Next morning, when the sad procession passed the church on its way to
Tyburn, a brief pause was made at the gate of St. Sepulchre's Church,
and the clergyman said prayers for the unfortunate criminals, and at the
same time the passing-bell tolled its mournful notes.
According to a notice in a recent book by the Rev. A. G. B. Atkinson,
Robert Dowe was a merchant tailor, and a benefactor; he assisted John
Stow and others. Dowe was born 1522, and died 1612.[1]
Not a few of the highwaymen who ended their careers at the gallows
appear to have been dandies. Swift gives us a picture of one in "Clever
Tom Clinch." He says:--
"... While the rabble was bawling,
Rode stately through Holborn to die of his calling;
He stopped at the George for a bottle of sack,
And promised to pay for it--when he came back.
His waistcoat and stockings and breeches were white,
His cap had a new cherry ribbon to tie't:
And the maids at doors and the balconies ran
And cried 'Lack-a-day! he's a proper young man!'"
On January 21st, 1670, was hanged Claude Duval, a great favourite with
the ladies. It is said that ladies of quality, in masks and with tears,
witnessed his execution and that he lay in more than royal state at
Tangier Tavern, St. Giles's. His epitaph in the centre aisle of St.
Paul's, Covent Garden, may be regarded as a model for highwaymen:--
"Here lies Du Vall: reader, if male thou art,
Look to thy purse; if female to thy heart."
Sixteen-string Jack, hanged on November 30th, 1774, was dressed in a
"bright pea-green coat, and displayed an immense nosegay."
Frequently rioting occurred at executions, and unpopular criminals would
be pelted with missiles, and meet with other indications of disfavour,
but usually the sympathies of the populace were with the culprit.
Attempts at rescuing criminals would sometimes be made, and soldiers had
to be present to ensure order. On the 19th August, 1763, it is stated in
"The Annual Register," "A terrible storm made such an impression on the
ignorant populace assembled to see a criminal executed on Kennington
Common, that the sheriff was obliged to apply to the secretaries of
state for a military force to prevent a rescue, and it was near eight
o'clock in the evening before he suffered."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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