Chronicles of Newgate, Vol. 1: From the twelfth to the eighteenth centuryGriffiths, Arthur
History
Chronicles of Newgate, Vol. 1: From the twelfth to the eighteenth century
Griffiths, Arthur
Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England); Prisons -- England; Punishment -- Great Britain
Matters were not too comfortable for the military guard. The men at the
gate were liable to insults as on the 19th May, when they were reviled
by a Tory constable. They were also exposed to efforts to wean them
from their allegiance. One day Mr. Carleton Smith detected a prisoner,
Isaac Dalton,[140:1] in durance for libel, endeavouring to corrupt the
sentinels by giving them money to drink the Pretender's health. "But
he missed his aim." The soldiers heartily drank to King George in wine
supplied by Mr. Smith, and declared they would oppose the Pretender
to the last drop of their blood. All the guards were not equally
loyal, however. On another occasion the soldiers of the guard "had the
impudence to sing Captain Silk's dearly beloved tune, 'The king shall
have his own again,' for which their officer, Captain Reeve, a very
loyal gentleman, threatened them with imprisonment."
The peril of the prisoners bred a certain reckless turbulence among
them. On the 29th May a mob collected in great numbers outside,
carrying oaken boughs on pretence of commemorating the restoration. The
guard was reinforced, lest the mob should attempt to break open the
gaol. Inside the rebels were very noisy, and insulted their keepers;
"but they were soon put out of a capacity of doing much harm, for by
way of precaution they were all locked up before ten o'clock." This
hour of early closing was continued, and greatly resented by them. A
few days later they made a great disturbance at the sound of a bell set
up by order of the lord mayor to ring them to their apartments at the
regular hour. They asked for the order. It was read to them, to their
manifest dissatisfaction, for it referred the recent escapes to the
unaccountable liberty of indulgence permitted them, and insisted that
upon the ringing of the bell in question all should betake themselves
to their apartments. Ten was the hour of retiring "at farthest;"
any infringement of the rule would be followed by the deprivation
of all freedom, and double irons for the offenders. Except Captain
Silk, however, all acquiesced in the order. He alone, "with his usual
impudence, bullied the keeper, and made many unbecoming reflections
upon the lord mayor and sheriffs." Nor did insubordination end here. A
day or two later the lord mayor's notice, which had been posted up in
the various press-yard rooms, was torn down by the rebels in contempt
of authority.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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