The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 1/2: being a series of memoirs and anecdotes of notorious characters who have outraged the laws of Great Britain from the earliest period to 1841.Pelham, Camden
History
The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 1/2: being a series of memoirs and anecdotes of notorious characters who have outraged the laws of Great Britain from the earliest period to 1841.
Pelham, Camden
Crime -- Great Britain; Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England)
The details of this case reach us in a very abridged form; and we have
been unable to collect any information on which any reliance can be
placed beyond that which is afforded us by the ordinary channels. It
would appear that Jonathan Bradford kept an inn in the city of Oxford. A
gentleman, (Mr. Hayes), attended by a man-servant, put up one evening at
Bradford's house; and in the night, the former being found murdered in
his bed, the landlord was apprehended on suspicion of having committed
the barbarous and inhospitable crime. The evidence given against him was
to the following effect:--Two gentlemen who had supped with Mr. Hayes,
and who retired at the same time to their respective chambers, being
alarmed in the night with a noise in his room, and soon hearing groans
as of a wounded man, got up in order to discover the cause, and found
their landlord, with a dark lantern and a knife in his hand, standing in
a state of astonishment and horror over his dying guest, who almost
instantly expired.
On this evidence, apparently conclusive, the jury convicted Bradford,
and he was executed. But the fate of this man may serve as a lesson to
jurymen to be extremely guarded in receiving circumstantial evidence.
The facts attending the above dreadful tragedy were not fully brought to
light until the death-bed confession of the real murderer; a time when
we must all endeavour to make our peace with God.
Mr. Hayes was a man of considerable property, and greatly respected. He
had about him, when his sad destiny led him under the roof of Bradford,
a considerable sum of money; and the landlord knowing this, determined
to murder and rob him. For this horrid purpose he proceeded with a dark
lantern and a carving-knife, intending to cut the throat of his guest
while yet sleeping; but what must have been his astonishment and
confusion to find his intended victim already murdered, and weltering in
his blood!
The wicked and unworthy servant had also determined on the murder of his
master; and had committed the bloody deed, and secured his treasure, a
moment before the landlord entered for the same purpose.
THE EARL OF KILMARNOCK, AND LORD BALMERINO.
BEHEADED FOR HIGH TREASON.
A short account of the circumstances attending the rebellion of 1715
having been given in this work, some notice will, doubtless, be expected
of the second transaction of the same character, and with the same
object, which occurred in the year 1745.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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