profession, the court did not order his execution till more than two
months after he had been condemned; and the king repeatedly reprieved
him, to prevent his clients being sufferers by his affairs being left in
a state of confusion.
After conviction, Mr. Layer was committed to the Tower; and at length
the sheriffs of London and Middlesex received a warrant to execute the
sentence of the law. He was carried to Tyburn on a sledge, on the 15th
March 1723, to be hanged, being dressed in a suit of black, full
trimmed, and wearing a tie-wig. At the place of execution he was
assisted in his devotions by a nonjuring clergyman; and when these were
ended, he spoke to the surrounding multitude, declaring that he deemed
King James (so he called the Pretender) his lawful sovereign. He said
that King George was a usurper, and that damnation would be the fate of
those who supported his government. He insisted that the nation would
never be in a state of peace till the Pretender was restored, and
therefore advised the people to take up arms in his behalf. He professed
himself willing to die for the cause, and expressed great hopes that
Providence would eventually support the right heir to the throne. His
body having been suspended during the accustomed time, it was quartered,
and the head was afterwards exposed on Temple Bar. Among others
concerned in this strange scheme was Lord Grey, an ancient nobleman of
the Roman Catholic religion, who died a prisoner in the Tower, before
the necessary legal proceedings against him could take place.
PHILIP ROACH,
EXECUTED FOR PIRACY AND MURDER.
This fellow was a native of Ireland, and having, during his youth,
followed a seafaring life, he was advanced to the position of first
mate, on board a West-Indiaman, which sailed to and from Barbadoes.
Having, however, become acquainted with a fisherman named Neale, who
hinted to him that large sums of money might be acquired by insuring
ships, and then causing them to be sunk, to defraud the insurers, he was
wicked enough to listen to this horrid idea; and, being recommended to a
gentleman who had a ship bound to Cape Breton, he got a station on
board, next in command to the captain, by whom he was entrusted with the
management of the vessel.
On the voyage, it would appear that he would have abstained from
carrying out his diabolical plan; but having brought some Irishmen on
board with him, they persisted in pursuing their original design, or in
demanding that the vessel should be seized. Accordingly, one night, when
the captain and most of the crew were asleep, Roach gave orders to two
of the seamen to furl the sails; which being immediately done, the poor
fellows no sooner descended on the deck, than Roach and his associates
murdered them, and threw them overboard. At this instant a man and a boy
at the yard-arm, observing what passed, and dreading a similar fate,
hurried towards the topmast-head, when one of the Irishmen, named
Cullen, followed them, and, seizing the boy, threw him into the sea. The
man, thinking to effect at least a present escape, descended to the
main-deck; but he was instantly butchered, and committed to the deep.
The noise occasioned by these transactions had alarmed the sailors
below, and they hurried up with all possible expedition; but were
severally seized and murdered as fast as they came on deck, and were
thrown into the sea. At length the master and mate came on the
quarter-deck; but they were doomed to share the same fate as their
unhappy shipmates.
These execrable murders being perpetrated, the murderers determined to
commence pirates, and that Roach should be the captain, as the reward of
his superior villany.
They had intended to sail up the Gulf of St. Lawrence; but as they were
within a few days' voyage of the Bristol Channel, when the bloody
tragedy was acted, and found themselves short of provisions, they put
into Portsmouth; and, giving the vessel a fictitious name, they painted
her afresh, and then sailed for Rotterdam. At this city they disposed of
their cargo, and took in a fresh one; and being unknown, an English
gentleman, named Annesley, shipped considerable property on board, and
took his passage with them for the port of London; but the villains
threw this unfortunate gentleman overboard, after they had been only one
day at sea. When the ship arrived in the river Thames, Mr. Annesley's
friends made inquiry after him, in consequence of his having sent
letters to England, describing the ship in which he proposed to embark;
but Roach denied any knowledge of the gentleman, and even disclaimed his
own name. Notwithstanding his confident assertions, it was rightly
presumed who he was, and a letter which he sent to his wife being
stopped, he was taken into custody, and carried before the secretary of
state for examination. While there, having denied that he was the person
he was taken to be, his intercepted letter was shown to him; on which he
instantly confessed his crimes, and was committed to take his trial. He
was subsequently hanged at Execution Dock, on the 5th of August, 1723.
JOSEPH BLAKE, _alias_ BLUESKIN,
EXECUTED FOR HOUSEBREAKING.
At about this time London and its vicinity were infested by a gang of
villains of the most desperate character, of whom this criminal was the
captain. With his name are associated those of offenders whose exploits,
though they may be better known, were not more daring or more villanous.
The notorious Jonathan Wild, whose system of atrocity will be found to
be exposed in the notice given hereafter of his life and death, and his
no less notorious victim and coadjutor, Jack Sheppard, were both
intimately connected with the proceedings of Blake; while others of
equal celebrity filled up the number of his followers. The Mint in
Southwark was, during the early part of the life of these offenders, a
place which, being by a species of charter freed from the intrusion of
the bailiffs, formed an admirable hiding-place and retreat for
criminals, as well as debtors. A system of watch and ward was maintained
among them, and, like the Alsatia of Sir Walter Scott's admirable novel
of "The Fortunes of Nigel," which is now known by the name of
Whitefriars, its privacy was seldom intruded upon by the appearance of
the officers of justice. The salutary laws of the commencement of the
reign of the Hanover family, however, soon caused these dens of infamy
to be rooted out; and the districts referred to are now known only by
repute, as having been privileged in the manner which has been
described.
To return to the subject of our present narrative: he was a native of
London, and having been sent to school at the age of six years, he
displayed more intelligence in acquiring a proficiency in the various
arts of roguery, than in becoming acquainted with those points of decent
instruction, with which his parents desired he should make himself
intimate. While at school, he formed an acquaintance with a lad of his
own age, named Blewitt, who afterwards, with himself, became a member of
Jonathan Wild's gang. No sooner had they left school, than they started
in life as pickpockets; and our hero, before he attained the age of
fifteen years, had been in half the prisons in the metropolis. From this
they turned street robbers; and forming connexions with others, their
proceedings became notorious, and they were apprehended. Blake, however,
was admitted evidence against his companions, who were convicted; and
having by that means obtained his own acquittal, he claimed a part of
the reward offered by government. He was informed by the Court, that his
demand could not be granted, because he was not a voluntary evidence;
since, so far from having surrendered, he had made an obstinate
resistance, and was much wounded before he was taken; and instead of
rewarding him, they ordered him to find security for his good behaviour,
or to be transported. Not being able to give the requisite bail, he was
lodged in Wood-street Compter, and there he remained for a considerable
period; during which his patron, Wild, allowed him three and sixpence
per week. At length he prevailed upon two gardeners to enter into the
necessary sureties; and their recognisance having been taken by Sir John
Fryer, for his good behaviour, for seven years, he once more regained
his liberty. This object was, however, no sooner attained, than he was
concerned in several robberies with Jack Sheppard; and they at length
committed that offence for which Blueskin was executed. We have already
said that he had become notorious for the daring which he displayed, and
the frequency of his attacks upon the property of others; and he had
become no less celebrated among his companions, who had favoured him
with the appellation of Blueskin, from the darkness of his complexion,
and had besides honoured him by dubbing him captain.
At the October sessions of the Old Bailey, 1723, he was indicted under
the name of Joseph Blake, _alias_ Blueskin, for breaking and entering
the dwelling-house of William Kneebone, in St. Clement's Church-yard,
and stealing one hundred and eight yards of woollen cloth, value
thirty-six pounds, and other property. It was sworn by the prosecutor,
that the entry was effected by cutting the bars of his cellar-window,
and by subsequently breaking open the cellar-door, which had been bolted
and padlocked; and that afterwards, on his going to Jonathan Wild, and
acquainting him with what had occured, he was conducted to Blake's
lodgings, for the purpose of procuring his apprehension. The prisoner
refusing to open the door, Quilt Arnold, one of Wild's men, broke it
open. On this Blake drew a penknife, and swore that he would kill the
first man that entered; in answer to which Arnold said, "Then I am the
first man, and Mr. Wild is not far behind; and if you don't deliver
your penknife immediately, I will chop your arm off." Hereupon the
prisoner dropped the knife; and Wild entering, he was taken into
custody.
It further appeared, that as the parties were conveying Blake to
Newgate, they came by the house of the prosecutor; on which Wild said to
the prisoner, "There's the ken;" and the latter replied, "Say no more of
that, Mr. Wild, for I know I am a dead man; but what I fear is, that I
shall afterwards be carried to Surgeons' Hall, and anatomised;" to which
Wild replied, "No, I'll take care to prevent that, for I'll give you a
coffin." William Field, an accomplice, who was evidence on the trial,
swore that the robbery was committed by Blake, Sheppard, and himself;
and the jury brought in a verdict of guilty.
As soon as the verdict was given, Blake addressed the Court in the
following terms:--"On Wednesday morning last, Jonathan Wild said to
Simon Jacobs (then a prisoner), "I believe you will not bring forty
pounds this time (alluding to the reward paid by Government); I wish Joe
(meaning me) was in your case; but I'll do my endeavour to bring you off
as a single felon." And then turning to me, he said, "I believe you must
die--I'll send you a good book or two, and provide you a coffin, and you
shall not be anatomised."
The prisoner having been convicted, it was impossible that this
revelation of the circumstances, under which he was impeached could be
noticed; but subsequent discoveries distinctly showed that Wild's system
was precisely that which was pointed out; namely, to lead on those who
chose to submit themselves to his guidance, to the full extent to which
they could go, so as to be useful to him; and then to deliver them over
to justice for the offences in which he had been the prime mover,
securing to himself the reward payable upon their conviction. His
position screened him from punishment, while his power ensured the
sacrifice of the victims, who had so long been his slaves. It appears
that Wild was near meeting his end in this case. He was to have given
evidence against Blake, but going to visit him in the bail-dock,
previous to his trial, the latter suddenly drew a clasped penknife, with
which he cut Jonathan's throat. The knife was blunt, and the wound,
though dangerous, did not prove mortal; but the informer was prevented
from giving the evidence which had been expected from him. While under
sentence of death, Blake did not show a concern proportioned to his
calamitous situation. When asked if he was advised to commit the
violence on Wild, he said No; but that a sudden thought entered his
mind: had it been premeditated, he would have provided a knife, which
would have cut off his head at once. On the nearer approach of death he
appeared still less concerned; and it was thought that his mind was
chiefly bent on meditating means of escaping: but seeing no prospect of
getting away, he took to drinking, which he continued to the day of his
death; and he was observed to be intoxicated, even while he was under
the gallows.
He was executed at Tyburn on the 11th of November, 1723.
JOHN SHEPPARD.
EXECUTED FOR HOUSE-BREAKING.
The prisoner, whose name heads this article, was a companion and fellow
in crime to the notorious Blueskin. The name of Jack Sheppard is one
which needs no introduction. His exploits are so notorious, that nothing
more is necessary than to recount them. Sheppard was born in
Spitalfields, in the year 1702; his father was a carpenter and bore the
character of an honest man; but dying when his son was yet young, he, as
well as a younger brother, Tom Sheppard, soon became remarkable for
their disregard for honesty. Our hero was apprenticed to a carpenter in
Wych-street, like his father, and during the first four years of his
service he behaved with comparative respectability; but frequenting a
public-house, called the Black Lion, in Drury Lane, he became acquainted
with Blueskin, his subsequent companion in wickedness, and Wild, his
betrayer, as well as with some women of abandoned character, who
afterwards also became his coadjutors. His attentions were more
particularly directed to one of them, named Elizabeth Lion, or Edgeworth
Bess, as she was familiarly called from the town in which she was born,
and while connected with her he frequently committed robberies at the
various houses, in which he was employed as a workman. He was, however,
also acquainted with a woman named Maggott, who persuaded him to commit
his first robbery in the house of Mr. Bains, a piece-broker, in White
Horse Yard, Drury Lane. He was at this time still resident at his
master's house; and having stolen a piece of fustian, he took it home to
his trunk, and then returning to the house which he was robbing, he took
the bars out of the cellar-window, entered, and stole goods and money to
the amount of 22_l._ which he carried to Maggott. As Sheppard did not go
home that night, nor on the following day, his master suspected that he
had made bad connexions, and searching his trunk found the piece of
fustian that had been stolen; but Sheppard, hearing of this, broke open
his master's house in the night, and carried off the fustian, lest it
should be brought in evidence against him.
This matter received no further attention; but Sheppard's master seemed
desirous still to favour him, and he remained some time longer in the
family; but after associating himself with the worst of company, and
frequently staying out the whole night, his master and he quarrelled,
and the headstrong youth totally absconded in the last year of his
apprenticeship.
Jack now worked as a journeyman carpenter, with a view to the easier
commission of robbery; and being employed to assist in repairing the
house of a gentleman in May Fair, he took an opportunity of carrying off
a sum of money, a quantity of plate, some gold rings, and four suits of
clothes. Not long after this Edgeworth Bess was apprehended, and lodged
in the round-house of the parish of St. Giles's, where Sheppard went to
visit her; but the beadle refusing to admit him, he knocked him down,
broke open the door, and carried her off in triumph; an exploit which
acquired him a high degree of credit among his companions. Tom Sheppard
being now as deep in crime as his brother, he prevailed on Jack to lend
him forty shillings, and take him as a partner in his robberies. The
first act they committed in concert was the robbing of a public-house in
Southwark, whence they carried off some money and wearing apparel; but
Jack permitted his brother to reap the whole advantage of this booty.
Not long after this, in conjunction with Edgeworth Bess, they broke open
the shop of Mrs. Cook, a linen-draper in Clare Market, and carried off
goods to the value of 55_l._; and in less than a fortnight afterwards,
they stole some articles from the house of Mr. Phillips in Drury Lane.
Tom Sheppard going to sell some of the goods stolen at Mrs. Cook's, was
apprehended, and committed to Newgate, when, in the hope of being
admitted an evidence, he impeached his brother and Bess; but they were
sought for in vain.
At length James Sykes, otherwise called Hell-and-Fury, one of Sheppard's
companions, meeting with him in St. Giles's, enticed him into a
public-house, in the hope of receiving a reward for apprehending him;
and while they were drinking Sykes sent for a constable, who took Jack
into custody, and carried him before a magistrate. After a short
examination, he was sent to St. Giles's round-house; but he broke
through the roof of that place and made his escape in the night.
Within a short time after this, as Sheppard and an associate, named
Benson, were crossing Leicester Fields, the latter endeavoured to pick a
gentleman's pocket of his watch; but failing in the attempt, the
gentleman called out "A pickpocket!" on which Sheppard was taken, and
lodged in St. Ann's round-house, where he was visited by Edgeworth Bess,
who was detained on suspicion of being one of his accomplices. On the
following day they were carried before a magistrate, and some persons
appearing who charged them with felonies, they were committed to the New
Prison; but as they passed for husband and wife, they were permitted to
lodge together in a room known by the name of the Newgate ward. They
were here visited by many of their friends, Blueskin among the number;
and being provided by them with the implements necessary to enable them
to escape, Jack proceeded to secure the object which he had in view with
that alacrity and energy which always characterised his actions. The
removal of his fetters by means of a file was a work which occupied him
a very few minutes, and he then, with the assistance of his companion,
prepared for flight. The first obstacle which presented itself to them
was in the shape of the heavy cross-bars which defended the aperture, by
which light and air were admitted to their cell; but the application of
their file soon removed the difficulty. There was then another point of
a more dangerous character to overcome--the descent to the yard. Their
window was twenty-five feet in height, and the only means of reaching
the earth was by the employment of their blankets as ropes. These,
however, would not enable them to touch the ground; but they found that
there was a considerable distance for them to drop, even after they
should have arrived at the extreme end of their cord. Gallantry induced
our hero to give the first place to Bess, and she, having stripped off a
portion of her clothes, so as to render herself lighter, descended in
perfect safety. Jack followed, and they found some consolation in their
being at least without the gaol, although there were yet the walls of
the yard to climb. These were topped with a strong _chevaux de frise_ of
iron, and were besides twenty-two feet high; but passing round them
until they came to the great gates, the adventurous pair found means by
the locks and bolts, by which they were held together, to surmount
this, apparently the greatest difficulty of all, and they once again
stood on the open ground outside the gaol. Bess having now re-assumed
the clothes, of which she had denuded herself, in order that she might
be the more agile in her escape, and which she had taken the precaution
to throw over the wall before her, she and her paramour, once more
enjoying the free air of liberty, marched into town.
It may readily be supposed that our hero's fame was increased by the
report of this exploit, and all the thieves of St. Giles's soon became
anxious to become his "palls." He did not hesitate to accept the
companionship of two of them, named Grace, a cooper, and Lamb, an
apprentice to a mathematical instrument maker; and at the instigation of
the latter they committed a robbery in the house of his master, near St.
Clement's church, to a considerable amount. The apprentice, however, was
suspected, and secured, and being convicted, received sentence of
transportation. Our hero meanwhile escaped, and joining with Blueskin,
they did not fail in obtaining considerable booty. The mode of disposing
of the plunder which they adopted was that of employing a fellow named
Field to procure them a market; and having committed the robbery at
Kneebone's, already mentioned in Blake's memoir, they lodged its
proceeds in a stable, which they had hired, near the Horse Ferry,
Westminster. Field was applied to, to find a customer for the property,
and he promised to do so, and was as good as his word; for breaking open
the stable, he carried off the goods himself, and then conveyed
information of the robbery to Wild, alleging that he had been concerned
in it. Blueskin, it will have been seen, was tried and convicted for the
robbery, and suffered execution; and Sheppard having also been secured,
he too was sentenced to death.
On Monday, 30th August, 1724, a warrant was sent for his execution,
together with that of some other convicts, but neither his ingenuity nor
his courage forsook him upon this, any more than upon any previous
occasion. In the gaol of Newgate there was a hatch within the lodge in
which the gaolers sat, which opened into a dark passage, from which
there were a few steps leading to the hold containing the condemned
cells. It was customary for the prisoners, on their friends coming to
see them, to be conducted to this hatch; but any very close
communication was prevented by the _surveillance_ of the gaolers, and by
large iron spikes which surmounted the gate. The visits of Edgeworth
Bess to her paramour were not unattended with advantage to the latter,
for while in conversation, she took the opportunity of diverting the
attention of the gaoler from her, while she delivered the necessary
instruments to Sheppard to assist him in his contemplated escape.
Subsequent visits enabled Jack to approach the wicket; and by constant
filing he succeeded in placing one of the spikes in such a position as
that it could be easily wrenched off. On the evening on which the
warrant for his execution arrived, Mrs. Maggott, who was an immensely
powerful woman, and Bess, going to visit him, he broke off the spike
while the keepers were employed in drinking in the lodge, and thrusting
his head and shoulders through the aperture, the women pulled him down,
and smuggled him through the outer room, in which the gaolers were
indulging themselves, into the street. This second escape not a little
increased his notoriety; but an instant pursuit being made, he was
compelled to lie close. Consulting with one Page, a butcher, it was
determined that they should go to Warnden, in Northamptonshire,
together where the relations of the latter lived; but on arriving
there, being treated with indifference, they immediately retraced their
steps to London.
On the night after their return, they were walking through Fleet-street,
when they saw a watchmaker's shop attended only by a boy, and having
passed it, they turned back, and Sheppard, driving his hand through the
window, stole three watches, with which they made their escape. They
subsequently retired to Finchley for security; but the gaolers of
Newgate gaining information of their retreat, took Sheppard into
custody, and once more conveyed him to "The Stone Jug."