Smuggling & Smugglers in Sussex: The Genuine History of the Inhuman and Unparalleled Murders of Mr. William Galley a Custom-house Officer, and Mr. Daniel Chater, a Shoemaker, by Fourteen Notorious Smugglers, with the Trials and Execution of Seven of the Criminals at Chichester, 1748-9Anonymous
History
Smuggling & Smugglers in Sussex: The Genuine History of the Inhuman and Unparalleled Murders of Mr. William Galley a Custom-house Officer, and Mr. Daniel Chater, a Shoemaker, by Fourteen Notorious Smugglers, with the Trials and Execution of Seven of the Criminals at Chichester, 1748-9
Anonymous
Crime -- England -- History; Smuggling -- England -- Sussex -- History
Being asked if he was upon Hind Heath on Saturday, the 14th of January
last, when the judges were going over it to hold the assizes at
Chichester on the special commission, to try his father and brother,
and the rest of the smugglers then in custody, for the murders of
William Galley and Daniel Chater; he said he was, and two others were
with him, but would not tell their names; that they had no manner of
design against the judges, or any body with them, neither did he or
his companions know or think of the judges coming at that time, for
they were upon other business; and that he and his said two companions
committed three robberies that afternoon and evening, the nearest being
upwards of twelve miles from Hind Heath; but he refused to name any
particulars, declaring he thought he merited d--nation if he was to
discover any thing, by means of which any of his companions might be
apprehended and convicted.
At the place of execution[14] he behaved himself much more sedate than
he had done before, during the small time he lay under condemnation,
and prayed very devoutly; as he did indeed all the way from the gaol to
the place of execution, to which he was conveyed under a strong guard
of soldiers. He owned the fact of the murder of Richard Hawkins for
which he suffered; but said when he went away with Curtis to fetch the
two Cockrels, he did not think the man was so near his death.
He likewise acknowledged being present at the consultation at
Scardefield’s, when it was agreed to murder Daniel Chater, the
shoemaker, who was at that time confined in his father’s skilling
or turf-house; and also that he was concerned with the two Kemps in
going with crape over their faces, and robbing farmer Havendon, of
Heathfield, in the county of Sussex.
He was pressed hard to make an ingenuous confession of all the crimes
he had been guilty of, but he refused; and said he would inform them
how far he was concerned in anything that was known to the world
already, but nothing else.
Being then asked if he was with the gang when the King’s custom-house
at Poole in Dorsetshire was broken open, he said he was, for it was too
well known to deny it.
Just before he was turned off, he declared he was sorry for his
ill-spent life, and desired all young people to take warning by his
untimely end; and said that Richard Rowland, alias Robb, was only a
servant to Curtis, and was ordered by Curtis to assist him in whipping
poor Hawkins; for the cruelties of which and the murder of Chater, and
all other wicked actions of his life, he hoped God would forgive him;
declaring he died in peace with all mankind, and therefore hoped for
forgiveness.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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