The first of these unhappy men, William Caustin, was born somewhere in
the country, but the particular place is not mentioned in any papers I
have before me. Neither am I able to say of what condition his parents
were, yet whether poor or rich they afforded him a very tolerable
education, and when he was grown big enough to be put out apprentice,
bound him to a barber, to whom he served out his time with remarkable
fidelity. When out of his time he married a wife and set up for himself;
yet whether through inevitable misfortunes, or for want of good
management, I cannot say, but he failed in a very short time after, and
so was reduced to be a journeyman again. However, his character remained
so unblemished that he was never out of business, nor ill-treated by any
masters where he worked. On the contrary, he was caressed wherever he
came, and treated with as much civility as if he had been a relation to
those whom he had served.
His wife unfortunately falling sick upon his hand, he became thereby
thrown out of business, and in that time falling into ill company, their
repeated solicitations prevailed with him to go for once upon the
highway, which accordingly he did, and committed, in company with
Geoffrey Younger and the evidence, a robbery on William Bowman, taking
from him a guinea and thirteen shillings, for which he was very quickly
after apprehended, and the fact being plainly and fully proved, he was
convicted, it being the only fact he ever committed.
Geoffrey Younger, his companion, was descended of very honest creditable
parents in Northamptonshire. There he was put apprentice to a baker, to
whom he served his time out very honestly and faithfully. Afterwards he
came up to London, and lived here for seven years as a journeyman, in as
good a reputation as it was possible for a young man to have. But having
by that time got a good quantity of clothes, and about ten pounds in his
pockets, he began to think himself too good to work, and unfortunately
falling into the company of some idle debauched persons of both sexes,
they soon led him into a road of ruin. Amongst these was one Bradley, a
fellow of his own business, whose company of all others, he most
affected. This fellow having addicted himself to the pursuit of the most
scandalous vices, easily drew in Younger to go with him to a house where
gamesters resorted and advising him to venture his money, Younger was
good enough to take his advice, and so was bubbled out of every farthing
of his money.
Surprised and confounded at this extraordinary turn, which had reduced
him to indigence in a moment, he did nothing but lament his own hard
fortune, and curse his indiscretion for coming to such a place. Bradley
endeavoured to cheer him, telling him he would yet put him in a way to
get money, and thereupon proposed going with him upon the highway; in
order to encourage him to which, he told him that at such a place they
should meet with a man who had fourscore pounds about him. So after
abundance of arguments, Younger yielded, and out they went. From that
time forwards he gave a loose to all his brutal inclinations, associated
himself with nobody but common whores and thieves, spent his time in
gaming, when not engaged in a worse employment, and never, after his
acquaintance with Bradley, thought of doing anything either just or
honest. But his course was of no very long continuance, for having
committed four or five robberies, the last of which was in the company
of William Caustin, they were both apprehended, and as has been said,
upon very full evidence convicted.
Under sentence of death they both of them blamed Bradley the evidence,
as the person who had drawn then first to the commission of those crimes
for which they were now to answer with their lives. Caustin's wife died
while he was under sentence, and he thereby lost what little comfort he
had under his afflictions. However, he endeavoured to compose himself
the best he could, to suffer that judgment which the Law had pronounced
upon him, and which he himself acknowledged to be just. Younger, on the
other hand, was exceedingly timorous and so terribly affrighted at the
approach of death that he scarce retained his senses. He confessed very
freely the enormities of his former life; said that a more dissolute
person than himself never lived; cried out against the evidence Bradley,
as the author of his misfortunes; charged him with having painfully
endeavoured to seduce him. But in the midst of this he wept bitterly,
and showed a great terror at the approach of his execution than was seen
amongst any of the rest who suffered with him, his countenance being so
much altered, that it was hardly possible for anybody to know him, who
had been acquainted with him before, insomuch that he looked for many
weeks before his execution like a person who had been already dead and
buried.
As the day of dissolution approached, it was hoped that he would recover
more courage, but instead of that he became so terribly frighted that he
could scarce speak, or show any signs of life when he was brought to
Tyburn. However, there he did gather spirits a little, and spoke to the
crowd to take warning by him, and avoid coming to that fatal place. He
said that he had been guilty of but five robberies in all his life; said
he forgave his prosecutors and the evidence who swore against him; and
in this disposition they both died at the same time with the malefactors
before mentioned, Caustin being thirty-six years of age, and Younger
about thirty-four.