Penny Dreadfuls, 1866 · page 229 of 400
Black Bess; or, the Knight of the Road — page 229: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of This Page This is an **illustrated page from a Victorian penny dreadful** featuring a wood-engraved illustration at the top showing Dick Turpin in disguise visiting a barber's shop, with running prose text below. The visible text describes Turpin and accomplices plotting to blow up a toll-house using a gunpowder train and slow-match to distract pursuing police officers. The passage recounts the explosion—described as a "rapid and bewildering flash of light" followed by a "furious roaring noise" and "crash of parting timbers"—that lights up the roadway. The narrative focuses on action and sensational detail typical of the genre, with the tolman detonating the device as officers approach.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
fy = (\ Oy” x \ SS i? | ~ ) t fy ail tN \a\ Ss oe ANY ay > ; ANY Qa See” ‘ ¥ a = A Se / > _ - . rig) SE i °3 i — —_ 0 00 f = tie = — a ~ a Fl a ~ > af? Vad 4 ME ” Ge . ‘ ‘ 1 - a We es” = if MY Hh, MMe, Y fh W// Wy if if | a Za mA by PRT y fi) /, / / Foal = a4 a >, = - ps ———4 {DICK TURPIN, IN His DISGUISE, VISITS A BARBER’S SHOP. j > “i have arranged all my plans very nicely. Do you see that little bit of a glimmering yonder ?” the man pointed to one side of the road, where, in the darkness, something that looked like a bright red epark could be seen. “ Yes—what of it?” ‘Why, I shall wait till the officers Stert, and then with that slow-match I shall touch a train of gunpowder which leads from here to the toll-house. There I have some gunpowder stored undernea enough to blow the old timbers to a thousand fragments. I rather expect that will astonish the officers a little, and while they are recovering from their surprise I shall make off.” The highwaymen were themselves rather surprised by this announcement, and before they had time to make ary remark the late toll-keeper exclaimed: , ‘Now, then, be off as quickly as you can—they are all a the rnad now. If you hear a slight noise behind you, Ke. 201, don’t be alarmed—it will only be the old toll-house going, to ruin.” It was quite clear that the police officers knew that something unusual was taking place down the road, They may have suspected the presence of mre higu- waymen, At any rate, they rode forth te ascertain what vas going on. The tollman waited until they were at no great diss tance from him, then taking up the slow-match he applied it to the train of which he had spoken. There was a rapid and bewildering flash of light slong the roadway, then a slight but scarcely appreciable pause, which was followed by a furious roaring noise. load explosion and the crash of parting timbers. A broad red column of light shot up high inte the efa revealing for a moment all objects around. Paicz Onn Haureanny. 0)(0\(6) AMLCE (E(@) cS (E(@)