The circumstances of his capture were as follows:--Daly, armed with an
exact description of the fugitive, ascertained his whereabouts in
Amsterdam from two Jews “who attend the passengers that arrive in the
treck schoots.” On reaching the alehouse where Brodie was lodged, the
landlord told him that the gentleman he inquired for was above. Daly
proceeded to the first floor, knocked once or twice at the door, and,
receiving no answer, entered the room. It was seemingly empty, but a
search of the apartment disclosed the unlucky tenant hiding in a
cupboard. “How do you do, Captain John Dixon _alias_ William Brodie?”
said Daly; “come along with me”; and the Deacon, realising that
resistance was useless, surrendered at discretion, and was duly lodged
in the Stadthouse. It is disappointing to find our hero yielding thus
tamely to his Irish captor, but it must be remembered that, physically,
the Deacon was a small man, and, moreover, at this time was not in good
health. Having seen his captive safely disposed of, John Daly left for
London to claim and receive the reward.
On 1st July, Mr. Groves, Messenger-at-arms, was despatched from London
to bring the prisoner back to England. The journal kept by Groves on
this expedition--a copy of which is contained in the Appendix--gives an
interesting account of the proceedings before the magistrates at
Amsterdam in connection with the extradition of the Deacon. There was
some difficulty in establishing the prisoner’s identity, the evidence of
two witnesses on oath to that effect being required by the law of
Holland. One witness, who had seen Brodie in Edinburgh, stated that he
had no doubt he was the same man, “but would not swear he had no
doubt”--a nice distinction. The Deacon would admit nothing. Ultimately
the magistrates declared themselves satisfied, and the prisoner was
delivered up to Mr. Groves, who conducted his charge in triumph to
Helvoetsluys.
The journey was accomplished, with all the pomp and circumstance
befitting so important an occasion, in “two carriages, and four guides,
with four horses in each carriage,” and the poor Deacon “properly
secured” inside. Next day they sailed for Harwich, the prisoner being
“watched two hours alternately on board by the ship’s crew, his hands
and arms confined, and his meat cut up for him, &c.” Mr. John Dixon must
have recalled with regret the comforts of his earlier voyage.
On 11th July the pair arrived in London, where Deacon Brodie was
examined at Bow Street before Sir Sampson Wright, chief magistrate, and
Mr. Longlands, solicitor to the Treasury, in whose presence he admitted
his identity. He was accordingly committed to Tothilfields Bridewell,
pending his removal to Scotland.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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