"Some persons having been discovered, on the evening of the 8th February last, conveying dead Bodies in Sacks, from the Burial-Ground belonging to the Parish of St. Mary, Lambeth, and who, upon the alarm being raised, made their escape; a reward of One hundred Pounds, for apprehending them, was immediately offered by the Churchwardens, to be paid upon their conviction: and the first opportunity was taken of assembling the Parishioners in Vestry, in order to consider by what means they might secure the offenders, bring them to punishment, and prevent, in future, such depredations. A Committee was accordingly appointed for this purpose, and discoveries of similar robberies in Church-yards, and Burial-grounds, in, and near, this Metropolis, have been made, the recital of which, together with an account of the horrid traffic in which many have been long engaged, with impunity, cannot fail to excite the indignation of the Public, and which it is intended, in a short time, to give them, taken from Affidavits made before Magistrates, and from other evidence procured on this melancholy occasion. It will be needless to say, that the Relatives, and Friends, of those who have been lately buried there, before this discovery, have suffered great anguish of mind, and it is not doubted but that all will concur in adopting measures, which may effectually check such abominable practices. For this desirable end, an application to Parliament, early in the next Session, is deemed highly necessary, as, at present, the punishment is found to be by no means sufficient to prevent the crime. The Parishes therefore, within the Bills of Mortality, and near London, will, it is hoped, approve of such application, and it is intended that a Circular Letter shall be sent to them, to invite them to join in it. In the meantime, the Committee of the Parish of Saint Mary, Lambeth, will be glad to receive any communications from any other Parishes, on this subject, under cover, directed to Thomas Swabey, Vestry Clerk, Lambeth."—(Times, April 21, 1794.)
"Early on Tuesday Morning, some suspicion being entertained that the Pesthouse burial-ground, in Old-Street-Road, had been frequently violated, the parish watchmen were ordered to keep a good look out, when a hackney coach was observed, waiting near the spot. Upon the watchman's approaching it, he was assaulted, and beaten, by three men, who then made off: but afterwards, springing his rattle, the assistants took the coachman into custody, who had three sacks in his coach, two of them containing the body of a man each, and the other, three children. Several other bodies, which had been dug up for the purpose of carrying away, were found under the wall of the burying-ground: and, it is generally believed, that almost all the bodies deposited therein, for 5 weeks past, have been stolen, which, upon an average, must have been 15 per week. The hackney-coachman, who owned he was to have had ten guineas for his night's fare, was committed to the New Prison, Clerkenwell. This fellow, it should seem, was hardened to his business: for, though put into the cage with the bodies he was carrying off, he slept so sound, that it was with some difficulty he was awakened by the visit of a brother-whip, previous to his going before a Magistrate."—(Times, Dec, 23, 1796.)
Sentence of death was passed on Criminals for offences we should now think totally inadequate to that punishment—but although sentenced, those convicted of the lighter offences—were almost all respited, and transported for life.
"At the Assizes for York and County, the following prisoners received sentence of death, viz., T. Jewitt, for stealing four heifers: Saml. Bathurst, for privately stealing in a shop; Wm. Atkinson, and Hannah Hobson, for riotously assembling and pulling down the house of John Cooper, of Whitby: John Holt and Richard Watson, for house breaking, and three others for sheep-stealing."—(Times, March 30, 1793.)
"A petition from Wm. Brunskill, (commonly called Jack Ketch) was presented to the Court of Aldermen, stating that he was the public executioner, and, on that account, could not get any other employment: that he was obliged to keep an assistant, though his allowance was so small, and his income so trifling, as to be insufficient to maintain himself, and family, and praying relief.—The Court referred the same to the Sheriffs."—(Times, Jan. 30, 1794.)
The next paragraph, which is very brief, tells its own story.
"There is now a man confined for debt in Newgate, who has been a prisoner there, over fifteen years, for a debt, the original sum of which does not exceed forty-five shillings."—(Times, April 25, 1793.)
In Dec. 1794, and Jan. 1795, there was a terrible frost—and, in the latter month, we hear that seven men, attempting to pass over the ice, to a Collier, by Ratcliffe Highway—were drowned—and how—two days afterwards—two watchmen were frozen to death at Bloomsbury. Hard indeed must have been the lot of the poor debtors, and we may fancy the anxious scrutiny of the box, which the debtor whose turn it was, would rattle outside the bars of Ludgate, making the while his monotonous, and melancholy, whine, "Pity the poor debtors; pity the poor debtors." Some hearts were softened towards them, and they were sensibly grateful for such seasonable assistance.
"Advt.—The unfortunate DEBTORS in LUDGATE PRISON beg leave, thus publicly, to return their grateful Thanks to LADY TAYLOR, of Spring Gardens, for her munificent Benefaction of 149 lbs. of Beef, 21 half Peck Loaves, 21 sacks of Coals, and 66 lbs. of Cheese, each Article being of the best quality.
"At the same time, they entreat the LORD MAYOR to accept their unfeigned Thanks, for his kind present of a Guinea, which was equally divided among the unfortunate Debtors.