This miscreant continued his depredations two years longer, until one of his accomplices confessed his crime, and informed upon all who were concerned. Our adventurer was seized at his lodgings at Little Suffolk street, and conveyed to Salisbury, where he acknowledged the crime. He was a second time executed, and, to prevent another resuscitation, was hung in chains, near the place where the crime was perpetrated, on the 30th of April, 1689.
THOMAS RUMBOLD.
Rumbold was the son of honest and industrious parents, who lived at Ipswich, in Suffolk. In his youth he was apprenticed to a bricklayer; but evil inclinations gaining an ascendancy over his mind, he quitted his employment before a third part of his time was expired. In order to support himself after having absconded, and conceiving a great desire to see London, he repaired thither, and soon confederated himself with a gang of robbers. In conjunction with these he shared in many daring exploits; but wishing to try his skill and fortune alone, he left them, and repaired to the road.
He travelled from London with the intention of waylaying the archbishop of Canterbury. Having got sight of the party between Rochester and Sittingbourne in Kent, he got into a field, and placing a tablecloth on the grass, on which he placed several handfuls of gold and silver, took a box and dice out of his pocket, and commenced a game at hazard by himself. His grace observing him in this situation, sent a servant to inquire the meaning; who upon coming near Rumbold, heard him swearing and rioting about his losses, but never paid the least attention to his questions. The servant returned and informed the prelate, who alighted, and seeing none but Rumbold, asked him whom he was playing with. “Pray, sir,” said Rumbold, “be silent—five hundred pounds lost in a jiffey!” His grace was about to speak again—“Ay,” continued Rumbold, continuing to play on, “there goes a hundred more!” “Pr’ythee,” said the archbishop, “do tell me whom you play with.” Rumbold replied, “With ——,” naming some one who perhaps never had existence. “And how will you send the money to him?” “By his ambassadors,” quoth Rumbold; “and, considering your grace as one of them extraordinary, I shall beg the favor of you to carry it to him.” He accordingly rose and rode up to the carriage, and, placing in the seat about six hundred pounds, rode off. He proceeded on the road he knew the archbishop had to travel, and both, having refreshed at Sittingbourne, again took the road, Rumbold preceding the bishop by a little distance. He waited at a convenient place, and again seared himself on the grass in the same manner as before, only having very little money on the cloth. The bishop again observed him, and now believing him really to be a mad gamester, walked up to him, and just as his grace was going to accost him, Rumbold cried out with great seeming joy, “Six hundred pounds!” “What!” said the archbishop, “losing again?” “No, by G—!” replied Rumbold, “won six hundred pounds! I’ll play this hand out, and then leave off while I’m well.” “And of whom have you won them?” said his grace. “Of the same person that I left the six hundred pounds for with you before dinner.” “And how will you get your winnings?” “Of his ambassador, to be sure,” said Rumbold; so, presenting his pistol and drawn sword, he rode up to the carriage, and took from the seat his own money, and fourteen hundred pounds besides, with which he got clear off.
With part of this money Rumbold bought himself an eligible situation; but still he could not give up his propensity of appropriating to himself the purses of others. For many miles round London he had the waiters and chambermaids of the inns enlisted into his service; and though, to appearance, in an honest way of gaining a livelihood, he continued his nefarious courses to a great extent. He was not, indeed, always successful; but, having once been apprized of two rich travellers being at an inn where one of his assistants was, he left London immediately, and waited on the road which he had been informed the travellers were to take: long, however, he might have waited, for the travellers were too cunning, and pretended to be travelling to the place which they had last left. Determined, however, not to return without doing some business, he waited on the road: the earl of Oxford, attended by a single footman, soon appeared, and, being known to his lordship, he disguised himself by throwing his long hair over his face, and holding it with his teeth. In this clumsy mask he rode up, demanded his lordship’s purse, and threatened to shoot both the servant and him if they made the least resistance. Expostulations were vain, and he proceeded to rifle the earl, in whose coat and waistcoat he found nothing but dice and cards, and was much enraged, till, feeling the other pockets, he discovered a nest of goldfinches,[2] with which he was mightily pleased, and said he would take them home and cage them: recommending his lordship to return to his regiment and attend to his duty, giving him a shilling as an encouragement.
As Rumbold was riding along the road, he met a country girl with a milkpail on her head, with whose beauty and symmetry of shape he was greatly taken. Having entered into conversation, Rumbold alighted, and, excusing himself for the freedom, sat beside her while she milked her cows. Pleased with each other’s company, they made an assignation the same evening: our adventurer was to come to her father’s house at a late hour, and, pretending to have lost his road, solicit a night’s lodging. The plan was accordingly followed out: but they were disappointed in each other’s society that evening, for some one of the family kept astir all night. Determined, however, not to leave his fair convert, he pretended in the morning to be taken dangerously ill, and the good farmer rode off immediately for medical assistance. All the power of surgery, however, could not discover his ailment. The farmer kindly insisted upon his remaining where he was until he should recover, to which he, with great professions of gratitude, assented. Completely overpowered by such generosity, Rumbold wished to make some apparent return; and, borrowing a name, told him he was a bachelor of property in a certain county; that he had hitherto remained secure against the attacks of beauty, but that he now was vanquished by the attractions of his daughter, and hoped, if the girl had no objection, that a proposal of marriage would not be unacceptable to the family. The farmer, in his turn, overcome by such a mark of condescension, expressed himself highly gratified by the proposal; and, upon communicating it to the family, all were agreeable, and none more so than the girl. The idea of adding gentility to the fortune which the farmer intended for his daughter, quite elated him, and made him extremely anxious to gain the favor of the suitor. Rumbold followed out the design, and his endearments with the daughter were thus more frequent than he expected. His principal design was to sift the girl as to the quantity of money her father had in the house, and where it lay; but he was chagrined when informed that there were only a few pounds; for that, a few days before they met, her father had made a great purchase, which took all his ready money. Seeing, now, that there was no chance of gleaning the father’s harvest, he resolved to leave the family, and, accordingly, one evening took his march incognito, leaving the girl a present of twenty pieces of gold, inclosed in a copy of verses.
He proceeded on the road, and met with no person worthy his notice until the following day, when a singular occurrence happened to him. Passing by a small coppice between two hills, a gentleman, as he supposed, darted out upon him, and commanded him to stand and deliver. Rumbold requested him to have patience, and he would surrender all his property; when, putting his hand in his pocket, he drew a pistol, and fired at his opponent without the shot taking effect. “If you are for sport,” cried the other, “you shall have it!” and instantly shot him slightly in the thigh; and at the same moment drawing his sword, he cut Rumbold’s reins at one blow; thus rendering him unable to manage his horse. Rumbold fired his remaining pistol, and again missed his adversary, but shot his horse dead. Thus dismounted, the gentleman made a thrust at him with his sword, which, missing Rumbold, penetrated his horse, and brought them once more upon an equal footing. After hard fighting on both sides, our adventurer threw his adversary, bound him hand and foot, and proceeded to his more immediate object of rifling. Upon opening his coat he was amazed to discover that he had been fighting with a woman. Raising her up in his arms, he exclaimed, “Pardon me, most courageous Amazon, for thus rudely dealing with you: it was nothing but ignorance that caused this error; for, could my dim-sighted soul have distinguished what you were, the great love and respect I bear your sex would have deterred me from contending with you: but I esteem this ignorance of mine as the greatest happiness, since knowledge, in this case, might have deprived me of the opportunity of knowing there could be so much valor in a woman. For your sake, I shall forever retain a very high esteem for the worst of females.” The Amazon replied, that this was neither a place nor opportunity for eloquent speeches, but that, if he felt no reluctance, she would conduct him to a more appropriate place; to which he readily assented. They entered a dark wood, and, following the winding of several obscure passages, arrived at a house upon which, apparently, the sun had not been accustomed to shine. A number of servants appeared, and bustled about their lady, whose disguise was familiar to them; but they were astonished to see her return on foot, attended by a stranger.
Being conducted into an elegant apartment, and having been refreshed by whatever the house afforded, they became very familiar, and Rumbold pressed his companion to relate her history, which, with great frankness, she did in the following words:—
“I cannot, sir, deny your request, since we seem to have formed a friendship which, I hope, will turn out to our mutual advantage. I am the daughter of a sword-cutler: in my youth my mother would have taught me to handle a needle, but my martial spirit gainsaid all persuasions to that purpose. I never could bear to be among the utensils of the kitchen, but was constantly in my father’s shop, and took wonderful delight in handling the warlike instruments he made; to take a sharp and well-mounted sword in my hand, and brandish it, was my chief recreation. Being about twelve years of age, I studied by every means possible how I might form an acquaintance with a fencing-master. Time brought my desires to an accomplishment; for such a person came into my father’s shop to have a blade furbished, and it so happened that there was none to answer him but myself. Having given him the satisfaction he desired, though he did not expect it from me, among other questions I asked him if he was not a professor of the noble science of self-defence, which I was pretty sure of from his postures, looks, and expressions. He answered in the affirmative, and I informed him I was glad of the opportunity, and begged him to conceal my intention, while I requested he would instruct me in the art of fencing. At first, he seemed amazed at my proposal; but, perceiving I was resolved in good earnest, he granted my request, and appointed a time which he could conveniently allot to that purpose. In a short time I became so expert at buck-sword and single rapier, that I no longer required his assistance, and my parents never once discovered this transaction.
“I shall waive what exploits I did by the help of my disguise, and only tell you that, when I reached the age of fifteen, an innkeeper married me, and carried me into the country. For two years we lived peaceably and comfortably together; but at length the violent and imperious temper of my husband called my natural humor into action. Once a week we seldom missed a combat, which generally proved very sharp, especially on the head of the poor innkeeper; the gaping wounds of our discontent were not easily salved, and they in a manner became incurable. I was not much inclined to love him, because he was a man of a mean and dastardly spirit. Being likewise stinted in cash, my life grew altogether comfortless, and I looked on my condition as insupportable, and, as a means of mitigating my troubles, I was compelled to adopt the resolution of borrowing a purse occasionally. I judged this resolution safe enough, if I were not detected in the very act; for who could suspect me to be a robber, wearing abroad man’s apparel, but at home a dress suitable to my sex? Besides, no one could procure better information, or had more frequent opportunities than myself: for, keeping an inn, who could ascertain what booty their guests carried with them better than their landlady?