The Chronicles of Newgate, vol. 1/2Griffiths, Arthur
History
The Chronicles of Newgate, vol. 1/2
Griffiths, Arthur
Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England); Prisons -- England; Punishment -- Great Britain
The next attempt was on a larger scale. It was planned by Brigadier
Macintosh, with whom were Mr. Wogan, two of the Delmehoys, Mr. James
Talbot, and the brigadier’s son, with several others, to the number of
fifteen in all. The prime mover was the brigadier, who, having “made a
shift to get off his irons, and coming down with them in his hand under
his gown, caused a servant to knock at the gaol door outside, himself
sitting close by it.” As soon as the door was opened he pushed out with
great violence, knocking down the turnkey and two or three of the
sentinels. One of the soldiers made a thrust at him with his bayonet;
but the brigadier parried the charge, seized the piece, unscrewed the
bayonet, and “menaced it at the breast of the soldier, who thereupon
gave way and suffered him and fourteen more to get into the street.”
Eight of the fugitives were almost immediately recaptured, but the other
gentlemen got clean off. One of them was Mr. James Talbot, who,
unhappily, fell again into the hands of the authorities. He was
discovered by the chance gossip of a garrulous maid-servant, who,
chattering at an ale-house in Windmill Street, near the Haymarket, said
her master had a cousin come to see him who had the whitest hands she
ever saw in her life. This caused suspicion, and suspicion brought
discovery. A reward of £500 had been offered by proclamation for the
arrest of any fugitives, except the brigadier, who was valued at £1000,
and Talbot was given up.
The escapes did not end here. The next to get away was Mr. George
Budden, an upholsterer, who had a shop near Fleet Bridge, a Jacobite,
but not in the rebellion of ’15. He effected his escape at the time when
Mr. Pitt was himself a prisoner, suspected of collusion in the previous
evasions. Mr. Budden’s plan was simple. He was possessed of money, and
had friends who could help to convey him away could he but get out of
Newgate. One night as he sat drinking with the head turnkey, Mr. Budden
purposely insulted the officer grossly, and even went so far as to
strike him. The turnkey was furious, and carried off his prisoner to the
lodge, there to be heavily ironed, Mr. Budden trusting that either on
the way there or back he might contrive to escape. On reaching the lodge
Mr. Budden apologised and “made atonement to the good-natured keeper,
who was a little mellower than ordinary,” and was led back to his former
apartment; on the way he turned up the keeper’s heels and made off
through the gate. Once outside, Budden ran into Newgate Market, and
thence by many windings and turnings out of London, riding post haste
seventy miles to the coast, and so across to France.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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