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)
About the middle of the summer, however, she ventured to a place called
Swaddling Bar to drink the mineral waters there for her health; but even
thither this unhappy man followed her, and he was seen in a beggar's
habit dogging her footsteps. Thus disguised he was detected; and when
warned never to appear there again, he swore, in the presence of
several, that he would murder the whole family if he did not get
possession of his wife--a threat which he subsequently attempted to
carry out. Notwithstanding his violence, it appears that he was
permitted again to escape to London; and he remained there until the
month of October in the same year. At the beginning of November he was
again seen in Ireland; and having approached the residence of the
Knoxes, he was known to sleep with three of his accomplices, at the
house of a hearth-money collector, very nearly adjoining the abode of
his intended victim. The 10th was the day fixed upon by him for the
attack; and on that morning M'Naughton, with his companions, went to a
cabin on the road-side with a sack full of fire arms, in order to await
the passing of Mr. Knox's coach, in which it was known the family were
about to proceed to Dublin. One of the men was despatched to ascertain
the moment of the coming of the vehicle; and when it appeared in sight,
having obtained the information requisite for its identification, he
hurried back to desire the projector of the scheme to prepare. It
appears that the only persons in the carriage were Mr. Knox and his
wife, their daughter and a maid-servant; and they were attended only by
one livery-servant, and a faithful fellow, a smith, who was
foster-father to Miss Knox, and whom no bribe could ever purchase,
although most of the other servants had been tampered with. As soon as
the coach came near the cabin, two of the villains, armed with guns,
presented themselves to the postilion and coachman, and stopped the
horses, while M'Naughton fired at the smith with a blunderbuss. The
latter escaped being wounded, and presented his piece in return, but it
unfortunately missed fire, and M'Naughton and one of his companions
seizing the opportunity, again fired, and both of them wounded him. Mr.
Knox at this time drew up the blinds of the carriage, and M'Naughton
observing this, ran round to the other side, and firing in at the window
obliquely, with a gun loaded with five balls, shot Miss Knox, all the
balls taking effect in her body. The maid-servant now let down the
window, screaming that her mistress was murdered; and the livery-servant
on hearing this came from behind a peat-stack, where he had concealed
himself for safety, and firing at M'Naughton, wounded him in the back;
and about the same time Mr. Knox from the coach discharged a pistol,
which was the last of eight shots fired on this strange and dreadful
occasion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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