affectionate terms because Mrs. O'Reardon told her, that if she called
him a villain or a wretch, he would never come back to her; and that she
wrote the letter for the purpose of bringing him back. After she had
been under examination and cross-examination upwards of five hours, her
mother, Mrs. Frizell, and Mrs. O'Reardon, were examined, and they
corroborated her testimony as far as they had any knowledge of the
facts.
For the defence, several persons from the hotel or house where the
affair took place stated that the lady was a consenting party, and that
no outrage had been committed.--In their cross-examination, however,
they prevaricated a good deal, and acknowledged visiting the prisoner in
Newgate.
Judge Torrens charged the jury in a luminous speech, who, after one hour
and three quarters' deliberation, returned a verdict of Guilty, but
strongly recommended the prisoner to mercy on account of his youth.
On the next day he was brought up for judgment, when, in answer why
sentence of death should not be passed on him, he replied, in a low, but
rather firm voice, that standing in the awful situation in which he did,
it was not for him to arraign the verdict of twelve men on their oaths,
and he should, therefore, bow with submission to the sentence of the
court.--Judge Torrens then, in an impressive manner, observed, that
after a most anxious consideration of his case, the recommendation of
the jury could not be attended to. His lordship, in a tremulous accent,
pronounced the awful sentence of the law, fixing Saturday, the 7th of
May, for his execution.
The most strenuous exertions were made to save the life of this unhappy
but most guilty culprit; and petitions signed by many persons of the
highest respectability were forwarded to the crown in his favour. The
recommendation of the jury was also most strongly represented, and as it
was said that even the friends of the young lady herself were unwilling
that he should expiate the foul crime of which he had been convicted on
the scaffold, a reprieve was granted, and his punishment was eventually
commuted to transportation for life.
The wretched young man was eventually transmitted to Sydney with other
convicts; but here his fortune and the respectability of his connexions
enabled him to obtain privileges not usually granted to persons in his
situation. He was of an excellent family in the county of Roscommon, and
by the death of some of his relations came into a handsome fortune.
Money, in the colony in which he was compelled to reside, would obtain
for him every luxury which he could desire; and from recent accounts
received from that place, it appears that he was among the gayest of the
gay of that extraordinary society.
We have but one other fact to add to our recital of this most
distressing case. The unhappy object of Dillon's machinations and brutal
crime died in the month of June 1831, a victim to her own sensitive
feelings. She had gone to Bangor, in Wales, in hope that a change of
scene might relieve her of the melancholy which appeared to have settled
upon her mind, but she died there of a broken heart.
JOHN TAYLOR, AND THOMAS MARTIN.
IMPRISONED FOR BODY STEALING.
The peculiarity of the defence of these men, and the extraordinary
nature of the proceedings in the court upon their trial, induce us to
give their case a place in our Calendar.
They were indicted at the London sessions on Thursday, the 21st of
April, 1831, for having stolen the body of an old man named Gardiner
from St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Taylor was recognised as a notorious
"body-snatcher," or resurrectionist, and Martin was an undertaker.
Taylor had taken the old man, who had a spinal disease, to the hospital.
In a very short time the patient sunk under the complaint, and Taylor
contrived to get possession of the body by a manoeuvre, and assured
the daughter of the deceased that her father had been ordered to be
buried quickly, on account of the mortification which had taken place.
Martin accompanied Taylor on making application for the body at the
hospital, and gave a wrong name and address. It was soon discovered by
the daughter that the body of her father had been removed, and the two
prisoners were taken into custody.
Taylor defended himself in the (literally) following manner:--"You see,
please you, my lord, I sees the poor old gentleman walking in
Fleet-lane, wery bad; and so, says he, 'Jack, I feels queerish, and I
don't suppose as how I'll get over this here caper.' So, you see, I
takes him into a public-house and gives him half a pint of beer quite
warm, and a pipe of backy, and so he stays there till six or seven
o'clock; and then, says he, 'Jack, you must get me a place for to lay
upon;' but they wouldn't have him in no house whatsomdever; for, please
you, my lord, he warn't without warmint. (Laughter.) Well, then, my
lord, you see he gets worse, and he axed me to take him to the hospital;
and didn't I take him?"
Alderman Winchester: "Yes, and you took him away from it too."
(Laughter.)
Taylor: "Well, my lord, you see, when I sees him snug and comfortable in
the bed, I goes off to his daughter, and I told she, and she warn't by
no means bevaricated at it; but she said she was obligated to me for my
civility and my humanity, you see, for taking care of the poor old
creatur wot was so wery bad. And so the old gentleman wanted a shirt
wery bad, and I goes to his daughter, and I gets one with a frill to it,
and I puts it on him; and so his daughter suddenly turns against me, and
she gives me in charge, though I was so kind, for stealing the shirt;
and I'm blest if they didn't try me for it at the Old Bailey." (A
laugh.)
Serjeant Arabin: "I know they did, for I tried you for the robbery."
(Loud laughter.)
Taylor: "Please you, my lord, I think you was my judge. Well, you see,
my lord, they couldn't do nothing with me."
Serjeant Arabin: "Come, to the point."
Taylor: "Well, my lord, I'll come soon enough. (Loud laughter.) So you
see, she says to me, 'Jack,' says she, 'I'll go to see the old gentleman
the next day morning to the hospital, for I believe he's poorly;' and
please you, my lord, when she goes there she couldn't find nobody at
all, for the body warn't there, because as how some body tuck it away."
(Roars of laughter.)
Serjeant Arabin: "No doubt of it; you took it away, and can you prove
where 'tis buried?"
Taylor: "Why you see, my lord, I suppose it's in the ground, for what
else would you do with it? Ven the breath goes avay from us, there's no
use in going further, for then there's an end of the caper. (Excessive
laughter, in which the court joined.) Vell, my lord, I never seed the
body arterwards; and then they comes up to me, and they charges me with
robbing it. But please you, my lord, what could I do with it if I had
it? It an't like the body of a cow, or a sheep; and you don't think I'm
sich a feller as would do what the black beggars does with the people
wot they kills." (Loud laughter.)
The jury told Serjeant Arabin that it was unnecessary to sum up, and
found the prisoners Guilty.
Taylor was sentenced to imprisonment for nine months, and Martin to
imprisonment for three months.
IKEY _alias_ ISAAC SOLOMON.
TRANSPORTED FOR RECEIVING STOLEN GOODS.
There are few offenders whose name and whose character are more
universally known than Ikey Solomon; but there are few also with regard
to whom more certain information cannot be obtained. The following brief
particulars, we believe, are correct; but the difficulty of procuring
positive knowledge upon the subject must prove an excuse for the
shortness of our memoir.
Solomon was born in the neighbourhood of Petticoat-lane in the year
1785, of poor parents, who, as their name imports, were of the Jewish
persuasion. At an early age young Ikey was compelled to exert himself to
procure his own living; for it is a custom which exists among the poorer
classes of the Jews, that every child shall be early instructed in
habits of industry. At the age of eight years, therefore, he was
despatched into the streets with a supply of oranges and lemons, which
constituted his first stock in trade. The profits of his business as a
fruiterer were not deemed by the young Jew a sufficient remuneration for
his labours, and the profession of a _sham ringer_, as it was
technically termed, or of a passer of base coin, was added by him to
that which he openly carried on, and his youth served him materially in
enabling him to escape detection.
At the age of fourteen years, he had acquired considerable knowledge of
the general habits of thieves, and he is reported to have practised
picking pockets, when opportunity offered, with great success. As he
grew older, however, his person and his proceedings became known, and,
apprehending that some unpleasant consequences might arise from his
carrying on so dangerous a profession, he determined to quit it, and to
join a gang engaged in one no less enterprising, but attended with less
cause of fear--that of duffing. By this means he obtained a wide
connexion, while the sums which he realised amply repaid him for the
change which he had made in his mode of life. The business of a fence,
or receiver of stolen goods, in which afterwards he became so notorious,
appears, even at this early period of his life, to have struck his
fancy; and although the extent of his trade was limited, by reason of
his want of the necessary capital to carry it on, his purchases being
confined to the produce of the robberies of area sneaks and young
pickpockets, he acquired much celebrity amongst his fellows in the same
business.
After some time, from some unexplained cause, he quitted this mode of
life, and joined a gang of thieves associated at the west end of the
town. Always avaricious, he was guilty of unfair play even among his
"pals," and the old adage of "honour among thieves" was set at nought by
him in his division of the spoil which he obtained in the course of his
daily exertions. For this breach of good faith he was expelled the
community, and he determined upon making an effort in his own
behalf--single-handed. His good fortune now forsook him, and, after a
very short practice, he was taken into custody for stealing a "dumby,"
or pocket-book. This was the first occasion on which he had any reason
to fear the consequences of his numerous thefts. In the city, according
to his own account, he had been frequently in custody, but had escaped
by feeing the officers! but his apprehension having now taken place in
"the county," as it is usually denominated, or beyond the city bounds,
he knew that he stood little chance of escaping by such means.
For this offence he was tried at the Old Bailey in the year 1807, being
then twenty-two years of age; and a conviction having followed, he was
sentenced to transportation for life. He was removed to the hulks at
Chatham, preparatory to his being sent to one of our penal colonies,
but, by good luck, was permitted to remain in England, in the hope that
he might reform. His uncle, it appears, was a slop-seller at this port,
where he carried on a considerable, and, it was believed, a respectable
trade. Through his instrumentality his nephew was retained in his native
country; and, after six years, the fortunate Ikey obtained a pardon. A
circumstance occurred, however, in reference to this event, which is
worthy of notice. Ikey was not the only person of the same name who had
been guilty of an offence against the laws of _meum et tuum_, confined
on board the same hulk. His equally unfortunate namesake, in the year
1813, by the exercise of influence, succeeded in obtaining a remission
of his sentence, and a pardon and order for his discharge were sent down
to Chatham. By an error, either of accident or design, but which it was
we have no means of deciding, our hero was discharged instead of the
person really intended. His surprise and gratitude at this unexpected
favour induced him, on his return to London, to proceed to the Home
Office to express his thanks for his liberation; but here, to his
dismay, he was informed that there was some mistake--that he was not the
person intended to be pardoned, and that he must return to his ship. He
had prudence enough to do that at once, which he knew he would be
compelled to do eventually; but the circumstance operated so much in his
favour, that in three months afterwards a genuine pardon in his name was
received, which once again sent him to perform his part upon the stage
of life.
His first employment was to all appearance an honest one. He was engaged
by his uncle at Chatham as a barker, or salesman; and, in the course of
a couple of years, he realised a sum of 150_l._, with which he
determined to start in business for himself. He therefore proceeded to
London, and in a short time we find him possessed of a house and shop in
Bell-alley, Winfield-street. He lost no time in renewing his
acquaintance with some of his former associates, and he found that many
of them, who had escaped the fangs of the police so long, had now become
expert thieves, or experienced housebreakers. His old trade of a "fence"
appeared to him the most profitable, and, at the same time, the best in
every other respect, in which he could embark, and his desire to deal in
stolen goods was soon circulated among his connexions. For this business
his general knowledge admirably adapted him, and he speedily obtained as
much business as his small capital would enable him to get through. As
every transaction, however, increased his means, so his sphere of action
became more extended, and ere long he was engaged fully in every species
of business which came within the usual course of persons engaged in the
same profession. Forged notes, or "queer screens," as they were called,
afforded him means of speculation, which produced the most profitable
results; but the danger of carrying on this branch of his trade, arising
from the vigilance of the officers employed by the Bank of England for
its suppression, at length determined him to give it up, and to confine
his operations to that which he looked upon as a safer game, the
purchase and disposal of the produce of the robberies of his friends.
In this line he was probably one of the most successful in London. Every
year afforded him new opportunities of extending his connexion, and the
profits which he obtained were enormous. His house was looked upon as
the universal resort of almost all the thieves of the metropolis; but so
cautiously and so cunningly did he manage his transactions, as to render
every effort of the police to procure evidence of his guilt unavailing.
His purchases were, for the most part, confined to small articles, such
as jewellery, plate, &c., and in his house, under his bed, he had a
receptacle for them, closed by a trap-door, so nicely fitted, that it
escaped every examination which was made. In the space between the
flooring and the ceiling of the lower room, there were abundant means to
conceal an extent of valuable property which was quite astonishing.
Solomon's trade was now at its height, and he found that one house would
be insufficient to contain all his property. He had been married some
years before to a person of the same persuasion with himself; but it
appears that constancy was not one of the virtues of which he was able
to boast. It suggested itself to him, therefore, that while a second
house would enable him to secrete a considerable quantity of additional
property, he might also hide there from his wife a new object, to whom
his affections had united him. With these double views, he took a house
in Lower Queen-street, Islington (unknown to his own family), in which
he followed out the plan which he had laid down for his guidance. The
lady and the valuables were placed in it.
At about this period, however, a very extensive robbery of watches and
jewellery took place in Cheapside, in which there is no doubt Solomon
participated, in the character of receiver. The excitement produced by
the occurrence raised considerable alarm in his mind lest he should be
discovered and apprehended, and he determined on a trip to Birmingham,
in order that the affair might blow over. During his absence, his wife,
whose jealous animosity had been excited by his frequent absence from
home, discovered his Islington retreat, and her anger, as may be
supposed, was not expressed to him in the gentlest or most becoming way
upon his return.
This discovery, and the still pending investigation of the circumstances
of the robbery in Cheapside, created so much alarm in his mind, that he
determined to emigrate to New South Wales, taking with him all his
property. His arrangements were commenced, but his wife, whose fears
pictured to her the sailing of her husband with her rival, and her own
abandonment in England, most strongly opposed the plan. Ikey, however,
persisted in carrying out his expressed intention, when his apprehension
at his Islington abode effectually prevented the fulfilment of his
plans. The charges preferred against him were those of receiving stolen
goods, and Ikey was committed to Newgate for trial. Property, it was
said, to a very large amount had been seized, amongst which many
articles which had been stolen were identified. Whilst awaiting his
trial, a plan of escape was concocted, which was completely successful,
and which was conducted in the following manner:--
It is a part of the law of the land, that every prisoner who is in
custody, no matter what his offence, is entitled to apply to a judge of
one of the superior courts, to be admitted to bail. The application is
made for a writ of _habeas corpus_, upon which the prisoner is taken
from the prison, where he is confined, before the judge, in whose
presence the matter is to be argued. Solomon's friends determined to
adopt this course, and the application being made, the writ was granted,
and a certain day was fixed for the argument. The prisoner, in obedience
to the writ, was sent in the custody of two officers to Westminster, and
as the trio passed Bridge-street, Blackfriars, it was proposed that they
should have a coach. The proposition appeared to be anticipated by a
man, whose vehicle was near the head of the rank, and his carriage was
immediately engaged. The three men entered it, and were driven to
Westminster, but when they arrived there, the judge was found to be
engaged. An adjournment took place to a neighbouring public-house, and
while there, Mrs. Solomon joined the party with one or two friends, and
brandy and water was speedily introduced in abundance. The turnkeys were
not sparing in their libations, but were interrupted in their orgies by
the announcement that the judge was ready. The argument took place, the
bail was refused, as it was known it would be, and a second adjournment
to the public-house took place. One more glass was swallowed, and Ikey,
his wife, and the two turnkeys, once more entered the vehicle. A short
ride threw Smart, the head turnkey, into a species of stupor; and in
Fleet-street, Mrs. Solomon was so affected by her husband's danger, as
to fall into fits. Solomon entreated the under turnkey, who still
remained awake, not to take him to prison, until he had set his wife
down at a friend's house, and this request, being probably backed by a
fee, was granted. The coach, which it is almost needless to say was
driven by one of Ikey's relations, proceeded to Petticoat-lane, and
there pulling up at a house, the door was suddenly opened. Ikey popped
out, ran into a house, the door of which stood open, but was closed
immediately after him, through the passage, into a house at the back,
and again through an interminable variety of windings, until at length
he was lodged in a place of security. The turnkey was almost as
stupified as his fellow at this surprising disappearance of his
prisoner, and Mrs. Solomon having speedily recovered from her fits, the
two jailors were left to find their way back to Newgate, and to tell
their tale at their own leisure. The turnkeys, it is almost needless to
say, had been drugged.
This escape was so admirably conducted, that all traces of Solomon were
lost, and notwithstanding the most strenuous exertions of the police, no
tidings of him could be obtained. For two months, it appears, he lay
concealed at Highgate, and at the expiration of that time he found means
to quit the country in a Danish vessel for Copenhagen, from whence in
about three months he proceeded to New York.
Ever active in "turning a penny," he was soon engaged in his old trade
in forged notes, which was here carried on to a great extent. He became
convinced, however, that he could make money by other means also, and he
wrote to his wife, desiring her to send him a quantity of cheap watches,
which he had good reason to believe would turn to good account. In this
letter, according to his own statement, he charged his wife to send him
none but "righteous" (honestly obtained) watches, and not to touch one
which had been got "on the cross;" but it appears she did not act up to
his advice, for she was found guilty of receiving a watch knowing it to
have been stolen, which turned out to be one of those which she was
about to ship off to the new world to her husband, to be employed by him
in his new speculation. For this offence she was sentenced to be
transported for fourteen years; and, in obedience to her sentence, she
was conveyed to Van Diemen's Land. Ikey, in his account of this affair,
does not scruple to assert, that his wife had in truth been guilty of no
offence whatever; and he seeks to confirm his assertion by relating the
circumstances under which the watch was obtained. He declares that there
were some persons in England who had been so enraged at his escape, as
to be determined to revenge themselves upon him by every means in their
power. With this view they sought to tamper with one of his relations,
then in custody, in order to procure the entrapment of his wife in some
supposed illegal transaction. Mrs. Solomon at this time was engaged in
the purchase of the watches for her husband, and she consulted some of
her friends upon the best means of procuring them. The imprisoned
relation about this time was set at liberty, to carry out his scheme,
and he being applied to, produced and sold to her the very watch for the
possession of which eventually she was convicted. How far this is true,
as regards the individual referred to, we cannot say; but we believe it
to be impossible that villany so gross as that which he imputes, could
be connived at by any person holding a responsible public situation in
the police.
Ikey, it seems, upon hearing of his wife's misfortune, found himself the
object of suspicion where he was, and he determined that he would follow
Mrs. Solomon; and, having assembled the family at Hobart Town, endeavour
to alleviate her sufferings. In this place he proposed to strike out
some new pursuit for their support; but he never imagined that the laws
of England would pursue him in the very place to which he was about to
proceed as a refuge from them.
Upon his arrival at Hobart Town he lived for some time in comparative
decency, having opened a general shop, which he conducted with much
profit, and having also purchased a public-house, which he let to
another person. But he soon found that his dreams of future security
were not to be realised. An order arrived from England for his
apprehension, and he was hurried off by the next vessel sailing for
London, to take his trial for the numerous offences with which he was
charged. He had just time to transfer his property to his son before he
sailed, and at length, on the 27th of June 1830, he was once more lodged
in Newgate, where he was confined in the transport yard, which was
considered the most secure place in the prison.
At the following Old Bailey sessions he was indicted upon eight
different charges, and his trial came on on Friday, the 9th of July
1830. His conduct throughout was remarkable for great firmness, which
was increased by his being acquitted on the first and second days upon
five of the indictments preferred against him. On the following Monday
he was again placed at the bar, and then, on the sixth and eighth
charges, verdicts of Guilty were returned. The verdict on the seventh
indictment was one of Not guilty, owing to the absence of a material
witness in India.