Penny Dreadfuls, 1867 · page 229 of 300
Roving Jack, The Pirate Hunter — page 229: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Description of Page This is an illustrated story page from a Victorian penny dreadful titled "Roving Jack, the Pirate Hunter." The page features a wood-engraved illustration captioned "Jack Sheppard Taken to the '5 Chimneys'" depicting several men outside a building. Below the illustration runs multi-column prose describing a violent assault on Newgate Prison: Blueskin leads armed followers to rescue a prisoner named Jael, deploying blacksmiths with hammers and crowbars to break down the prison gates. The passage recounts their attack being interrupted when a massive beam falls from the Newgate tower, crushing dozens of men and scattering the crowd. The page number indicates this is installment No. 32.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ROVING JACK, THE PIRATE HUNTER. Ne Hi. SES NG oN . ATUL Hh i \ INS i AO | a . ‘ 3k age i <anlll a SAA \ \ Y) I ~ { ' = a LIEB = } WAM ane iH WW if JACK SHEPPARD TAKEN TO THE ‘°5 CHIMNEYS.’’ Blueskin, on his arrival, had put his troops in their lusty shoulders. They made for each door of order before the gates of Newgate. Though he | Newgate, and were at work in no time with their eypected no great resistance within the prison, yet | pincers and levers. The crowd looked on, while he resolved to preserve a defence (by facing about) | the doors, stout and stubborn, still held firm. in case of a sudden attack of the military, who ‘“'Tney are tough and obstinate,” said one. would doubtless be summoned shortly after the out- “They will soon give to our blows,” said another, break, Accordingly (like a prudent general) he making the air ring with the strokes of his pon- drew up his brigade for such an emergency. As | derous sledge. soon as this manceuvre was completed, Blueskin “ Courage, comrades,” shouted Blueskin, “VII called on his followers to aid him in the rescue of | wager my head that you'll force an entrance, bear Jael. Unluckily, Wirth Wolfgang either could not off Jael, and fire the infernal den before Jonathan hear these words, or misunderstood their significa- | Wild is fly to our game ? tion. One of the lieutenants delivered his banner A tremendous crash interrupted the speaker, An to the leader. Blueskin solemnly planted it between | enormous beam had fallen from the Newgate tower two paving stones. It was a pitchfork, on the | and crushed a dozen men belabouring its gate. The prongs of which hung a bleeding lump of carrion, | huge missile bounded on the stones of the street This done, heturned round andsurveyed his brethren; into which it had dropped with the noise of a piece their eyes glistened almost as much as their pikes. | of ordnance, breaking a score or two of legs among After a moment’s pause he gave the word of on- the crowd, who scampered off in every direction. slaught. The uninjured blacksmiths, with terror, discon- Several separate parties of stout fellows with tinued their work, and Blueskin himself treated the brawny limbs and the faces of blacksmiths, bounded | deadly messenger with that polite greeting known from the ranks. They bore ponderous hammers, | as a respectful distance. __ pincers, and crowbars, in their horny hands or on ell, I’ve heard on things tumbling from the o. 32, Ay 3 Gomichbooks.co