundry; devoting -themselves more particularly to thefts from -houses. At Lichfield, while one diverted the -attention of the landlord of the "George" inn, -another rifled a chest and stole a sum of money -and many valuable articles. At Chester, Poulter -distinguished himself by stealing some black plush -that he fancied might make him a fine stylish -waistcoat; and sent off at once to a tailor, to -call at the "Black Dog" inn, where he and the -gang were lodging, that he might be measured, -and enabled to appear forthwith as a person -of elegance and distinction. We may here fitly -pause a moment to admire, or to be astonished -at, the child-like vanity and delight in fine -clothes displayed by nearly all the highwaymen -at that time. They could not resist seizing every -and any opportunity that offered, of dressing -themselves in the best that could be obtained.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, the manners of a highwayman -were not exactly those of a gentleman. There -was something overdone in the affected elegance -of deportment, a certain exaggeration and a -decided "loudness" that made reflective people -suspicious. Thus, the tailor to whom Poulter sent -for his stolen plush to be made up was not -altogether satisfied with his strange customer, and -when a pistol that Poulter carried in his pocket -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span> -went off accidentally during the process of -measurement, he was convinced that a person -who carried loaded firearms in this manner was -not only a dangerous, but also a suspicious, -person. The bullet had harmlessly sped into the -ceiling, but the tailor was unnerved by the incident, -and Poulter, rather lamely apologetic, -endeavoured to explain away this concealed -armoury by accusing Brown of putting crackers -in his pockets. As for the tailor, he hurried off -to the Mayor with the story that a dangerous -person, evidently a highwayman, had taken lodgings -in the city, and was one of a queer gang, -whose suspicious movements had already attracted -attention. The Mayor sent some trusty emissaries -to examine Poulter and his associates, but they -had already taken the alarm, and had embarked -at Parkgate for Ireland.</p> - -<p>Poulter had already had enough of this -criminal life, and, tired of adventure of all kinds, -desired nothing better than to settle down to -some business. He accordingly, in the name of -Baxter, took a small alehouse in Dublin, and, -entirely dissociating himself from his companions -for a time, did a comfortable and fairly prosperous -trade, averaging five barrels a week. Here he -might have continued, and would have been -glad to do so, only for a most unfortunate -circumstance.</p> - -<p>There were at that time a number of Irish -rogues in London, obtaining a hazardous livelihood, -chiefly by picking pockets, but not disdaining -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> -any form of villainy that might promise to be -profitable. General Sinclair was robbed of a gold -watch by one or other of this gang, as he was -leaving a party at Leicester House, and William -Harper and Thomas Tobin, two suspicious characters, -were arrested for being concerned, and -taken to the Gatehouse at Westminster, whence -they were presently rescued by their gang, to -the number of a couple of dozen; all of them -making off to Ireland.</p> - -<p>This affair would not appear to concern Poulter -in any way, engaged as he was at Dublin in earning -an honest livelihood; but it had a very tragical -result on his fortunes. Among the fugitives -was one James Field, who had known Poulter -in London; and he, as ill-fortune would have it, -chanced one day to walk down that Dublin Street -where Poulter's inn was situated. By the accursed -malevolence of fate, Poulter himself -happened at that moment to be standing at the -door of his house. Field immediately recognised -him and stopped to enquire what his old confederate -was doing. He drank there and wished -him good day, but soon after brought all that -escaped gang of scoundrels to the spot; and there, -much to Poulter's dismay, they established themselves, -day by day, making his inn, once so -respectable and well-conducted, a byword for -riotous drinking, and the haunt of characters that -it would be flattery to describe as merely "suspicious." -Field and others were actually taken into -custody there. Decent trade deserted the inn, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> -and, despairing of being rid of the scoundrels, -whom he dared not forbid the house, lest they -should turn upon and denounce him, he absconded -across Ireland to Cork, where he at first contemplated -taking another inn. He at last, however, -settled upon Waterford, and took an inn -there, remaining for six months, when he was -induced to return to Dublin by his former brewer, -who, sorry to have lost a good customer by -Poulter's enforced flight, wanted him back.</p> - -<p>He eventually settled two miles outside -Dublin, at an inn called the "Shades of Clontarf," -looking upon the sea; and became part innkeeper, -part fisherman, and led a very happy, -honest, and contented life, making, moreover, an -average profit of £3 a week.</p> - -<p>But here he was found towards the close of -1751 by Tobin, who foisted himself and a dissolute -woman companion upon the unfortunate man. -Poulter generously received them, but earnestly -implored Tobin not to bring his evil associates -into the neighbourhood. He wanted, he declared, -to live an honest life, and to be done with the -past. Tobin assured him he would not appear in -the neighbourhood again; but in a few days he -was back at Clontarf, with a select company of -rascals, and from that time the unhappy Poulter -knew no peace. His determination to lead a -respectable life they took as a direct challenge to, -and slur upon, themselves. There is nothing that -so greatly enrages the habitual criminal as the -reclamation of one of his own kind, and it is -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span> -doubtless the influence of hardened evil-doers -that prevents many a criminal, really disgusted -with crime, from reforming. These wretches -set themselves deliberately to ruin Poulter. They -practically lived at his house, and, as had been -done before, they soon changed the character of -it from a decent alehouse to a thieves' boozing-ken, -to which the police-officers came at once -when they wanted to find some bad character, or -to trace stolen property. Poulter was a mere -cipher under his own roof.</p> - -<p>But they were not content with wrecking his -trade: they must needs blast that good character -he had been so patiently acquiring. They did it -by making him out a smuggler. Six pounds of tea -and twelve yards of calico and muslin placed -secretly in his boat, and information then lodged -with the Revenue officers, was sufficient. Poulter's -boat was seized and condemned, and Poulter himself, -convinced that he would not be able to -establish his innocence, fled from the scene and -hurried aboard a vessel bound for Bristol, where -he landed penniless. There, in Bristol streets, he -met two early criminal acquaintances, Dick Branning -and John Roberts, and as there seemed to be -no likelihood of being allowed to live within the -law, he agreed to take part with them and a -number of confederates, whose headquarters were -at Bath, in a campaign of highway and other -robberies.</p> - -<p>Their operations were of the most roving -description. By way of Trowbridge, they made -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span> -for Yorkshire, raiding the country as they went -with all manner of rogueries. Nothing came -amiss. At Halifax they netted twenty-five -guineas from a clergyman by an eighteenth-century -ancestor of the thimble-rigging fraud, -called "pricking in the belt." At last they -found themselves at Chester: place of evil omen -for Poulter. There, at the house of a confederate, -they heard on the evening of their arrival of a -train of pack-horses laden with Manchester goods, -due to pass that night. Watch had been kept -upon them, said the confederate, and a man would -point out to our friends which, among all the -animals of the pack-horse train, was best worth -robbing of his load. It would be best, he said, to -do the work on the country road, and to take the -horse into a field.</p> - -<p>As it happened, they pitched upon the wrong -horse, and got only a load of calamancoes, fabrics -woven of wool with an admixture of silk, popular -in those times; but the pack contained over a -thousand yards, and they cut it off after some -difficulty in the dark, and got away safely with -it; although greatly alarmed by the horse's loud -neighing when he found himself separated from -his companions.</p> - -<p>The robbers went off at once out of the -neighbourhood, and that same night reached a -village near Whitchurch, eighteen or twenty miles -distant. There they obliterated all distinguishing -marks on the goods, and divided them.</p> - -<p>At Grantham, which Poulter and Tobin next -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> -favoured with a visit, they relieved a credulous -farmer of fifteen guineas by the "pricking in the -belt" device. At Nottingham several of the -accomplices met, but they had bad luck, and -Poulter went on the sneak and stole a silver -tankard, without a lid, from the "Blackamoor's -Head" inn: and that was all the scurvy town of -Nottingham yielded them. They then made for -Yorkshire, where they remained for a considerable -period, and then left, only because their widespread -thefts of all kinds made a continued -stay dangerous. York, Durham, and the north, -including Newcastle, comprised a tour then -undertaken.</p> - -<p>They then made their way to Bath, the general -rendezvous of the gang, and thence in what -Poulter calls "three sets," or gangs, moved independently -and by easy stages into Devonshire: -attending the cattle-fair at Sampford Peverell, -with marked success to themselves, and grievous -loss to the farmers and graziers there assembled. -Thence they moved on to Torrington and Exeter, -and so back again to Bath, where twelve of them -met at Roberts's house.</p> - -<p>Poulter and two confederates named Elgar and -Allen then went into the north of England again, -attending fairs, horse-races and cock-fighting -matches on the sharping lay; winning about £30 -or £40 at cards. Returning to Bath, and being -looked upon with suspicion, living as they were -with a number of riotous men in Roberts's house, -they hit upon the dodge of passing for smugglers, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span> -and thus at once explaining their association and -enlisting public sympathy. Every one, except the -Revenue officers, was in those times well-affected -towards smugglers.</p> - -<p>They were not only at considerable pains, but -at great expense also, to create this impression. -"We used," says Poulter, in his confessions, "to -give seven shillings a pound for tea, and sell it -again for four shillings and sixpence, on purpose -to make people believe we were smugglers."</p> - -<p>While they were thus staying at Bath, they -would go now and then to a fair, and try "the -nob," or "pricking in the belt." If that did not -succeed, they would buy a horse or two, give -IOU's for the money and false addresses, and then -sell the horses again. "This," says Poulter, "is -called 'masoning.'"</p> - -<p>This was followed by a raid into Dorset. A -visit of the gang to Blandford races was highly -successful. They attended numerously, and while -some robbed the booths, others devoted their -attention to the sportsmen, and yet others -lightened the pockets of the crowds engrossed -in watching the cock-fighting. They wound -up a glorious day by dining in style at the -"Rose and Crown," and there chanced upon the -best luck of all those gorgeous hours: finding a -portmanteau from which they took eighteen -guineas, four broad pieces, and diamonds, jewels, -and clothes to a great amount. Many of these -articles were taken to London by Poulter, and -sold there to Jews in Duke's Place, Aldgate, on -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span> -behalf of self and partners. The proceeds were -duly divided at Roberts's house at Bath.</p> - -<p>The next activities of these busy rogues were -at Corsham, near Bath. They then appeared at -Farringdon in Berkshire, and there robbed the -Coventry carrier. Newbury and Bristol then -suffered from them. At last, they grew so -notorious in the West of England that they -judged it only prudent to alter their methods -for a time, and to devote themselves exclusively -to horse-stealing: an art they had not hitherto -practised with any frequency.</p> - -<p>An amusing incident was that in which -Poulter robbed a man of £20. The foolish fellow, -an utter stranger, had been rash enough to display -his money to Roberts one night in a country -alehouse. It had just been paid to him, he said. -"And it will presently be taken from you," -Roberts might truly have retorted. But he -merely in a sly manner drew Poulter's attention, -who later followed the man and presenting a -metal tinder-box to his head, roared out, "Your -money or your life." The tinder-box in the -darkness looked so like a pistol that the money -was meekly handed over.</p> - -<p>Poulter then went off to Trowbridge, in -company with a new recruit, Burke by name, -an Irishman, who had been confidential ostler to -Roberts, and was now advanced to full membership -of this body of raiders. Meeting a post-chaise -near Clarken Down, Burke proposed to attack it, -but Poulter would agree only on condition that -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span> -no violence were used. Poulter then led the -attack, but in the darkness put his hand with -accidental force through the window, and cut -it severely. In doing so, his pistol went off, and -Burke thinking it was the occupant of the chaise -who had fired, replied with his own firearms. -Fortunately, no one was hit.</p> - -<p>The chaise was occupied by Dr. Hancock and -his little girl. Poulter took up the child and -kissed her, and then, setting her down, robbed -the Doctor of one guinea and a half in gold, six -shillings, a gold watch, and some clothes: a booty -not worth all the trouble, and certainly not by a -long way worth the further trouble the affair -was presently to bring.</p> - -<p>After seeing the post-chaise disappear in the -darkness, Poulter and his companion made their -way to a neighbouring inn, and coolly displayed -their takings to the landlord and his wife, who -appear to have been, if not actual confederates, -at least better disposed to self-revealed robbers -than honest innkeepers should be. The landlady -gave the highwaymen a bag for the clothes, and -the landlord, when they lamented the fact of all -their powder and ball being fired off, obligingly -removed the charge from his loaded fowling-piece, -and melted down two pewter spoons for -casting into bullets. The landlady, when Poulter -and Burke asked her if these preparations for -arming did not alarm her, said: "No, they are not -the first pistols I have seen loaded by night in -this kitchen." Evidently an inn that the solitary -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span> -and unarmed traveller with money about him -should avoid.</p> - -<p>She added thoughtfully that, after this robbery, -they had better travel as far away as they could, -that night from the spot. She would send them -any news.</p> - -<p>They then left, and, taking a horse they -chanced to see in an adjacent meadow, proceeded -to Exeter, where they sold the stolen articles to a -receiver.</p> - -<p>It was not more than three weeks later when -Poulter was arrested on suspicion of being concerned -in the robbery of Dr. Hancock. He was -thrown into Ilchester gaol, brought to trial, and -condemned to death. He made a full confession -and disclosed the names of no fewer than thirty-one -of his associates, their places of meeting, and -their methods. He was not only anxious to save -his life by thus turning evidence against the gang, -but he was genuinely wearied of the manner of -life into which he had been hounded.</p> - -<p>Many members of the gang, he said, lived -to all appearances respectably. Their general -meeting-place was Bath. He added that it was -on every account desirable that the messenger to -the police at Bath, entrusted with these disclosures, -should keep all these things secret, except to the -Mayor; but some one had gossiped, for within one -hour of his arrival those revelations were the talk -of the town, and the names of those implicated in -them were freely mentioned. The next day they -were even printed, in accounts of the disclosures -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span> -hastily struck off and sold in the streets. The -very natural result was that most of the persons -named escaped before justice could lay hands upon -them. A list of nineteen not taken, and twelve in -various gaols all over the country, is printed in -the <i>Discoveries</i>.</p> - -<p>Dr. Hancock's property was found and returned -to him. His conduct was one of the most -astonishing features in this amazing case, and -reflected considerable discredit upon him; for -although he visited Poulter in Ilchester gaol, -before the trial, and assured the prisoner that -although he was obliged to be a prosecutor, he -would bear lightly upon the facts, and would -in the event of a conviction use his best efforts to -obtain the Royal pardon, he treacherously used -every effort to secure his being hanged. There -seems to have been no motive for this double-dealing, -except his own natural duplicity. His -treachery was thorough, for he even used his -influence with the judge to obtain a shortening of -the period between sentence and execution.</p> - -<p>The trial and the revelations made by Poulter -excited keen and widespread public interest, and -the lengthy pamphlet account of them, entitled -"The Discoveries of John Poulter, otherwise -Baxter, apprehended for robbing Dr. Hancock on -Clarken Down, near Bath," had a large and long-continued -sale. A copy of the fourteenth edition, -issued in 1769, fourteen years later, is in the -British Museum library.</p> - -<p>He was respited for six weeks, in consideration -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span> -of the further disclosures he was to make, or of -any evidence he might be required to give, and in -this time, so moving was his tale, and so useful -was the information he had given, that the -corporations of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, and Taunton, -together with numerous private gentlemen of -considerable influence, petitioned that he might -be reprieved. It is probable that these efforts -would have been successful; but Poulter was an -unlucky man, and at this particular crisis in his -affairs happened in some way to rouse the ill-will -of the gaoler, who was never tired, in all those -days of suspense, of assuring him that he would -certainly be hanged, and serve him right!</p> - -<p>It is not surprising that, under these circumstances, -the unhappy Poulter endeavoured to -escape. With, the aid of a fellow-prisoner, committed -to gaol for debt, he forced an iron bar out -of a window, and the two, squeezing through the -opening, broke prison at nightfall of Sunday, -February 17th, 1755. They intended to make for -Wales. All that night they walked along the -country roads, Poulter with irons on his legs as -far as Glastonbury, where he succeeded in getting -them removed. When day came, they hid in -haystacks, resuming their flight when darkness -was come again. They next found themselves at -Wookey, near Wells, much to their dismay, having -intended to bear more towards the north-west. -Poulter was by this time in a terribly exhausted -condition, and his legs and ankles were so sore -and swollen from the effects of being chafed with -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span> -the irons he had walked with for ten miles, that it -was absolutely necessary he should rest. He did -so at an alehouse until two o'clock in the afternoon, -and was about to leave when a mason at -work about the place entered, and recognised him. -Calling his workmen to help, he secured Poulter, -who was then taken back to Ilchester. Nine days -of his respite were left, but a strong and murderous -animus was displayed against this most -unfortunate of men, and it was decided to hang -him out of hand. The execution could not, however, -take place earlier without a warrant from -London, and the trouble and expense of sending -an express messenger to the local Member of -Parliament, then in town, demanding his instant -execution, were incurred, in order to cut shorter -his already numbered days. The messenger must -have been phenomenally speedy, for he is said to -have returned with the warrant within twenty-four -hours; and Poulter was at once taken out of his -cell and hanged, February 25th, 1755.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="PAUL_LEWIS" id="PAUL_LEWIS"></a>PAUL LEWIS</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">Paul Lewis</span>, who was, like Nicholas Horner, -the son of a clergyman, was born at Hurst-monceaux, -in Sussex, and was originally put to -the profession of arms, and became an officer -of artillery. The usual career of gambling and -debauchery, so productive of highwaymen, led -him first into difficulties with his creditors, and -then caused him to desert from the army. He -left one service only to enter another, for he -joined the navy, and rose from the rank of -midshipman to that of lieutenant.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p317.jpg" id="i_p317.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p317.jpg" width="465" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">PAUL LEWIS.</div> -</div> - -<p>None doubted his courage, nor, on the other -hand, was there any mistaking his depravity. -He robbed his brother officers of the small sum -of three guineas, and made off with that meagre -amount to begin the life of the road in the -neighbourhood of Newington Butts. He levied -contributions from a gentleman travelling in a -chaise on this spot, but this, his initial effort, -resulted in his capture. The plea of an <i>alibi</i> -set up for him, however, secured his acquittal. -Later he was seized at night by a police-officer -while in the act of robbing a Mr. Brown, whose -horse he had frightened by discharging a pistol. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span> -Mr. Brown was flung violently to the ground, -and Lewis was in the act of going over his -pockets when Pope, the police-officer, who had -been on the look-out for him, secured him, after -a struggle.</p> - -<p>Lewis was duly sentenced to death at the -ensuing Sessions.</p> - -<p>The Newgate Calendar, recounting all these -things, says: "Such was the baseness and unfeeling -profligacy of this wretch that when his -almost heart-broken father visited him for the -last time in Newgate, and put twelve guineas -into his hand to repay his expenses, he slipped -one of the pieces of gold into the cuff of his -sleeve by a dexterous sleight, and then, opening -his hand, showed the venerable and reverend old -man that there were but eleven; upon which -his father took another from his pocket, and gave -it him to make the number intended. Having -then taken a last farewell of his parents, Lewis -turned to his fellow-prisoners, and exultingly -exclaimed: "I have flung the old fellow out of -another guinea!"</p> - -<p>Lewis said he would die like a man of -honour; no hangman should put a halter round -his neck. He would rather take his own life. -But this he had not, after all, sufficient courage -to do. A knife he had secreted in his pillow -fell out one day, either by accident or design, -and was taken away from him. He was executed -at Tyburn on May 4th, 1763, aged twenty-three.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="THE_WESTONS" id="THE_WESTONS"></a>THE WESTONS</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">The</span> careers of George and Joseph Weston read -like the imaginings of a romantic novelist, and, -indeed, Thackeray adopted some of the stirring -incidents of their lives in his unfinished novel, -<i>Denis Duval</i>.</p> - -<p>George Weston was born in 1753, and his -brother Joseph in 1759; sons of George Weston, a -farmer, of Stoke, in Staffordshire. Early in 1772, -George was sent to London, where a place in a -merchant's office had been secured for him, and -there he was fortunate enough to be promoted to -the first position, over the heads of all the others, -upon the death of the chief clerk, eighteen -months later. He was then in receipt of £200 a -year, and on that amount contrived to take part -pretty freely in the gaieties and dissipations of -Vauxhall and similar resorts. At this period he -introduced his brother Joseph to town, and also -began a series of peculations in the office, in order -to support the extravagances into which a passion -for gambling and "seeing life" had led him. -When he could no longer conceal his defalcations, -he fled to Holland, and Joseph, suspected of -complicity, was obliged to leave London.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span></p> - -<p>Within three months George had returned to -England in disguise. He made his way to Durham -and there entered the service of a devout elderly -lady of the Methodist persuasion. Pretending to -have adopted the religious convictions of George -Whitefield's followers, he affected the religious -life, with the object of marrying the lady and -securing her ample fortune. But he was recognised -on the very eve of the wedding, and exposed. -He then fled southward, with as much of the old -lady's money and valuables as he could manage to -secure at the moment.</p> - -<p>But he speedily lost nearly all his plunder in -backing outsiders at York and Doncaster races, -and entered Nottingham with only one guinea. -There he fell in with a company of strolling -players, managed by one James Whiteley, who -offered him the post of leading gentleman. He -accepted it, and under the name of Wilford, -remained with them a little while.</p> - -<p>It was not a distinguished troupe, which -perhaps accounts for his having been so promptly -given a leading part in it. It consisted of two -runagate apprentices, a drunken farrier, a stage-struck -milliner, two ladies whose characters it -were well not to study too closely, the manager's -wife, a journeyman cobbler, a little girl seven -years of age, and a stage-keeper, who alternated -his stage-keeping with acting and barbering.</p> - -<p>The theatre was a decrepit and almost roofless -barn, and the stage consisted of loose boards -propped up on empty barrels; while the scenery -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span> -and the curtains were chiefly dilapidated blankets. -Barn-storming in such pitiful circumstances did not -suit our high-minded hero, who soon made his way -to Manchester, where he became a schoolmaster, and -a leading member of a local club, where he read -the papers and conducted himself with such a -show of authority that the parson, the lawyer, and -the apothecary, who had before his coming disputed -for pre-eminence over their fellow-members, yielded -before his masterful ways. He shortly became -High Constable, and soon began to abuse the -position by blackmailing innkeepers and forging -small drafts upon them. The more timid and easy-going -submitted for a while to this, but others -resented it in the very practical way of taking -steps to secure his arrest. George then obeyed the -instinct of caution and disappeared.</p> - -<p>About the year 1774 the brothers met at a fair -in Warwickshire, where Joseph had been playing the -game of "hiding the horse," and had hidden three -so effectively from their owners that he was presently -able to sell them, unsuspected, for over £70. -They then had thoughts of purchasing a farm, and -travelled to King's Lynn, where, in the name of -Stone, they lodged some time with a farmer. -Pretending to be riders (<i>i.e.</i> travellers) to a London -distiller, they wormed themselves into the confidence -of the farmer and appointed him local -agent for the non-existent firm, showing him -tricks by which he would be able to water down -the spirits he was to receive, and so cheat the -retailers. On the strength of these confidences, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span> -they borrowed over a hundred pounds, and then -decamped, leaving only their "sample bottles" of -brandies and rums behind.</p> - -<p>They thought it wise to travel far, and so made -their way into Scotland, and in the name of Gilbert -took a small farm, where they remained for only a -few months, leaving secretly and at night with all -the movables, and with two geldings belonging -to a neighbour.</p> - -<p>Cumberland had next the honour of affording -them shelter. In October 1776 they were -apprehended on a charge of forgery at Bishop's -Castle, Shropshire, and must have received an -altogether inadequate sentence, or perhaps escaped, -for they are next found in Ireland, in the following -summer, at Baltinglass, county Wicklow. They -were shortly afterwards at Dublin, frequenting -the clubs under the name of Jones. There they -met a noted plunger of that time, one "Buck" -English, and fooled him in the highest degree; -cheating at hazard, and obtaining money from him -in exchange for forged bills and drafts. At length, -after a fierce quarrel with English, who fought -with George in the Dublin streets and wounded him -in the right hand, the Westons left for Holyhead. -Landing there with plenty of ready money, they -toured Wales at leisure; Joseph as "Mr. Watson," -and George as his valet.</p> - -<p>In May 1778 they were at Tenby. On leaving -the inn, where they had stayed and run up a bill -of £30, they paid the landlord with a forged -cheque and departed grandly with the change, in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span> -a post-chaise and four. They then visited Brecon -and Bideford; George now posing as master, in -the name of Clark, and Joseph acting as Smith, -his valet. Next they are found at Sutton Coldfield, -then on the Sussex and Kentish coasts, -where they purchased a vessel and became known -to the fishermen of Folkestone, Deal, and Dover -as the "Gentlemen Smugglers," trading between -those parts and Dunkirk. They did very well, -too, until an interfering Revenue cutter chased -them and forced them to run their craft ashore.</p> - -<p>After this exciting episode, they made their -way to London, and led a fashionable life, strongly -flavoured with gambling and forgery. George -took a house in Queen Anne Street, and the two -"commenced gentlemen," as we are told; George -passing for a wealthy squire of sporting tastes. -Hounds and whippers-in were almost daily at the -door in the morning, and at night the rooms were -filled with callow young men about town, attracted -by the brilliant card-parties given—at which, it is -scarcely necessary to add, they were thoroughly -rooked.</p> - -<p>The brothers lived here in great style, on the -proceeds of forgery and cheating at cards. They -induced a lady next door to lend a sideboard full -of valuable silver plate, on the pretence that their -own had not arrived from the country, and sold -it; and, advertising largely that they were prepared -to purchase plate, jewellery, and annuities, -did, in fact, make several such purchases, paying -for them in worthless bills. A good deal of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span> -property thus obtained was stored at a residence -they had hired at Beckenham, in the name of Green.</p> - -<p>At length warrants were issued against them, -and they fled to Scotland. At Edinburgh they -posed as merchants trading with Holland, and -acted the part with such complete success that -they secured a considerable amount of credit. -After forging and cashing numerous acceptances, -they left for Liverpool, where, in the guise of -"linen merchants," they repeated their Edinburgh -frauds; and then, transferring themselves to -Bristol, they became "African merchants." There -they did a little privateering with one Dawson, -but that, being legalised piracy, did not appeal to -these instinctive criminals, to whom crime was a -sport, as well as a livelihood.</p> - -<p>London called them irresistibly, and they responded.</p> - -<p>Riding up to town from Bristol to Bath, and -then along the Bath Road, they overtook the -postboy in the early hours of January 29th, 1781, -driving the mail-cart with the Bristol mails, -between Slough and Cranford Bridge, and bidding -him "good night," passed him. Arriving at -the "Berkeley Arms," Cranford Bridge, they -halted for refreshment, and then turned back, -with the object of robbing the mail.</p> - -<p>George took a piece of black crape from his -pocket and covered his face with it; and then they -awaited the postboy.</p> - -<p>Halting him, George ordered him to alight, -and when he meekly did so, seized and bound him, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</a></span> -and then flung him into a field. The two then -drove and rode off to Windmill Lane, Sion Corner, -and thence on to the Uxbridge road, through Ealing, -and up Hanger Hill to Causeway Lane. There, -in "Farmer Lott's meadow," they rifled the contents -of the cart and took the bags bodily away.</p> - -<p>Having disposed the mails carefully about their -persons, they hurried off on horseback for London, -to a house in Orange Street, near Piccadilly, where -they were well known. The bags proved to contain -between ten and fifteen thousand pounds, in -notes and bills.</p> - -<p>A clever plan for immediately putting a great -part of the notes in circulation was at once agreed -upon; and in the space of an hour or two, George -left the house fully clothed in a midshipman's -uniform, with Joseph following him dressed like -a servant. They went to the "White Bear," in -Piccadilly, and, hiring a post-chaise, set out upon -what was nothing less than a hurried tour of the -length and breadth of England; tendering notes -at every stage, and taking gold in exchange. By -way of Edgeware, they went to Watford, Northampton, -Nottingham, Mansfield, Chesterfield, Sheffield, -York, Durham, Newcastle, and Carlisle. Thence -they returned, on horseback, by way of Penrith, -Appleby, Doncaster, Bawtry, and Retford, to Tuxford, -where they arrived February 1st. Putting up -for a much-needed rest there, with an innkeeper well -known to them, they were informed that the Bow -Street runners had only that day passed through, -in search of them, and had gone towards Lincoln.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</a></span></p> - -<p>Early in the morning, the Westons resumed -their express journey, making for Newark, where -they were favoured by some exclusive information -from an innkeeper friend, which enabled them -narrowly to escape the runners, who had doubled -back from Lincoln.</p> - -<p>Thence, post-haste, they went to Grantham, -Stamford, and Huntingdon, to Royston, halting -two hours on the way at the lonely old inn known -as "Kisby's Hut."</p> - -<p>At Ware they took a post-chaise and four, and -hurried the remaining twenty miles to London; -arriving at the "Red Lion," Bishopsgate, at -eleven o'clock on the night of February 2nd. The -officers of the law were not remiss in the chase, -and were at the "Red Lion" only one hour -afterwards.</p> - -<p>Once in London, the brothers separated; -Joseph taking another post-chaise, and George -a hackney-coach. They were traced to London -Bridge, but there all track of them vanished.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the Post Office had issued a long -and detailed notice of the robbery, and had offered -a reward of two hundred pounds for the apprehension -of the guilty person, or persons:</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p327.jpg" id="i_p327.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p327.jpg" width="150" height="60" - alt="Post Office logo." /> -</div> - -<blockquote> -<p class="ar">"General Post Office, Jan. 29th, 1781.</p> - -<p>"The Postboy bringing the Bristol Mail this morning -from Maidenhead was stop't between two and three -o'clock by a single Highwayman with a crape over his -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</a></span> -face between the 11th and 12th milestones, near to -Cranford Bridge, who presented a pistol to him, and -after making him alight, drove away the Horse and -Cart, which were found about 7 o'clock this morning in a -meadow field near Farmer Lott's at Twyford, when it -appears that the greatest part of the letters were taken -out of the Bath and Bristol Bags, and that the following -bags were entirely taken away:—</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -Pewsy.<br /> -Ramsbury.<br /> -Bradford.<br /> -Henley.<br /> -Cirencester.<br /> -Gloucester.<br /> -Ross.<br /> -Presteign.<br /> -Fairford.<br /> -Aberystwith.<br /> -Carmarthen.<br /> -Pembroke.<br /> -Calne.<br /> -Trowbridge.<br /> -Wallingford.<br /> -Reading.<br /> -Stroud.<br /> -Ledbury.<br /> -Hereford.<br /> -Northleach.<br /> -Lechlade.<br /> -Lampeter.<br /> -Tenby.<br /> -Abergavenny.<br /> -Newbury.<br /> -Melksham.<br /> -Maidenhead.<br /> -Wantage.<br /> -Wotton-under-Edge.<br /> -Tewkesbury.<br /> -Leominster.<br /> -Cheltenham.<br /> -Hay.<br /> -Cardigan.<br /> -Haverfordwest.<br /> -</p> - -<p>"The person who committed this robbery is supposed -to have had an accomplice, as two persons passed the -Postboy on Cranford Bridge on Horseback prior to the -Robbery, one of whom he thinks was the robber; but -it being so extremely dark, he is not able to give -any description of their persons.</p> - -<p>"Whoever shall apprehend and convict, or cause to -be apprehended and convicted, the person who committed -this Robbery will be entitled to a reward of TWO -HUNDRED POUNDS, over and above the Reward -given by Act of Parliament for apprehending Highwaymen; -or if any person, whether an Accomplice in the -Robbery or knoweth thereof, shall make Discovery -whereby the Person who committed the same may be -apprehended and brought to Justice, such discoverer will -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</a></span> -upon conviction of the party be entitled to the Same -Reward of TWO HUNDRED POUNDS and will also -receive His Majesty's most gracious Pardon.</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span style="padding-left:12em;">"By Command of the Postmaster-General,</span> -<br /> -<span style="padding-left:24em;">"ANTH. TODD, Sec."</span> -</p></blockquote> - -<p>It was soon ascertained that the Westons were -the robbers, and careful descriptions of them were -at once circulated:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"George Weston is about twenty-nine years of age, -five feet seven inches high, square-set, round-faced, -fresh-coloured, pitted with small-pox, has a rather thick -nose, his upper lip rather thick, his hair of lightest -brown colour, which is sometimes tied behind, and at -other times loose and curled; has much the appearance -of a country dealer, or farmer. One of his thumb-nails -appears, from an accident, of the shape of a parrot's -bill, and he is supposed to have a scar on his right -hand, from a stroke with a cutlass."</p></blockquote> - -<p>The younger brother was just as closely described:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"Joseph Weston is about twenty-three years of age, -five feet nine inches high, slender made, of a fair and -smooth complexion, genteel person, has grey eyes and -large nose with a scar upon it; his hair is of a light -brown colour, sometimes tied behind, at other times -loose and curled; his voice is strong and he speaks -a little through his nose; has a remarkable small hand -and long fingers."</p></blockquote> - -<p>While these descriptions were staring from -every blank wall, George and Joseph were hiding, -in disguise, in the Borough. They had a large -amount of money, realised by their tremendous -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</a></span> -exertions over that long journey, and they added -judiciously to their store by carrying on their -business of lending money on plate and jewellery, -and paying for the articles in the remaining notes -stolen from the Bristol mail. The famous "Perdita" -Robinson was one of those victimised in this -way; and, as a contemporary account says, "lost -her diamond shoebuckles which a certain Heir -Apparent presented her with."</p> - -<p>It was in October 1781, when paying for some -lottery tickets in Holborn, with stolen notes, that -George and Joseph became acquainted with two -pretty girls, cousins, employed as milliners near -Red Lion Square. George gallantly bought some -shares for them, and in the evening took them -to Vauxhall Gardens. The delighted girls were -told the two gentlemen were Nabobs just returned -from India; and, dazzled with the wealth they -flung about, readily consented to go and live with -them. They were soon, accordingly, all four in -residence in a fine house near Brompton; George -adopting the name of "Samuel Watson," and -Joseph passing as "William Johnson."</p> - -<p>They left Brompton for a while and migrated -to Winchelsea, where they took the "Friars," -a fine house with beautifully wooded grounds. The -foremost furnishers in London, Messrs. Elliot -& Co., of 97, New Bond Street, were given -orders for furniture, cutlery, and a generous -supply of plate, and from other firms they procured -horses and carriages, finally establishing -themselves at the mansion in December 1781. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</a></span> -While in residence there the ladies conducted -themselves with such propriety, and the gentlemen -appeared so distinguished and so wealthy, -that they soon moved in the best society of the -neighbourhood. It did not, apparently, take long -in those times, or in the neighbourhood of Winchelsea, -for strangers to obtain a footing in local -society, for all this short-lived social splendour -began in December, and ended in the middle of -the following April. The last, sealing touch of -respectability and recognition was when George -was elected churchwarden of the parish church -in Easter 1782. From that pinnacle of parochial -ambition, however, he and his were presently -cast down, for Messrs. Elliot & Co., growing -anxious about their unpaid bills for goods delivered, -sent two sheriff's officers down to Winchelsea -to interview the brothers. The officers -met them at Rye on horseback, and endeavoured -to arrest Joseph. When he refused to surrender, -they tried to dismount him, but the two brothers -overawed them by presenting pistols, and escaped; -making their way back to Winchelsea, and thence -travelling at express speed to London, in their -own handsome chariot. Their identity with -the Westons and the robbers of the mail was -revealed in that encounter with the sheriff's -officers, one of whom had observed George's -peculiarly distorted thumb-nail. Information -was thereupon given, and a redoubled search -begun.</p> - -<p>They went at once to their old hiding-place -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</a></span> -in the Borough, and might again have escaped -detection had they been sufficiently careful. -But, gambling for high stakes at the "Dun -Horse," they quarrelled violently, and in the -hearing of the ostler used some remarks that led -him to suspect them. He communicated his -suspicions to the police at Bow Street, and -although they appear to have become uneasy and -to have then left the Borough, they were traced on -April 17th to Clements' Hotel, in Wardour Street. -Mr. Clark, the officer sent to arrest them, met Mrs. -Clements at the entrance and asked if two gentlemen -of the description he gave were in the house. -She said she would see, and went and warned -them. Down they came, and, with pistols cocked -and presented at him, walked past as he was -standing in the passage, and, without a word, into -the street. Once out of the house, they ran -swiftly up Wardour Street, into Oxford Street, and -then doubled into Dean Street and into Richmond -Buildings. Unfortunately for them, this proved -to be a blind alley, and an unpremeditated trap. -They hurried out again, but already the mob was -coming down the street after them, and they had -only reached Broad Street when they were overtaken. -Both fired recklessly upon the crowd; -no one but a butcher-boy being hit, and he only -slightly grazed under the left ear.</p> - -<p>George was then knocked down by a carpenter, -with a piece of wood. The carpenter, we learn, -"afterwards jumping upon him, kept him down -till his pistols were taken away."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</a></span></p> - -<p>Meanwhile Joseph had been vanquished in an -equally unsportsmanlike way by a carrier, "who -had a large stick, with which he beat him about -the legs."</p> - -<p>George was then pitched neck and crop, and -still struggling, into a hackney coach; but Joseph, -being more tractable, was permitted to walk to -Bow Street, where, on being searched, he was -found to have £240 in his pockets, all in bank-notes -that had been stolen from the mail.</p> - -<p>On the day of their arrest they gave a bill of -sale to one Lucius Hughes, who disposed of plate -to the amount of £2,500, at the price of old silver; -and jewels to the value of £4,000 were said to -have been sold to a Jew in St. Mary Axe.</p> - -<p>After a preliminary examination, the brothers -were committed to separate prisons: Joseph to -Tothill Fields Bridewell, and George to the New -Prison. They behaved with great insolence to -the Bench, and seemed to build much upon the -postboy having died since the robbery. In court -they actually told Clark, who had arrested them, -he was fortunate in still having his brains in his -skull that morning. Their coachman and footman, -attending upon them in the court, in livery, made -an imposing show. They were then remanded, -and their wenches were in the meanwhile arrested -at Brompton, and appeared in court on the next -hearing. No evidence being forthcoming against -them, they were discharged; but the Westons -were duly committed for trial, which began on -May 15th, 1782.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</a></span></p> - -<p>They made a brave appearance in the dock, -George being dressed quietly but fashionably, in -black, with his hair finely curled in the latest style; -while Joseph, whose taste was not so subdued, -was radiant in a scarlet coat with gold buttons, -and hair "queued à l'Artois."</p> - -<p>The trial was unexpectedly postponed, on the -application of counsel for the prosecution, owing -to the death of Samuel Walker, and the difficulty -of collecting sufficient evidence; and so they were -taken back to Newgate. There they led a life -typical of prison-life all over England in those -days. They entertained their fellow-prisoners, -gambled, and drank, and received their friends. -They had plenty of money, and as Newgate was -then no ill place for those whose pockets were -well furnished, they were provided with every -luxury that money could buy. Unfortunately, -however, they were heavily ironed: the one -circumstance that seared the souls of those gallant -fellows. But, in spite of these encumbering -circumstances, they dreamt of liberty, and a -well-planned attempt to escape was made on -July 2nd, the day before the opening of the -new sessions.</p> - -<p>Their faithful young women took breakfast -with them that morning, and then left, whereupon -one of the brothers called Wright, the warder on -duty at the time, and asked him to get a bottle -of port and make a bowl of negus for some -expected company. He then handed him a -guinea.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</a></span></p> - -<p>Wright had no sooner gone about this business -than they slipped off their fetters, which they had -secretly and with much labour, filed through. -Then they calmly awaited the return of Wright, -with the bowl. It was too large to go through -the hatch of their locked and bolted door, as they -had foreseen, and Wright was persuaded to unlock -and open the door and bring it in. When he had -done so, the jovial highwaymen hospitably invited -him to take the first drink, and while he -was engaged in thus pleasing himself and themselves -at the same time, they made suddenly at -him and pushed him violently over; then slamming -the door and fastening it securely upon -him.</p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p335.jpg" id="i_p335.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p335.jpg" width="436" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">THE WESTONS ESCAPING FROM NEWGATE.</div> -</div> - -<p>An old woman who sold porter and such-like -plebeian drinks to the meaner prisoners, was at -the head of the stone stairs up which they then -rushed, and stood still with amazement at sight -of them, whereupon they overset her and her cans, -and then, by a short passage-way, came to the -outer door. They were each armed with a pistol, -which their thoughtful girls had smuggled into -their cell. Escaping with them were also one -Lepierre, a suspected spy, and a certain Francis -Storey.</p> - -<p>The warder whose post was at this doorway -was at that moment washing down the steps. At -once the fugitives flung themselves upon him, -and downed him as he shouted "Stop thief!" -The cry was heard, and by the time the Westons -had emerged upon the street, they were followed -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</a></span> -by a "runner," John Owens by name. The brothers -very cleverly separated; Owens following George, -who ran into Newgate Street, doubled into -Warwick Lane, and made for Newgate Market. -Here, however, he was felled by the fist of a -market-porter, but struggled again to his feet, -and desperately resisted until Owens and a crowd -of excited spectators arrived and dragged him back -to Newgate.</p> - -<p>Joseph was not more fortunate, and had only -reached Cock Lane when his flight also was -stopped by a market-porter, one John Davis, who -flung down a sack of peas in his path. This -Joseph easily avoided, but Davis then laid hold -of him by the collar.</p> - -<p>"Let go!" said the highwayman, "or I will -shoot you."</p> - -<p>The porter did not let go, and Joseph fired and -hit him in the neck. But Davis held on until -the crowd closed in, and Joseph also was soon in -his cell again.</p> - -<p>So, too, was Lepierre, who was taken in -Newgate Street. Storey was more successful, and -escaped altogether, although he had fetters on his -legs. The crowd, seeing him calmly walking -along, thought he was being re-conducted to gaol, -and so did not interfere with him.</p> - -<p>The brothers were brought to trial on July 6th, -1782, charged with robbing the Bristol mail near -Cranford Bridge, on January 29th, 1781. Over -a hundred witnesses appeared for the prosecution, -among them, people who had been given stolen -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</a></span> -notes by them. But the postboy, Samuel Walker, -having died, the prosecution failed.</p> - -<p>They were then charged with forgery in respect -of the notes and bills stolen: George being convicted -and sentenced to death. Joseph was -acquitted, but was then charged in the third -instance with maliciously wounding John Davis, -for which he was found guilty and condemned. -They were executed at Tyburn on September 3rd, -1782.</p> - -<p>Clothed quietly but fashionably in black, they -went to the place of execution in two carts, in -company with several other condemned criminals, -but held themselves haughtily apart, as "gentlemen" -should. They refused the ministrations of -the Ordinary, declaring themselves to be Roman -Catholics; and died firmly, and without any -appearance of contrition.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[Pg 340]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="JACK_RANN_SIXTEEN-STRING_JACK" id="JACK_RANN_SIXTEEN-STRING_JACK"></a> - JACK RANN: "SIXTEEN-STRING JACK"</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">John Rann</span>, better known as "Sixteen-string -Jack," was born in the neighbourhood of Bath, -midway in the eighteenth century. As a boy he -earned a meagre but honest living by peddling -articles of everyday household consumption in the -villages round about. He and his donkey were well -remembered in after years, and aroused the envious -anticipations of other small boys who, reckless of -the appointed end of highwaymen, looked forward -to some happy day when they too might perhaps -blossom out from such obscure beginnings into -such fame as his. He was but twelve years of -age when his handsome face attracted the attention -of a lady prominent in the neighbourhood. -She offered him a situation, and he gratefully -accepted. A little later we find him in London, -occupied as a stable-helper in Brooke's Mews. -From that he became a postilion, and then an -officer's servant. About the year 1770 he was coachman -to a gentleman living in the neighbourhood -of Portman Square, and was at one time in the -service of the Earl of Sandwich. In this situation -he obtained the nickname of "Sixteen-string Jack," -from the bunches of eight parti-coloured ribbons -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[Pg 341]</a></span> -he gaily wore at the knees of his breeches; but -by some intimates it was supposed that these -"sixteen strings" were a covert allusion to his -having been sixteen times arrested and charged, -but on as many occasions acquitted. Such were -the legends that enwrapped the career of him whom -Dr. Johnson described as "above the common -mark" in his line.</p> - -<p>It was this love of finery that led to the -undoing of Jack Rann, but before it sent him -down into the company of those who lived by -their wits, employed in unlawful enterprises, it -raised him to better situations. For Rann was -a tall, smart fellow, and good clothes well became -him.</p> - -<p>But flowered-satin waistcoats, and full-skirted -damasked coats of silk, elaborately embroidered, -are not paid for out of a coachman's wages, and -Rann soon found himself deeply in debt. And, -moreover, of what possible use are brave costumes, -but to flaunt and flourish about in? And when -you do so flourish, you must needs go the pace -altogether. There were excellent companions in -those places to which Rann most resorted, as a -gentleman of fashion, at Vauxhall, and elsewhere; -and there were the card-tables, where he had a -passing run of luck; and there were the women. -In spite of being pitted somewhat with the small-pox, -he was still a handsome fellow, and he played -the very Cupid with the girls.</p> - -<p>All these items totted up to a very costly sum-total, -and the gaming-tables did not long stand -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[Pg 342]</a></span> -him in good stead. At the moment when he was -in the sorest straits, he became acquainted with -three men: Jones, Clayton, and Colledge (this last -known as "Eight-string Jack"), in whose company -he very speedily grew more and more reckless, -and at last was dismissed from his situation with -a long-suffering nobleman, and refused a character. -Thus turned adrift upon the world, he began, -with those three companions, a career of pocket-picking, -and thence drifted by easy stages into -the society of highwaymen and of receivers of -stolen goods.</p> - -<p>In these circles there moved at that time a -certain Eleanor Roche, originally a milliner's -apprentice, but who, from a somewhat unfortunate -friendship with an officer of the Guards, had -declined upon the condition of "fence," and -generally, the fair friend and ally of the nimble-fingered, -and the speakers with travellers on -the highways. Jack Rann was a free-lover. -Pretty faces, rosy lips, infallibly attracted him, -and although he loved his Nelly best, he scarce -knew the meaning of faithfulness.</p> - -<p>But to Ellen Roche, "Sixteen-string Jack" -was her own Jack, her hero; and when once she -had met him, she had eyes for none other.</p> - -<p>Rann was first in custody in April 1774, at -the Old Bailey, in company with two others, -named Clayton and Shepherd, on a charge of -robbing William Somers and Mr. Langford on -the highway. All three were acquitted, but on -May 30th Rann was at Bow Street, charged with -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[Pg 343]</a></span> -robbing Mr. John Devall of his watch and money, -near the ninth milestone on the Hounslow Road. -It was the watch brought him there. The gallant -Rann had brought it back with him from the -road—just as the hunter, home from the hill, -returns with the day's spoil to his domestic circle. -He handed it to Ellen, who in turn sent out -a certain Catherine Smith to offer it in pledge -with the nearest pawnbroker. The pawnbroker, -distrustful man, sent for the police, who, seeing -at once that Catherine Smith was merely an -intermediary, apprehended Rann and Ellen.</p> - -<p>"Sixteen-string Jack" made a proud, defiant -figure in the dock before Sir John Fielding. He -was dressed not only in, but in advance of the -fashion. He was in irons, but the grimness of -those fetters was disguised in the blue satin bows -in which they were tricked out, and in his fine -coat he carried a nosegay as big as a birch-broom. -Beside him, but not so collected as he, stood -Ellen, charged with receiving.</p> - -<p>Ellen Roche had, indeed, lost her nerve -altogether when Catherine Smith deposed to -having been told by her how Rann was expected -home that evening with some money; that he -returned about ten o'clock, when Roche told -her he had brought ten guineas and a watch, -and that she was sent out to pawn the watch. -Crying, and hardly aware of what she was doing, -Ellen at the first hearing owned that Rann had -given her the watch, and the two were thereupon -committed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[Pg 344]</a></span></p> - -<p>At the trial, after having had plenty of time -for reflection, she stoutly declared that she never -before had set eyes upon him, and that her former -evidence was a mistake!</p> - -<p>Jack himself carried it off bravely, and, indeed, -insolently. "I know no more of the matter than -you do," he replied to Sir John Fielding, and -added impudently, "nor half so much, neither."</p> - -<p>The prosecution, on some technicality, broke -down, and the pair were released. They celebrated -the happy occasion by dining extravagantly and -then spending the evening at Vauxhall, where -Rann was the gayest of the gay, and returned -home with two watches and three purses.</p> - -<p>An absurd burglary charge brought him into -the dock again, that July. The watch discovered -him half-way through the window of a house in -which lodged one Doll Frampton, and not only -hauled him out, but marched him off to prison; -but it appeared that he was only keeping an -appointment to supper with the weary Doll, who, -tired of waiting for him, had gone to bed. The -Bench, assured of as much by the shameless minx -herself, dismissed the charge, and, in addition to -some pertinent remarks about this unconventional -method of entry, gave him some excellent advice -on conduct. Although Rann had escaped so far, -Sir John Fielding said, his profession was perfectly -well known, and he urged the prisoner to leave -his evil courses while yet there was time.</p> - -<p>So far from paying attention to this well-meant -discourse, Rann put in an appearance the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[Pg 345]</a></span> -next Sunday, not with Doll, but with Ellen, at -Bagnigge Wells, then a famous place for dining -and drinking. They drove thither in a carriage -and dressed—in the slang phrase—"up to the -nines." Jack was splendid in a scarlet coat, -tambour waistcoat, white silk stockings, and a -laced hat. Of -course there flew -at his knees the -already famous -sixteen strings.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p345.jpg" id="i_p345.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p345.jpg" width="290" height="400" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">JACK RANN.</div> -</div> - -<p>He was by -nature boastful, -and when the -drink was in him -bragged without -restraint or ordinary -prudence. On -this occasion he -drank freely, and, -with an oath, declared -himself a -highwayman. -Rather more of -a pickpocket, -perhaps. The company trembled: some sought -the way out. "No fear, my friends," quoth he, -"this is a holiday." Then he fell to quarrelling, -and presently lost a ring from his finger, and -declared those present had stolen it. Then again -his mood changed. "'Tis no matter," he exclaimed; -"'tis but a hundred guineas gone, and one evening's -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[Pg 346]</a></span> -work will replace it." Then, growing more -drunken and incapable, they threw him out, and -he was not in a fit condition to resist. So, Ellen—the -gentle Ellen—scratching the faces of the -foremost, as they were put out, they drove back -to their lodgings near Covent Garden.</p> - -<p>"Fine treatment for a gentleman!" he -hiccupped; and indeed a gentleman he considered -himself. But his highwayman's takings, large -though they occasionally were, did not keep pace -with his gentlemanly expenses. Debts accumulated, -and sheriff's officers dogged his footsteps. He was -arrested for a debt of £50, and thrown into the -Marshalsea prison; but so much of a hero had he -already become among those of his calling that -they clubbed together and liquidated the debt; -and handsome Jack was again free.</p> - -<p>The sheriff's officers he affected to regard as -low, churlish fellows, but they would not be -denied. His creditors were soon after him again, -and he was arrested when drinking in an alehouse -in the then suburban Tottenham Court Road. He -shrank with horror from the touch of the two -"vulgar" bailiffs, but there was little help for it. -He must pay up, or be taken up. His drinking-companions -found between them three guineas, -and he gave up his watch. Together, these -involuntary contributions made up more than the -amount due. The bailiffs, on their part, agreed -to refund the balance when Rann was sufficiently -in funds to redeem the ticker; and cordiality then -reigned. "Lend me five shillings," said Rann to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[Pg 347]</a></span> -the bailiffs, "and I will treat you to a bowl of -punch." They fell in with the proposal, and -a merry carouse ensued. Such were the manners -and customs of about a hundred and forty years -ago.</p> - -<p>Still, in the course of this merry evening, the -subject of the manner peculiar to bailiffs recurred -to our Jack and rankled. "You have not," he -grumbled, "treated me like a gentleman. When -Sir John Fielding's people come after me, they -only hold up a finger, beckon, and I follow like -a lamb. There's your proper civility!"</p> - -<p>It was soon after this that he visited Barnet -races, fashionably dressed; with waistcoat of blue -satin trimmed with silver, and other finery to -match. Crowds followed him, eager to set eyes -upon so famous a person. Shortly afterwards, -with perhaps some melancholic foreshadowing of -approaching doom, he attended a public execution -at Tyburn. In spite of opposition, he thrust -through the ring formed by the constables round -the gallows. "For," said he, "perhaps it is very -proper I should be a spectator on this occasion." -Why, he did not say, but the inference was understood -by some of the crowd.</p> - -<p>In September 1774 he was arrested, together -with one William Collier, for a robbery on the -Uxbridge road, and brought the next Wednesday -before Sir John Fielding, when Dr. Bell, chaplain -to the Princess Amelia, gave evidence that, between -three and four o'clock in the afternoon of Monday, -when taking horse-exercise near Ealing, he -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[Pg 348]</a></span> -observed two men of mean (!) appearance and -suspicious looks, who rode past him. Presently, -one of them—he thought it was Rann—turned his -horse's head and demanded his money. "Give it -me," he said, "and take no notice, or I'll blow -your brains out!"</p> - -<p>Dr. Bell handed over one shilling and sixpence, -all he had about him, and a common watch in a -tortoiseshell case. So much tremendous bluster, -so paltry a booty: so poor a thing for which to -throw away a life. For that day's doings served -to bring Rann to the gallows.</p> - -<p>That evening, Ellen Roche and her servant -took the watch to pawn with one "Mr. Cordy," -in the Oxford Road, or, as we should now say, -Oxford Street. Cordy was a suspicious man. He -communicated with the watchmaker, Grigman -by name, of Russell Street, Covent Garden, who -had made it for Dr. Bell, who, when called upon, -told how he had parted with it.</p> - -<p>The next day, Jack Rann and his doxy were -arrested, and with them Collier and Ellen Roche's -servant, Christian Stewart. They all figured in -Bow Street dock, and later appeared on trial at the -Old Bailey.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p349.jpg" id="i_p349.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p349.jpg" width="406" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">"SIXTEEN-STRING JACK" AND ELLEN ROCHE IN THE DOCK.</div> -</div> - -<p>Handsome Jack was no less a dandy on this -occasion than he had been on others, and he took -the centre of the stage in his drama with a fine -air. To be sure, there were none who envied him -the principal part. He was dressed in pea-green -coat and waistcoat, with unblemished white buckskin -breeches, and again his hat was silver-laced. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[Pg 351]</a></span> -He stood there with every assurance of acquittal, -and had taken thought to order a splendid supper, -wherewith to entertain his friends that evening, -to celebrate his release. But, as the grey day -wore on, he grew less confident. Dr. Bell's -evidence was again taken, and a Mr. Clarke told -how, going to Miss Roche's lodging on that -Monday night of the robbery, he found two pairs -of men's boots there, in a wet and dirty condition, -having evidently been worn that day. A Mr. -Haliburton also swore that he had waited at -Miss Roche's lodgings that night until Rann and -Collier arrived.</p> - -<p>William Hills deposed that he was servant to -the Princess Amelia. He had observed Rann, -whom he knew well by sight, ascend the hill at -Acton, about twenty minutes before the robbery -was committed.</p> - -<p>This spot would be about where the Police -Station now stands, in the main road: less -troubled nowadays with highwaymen than with -electric tram-cars.</p> - -<p>In the end, Rann was found guilty and -sentenced to die. Collier was also found guilty, -but recommended to mercy, and was afterwards -respited. Ellen Roche was sentenced to fourteen -years' transportation, and her servant was acquitted.</p> - -<p>Thus the supper grew cold and was not eaten. -The brave figure moved in pea-green glory to his -prison cell, and hoped there for a rescue that -never came. His last days were full-packed with -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[Pg 352]</a></span> -the revelry the lax prison regulations of the age -permitted, and on Sunday, October 23rd, he had -seven girls to dine with him in gaol; and he the -gayest of the party. "Let us eat, drink, and be -merry, for to-morrow we die." Or, at any rate, -in a month's time. So, with an air and a jest, -behold him on the fatal day, November 30th, 1774, -the most admired figure in the three-miles' journey -from Newgate to Tyburn. Was it the cold -November air made him shiver, or the shadow of -death, as, ladies' man to the last, he raised his -hat to the crowded windows lining Holborn and -thought how he would never come back? Whatever -it was, it was no more than involuntary: -for, arrived at the fatal tree, he ended manfully -in his finery and his famous sixteen strings.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[Pg 353]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="ROBERT_FERGUSONGALLOPING" id="ROBERT_FERGUSONGALLOPING"></a> - ROBERT FERGUSON—"GALLOPING DICK"</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">Robert Ferguson</span>, who in after life became -famous as "Galloping Dick," was a native of -Hertfordshire. His father, a gentleman's servant, -proposed a like career for him, and had a mental -picture of his son gradually rising from the position -of stable-boy, in which he was placed, to -that of coachman. In such respectable obscurity -would Robert have lived and died, had his own -wild nature not pioneered a career for him. He -had proved a dull boy at school, but proud, and -out of school-hours showed a strange original -spirit of daring, so that he was generally to be -found captaining his fellows in some wild exploit.</p> - -<p>As a stable-boy, however, he proved efficient -and obedient, and was found presentable enough -to take the postilion's place when the regular man -had fallen ill, on the eve of the family's journey -to London in their chariot. He performed that -task to the satisfaction of every one, but the other -servant recovered, and the lad was obliged to -return to his stables and work in shirt sleeves or -rough stable-jacket, instead of titupping in beautifully -white buckskin breeches, silk jacket, and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[Pg 354]</a></span> -tall beaver hat, on one of the leading horses that -drew the carriage to town. The return to an -inferior position through no fault of his own was -a bitter disappointment, and he determined to -seek another situation.</p> - -<p>Oddly enough, at this juncture of affairs, a -neighbouring lady who was in want of a postilion -chanced to ask the family who employed young -Robert what had become of their smart young -man, and, when informed of the situation, engaged -him.</p> - -<p>At this time he was close upon twenty years -of age. Described as being by no means handsome, -he was of a cheerful and obliging temperament, -and might have long retained the post, had -his employer not discovered him in a discreditable -love-affair with one of the maid-servants. He -was dismissed, but soon found another situation: -but he never afterwards kept a place for any -length of time. Roystering companions unsettled -him and made him undesirable as a postilion.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p355.jpg" id="i_p355.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p355.jpg" width="380" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">"GALLOPING DICK.</div> -</div> - -<p>Coming up to London, he found employment in -a livery-stable in Piccadilly, but presently his -father died and he found himself the owner of his -savings, amounting to £57. Alas! poor Robert. -He had never before possessed at one time the -half of what he had now, and he acted as though -the sum of £57 was an endowment for life. He -threw up the Piccadilly livery-stable, and came -out upon the world as a "gentleman"; or in -other words, ruffled it in fine clothes in fashionable -places. He frequented theatres in this -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[Pg 357]</a></span> -novel character, and seems to have impressed a -number of perhaps not very critical people. -Amongst these was a dissolute woman whom he -met at Drury Lane. She believed him to be a -man of wealth, and sought to obtain a share of it. -Ferguson flung away all his money on her. It -could not have been a difficult task, one would -say, nor have occupied him long. And when all -the money was gone, he went back, sadder possibly, -but still not wiser, to his livery-stable situation in -Piccadilly, as postilion. It was in this employment -that he observed the debonair gentlemen -who had been his rivals in the affections of this -woman calling upon her, and received, where he -had been thrust forth with contumely when his -money was at an end, and when she discovered -that he was no man about town, but only one who -got his living in the stables. False, perfidious -Nancy!</p> - -<p>It was some time before the true character of -those visitors was revealed to him; but one day, -acting as a postilion on the Great North Road, the -chaise he was driving was stopped by two highwaymen, -duly masked. One stood by the horses, -while his companion robbed the occupants of the -chaise. It was a windy day, and a more than -usually violent gust blew the first highwayman's -mask off. Instantly Ferguson recognised the man -who stood by the horses as one of his Nancy's -visitors.</p> - -<p>Seeing this, the unmasked robber perceived, -clearly enough, that the situation was peculiarly -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[Pg 358]</a></span> -dangerous, and, when he had galloped off with his -companion, laid the facts before him. They -agreed that there was nothing for it but to await -Ferguson's return at a roadside inn, and to bribe -him to silence. There, accordingly, they remained -until the chaise on its return journey drew up at -the door.</p> - -<p>Two gentlemen, said the landlord, particularly -desired to see the postilion. He entered and -accepted a price for his silence; further agreeing -to meet them that night at supper in the Borough. -Meeting there, according to arrangement, Ferguson -was persuaded to throw in his lot with the -highway blades. His imagination took fire at the -notion of riding a fine horse, and, dressed in handsome -clothes, presenting a figure of romance; but -his new-found friends were cool men of business, -and had nothing of that kind in view for their -fresh associate. To cut a fine figure was, no -doubt, all very well, but the more important thing -was to know which travellers were worth robbing, -and which were not. If they could be reasonably -well advised on that point, much useless effort, -and a considerable deal of risk, would be avoided, -in not stopping those whose pockets were so nearly -next to empty as to be not worth "speaking to" -on the road. Their idea was that Ferguson should -continue in his employment of postilion, and, as a -confederate, keep them well informed of the -movements of his clients.</p> - -<p>Ferguson was disappointed in not being -allowed a spectacular part, but the profitable -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[Pg 359]</a></span> -nature of the scheme appealed to him, and he -agreed to this distinctly well-conceived plan. So -a long series of unsuspecting travellers driven by -him owed their extraordinary ill-luck on the road -entirely to the agency of their innocent-looking -postilion, who was so professionally interested in -their movements, who was so obliging with the -portmanteaus and valises, and who secretly kept a -keen eye upon the contents of his customers' -purses. Quite often it would happen that a trace -would be broken in some lonely situation, and -then, strange to say, while it was being mended, a -couple of highwaymen would infallibly appear, -and threatening the postilion with horrid oaths -when he pretended to show fight, would at their -leisure ransack all the luggage and coolly request -all money and personal adornments to be handed -over.</p> - -<p>Wine, women, and cards were Ferguson's -downfall. Success in his new line of life brought -reckless conduct, and he grew so impossible that -the livery-stable, without in the least suspecting -his honesty, dismissed him for general unreliability. -He then took to the road for a while as a highwayman, -and thus indulged his natural liking for -finery.</p> - -<p>He was an excellent horseman, and daring to -the verge—or beyond the verge—of recklessness. -On one occasion, he and two companions "spoke -to" and were robbing two gentlemen on the road to -Edgeware, but were interrupted by the appearance -of three other well-mounted travellers, who gave -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[Pg 360]</a></span> -chase. Ferguson escaped, but his two companions -were caught, brought to trial, and executed. It -was this exploit that first procured him the name -of "Galloping Dick," although his name was -Robert. Complimented by admiring friends on -his escape, he declared he would gallop a horse -with any man in the kingdom.</p> - -<p>The name of "Galloping Dick" soon became well -known, and was a name of dread. No clattering -horseman could come hurriedly along the road -without stirring the pulses of nervous travellers, -who immediately fancied "Galloping Dick" was -upon them. Indeed, he soon became too well -known for any reasonable degree of safety, and he -would then for a while, for prudential reasons, find -temporary employment as a postilion. Frequently -in custody at Bow Street, on various charges, he -was many times acquitted, on insufficient evidence; -but was at last arrested, at the beginning of 1800, -on a charge of highway robbery, sent for trial to -the Lent Assizes at Aylesbury, convicted, and -executed.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[Pg 361]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="JERRY_ABERSHAW" id="JERRY_ABERSHAW"></a>JERRY ABERSHAW</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">The</span> southern suburbs of London were haunted -during the last quarter of the eighteenth century -by a youthful highwayman of a very desperate -kind. He was as successful as reckless, and -captained a gang that made Putney Heath and -Wimbledon Common places to be dreaded as much -as were Hounslow Heath on the west, and -Finchley Common in the north, and brought the -name of "Jerry Abershaw" into exceptional -prominence.</p> - -<p>The real name of this highwayman was Louis -Jeremiah Avershaw, and he was born in 1773, of -the usual "poor but honest" parents. Indeed, -it would seem, in enquiring into the lives of the -highwaymen, that they in general came of such -stock, whose only crime was their poverty: -although <i>that</i>, as we well know in this happy -land of ours, is a very heinous offence, it being -the duty of every English man and woman to -pay rates and taxes to keep a constantly -growing official class in well-paid and easy employment.</p> - -<p>We so rarely hear of a highwayman deriving -from dishonest parents that, it would seem, even -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[Pg 362]</a></span> -in the more adventurous centuries, ill-led lives -were as a rule so short and sordid as to impress -the children of those who led them with the idea -that honesty was not only really, in the long run, -the best policy, but that for evil courses there was -no long run at all. Otherwise, the life of the highwayman, -if not by any means, as a general rule, -so gay as usually it was represented to be, was -sufficiently full of that spice of excitement which -to the youthful makes amends for much danger -and discomfort, and sons might often have -succeeded fathers in the liberal profession of -highway robbery.</p> - -<p>The boyhood of Jerry Abershaw has never -been dragged from the obscurity that enwraps it. -No slowly-budding flower he, but one that in one -brief day flung open its petals. Or rather, in less -flowery language, we learn nothing of the first -steps that led him to the highway, and find him at -the very first mention of his doings already a cool -and assured character, robbing with impunity, and -making one place in especial a spot to be dreaded. -This was the hollow of Putney Bottom, through -which the Portsmouth Road runs on its way -to Kingston. The little Beverley Brook trickles -by, to this day, in the hollow; and Combe Wood, -whose thickets formed so convenient a lair for -Abershaw, and a rallying-place for his gang, is -still very much what it was then.</p> - -<p>Abershaw was not, of course, the first to see -the strategic value of the heath, and of such woody -tangles as these, bordering the road for quite -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">[Pg 365]</a></span> -three miles; for we read in Ogilby's great book -on the roads, published in 1675, of Kingston Hill, -hard by as "not rarely infested with robbers"; -and a gibbet long stood near at hand, to remind -those robbers, and others who succeeded them, -of their own probable fate. But, if by no means -the first, or even the last, who practised here, -he is easily the most famous, even though it be -merely a pervasive fame, not crystallised into many -anecdotes.</p> - -<div class="figcenter bord"><a name="i_p363.jpg" id="i_p363.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p363.jpg" width="542" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">JERRY ABERSHAW ON PUTNEY HEATH.</div> -</div> - -<p>The "Bald Faced Stag," that then stood, a -lonely tavern, by the roadside near the Beverley -Brook, was a favourite meeting-place of Abershaw -and his fellows. It was afterwards rebuilt, as -a superior hostelry, in the days when the growth -of travel and of coaching had rendered the old -roadside accommodation insufficient. This later -house may still be seen, standing nowadays as -a private residence, with imposing pillared portico, -by the way.</p> - -<p>Whether the landlord of the original "Bald -Faced Stag," was in league with Abershaw and -his gang, or not, is impossible to say. Very -generally, the tavern-keepers of that age were -suspected, and rightly suspected, of a guilty -acquaintance with the highwaymen, but it would -be too much to assume that they were all of that -character; and indeed we find in the sad story -of one John Poulter, otherwise Baxter, who was -hanged in 1754 for highway robbery, that the -frequenting by highwaymen against his wish of -an inn he kept in Dublin first ruined his trade -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">[Pg 366]</a></span> -and compelled him in self-defence at last to seek -a living on the road.</p> - -<p>An innkeeper situated like him who kept the -"Bald Faced Stag" in the days of Abershaw -would have no choice but to harbour the gang -whenever they felt inclined to confer their -patronage upon him; but, to be quite just, it -would certainly appear that he was a willing -ally, for, in the most outstanding among the few -stories told of Abershaw, it appears that once, -when taken ill on the road, the highwayman was -put to bed in the house and cared for while -a doctor was procured. It was a Dr. William -Roots who answered the call, from Putney. The -ailing stranger, whose real name and occupation -the doctor never for a moment suspected, was -bled, after the medical practice of the time, -and the doctor was about to leave for home, -when his patient, with a great appearance of -earnestness, said: "You had better, sir, have someone -to go back with you, as it is a very dark -and lonesome journey." This thoughtful offer -the doctor declined, remarking that "he had not -the least fear, even should he meet with Abershaw -himself." The story was a favourite with -Abershaw: it afforded him a reliable criterion -of the respect in which the travelling public -generally held him.</p> - -<p>The notoriety Abershaw early attained led to -his early end. The authorities made especial -efforts to arrest him, and, learning that he frequented -a public-house in Southwark, called the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[Pg 367]</a></span> -"Three Brewers," set a watch upon the place. -One day the two officers detailed for this duty -discovered him in the house, drinking with some -of his friends, and entered to arrest him. But -Abershaw was on the alert, and, as they stood in -the doorway, arose with a pistol in either hand, -and, with a curse, warned them to stand clear, or -he would shoot them. Disregarding this threat, -they rushed in, and Abershaw, firing both pistols -at once, mortally wounded one officer and severely -wounded the landlord in the head.</p> - -<p>But he did not escape. He was tried at -Croydon Assizes, on July 30th, 1795, before Mr. -Baron Penryn, for murder; the wounded officer, -David Price, having died in the interval. A -second indictment charged him with having -attempted to murder the other, by discharging -a pistol at him.</p> - -<p>Abershaw was taken by road from London to -Croydon, and passing Kennington Common, then -the principal place of execution in Surrey, he -laughingly asked those in charge of him, if they -did not share his own opinion that he would -himself be "twisted" there on the following -Saturday. That was the conventionally callous -way in which the highwaymen approached their -doom.</p> - -<p>To prove the charge of killing Price was -naturally the simplest of tasks, and the jury, -returning from a three-minutes' deliberation, duly -found him guilty. Prisoner's counsel, however, -raising an objection on some legal quibble as to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">[Pg 368]</a></span> -a flaw in the indictment, the point was argued -for two hours—and not decided; the judge -desiring to consult his learned brethren on the -point. There is a certain grim humour about -these proceedings; because, whatever the result -of this was likely to be, there was yet the second -indictment to be tried, and on that alone there -could be no doubt of Abershaw being capitally -convicted. It was then proceeded with, and -Abershaw himself, seeing how he must inevitably -be found guilty, and hanged, threw off all -restraint. He insolently inquired of the judge, -if he were to be murdered by perjured witnesses, -and in violent language declared his contempt -for the Court. Even at that solemn moment, -when, having been found guilty on the second -count, the judge, in passing sentence, assumed -the black cap, he was not affected, except by -rage and the spirit of mockery, and followed the -action of the judge by putting on his own hat. -The gaolers were at last compelled by his violence -to handcuff him, and to tie his arms and legs. -In that condition he was removed to gaol, to -await execution.</p> - -<p>There he must soon have realised the folly of -resistance; for he became quiet and apparently -resigned. In the short interval that remained -between his sentence and that appearance on -Kennington Common he had accurately foreseen, -he occupied himself with drawing rough pictures -on the whitewashed walls of his cell with the -juice of black cherries that had formed part of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">[Pg 369]</a></span> -the simple luxuries his purse and the custom of -the prison permitted. These idle scribblings -represented his own exploits on the road. In one -he appeared in the act of stopping a post-chaise -and threatening the driver: the words, "D—n -your eyes! Stop!" appended. The remainder -of this curious gallery pictured the other incidents -common in a highwayman's life.</p> - -<p>The time then allowed convicted criminals -between their sentence and execution was very -short. On August 3rd he was hanged on Kennington -Common; game—or, rather, callous—to -the last. Arrived there, he kicked off his boots -among the great crowd assembled, and died -unshod, to disprove an old saying of his mother's, -that he was a bad lad, and would die in his shoes. -He was but twenty-two years of age when he met -this fate, not actually for highway robbery, but -for murder. His body was afterwards hanged in -chains in Putney Bottom, the scene of his chief -exploits, and an old and nasty legend was long -current in those parts of a sergeant in a regiment -soon afterwards marching past firing at the distended -body, by which (to make short of an -offensive story) the neighbourhood was nearly -poisoned. The sergeant was reduced to the ranks -for this ill-judged choice of a target.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">[Pg 370]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="JOHN_AND_WILLIAM_BEATSON" id="JOHN_AND_WILLIAM_BEATSON"></a> - JOHN AND WILLIAM BEATSON</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">The</span> very general idea that the highwayman ended -with the close of the eighteenth century is an -altogether erroneous one, and has already been -abundantly disproved in these pages. They not -only continued into the nineteenth century, but -were very numerously executed for their crimes. -Early among those who belong to that era were -John Beatson and William Whalley. Theirs is a -sad tale of business failure and of a desperate -recourse to the road, rather than the story of -professional highwaymen.</p> - -<p>John Beatson was a Scotsman, who had in his -youth been a sailor in the merchant service, and -had made many voyages to India and other tropical -countries. Tired at last of the sea, he settled at -Edinburgh, where he established himself as an -innkeeper at the "College Tavern." There he -carried on a successful business for many years, -and only relinquished it at last in favour of his -adopted son, William Whalley Beatson, who for -some time carried it on happily and profitably -with his wife. Unhappily, his wife died, and -when he was left alone it was soon seen, in -the altered circumstances of the house, that it -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">[Pg 371]</a></span> -was she, rather than her husband, who had in the -last few years kept the inn going. Left alone, -and incapable of managing the domestic side of -the house, he was taken advantage of by the -servants, who robbed him at every opportunity; -and, in short, in every respect the "College -Tavern" declined and ceased to pay its way. He -gave it up and went to London, with the idea of -entering the wine and spirit trade there. Arrived -in London, he took a business in Bedford Street, -Covent Garden, and, finding it uncongenial, sold -it to a man and accepted six months' bills in -payment. The purchaser went bankrupt within -three months, throwing Beatson himself into -difficulties. At this juncture of affairs he consulted -with his adopted father as to what was to -be done, and the upshot of their long and anxious -deliberations was that there was no help for it but -to try and retrieve their fortunes by robbing upon -the King's highway. Their first essay in this new -business was begun on July 18th, 1801, when they -travelled from London to the "Rose and Crown" -at Godstone, Surrey, staying there the night. -The next morning they set off on foot, and at -midday were at the "Blue Anchor," on the road -to East Grinstead. They dined there, and asked -questions about the mail, and did not leave until -six o'clock. Between eight and nine o'clock they -were seen on East Grinstead Common. Half an -hour after midnight, the postboy who drove the -mail-cart was stopped by two men near Forest -Row, south of East Grinstead. They produced a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">[Pg 372]</a></span> -pistol and threatened him with it if he refused to -give up the bags. Then, he unresisting, they led -the horse into a meadow, where they took the bags -and carried them off. It was afterwards found that -they had walked no less a distance than six miles -with them. They were afterwards found in a -wheatfield near the village of Hartfield, the letters -strewn about in the corn.</p> - -<p>They had taken all the Bank of England notes, -and notes issued by country banks, and had left -drafts and bills of exchange worth upwards of -£9,500.</p> - -<p>The next morning the two Beatsons appeared -at the "Chequers" at Westerham, in a very -exhausted condition, and had breakfast. With the -excuse that they were Deptford people, and under -the necessity of reaching the dockyard there in a -hurry, they hastily hired a horse and trap, paying -for their refreshment with a £2 note, and for the -hire with one for £5.</p> - -<p>The people of the "Chequers" inn thought it -strange, when their man returned, to hear that he -had driven them, not to the dockyard at Deptford, -but to a coach-office in the town, where they had -at once taken places in a coach for London.</p> - -<p>The fugitives did not hurry themselves when -they reached town. On the evening of their -arrival, it was afterwards discovered, the elder -purchased a pair of shoes at a shop in Oxford -Street, paying for them with a £10 Bank of -England note. They employed their time in -London in a shopping campaign, purchasing -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">[Pg 373]</a></span> -largely and always tendering bank-notes, with the -object of accumulating a large sum of money in -gold, by way of change.</p> - -<p>At the end of this week they procured a horse -and gig and left London, saying they intended to -travel to Ireland. Meanwhile, the loss of so -many bank-notes had been widely advertised and -the good faith of persons who presented any of -them for payment enquired into. The movements -of the men who had stopped the driver of the -mail-cart and robbed him were traced, and soon -the Holyhead Road was lively with the pursuit of -them.</p> - -<p>They arrived at Knutsford, in Cheshire, only a -short time before the coming of the mail-coach -bringing particulars of the robbery. Before that, -however, they had attracted a considerable deal -of notice by their singular behaviour at the -"George" inn, where they had put up. To draw -attention by peculiarities of dress or demeanour is -obviously the grossest folly in fugitive criminals, -whose only chance of safety lies in unobtrusive -manners and appearance. That would appear to -be obvious to the veriest novices in crime. But -the Beatsons were no doubt by this time agitated -by the serious position in which they had irretrievably -placed themselves, and in so nervous a state -that they really had not full command of their -actions. They adopted a hectoring manner at the -inn, and on the road had attracted unfavourable -notice by the shameful way in which they had -treated their horse.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_374" id="Page_374">[Pg 374]</a></span></p> - -<p>On the arrival of the mail containing the -official notices of the robbery and descriptions of -the two men concerned in it, the appearance of -these two men with the gig seemed so remarkably -like that of the robbers, that a Post Office surveyor -was sent after them. They had already left -Knutsford, and had to be followed to Liverpool, -where they were discovered at an inn, and -arrested.</p> - -<p>The mere hasty preliminary inspection of their -travelling valise was sufficient to prove that these -were the men sought for. Bank-notes to the -amount of £1,700 were discovered, wrapped round -by one of the letters stolen; and the purchases -of jewellery and other articles carried with them -were valued at another £1,300.</p> - -<p>Taken back to London, the prisoners were -charged in the first instance at Bow Street, and -then committed for trial at Horsham. An attempt -they made to escape from Horsham gaol was -unsuccessful, and they were found hiding in a -sewer. Their trial took place before Mr. Baron -Hotham on March 29th, 1802. No fewer than -thirty witnesses were arrayed against them; chiefly -London tradesmen, from whom they had made -purchases and tendered notes in payment. There -could hardly ever have been a clearer case, and -the result of the trial was never for a moment in -doubt.</p> - -<p>The affectionate efforts of the elder man to -shield his adopted son drew tears from many -eyes, but the readiness of that "son" to take -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_375" id="Page_375">[Pg 375]</a></span> -advantage of them and to throw the guilt upon -him excited, naturally enough, much unfavourable -comment. Two statements had been prepared -and written by the prisoners, and both were read -by the younger in court. The first was by -John Beatson, who declared himself to be guilty, -but his "son" innocent. Whalley's own statement, -to the same effect, went into a detailed -story of how his "father" had given him a large -number of the notes, and had told him they were -part of a large remittance he had lately received -from India.</p> - -<p>The story was so clumsy and unconvincing, -and the story told by the prosecution so complete -in every detail, that both prisoners were speedily -found guilty. They were condemned to death, -and were hanged on Saturday, April 7th, 1802, at -Horsham, before a crowd of three thousand people. -The elder Beatson was seventy years of age and -the younger but twenty-seven.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_376" id="Page_376">[Pg 376]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="ROBERT_SNOOKS" id="ROBERT_SNOOKS"></a>ROBERT SNOOKS</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">The</span> careers of the highwaymen were, in the vast -majority of cases, remarkably short, and they -were, for the most part, cut off in the full vigour -of their manly strength and beauty. The accursed -shears of Fate—or, to be more exact, a rope -dangling from a beam—ended them before experience -had come to revise their methods and fit -them out with the artistry of the expert.</p> - -<p>But few were so summarily ended as the -unfortunate Robert Snooks. This person, a native -of Hungerford, was in the year 1800 living at -Hemel Hempstead, in Hertfordshire, in the -immediate neighbourhood of Boxmoor. He had -often observed the postboy carrying the well-filled -mail-bags across the lonely flat of Boxmoor, and -(he is described as having been of remarkably fine -physical proportions) thought how easy a thing -it would be to frighten him into giving them up. -Accordingly, on one sufficiently dark night, he -waited upon the moor for the postboy, stopped -him, and, adopting a threatening demeanour, instructed -him to carry the bags to a solitary spot -and then go about his business. The frightened -official immediately hurried off to the postmaster -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_377" id="Page_377">[Pg 377]</a></span> -of the district: one Mr. Page, of the "King's -Arms," Berkhamstead, and told his tale; leaving -Snooks to ransack the bags and take what he -thought valuable.</p> - -<p>The bags, turned inside out, were found, the -next morning, with a heap of letters, torn open -and fluttering in all directions across the fields. -It subsequently appeared that the highwayman -had secured a very considerable booty, one letter -alone having contained £5 in notes. The postboy -did not know the man who had terrorised -him: only that he was a "big man"; but the -simultaneous disappearance of Snooks left no -reasonable doubt as to who it was.</p> - -<p>This was Snooks's first essay in the dangerous -art, and it proved also his last. Hurrying to -London, he took up his abode in Southwark, and -presently had the dubious satisfaction of reading -the reward-bills issued, offering £300 for his -capture. After a while he thought himself comparatively -safe, and was emboldened to make an -effort at negotiating one of the notes he still held. -Afraid to do this in person, he thought he might -see what would happen if he tried to pass one of -the notes through the intermediary of the servant -of the house where he was lodging, and accordingly -sent her to purchase a piece of cloth for a coat, -handing her a five-pound note. The tradesman -evidently found something suspicious about the -note thus tendered, and returned it, with the -message that "there must be some mistake." -Whether the tradesman would have followed this -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_378" id="Page_378">[Pg 378]</a></span> -up by communicating any suspicions he may have -had to the authorities does not appear; but "the -wicked flee when no man pursueth," and Snooks -hurried off to what was undoubtedly the most -dangerous place for him. He fled to Hungerford, -his birthplace; yet, strange to say, he long evaded -capture, and it was not until 1802 that he was -arrested, on the information of a postboy who had -been to school with him. He was in due course -brought to trial at Hertford Assizes, found guilty, -and sentenced to death. It was judged expedient, -as a warning to others, that he should be executed -on the scene of his crime, the selection of the spot -falling to Mr. Page, who, besides being postmaster -of Berkhamstead, was High Constable of the -Hundred of Dacorum. As a further warning, -and one likely to be of some permanence, it was -originally proposed to gibbet the body of the -defunct Snooks on the same spot; so that, swinging -there in chains on the moor, it might hint to -others the folly of doing likewise. But the time -was growing full late for such exhibitions; the -inhabitants of the district protested, and this -further project was abandoned.</p> - -<p>Journeying from Hertford gaol on the morning -of the fatal March 11th, 1802, Snooks, according -to a surviving tradition, was given a final glass -of ale at the "Swan" inn, at the corner of Box -Lane, and is said to have remarked to the rustics -hastening to the scene of execution: "Don't hurry; -there'll be no fun till I get there."</p> - -<p>The usual large and unruly crowd, that could -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_381" id="Page_381">[Pg 381]</a></span> -always be reckoned upon on such melancholy -occasions, was present, and seemed to regard the -event as no more serious than a fair. To those -thus assembled, Robert Snooks, standing in the -cart under the gallows, held forth in a moral -address:</p> - -<p>"Good people, I beg your particular attention -to my fate. I hope this lesson will be of more -service to you than the gratification of the curiosity -which brought you here. I beg to caution you -against evil doing, and most earnestly entreat you -to avoid two evils, namely, 'Disobedience to -parents'—to you youths I particularly give this -caution—and 'The breaking of the Sabbath.' -These misdeeds lead to the worst of crimes: -robbery, plunder, bad women, and every evil -course. It may by some be thought a happy state -to be in possession of fine clothes and plenty of -money, but I assure you no one can be happy -with ill-gotten treasure. I have often been riding -on my horse and passed a cottager's door, whom -I have seen dressing his greens, and perhaps had -hardly a morsel to eat with them. He has very -likely envied me in my station, who, though at -that time in possession of abundance, was miserable -and unhappy. I envied him, and with most -reason, for his happiness and contentment. I can -assure you there is no happiness but in doing -good. I justly suffer for my offences, and hope -it will be a warning to others. I die in peace -with God and all the world."</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p379.jpg" id="i_p379.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p379.jpg" width="390" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">SNOOKS ADDRESSING THE CROWD AT HIS EXECUTION.</div> -</div> - -<p>The horse was then whipped up, the cart -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_382" id="Page_382">[Pg 382]</a></span> -drawn away from beneath the gallows-tree, and -Robert Snooks had presently paid the harsh -penalty of his crime. He had behaved with -remarkable courage, and, espying an acquaintance -in the crowd, offered him his watch if he would -promise to see that his body received Christian -burial. But the man, unwilling to be recognised -as a friend of the criminal, made no response, and -Snooks's body was buried at the foot of the gallows. -A hole was dug there, and a truss of straw -divided. Half was flung in first; the body upon -that, and the second half on top. The hangman -had half-stripped the body, declaring the clothes -to be his perquisite, and would have entirely -stripped it, had not the High Constable interfered, -insisting that some regard should be had to -decency.</p> - -<p>A slow-moving feeling of compassion for the -unhappy wretch took possession of some of the -people of Hemel Hempstead, who on the following -day procured a coffin, reopened the grave, and, -placing the body in the coffin, thus gave it some -semblance of civilised interment; but, those being -the times of the body-snatchers, doubts have been -expressed of the body being really there. It is -thought that the body-snatchers may afterwards -have visited the lonely spot and again resurrected -it.</p> - -<p>Two rough pieces of the local "plum-pudding -stone" were afterwards placed on the grave, and -remained until recent years.</p> - -<p>Boxmoor is not now the lonely place it was. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_383" id="Page_383">[Pg 383]</a></span> -The traveller who seeks Snooks's grave may find -it by continuing northward from Apsley End, -passing under the railway bridges, and coming -to a little roadside inn called the "Friend at -Hand." Opposite this, on the right-hand side -of the road, and between this road and the railway -embankment runs a long narrow strip of what -looks like meadow land, enclosed by an iron fence, -This is really a portion of Boxmoor. At a point, -a hundred and fifty yards past the inn, look out -sharply for a clump of five young horse-chestnut -trees growing on the moor. Close by them is a -barren space of reddish earth, with a grassy -mound, a piece of conglomerate, or "pudding-stone," -and a newer stone inscribed "Robert -Snooks, 11 March, 1802." This has been added -since 1905, and duly keeps the spot in mind.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p383.jpg" id="i_p383.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p383.jpg" width="600" height="385" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">SNOOKS'S GRAVE.</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_384" id="Page_384">[Pg 384]</a></span></p> - - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="HUFFUM_WHITE" id="HUFFUM_WHITE"></a>HUFFUM WHITE</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="noindent"><span class="sc">The</span> decay of the highwayman's trade and its -replacement by that of the burglar and the bank-robber -is well illustrated by the career of Huffum, -or Huffy, White, who was first sentenced for -burglary in 1809. Transportation for life was -then awarded him, and we might have heard no -more of his activities, had not his own cleverness -and the stupidity of the authorities enabled him -to escape from the hulks at Woolwich. Thus -narrowly missing the long voyage to Botany Bay, -he made direct for London, then as now the best -hiding-place in the world. He soon struck up -an acquaintance with one James Mackcoull, and -they proposed together to enter upon a course of -burglary; but at the very outset of their agreement -they were arrested. Mackcoull, as a rogue -and vagabond, was sent to prison for six months, -and White was sentenced to death as an escaped -convict, the extreme penalty being afterwards -reduced to penal servitude for life.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p385.jpg" id="i_p385.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p385.jpg" width="378" height="600" - alt="" /> - <div class="caption">HUFFUM WHITE ESCAPING FROM THE HULKS.</div> -</div> - -<p>On January 20th, 1811, Mackcoull was released, -and at once, like the faithful comrade he -was, set about the task of securing White's escape -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_387" id="Page_387">[Pg 387]</a></span> -from the convict ship to which he had again been -consigned. Dropping overboard in the fog and -darkness that enshrouded the lower reaches of the -Thames on that winter's evening into the boat -that Mackcoull had silently rowed under the bows -of the ship, White was again free.</p> - -<p>An astonishing enterprise now lay before White, -Mackcoull, and a new ally: a man named French. -This was nothing less than a plan to break into -the premises of the Paisley Union Bank at -Glasgow. Arrived in Glasgow, they at length, -after several disappointments, succeeded in forcing -an entry on a Saturday night, selecting that time -for the sake of the large margin it gave them for -their escape, until the re-opening of the bank on -the Monday morning. Their booty consisted of -£20,000 in Scotch notes: a large sum, and in that -form an unmanageable one, as they were eventually -to discover.</p> - -<p>The burglary accomplished, their first care -was to set off at once for London, posting thither -by post-chaise, as fast as four horses could take -them. At every stage they paid their score, -which they took care should be a generous one, -as beseemed the wealthy gentlemen they posed -as, with a £20 note: thus accumulating, as they -dashed southward along those four hundred miles, -a heavy sum in gold.</p> - -<p>On the Monday morning the loss of the notes -was of course at once discovered. Information -was easily acquired as to the movements of the -men who were at once suspected, and they were -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_388" id="Page_388">[Pg 388]</a></span> -followed along the road, and some days later -White was arrested in London by a Bow Street -runner, at the house of one Scoltock, a maker of -burglars' tools. None of the stolen property was -found upon White, Mackcoull having been sufficiently -acute to place all the remaining notes in -the keeping of a certain Bill Gibbons, who combined -the trade of bruiser with that of burglars' -banker.</p> - -<p>Mackcoull himself went into hiding, both -from the law and from his associates, he having -had the counting and custody of the notes, and -told White and French the amount was but -£16,000.</p> - -<p>It now became quite evident to French, at -least, that, so far as he and his friends were -concerned, the remaining notes were merely so -much waste-paper. Their numbers were bound -to be known, and they could not safely be -negotiated. So he suggested to Mrs. Mackcoull -that they should propose to return the paper-money -to the Bank, and save further trouble, -on the understanding that they should not be -prosecuted.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Mackcoull appears to have had an influential -friend named Sayer, employed in close -attendance upon the King, and by his good offices -secured a pardon for all concerned, on the conditions -already named. Unfortunately, she could -not fully carry out the bargain agreed upon, for, -on the notes being counted, it was discovered that -only £11,941 remained.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_389" id="Page_389">[Pg 389]</a></span></p> - -<p>White, already in custody, was once more -condemned to transportation for life. The procedure -must by this time have become quite -staled by familiarity, and we picture him going -again to the hulks with an air of intense -boredom.</p> - -<p>He, of course, again escaped, and was soon again -on his burglarious career: this time at Kettering -among other places. But the exploit which -concluded his course was the almost purely highwayman -business of robbing the Leeds mail-coach, -on October 26th, 1812, near Higham Ferrers. He -had as accomplices a certain Richard Kendall and -one Mary Howes. White had booked an outside -seat on the coach, and had, in the momentary -absence of the guard in front, cleverly forced open -the lock of the box in which the mail-bags were -kept, extracted the bags, and replaced the lid. -At the next stage he left the coach. The accomplices, -who had a trap in waiting, then all drove -off to London, White immediately afterwards -making for Bristol, where he was soon located, -living with two notorious thieves, John Goodman -and Ned Burkitt. A descent was made upon the -house, and the two arrested, but White escaped -over the roof of a shed, and through the adjoining -houses.</p> - -<p>He was traced in April 1813 to a house in -Scotland Road, Liverpool, where, in company -with a man named Hayward, he was meditating -another burglary. The officers came upon -them hiding in a cellar, and a desperate -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_390" id="Page_390">[Pg 390]</a></span> -struggle followed; but in the end they were -secured.</p> - -<p>Richard Kendall and Mary Howes, <i>alias</i> -Taylor, were already in custody, and White was -arraigned with them at the ensuing Northampton -Assizes, for the robbery of the Leeds mail. Witnesses -spoke at this trial to having seen the men -in the gig on the evening of October 26th, on the -road near Higham Ferrers, and afterwards at the -house of Mary Howes, who lived close by, and -the keeper of the turnpike deposed to only one -gig having passed through that evening. There -were no fewer than forty witnesses, and the trial -occupied fourteen hours.</p> - -<p>Mary Howes was acquitted, not from lack of -evidence, but merely on a technical flaw in the -indictment; her offence having been committed in -another county. White and Kendall were convicted -and sentenced to death.</p> - -<p>White again came near to escaping. By some -unknown means, a file had been conveyed to him, -and on the night before the execution he filed -through his irons, and then forced a way through -several doors, being only stopped at the outer gate. -The following morning, August 13th, 1813—unlucky -date, with two thirteens—he met his -fate with an unmoved tranquility. He declared -Kendall to be innocent. When the chaplain -asked him earnestly if he could administer any -comfort to him at that solemn moment, he replied: -"Only by getting some other man to be -hanged for me."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_391" id="Page_391">[Pg 391]</a></span></p> - -<p>Kendall was then brought to the gallows, -declaring himself to be innocent, and a murdered -man.</p> - -<p>Mackcoull, the earlier associate of White, -disappeared for years, but was arrested for a -robbery in 1820, and died in prison soon after -receiving sentence.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><a name="i_p391.jpg" id="i_p391.jpg"></a> - <img src="images/i_p391.jpg" width="247" height="400" - alt="Gibbet." /> - <div class="caption"></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_393" id="Page_393">[Pg 393]</a></span></p> - - - -<div class="chapter p4"> - <h2><a name="INDEX" id="INDEX"></a>INDEX</h2> -</div> - -<ul class="index"> - -<li class="ifrst"> Abershaw, Jeremiah, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_104">104</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_361">361-369</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Adams, Richard, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_122">122</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Allen, —, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_123">123</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — Robert, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_276">276</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_278">278-281</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Arnott, Lieut., <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_97">97</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Avery, —, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_121">121</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Beatson, John and William, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_370">370-375</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> _Beggar's Opera, The_, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_240">240</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_296">296</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Belchier, William, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_224">224</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Berkeley, 5th Earl of, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_237">237-240</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Bird, Jack, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_86">86-97</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Blake, Joseph ("Blueskin"), <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_134">134-136</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Boulter, Thomas, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_238">238</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Bow Street Patrol, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_123">123</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Bowl" Inn, St. Giles-in-the-Fields, -<b>i.</b> <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_166">166</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_177">177-181</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Bracy, —, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_76">76</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Bradshaw, Jack, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_101">101</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Brown, Thomas, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_211">211</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Bunce, Stephen, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_117">117-120</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Carrick, Valentine, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_145">145</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Catnack, James, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_127">127-130</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Caxton, Gibbet, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_201">201-204</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Cherhill Gang, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_117">117</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Clarke, Sir Simon, Bart., <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_97">97</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Clavel, John, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_307">307-316</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Clever Tom Clinch," <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_166">166</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_177">177</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Clewer, Revd. William, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_81">81</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Clibborn's Post," <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_119">119-121</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Cottington, John ("MulledSack"), <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_158">158</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_26">26-34</a>, <a href="#Page_210">210</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Cox, Tom, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_166">166</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_254">254</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Cutpurse," Moll (Mary Frith), <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_262">262-268</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_128">128</a>, <a href="#Page_129">129</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Darkin, Isaac, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_264">264-270</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Davis, William (the "Golden Farmer"), <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_317">317-332</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Denville, Sir Josselin, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_17">17</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Dickson, Christopher, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_102">102</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Dorbel, Tom, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_72">72</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Dowe, Robert, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_148">148</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_153">153</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_154">154</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Drewett, Robert, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_211">211</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — William, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_211">211</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Dudley, Captain Richard, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_387">387-397</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Dun, Thomas, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_17">17-22</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Du Vall, Claude, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_175">175</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_214">214</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_224">224</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_254">254</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_334">334</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_342">342-355</a>; -<b>ii.</b> -<a href="#Page_173">173</a>,</li> -<li class="isub2"><a href="#Page_249">249</a>, <a href="#Page_272">272</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Edwards, William, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_79">79</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Elms, The, Smithfield, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_157">157</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — — St. Giles-in-the-Fields, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_158">158</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_165">165</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — — Lane, Lancaster Gate, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_158">158</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — — Tyburn, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_162">162</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Everett and Williams, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_254">254</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Falstaff, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_62">62</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_64">64</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_217">217</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_221">221</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Ferguson, Robert ("Galloping Dick"), <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_105">105</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_353">353-360</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Finchley Common, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_245">245-249</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_253">253-255</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_319">319</a>; <b>ii.</b> -<a href="#Page_122">122</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Frith, Mary ("Moll Cutpurse"), <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_262">262-268</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_128">128</a>, <a href="#Page_129">129</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Gad's Hill, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_62">62</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_214">214</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_217">217-221</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_314">314</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_10">10</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Galloping Dick" (Robert Ferguson), <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_105">105</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_353">353-360</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Gibbets, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_122">122</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_199">199-212</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_214">214</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_363">363</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Gibson, John, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_202">202</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Giles, St., <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_157">157</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Golden Farmer," The (William Davis), <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_317">317-332</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_341">341</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Hackney Marshes, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_91">91</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_182">182</a>, <a href="#Page_208">208</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Haggarty, —, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_243">243</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hal, Prince, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_62">62</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_64">64</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_217">217</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hall, John, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_154">154</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_110">110-116</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Hand of Glory," The, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_49">49-57</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_210">210</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Hangman's Highway," <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_156">156-198</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Harris, James, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_89">89</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hartley John, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_101">101</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hawes, Nathaniel, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_253">253</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hawke (or Hawkes), William, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_147">147</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_224">224</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hawkins, John, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_229">229-236</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — William, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_229">229</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_231">231</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_232">232</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_236">236</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hill, Thos., <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_66">66</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hillingdon Heath, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_323">323</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_324">324</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hind, Capt. James, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_65">65</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_214">214</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_273">273-306</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_334">334</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_173">173</a>, <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Holborn, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_163">163-175</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — Bars, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_172">172</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — Hill, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_164">164</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_170">170</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_171">171</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Holloway, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_243">243</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hood, Robin, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_23">23-48</a>, -<a href="#Page_57">57</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Horner, Nicholas, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_148">148-157</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hounslow Heath, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_89">89</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_121">121</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_122">122</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_123">123</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_224">224-244</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_267">267</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_346">346</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_388">388</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_29">29</a>, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>, -<a href="#Page_71">71</a>, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>, -<a href="#Page_259">259</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Jackson, Francis, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_356">356-386</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Johnson, Charles, Historian of Highwaymen, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_14">14</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_17">17</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_18">18</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_124">124</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_235">235</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_270">270</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_335">335</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_339">339</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_392">392</a>; <b>ii.</b> -<a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>, <a href="#Page_166">166</a>, -<a href="#Page_233">233</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — Joe, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_167">167</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Joiner, Abraham, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_67">67</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> King, Augustine, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_84">84</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — Matthew, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_206">206</a>, -<a href="#Page_208">208</a>, <a href="#Page_209">209</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — Robert, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_206">206</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — Tom, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_198">198-203</a>, -<a href="#Page_205">205-210</a>, <a href="#Page_228">228</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Knightsbridge, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_222">222-224</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Lansdowne Passage, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_110">110</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Lewis, Paul, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_316">316-319</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Lorrain, Rev. Paul, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_132">132-134</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Low, Richard, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_115">115-117</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Maclaine, James, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_249">249</a>, -<a href="#Page_271">271-300</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Maidenhead Thicket, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_59">59</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_295">295</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_38">38</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Marlborough Downs, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_118">118</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Mary-le-Bourne, St., <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_159">159-161</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Mellish, Mr., Murder of, by highwaymen, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_121">121</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Miles, Edward, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_210">210</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Morgan, —, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_99">99-101</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Mulled Sack" (Cottington, John), <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_158">158</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_26">26-34</a>, <a href="#Page_210">210</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Nevison, John, or William ("Swiftnicks"), <b>ii.</b> -<a href="#Page_1">1-25</a>, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>, -<a href="#Page_232">232</a>, <a href="#Page_234">234</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Newgate, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_145">145</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_146">146</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_148">148-154</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_156">156</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_246">246</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_249">249-254</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_302">302</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_62">62</a>, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, -<a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_268">268</a>, -<a href="#Page_296">296</a>, <a href="#Page_334">334-338</a>, <a href="#Page_352">352</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — Ordinaries of, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_124">124-126</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_131">131-139</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_142">142-145</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_169">169</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_187">187</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_365">365</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_117">117</a>, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>, -<a href="#Page_272">272</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Newmarket, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_78">78-82</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_173">173-175</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_301">301</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> New Oxford Street, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_163">163</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_176">176</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> O'Brian, Patrick, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_81">81-85</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Ogden, Will, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_98">98-104</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Old Mob" (Thomas Simpson), <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_254">254</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_333">333-341</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Ovet, Jack, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_105">105-109</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Oxford Street, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_163">163</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_181">181</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_192">192</a>; -<b>ii.</b> -<a href="#Page_279">279</a>, <a href="#Page_332">332</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Page, William, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_249">249-263</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Parsons, William, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_241">241-248</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Peace, Charles, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_6">6-11</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> _Peine forte et dure_, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_249">249-254</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Phillips, Thos., <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_249">249-253</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Piccadilly, Highwaymen in, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_109">109</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Plunkett, —, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_280">280-283</a>, -<a href="#Page_286">286-290</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Poor Robin," <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_90">90-93</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Popham, Sir John, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_62">62</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Porter's Block, Smithfield, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_158">158</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Poulter, John, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_301">301-315</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Pressing to Death, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_249">249-254</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Price, James, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_211">211</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Pureney, Rev. Thos., <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_132">132</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_133">133</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_135">135-139</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_142">142</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_117">117</a>, -<a href="#Page_143">143</a>, <a href="#Page_147">147</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Rann, John ("Sixteen-string Jack"), <b>ii.</b> -<a href="#Page_340">340-352</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Ratsey, Gamaliel, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_14">14-17</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Reresby, Sir John, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_82">82</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Reynolds, Capt., <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_66">66</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — Tom, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_98">98</a>, -<a href="#Page_104">104</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> _Rizpah_, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_204">204-206</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Robin Hood, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_23">23-48</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_57">57</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_233">233</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Rowden the Pewterer," <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_196">196</a>, -<a href="#Page_198">198</a>, <a href="#Page_215">215</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Rumbold, Thomas, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_35">35-40</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> St. Giles-in-the-Fields, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_157">157</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_176">176-181</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> St. Mary-le-Bourne, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_159">159-161</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> St. Sepulchre, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_148">148-155</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_163">163</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_165">165</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Salisbury Plain, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_114">114</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_117">117</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_214">214</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_318">318</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_266">266</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Shakespeare, Highwaymen in, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_62">62-64</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_217">217</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_221">221</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Sheppard, Jack, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_137">137</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_140">140</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_183">183</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_246">246</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_247">247</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Shooter's Hill, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_214">214-217</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_276">276</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_101">101</a>, -<a href="#Page_189">189</a>, <a href="#Page_260">260</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Shotover Hill, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_255">255</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_30">30</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Shrimpton, John, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_256">256-258</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Simms, Harry, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_97">97</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Simpson, Thomas ("Old Mob"), <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_254">254</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_333">333-341</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Sixteen-string Jack" (Rann, John), <b>ii.</b> -<a href="#Page_340">340-352</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Smith, Capt. Alexander, Historian of Highwaymen, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_11">11-14</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_75">75</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_124">124</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_235">235</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_270">270</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_335">335</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_339">339</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_391">391</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_81">81-83</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Smith, Rev. Samuel, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_132">132</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_367">367</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Smithfield, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_157">157</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_281">281</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> — Rounds, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_158">158</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Snooks, Robert, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_376">376-383</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Spiggott, Wm., <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_248">248-253</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Stafford, Capt. Philip, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_269">269-272</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Steele, Mr., Murder of, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_240">240-244</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Stratford Place, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_158">158-161</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Sunday Trading Act, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_60">60</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Swiftnicks" (Nevison, John, or William), <b>ii.</b> -<a href="#Page_1">1-25</a>, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>, -<a href="#Page_232">232</a>, <a href="#Page_234">234</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Sympson, George, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_229">229</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_231">231</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Taylor, Tom, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_123">123-125</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Tooll, "Captain" Edmund, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_246">246</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Tracey, Walter, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_158">158-165</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Turpin, Richard, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_124">124</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_129">129</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_215">215</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_245">245</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_247">247</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_1">1</a>, -<a href="#Page_173">173-240</a>, <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Turpin's Oak, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_245">245</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Twm Shon Catti, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_65">65-72</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Twysden, Bishop of Raphoe, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_236">236</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Tyburn, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_133">133</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_146">146</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_153">153</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_155">155</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_156">156-198</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_245">245</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_249">249</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_254">254</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_281">281</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_354">354</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_397">397</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_46">46</a>, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>, -<a href="#Page_97">97</a>, <a href="#Page_116">116</a>, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>, -<a href="#Page_147">147</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>, -<a href="#Page_257">257</a>, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>, <a href="#Page_299">299</a>, -<a href="#Page_319">319</a>, <a href="#Page_339">339</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Waltham Cross, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_87">87</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Watling Street, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_159">159</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Westons, The, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_320">320-339</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Weymouth, Charles, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_102">102</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> White, Huffum, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_384">384-391</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Whitney, Capt. James, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_86">86</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_158">158</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_41">41-64</a>, <a href="#Page_173">173</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> "Who goes Home?" <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_92">92-95</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Wickes, Edward, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_254">254</a>; -<b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_166">166-172</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Wild, Jonathan, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_137">137</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_187">187</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_265">265</a>; <b>ii.</b> -<a href="#Page_126">126-147</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Wild, Robert, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_70">70-74</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Wilson, Ralph, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_231">231</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_232">232</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_235">235</a>, -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_236">236</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Witherington, Thos., <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_171">171</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Withers, John, <b>ii.</b> <a href="#Page_75">75-80</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Wright, —, <b>i.</b> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/53111/53111-h/53111-h.htm#Page_231">231</a></li></ul> - - -<p class="ac noindent p4"><i>Printed and bound by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., - London and Aylesbury.</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="transnote p4"> -<h3>Transcriber's Note:</h3> -<ul> - <li>Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note.</li> - <li>Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained.</li> - <li>Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant - form was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed.</li> - <li>Mid-paragraph illustrations have been moved between paragraphs - and some illustrations have been moved closer to the text that - references them. The paginations in the list of illustrations - have been adjusted accordingly.</li> - <li>Footnotes were moved to the end of chapters and numbered in one continuous - sequence</li> - <li>In the index the numbers i. and ii. refer to volumes i. and ii.</li> - <li>Other notes: - <ul> - <li>Page 191: "... three several times;" changed to "... several times;"</li> - <li>In this text Edgware is spelled Edgeware.</li> - </ul> - </li> -</ul> -</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Half-hours with the Highwaymen, by -Charles G. 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