Soon after, I put on the dress of a gentleman’s servant, went to a very great milliner’s in Pall-mall, as from a lady in Grosvenor-square, lately come from abroad, who wanted some assortments of her best lace, and desired one of her people with me; according to my application it had the desired effect: I brought the servant to a house under some repair, that I had the knowledge of; I took the box of laces, went up stairs to shew my pretended lady, leaving the servant in the hall, to whom immediately returning, I told her my lady was in bed, and she must come again in an hour, but must leave the laces, with a bill of the rates or prices of each sort; she went away very contentedly, and I had the generosity to follow with the whole box, and made clear off. I thought it now high time to leave off dealing with the milliners. The garb of a gentleman’s servant in livery, I always found the best to deceive with at this time, and made use of it on divers occasions, with my two companions before mentioned, Abraham Crabb, and Campbell Hamilton, and being apprehended for a small theft, made myself an evidence against them both; Crabb was tried at the Old Bailey, in February 1749-50, in the mayoralty of Sir Samuel Pennant, for stealing a peruke, value twenty shillings, and John Beaumont for receiving, knowing it to be stolen. The evidence (as an accomplice) I gave was, that I was about fifteen years of age, and deposed that I had followed the business of thieving two years; the prisoners, however, were acquitted, there being no evidence to the fact but my own. Crabb was again indicted with Campbell Hamilton, for stealing on the 10th of December 1749, a silver watch, value four pounds, the property of Mr. Jonathan Scriven, in his dwelling house; and Catherine Hall, widow, for receiving it, knowing it to be stolen: my evidence was here also unsupported by any other; though what I swore upon this and the former trial was nothing but the truth, with respect to all the prisoners; the silver watch belonged to the grocer in Drury-lane, already mentioned. I resolved never to have companions in any of my exploits, judging that I might one day or another be detected by my associates, as I had done by them.