William Rowe deposed that he was at the prisoner Reynolds’s house at the same time as the before-mentioned witness, that he saw Curtis and Mills in the house, and heard there were other people with them in the back room; that he stayed till twelve o’clock at night, during which time the prisoner Reynolds was with him except when he was called to draw drink for company.
The judge, after he had summed up all the evidence exactly in the manner it had been sworn, observed to the jury, that with regard to the prisoner Mills, the facts were proved extremely clear, as he had called no witnesses to contradict the evidence for the King in any shape; that with respect to the prisoner Reynolds it did not appear that he was in the party that committed the murder, but that he was at home at peace in his own house, when this transaction happened; if therefore, they believed the witness called on his behalf, they must acquit him, and the jury, without going out, found Mills Guilty, and acquitted Reynolds.[13]
Mills’s behaviour was very unbecoming one under his circumstances; but before we proceed to say anything more of this criminal, we will give the particulars of his being apprehended. The 31st January last, a proclamation was issued for the apprehending several notorious smugglers that were concerned in the murder of Richard Hawkins, of Yapton, naming this John Mills as one of them, promising his Majesty’s pardon to anyone who should apprehend or give information of any of the offenders, although such informer was an outlawed smuggler, provided he was not concerned in any murder, or in breaking open his Majesty’s warehouse at Poole. Now William Pring, who was a witness against the said Mills and the two Kemps, knowing himself to be an outlawed smuggler, yet not concerned in murder, nor in breaking open the warehouse at Poole, resolves, if possible, to get his own pardon by taking some of those offenders. To this purpose he applied to a great man in power, informing him that he knew Mills, and that if he could be assured of his own pardon, he would endeavour to take him, for he was pretty certain to find him either at Bristol or Bath, where he knew he was gone to sell some run goods. Being assured of his pardon he set out accordingly, and at Bristol unexpectedly found the two Kemps with him, whom he likewise knew as being notorious smugglers. They then began to talk about their affairs. Mills was in a proclamation for two murders, that of Chater and that of Hawkins. Thomas Kemp was advertised for breaking out of Newgate, and Lawrence Kemp was outlawed by proclamation, and both the Kemps were concerned in robbing one farmer Havendon.
After talking over matters together, and observing that all their cases were very desperate, Pring, as a friend, offered his advice, by which he intended to inveigle them into the snare he had laid for them. He said, since they were all alike in such desperate circumstances without any hopes of mending their condition, he would have them go with him towards London, and to his house at Beckenham in Kent, and then consult together, to go and rob upon the highway, and break open houses in the same manner as Gregory’s gang used to do. Upon which they all agreed to come away together; and upon the road, amongst other talk, Mills owned that he was one of those who committed the murder of Hawkins, and both the Kemps confessed that they were concerned in robbing farmer Havendon, in the manner it was proved upon their trials.
When they were all come to his house at Beckenham, Pring then pretended that his horse being a very indifferent one, he would go to town and fetch his mare, which was a very good one, and would come back again with all convenient speed, and then they would set out together on their intended expeditions; for as their horses were very good, and his but a bad one, it might bring him into danger in case of a pursuit. Upon which he set out, and they agreed to stay at his house till his return; but instead of going to town, he rode away to Horsham, where he applied to Mr. Rackster, an officer in the excise there; who together with seven or eight more, all well armed, set out for Beckenham, in order to take them, where they arrived in the dead of night, and found Mills and the two Kemps just going to supper upon a fine breast of veal, and secured them. They bound the arms of the two Kemps, but Mills refusing to be bound in that manner, and being very refractory, they were forced to cut him with one of their hangers, before he would submit. They then brought them all three to the county gaol for Surrey, where they found Robert Fuller and Jockey Brown in custody for smuggling; and knowing that they had been guilty of many robberies on the highway in Sussex, they applied to the government for a Habeas Corpus, to carry them all five down to the assizes at East Grinstead, where, though they were each tried only upon one indictment, yet there was another indictment for murder, besides two for robbery against Mills, another for a robbery against Fuller, and two other indictments against the two Kemps, besides a number of other prosecutors, who were ready at East Grinstead to lay indictments against them, if there had been occasion.
John Mills, about 30 years of age, son of Richard Mills, of Trotton, lately executed at Chichester, was bred up to the business of a colt-breaker by his father. He said he had been a smuggler many years, and blamed Jeremiah Curtis, alias Pollard, who stands indicted for the same murder he was convicted of, and William Jackson, who was condemned at Chichester for the murders of Galley and Chater, as being the principal persons concerned in drawing him away from his honest employment.
Young Mills acknowledged himself a very wicked liver; but complained of the witnesses, that is, such of them as had been smugglers and turned evidences, and said that they had acted contrary to the solemn oaths and engagements they had made and sworn to among themselves, and therefore wished they might all come to the same end, and be hanged like him, and d—ned afterwards.
John Mills stood indicted for two murders, besides robberies, as is before mentioned; but it is remarkable that he committed both murders in twenty days; that of Hawkins, for which he was condemned, was perpetrated on the 28th of January; and the other, that he was not tried for, which was the murder of Daniel Chater, he committed the 17th of the following month.
It having been said, as soon as Mills was convicted, that the design of him and Curtis in fetching the two Cockrels, the father and brother-in-law of Hawkins, to the Dog and Partridge, was to serve them as they had done Hawkins; Mills being asked the question, at first seemed very sulky; but at last said, he believed that if Winter and Robb had not met them and told them that Hawkins was dead, they should have basted the Cockrels well, when they had got them there; so that in all probability their lives were preserved by Hawkins dying sooner than his murderers expected.
Jeremiah Curtis, alias Pollard, is at Gravelines in France, and has entered himself into the corps of the Irish brigades; but Richard Rowland, alias Robb, he imagined for very good reasons, was not out of the kingdom; and indeed he was seen and spoken to on East Grinstead Common, which is near that town, the latter end of the month of January last.