Hyde Park, Its History and RomanceAlec-Tweedie, Mrs. (Ethel)
History
Hyde Park, Its History and Romance
Alec-Tweedie, Mrs. (Ethel)
Hyde Park (London, England); London (England) -- Social life and customs
Joseph Blake, alias Blueskin, and his brother Tom Sheppard decided
to hire a stable at the Horse Ferry at Westminster, and there store
their stolen goods until they could dispose of them. They took a man
named Field, who had been indicted for felony and burglary (and found
receiving a safer business), to see these goods, hoping he would buy
them, but he only betrayed them to Jonathan Wild. Jack Sheppard, in
his _Narrative_, says that Field broke into the stable, and stole some
cloth he had himself stolen from Mr. Kneebone. Sheppard and Blueskin
were arrested, and condemned to death. Sheppard managed to again
escape, by breaking off a spike at the hatch where the prisoners came
to speak with their friends. In the evening two acquaintances came to
see him, and as he thrust his head and shoulders through the opening
they managed to pull him out.
After this he went to Northampton to some relations, who did not give
him a warm welcome. Committing more robberies, he then retired to
Finchley. There he was again found, and brought to Newgate. He was
put in the “Castle,” the strongest part; but his last escape had made
such a commotion that crowds came to see him in gaol. However, the
prison-breaker was so closely watched that they could not bring him an
implement of any kind, but there were few who went away without giving
him money.
On the 15th October 1724, immediately after his keeper had brought him
dinner, Sheppard began to prepare for his flight. This he effected by
making a hole in the chimney, and having wrenched the chain between his
fetters, he was able with the broken links to pull an iron bar away.
Making another hole in the chimney, he gained access by its means to
the Red Room over the “Castle,” which had not been opened for seven
years. Sheppard, however, pulled off the lock, and entered the Chapel.
There fresh difficulties beset him. The doors resisted his efforts, and
St. Sepulchre’s bells struck eight before he reached the leads. Looking
round for means of descent, he found the house adjoining Newgate was
the most suitable, but the leap was too dangerous, so he returned to
the “Castle” and fetched a blanket, fixed it to the wall, and sliding
down dropped to the leads as the clock struck nine. The garret door was
open, but people were moving in the house until midnight, when he went
downstairs and so into the street.
Two days after, he personally left at the house of Mr. Applebee, in
Blackfriars (a printer), a letter saying that as he had cheated him
out of the account of his execution, which would be a loss to his
journal, Applebee might make what use he liked of the letter Jack
Sheppard was then leaving.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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