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 — John Shaqi
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
With a great deal of difficulty he got over the pales, when he found
himself just upon the brink of the well, the pales standing very near
to it. Being over, Tapner took hold of the rope which was fastened to
Chater’s neck, and tied it to the rail of the pales where the opening
was, for the well had neither kerb, lid nor roller. When the rope was
thus fixed to the rail, they all got over to him and pushed him into
the well; but the rope being of no great length, would not suffer his
body to hang lower than knee-deep in it; so that the rest of his body,
from his knees upwards, appeared above the well, bending towards the
pales, being held in that position by the rope that was tied to the
rail. But as in this posture he hung leaning against the side of the
well, the weight of his body was not of sufficient force to strangle
him presently. For his inhuman executioners, whether wearied with
tormenting him so long or whether they wanted to get home to their
several places we cannot say, but they seemed now resolved to dispatch
him as soon as they could.
After they had waited about a quarter of an hour, and perceiving by the
struggles he made that he would be a considerable time in dying, they
altered the method of his execution. Thomas Stringer therefore, with
the assistance of Cobby and Hammond, pulled his legs out of the well,
and Tapner untying the cord that was fastened to the rail, his head
fell down upon the ground, and then, bringing it round to the well, put
it in. Then Stringer, who had hold of his legs, assisted by Cobby and
Hammond, let them go, and the body fell head foremost into the well.
Now one would think they had entirely finished this tragedy and that
this miserable creature was quite out of his misery, and beyond the
reach of any further injury. No, he had yet some further remains of
life in him, and while he had any sense left, he must feel the exercise
of their cruelty.
After they had thrown the body into the well, they stood by it some
time; and it being the dead of night and every thing still, they heard
him breathe or groan, and from thence being assured that he was still
alive, and that if they should leave him in that condition somebody
accidentally passing that way might possibly hear him; and in that
case if the man should be relieved and brought to life again, the
consciousness of their own horrid crimes and the enormous barbarities
they had exercised upon him and Galley, told them that they would
certainly be discovered, and then they knew they were dead men.
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