As soon as his time was up, he married, and set up in business for himself at Suson in Essex, where, having no credit in the market, and no money in his pocket, he was shortly reduced to the necessity of maintaining himself by indirect practices; and, accordingly, very often used to rob the neighboring gentry of sheep, lambs, and oxen.
Upon one occasion, he stole a couple of oxen from a farmer at Plaistow, which he caused to be conveyed to his own house and cut up. Two of the men belonging to the farm, having a suspicion of Turpin, went to his house, and seeing an ox slaughtered, were convinced of his guilt; and having traced the sale of the hides, returned to Suson to apprehend him. Turpin, apprized of their intention, left them in the front room, jumped out of a window and made his escape.
By this time his character had become notorious, and he never could entertain a thought of returning to Suson, or of following the trade of a butcher in that county. He, accordingly, resolved to commence smuggler; and raising as much money as he could scrape together, he betook himself to the hundreds of Essex, where he soon became connected with a gang of smugglers. This his new profession he followed for some time with tolerable success; but fortune taking a turn, he lost all that he had acquired; upon which he began to turn his thoughts to another, but by no means more honest, mode of life. In a word, he connected himself with a gang of deer-stealers, who finding him a desperate fellow, and fit for their purpose, admitted him among them. This desperate gang, afterwards known and feared under the title of the Essex Gang, not only robbed the forest of deer, but thinned several gentlemen’s parks of them, insomuch that they obtained a considerable sum of money. They followed deer-stealing only for some time; but not finding the money come in so quickly as they wished, and being narrowly watched by the park-keepers, they, by Turpin’s direction, resolved to go round the country at nights, and when they could find a house that had any thing valuable in it, one was to knock at the door, which being opened, the rest should rush in and plunder it, not only of plate but of household goods.
The first person attacked in this manner was a Mr. Strype, an old man who kept a chandler’s shop at Watford, from whom they only took the money he had by him; but Turpin informed his companions that he knew an old woman at Loughton, who, he was certain, had seven or eight hundred pounds in her possession. The plan being declared feasible, away they went, and coming to the door, one of them knocked, and Turpin and the rest of the gang rushed in. The first thing they did was to blindfold the old lady and her maid. Turpin then examined the former touching her money, upon which she declared that she had none, being naturally loth to part with it. Some of the gang were inclined to believe her, but Turpin, with an oath, declared that if she remained obstinate he would set her on the fire. The poor old lady imagining that this was a mere threat, suffered herself to be lifted on to the fire, till the anguish she had endured for a long time compelled her to disclose, and the gang retired with about four hundred pounds.
They then consulted together who should be their next victim, and agreed to wait upon a farmer, near Ripple Side. The people within not answering the door so soon as they would fain have had it opened, they broke in, and according to their old custom tied the old man, the old woman, the servant maid, and the farmer’s son-in-law. They then ransacked the house, and robbed the old farmer of about seven hundred pounds. Turpin, seeing so considerable a booty, cried, “Ay, this would do if it were always so,” their share being about eighty pounds a man.
The success the gang met with made them resolve to proceed against those who had attempted to detect them. They accordingly agreed to attack the house of Mason, the keeper of Epping Forest. The time was fixed when the house was to be attacked; but Turpin having still a great deal of money in his possession, could not refrain from coming up to London to spend it, and getting drunk, forgot the appointed time for putting their design into execution: however, the rest, resolving not to be balked, set out for Mason’s, after having bound themselves by oath not to leave one whole piece of goods in the house. Accordingly they went, broke open the door, beat poor Mason in a cruel manner, and finally killed him under the dresser. An old man sitting by the fireside, who declared that he knew nothing of them, got off untouched. After ransacking the lower part of the house, and doing much mischief, they proceeded up-stairs, and broke every thing in their way; at last, espying a punch-bowl, they broke that, when out dropped a hundred and twenty guineas, which they seized upon and made off with.
Turpin, with five others, in January, 1735, came to the door of Mr. Saunders, a wealthy farmer at Charlton in Kent, and knocking, inquired if the gentleman of the house was at home; he was answered he was, and that being the signal, they rushed in, and going directly to the parlor, where Mr. Saunders, his wife, and some friends were amusing themselves at a quiet game of cards, desired them on no account to be alarmed, for that they would not hurt their persons, if they sat still and made no disturbance. A silver snuff-box that lay on the table Turpin at once appropriated to himself, and the rest having bound the company, obliged Mr. Saunders to accompany them about the house, and open his closets and boxes, to prevent the necessity of laying violent hands upon them, and perhaps upon himself. They then possessed themselves of upwards of a hundred pounds in money, besides other property, including all the plate in the house. While this was proceeding, the maid-servant, a girl of some presence of mind, ran up-stairs, and barring herself in one of the rooms, called out lustily at the window for assistance; but one of the rogues following her, broke open the door with a poker, and brought her down again. In their search for all things of value in the house, they hit upon some bottles of wine, a bottle of brandy, and some mince-pies, with which they immediately sat down and regaled themselves, inviting the company to partake, indeed compelling them to drink a dram of brandy each, to work off the fright. Mrs. Saunders, however, fainted, and a glass of water with some drops in it was instantly provided, with which they bathed her temples, and were very anxious for her recovery. After staying about two hours in the house, they packed up their plunder, and made off with it, threatening the inmates of the house, that, if they stirred within two hours, they would murder them.
The names of Turpin’s principal associates were Fielder, Rose, and Walker; there was another, also, whose name we have not learned. These made an appointment to rob a gentleman’s house at Croydon, and for that purpose agreed to meet at the Half-Moon tavern, which they accordingly did, about six o’clock in the evening. Walker, having some knowledge of the house, went at the head of his companions into the yard, and found the coachman dressing the horses; him they bound, and going from thence met Mr. Sheldon, the master, whom they seized and compelled to show them the way to the house. As soon as they entered, they tied Mr. Sheldon’s hands behind him with cords, and having served the rest of the family after the same fashion, fell to plundering the house. Eleven guineas, and several pieces of plate, jewels, and other things of value, was the result of this adventure; but before they left the place they returned two guineas, thanked Mr. Sheldon for the very courteous manner with which they had been received, and bade him good night.
Their next design was upon the house of Mr. Lawrence, at Edgeware-bury near Stanmore. About five o’clock they went from the Queen’s Head at Stanmore, and proceeded to the destined spot. On their arrival, they left their horses at the outer gate, and climbing over the hatch into the sheep-yard, met with a boy just putting up some sheep. They seized him, and presenting a pistol, told him they would shoot him if he offered to cry out, but if he would inform them truly what servants Mr. Lawrence kept, and who was in the house, they would give him money. The boy, terrified at their threats, told instantly what they desired, and one of them thereupon knocked at the door. When it was opened they all rushed in with pistols in their hands, and seizing Mr. Lawrence, rifled his pockets, out of which they took one guinea, a Portugal piece of thirty-six shillings, about fifteen shillings in silver, and his keys. Dissatisfied with so small a booty, they then drove him up-stairs, and breaking open a closet, plundered it of money, silver cups and spoons, gold rings, and many other things of value. A bottle of elder wine which they found they divided amongst the servants, lifting it to their mouths, as their hands were pinioned behind them. A maid-servant who was churning in an outhouse, hearing a noise, suspected there were thieves in the house, and put out the candle to secrete herself. One of them, however, discovered her, and dragging her from her hiding-place, menaced her with the most horrid threats if she raised an alarm. All of them, indeed, disappointed and enraged at their ill success, (for they had calculated upon a rich return for their trouble and hazard,) practised on this occasion the most savage cruelties. Having stripped the house of every thing of worth, even to the sheets from the beds, they dragged Mr. Lawrence down stairs again, and declared, with the most dreadful oaths, that they would cut his throat if he hesitated to confess what money was in the house; and being answered that there was none excepting that which they had taken, they beat him barbarously with the butt-ends of their whips, and inflicted a terrific cut upon his head with a pistol. One of them took a chopping-bill and swore he would cleave his legs off; another a kettle of water from the fire, and flung upon him, which happening, however, to have been recently filled, did no serious injury. In their search, besides the beforementioned particulars, they met with a chest belonging to one of Mr. Lawrence’s sons, which they broke open, taking therefrom twenty pounds, and all his linen. Some of these things were afterwards traced to a place called Duck-lane, where two of these fellows were apprehended.
Although in this robbery they got about twenty-six pounds in money in the whole, yet they made no fair distribution of it amongst themselves. The honor mentioned as existing among thieves was, in this instance, at any rate, something of that character which distinguishes their dealings with others not of their profession; for it appeared upon evidence, that those who were most fortunate in the plunder, on the division of the spoil, could bring their minds to produce no more than three pounds nine shillings and sixpence.