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
They were no sooner met than he declared vengeance against Mr. Butler,
and proposed many ways to be revenged. First to destroy all the deer in
his park, and all his trees, which was readily agreed to; but Fairall,
Kingsmill and John Mills, executed on Slindon Common, and many more
of them, declared that would not satisfy them; and accordingly they
proposed to set fire to his seat, one of the finest in the county of
Sussex, and burn him in it; but this most wicked proposal was objected
to by three of the gang, namely, Thomas Winter, alias the Coachman,
one Stephens and one Slaughter, commonly called Captain Slaughter, who
protested against setting the house on fire or killing the gentleman;
and great disputes arose among them, and they parted at that time
without putting any of their villainous proposals into execution; but
Fairall, Kingsmill and some more of the gang were determined not to
let their resentment drop, and accordingly they got each a brace of
pistols, and determined to go and waylay him near his own park wall
and shoot him. Accordingly they went into the neighbourhood, when they
heard Mr. Butler was gone to Horsham, and that he was expected home
that night, upon which they laid ready to execute their wicked design.
But Mr. Butler, by some accident, happening not to come home that
night, they were heard to say to each other, “D--n him, he will not
come home to-night, let us be gone about our business”; and so they
went away angry at their disappointment, swearing they would watch for
a month together but they would have him.
This affair coming to Mr. Butler’s knowledge, care was taken to
apprehend them if they came again, and they, being acquainted
therewith, did not care to go a second time without a number; but no
one would join except John Mills and Jackson, who was condemned at
Chichester for the murders of Galley and Chater, as not caring to run
into so much danger; and they not thinking themselves strong enough,
being only four, the whole design was laid aside.
On their being disappointed in their revenge against Mr. Butler, they
were all much chagrined, and Fairall said, “D--n him, an opportunity
may happen some time,” that they might make an example of Mr. Butler,
and all others that shall dare presume to obstruct them.
Thomas Winter, and several others of the smugglers, whose lives had
been saved by turning evidence, said that Fairall and Kingsmill had
been the occasion of carrying several officers of the customs and
excise abroad from their families, for having been busy in detecting
the smugglers, and seizing their contraband goods.
Fairall and Kingsmill were both concerned with the gang in Kent, viz.,
Diprose, Priggs and Bartlett, in all the robberies they committed; but
as an account of those has been given before, we think it needless to
make a repetition.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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