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
Thomas Potter was tried for stealing a horse; but as he so solemnly
declared, and took the Sacrament just before his execution, that he
knew nothing of the robbery, we shall omit the evidence, or the names
of those concerned in the prosecution. The fact was sworn positively
upon him, and he, not being able to prove the contrary, was found
Guilty. Death.
While these men were under sentence of death, they were visited
frequently by a reverend divine of the town of Maidstone, who
endeavoured to bring them to a true and thorough repentance of all
their past wicked lives and actions, being well assured that they had
been smugglers many years, and that they had belonged to a gang, who
committed many robberies, such as robbing houses in the same manner
as the indictment had charged Diprose, Bartlett and Priggs; and also
with having committed many robberies on the highway, besides other vile
outrages, as well as smuggling.
They all behaved indifferently well under their unhappy circumstances,
much better than those who had been smugglers generally did, and
frequently prayed to God with great fervency, and were seemingly very
sorry for their past misspent lives.
Thomas Potter, born at Hawkhurst, in Kent, twenty-eight years of age,
declared he had been a very wicked sinner, and that he had been guilty
of all manner of crimes except murder; which he declared he never was;
though he confessed he did design to murder the turnkey of Newgate,
when he went to get Grey and Kemp out of gaol; but that he was glad it
happened no worse than it did, and that he often prayed the man might
recover of the wounds he gave him; and that when he heard he was well
again, he said it gave him great satisfaction.
He absolutely denied the fact for which he suffered, but acknowledged
that he had committed crimes sufficient to have hanged him for many
years past.
He refused to make any particular confession, but acknowledged that
he had been a smuggler many years; and that he was well acquainted
with the Kemps, Brown and Fuller: also with the Mills’s, as likewise
with Winter the Coachman, and Shoemaker Tom, who were both admitted
evidences against their companions at Horsham.
William Priggs was born at Seling, in the county of Kent, of very
honest parents, who gave him a good education in a common way, was
about thirty years of age, and had been a smuggler some years last past.
He acknowledged committing the fact for which he died, as was sworn
against him on his trial, and begged pardon of the prosecutor for the
great injury he had done him; as also of others he had in any ways
injured in his life.
He solemnly declared that it was the evil gang he kept company with
that persuaded him to commit the fact he died for, and said he never
had been guilty of many robberies, though he had been a smuggler many
years.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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