"Early on Tuesday Morning, some suspicion being entertained that the Pesthouse burial-ground, in Old-Street-Road, had been frequently violated, the parish watchmen were ordered to keep a good look out, when a hackney coach was observed, waiting near the spot. Upon the watchman's approaching it, he was assaulted, and beaten, by three men, who then made off: but afterwards, springing his rattle, the assistants took the coachman into custody, who had three sacks in his coach, two of them containing the body of a man each, and the other, three children. Several other bodies, which had been dug up for the purpose of carrying away, were found under the wall of the burying-ground: and, it is generally believed, that almost all the bodies deposited therein, for 5 weeks past, have been stolen, which, upon an average, must have been 15 per week. The hackney-coachman, who owned he was to have had ten guineas for his night's fare, was committed to the New Prison, Clerkenwell. This fellow, it should seem, was hardened to his business: for, though put into the cage with the bodies he was carrying off, he slept so sound, that it was with some difficulty he was awakened by the visit of a _brother-whip_, previous to his going before a Magistrate."--(_Times, Dec, 23, 1796._) Sentence of death was passed on Criminals for offences we should now think totally inadequate to that punishment--but although sentenced, those convicted of the lighter offences--were almost all respited, and transported for life. "At the Assizes for York and County, the following prisoners received sentence of death, viz., T. Jewitt, for stealing four heifers: Saml. Bathurst, for privately stealing in a shop; Wm. Atkinson, and Hannah Hobson, for riotously assembling and pulling down the house of John Cooper, of Whitby: John Holt and Richard Watson, for house breaking, and three others for sheep-stealing."--(_Times, March 30, 1793._) "A petition from Wm. Brunskill, (commonly called _Jack Ketch_) was presented to the Court of Aldermen, stating that he was the public executioner, and, on that account, could not get any other employment: that he was obliged to keep an assistant, though his allowance was so small, and his income so trifling, as to be insufficient to maintain himself, and family, and praying relief.--The Court referred the same to the Sheriffs."--(_Times, Jan. 30, 1794._) The next paragraph, which is very brief, tells its own story. "There is now a man confined for debt in Newgate, who has been a prisoner there, over fifteen years, for a debt, the original sum of which does not exceed forty-five shillings."--(_Times, April 25, 1793._)