The Smugglers: Picturesque Chapters in the Story of an Ancient CraftHarper, Charles G. (Charles George)
History
The Smugglers: Picturesque Chapters in the Story of an Ancient Craft
Harper, Charles G. (Charles George)
Smuggling -- Great Britain
These papers have touched the three heads of the Holy Kings at
Cologne.
They are to preserve travellers from accidents on the road,
headaches, falling sickness, fevers, witchcraft, all kinds of
mischief, and sudden death.
His body was thrown into a pit on the Broyle, at Chichester, together
with those of Richard Mills, the elder, and younger. The body of William
Carter was hanged in chains upon the Portsmouth road, near Rake; that of
Benjamin Tapner on Rook’s Hill, near Chichester, and those of John Cobby
and John Hammond upon the sea-coast near Selsea Bill, so that they might
be seen for great distances by any contrabandists engaged in running
goods.
Another accomplice, Henry Shurman, or Sheerman, _alias_ “Little Harry,”
was indicted and tried at East Grinstead, and, being sentenced to death,
was conveyed to Horsham Gaol by a strong guard of soldiers and hanged at
Rake, and afterwards gibbeted.
In January 1749, a brutal murder was committed at the “Dog and Partridge”
inn, on Slindon Common, near Arundel, where Richard Hawkins was whipped
and kicked to death on suspicion of being concerned in stealing two bags
of tea, belonging to one Jerry Curtis. Hawkins was enticed away from his
work at Walberton, on some specious pretext, by Curtis and John Mills,
known as “Smoker,” and went on horseback behind Mills to the “Dog and
Partridge,” where they joined a man named Robb: all these men being
well-known smugglers in that district. Having safely got Hawkins thus
far, they informed him that he was their prisoner, and proceeded to put
him under examination in the parlour of the inn. There were also present
Thomas Winter (afterwards a witness for the prosecution), and James
Reynolds, the innkeeper.
Hawkins denied having stolen the tea, and said he knew nothing of the
matter, whereupon Curtis replied, “Damn you; you do know, and if you do
not confess I will whip you till you do; for, damn you, I have whipped
many a rogue and washed my hands in his blood.”
Reynolds said, “Dick, you had better confess; it will be better for you.”
But his answer still was, “I know nothing of it.”
Reynolds then went out, and Mills and Robb thereupon beat and kicked
Hawkins so ferociously that he cried out that the Cockrels, his
father-in-law, and brother-in-law, who kept an inn at Yapton, were
concerned in it. Curtis and Mills then took their horses and said they
would go and fetch them. Going to the younger Cockrel, Mills entered the
house first and called for some ale. Then Curtis came in and demanded
his two bags of tea, which he said Hawkins had accused him of having.
Cockrel denied having them, and then Curtis beat him with an oak stick
until he was tired. Curtis and Mills then forcibly took him to where his
father was, at Walberton, and thence, with his father, behind them on
their horses, towards Slindon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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