Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 228: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

- bot ph Bee a “= & ow ow CF BHLUESBKIN: A KOMANCE. a ED a RET De Sw ae 2 PO ee PT ee ec ASSP SSS AT STS Sra Shs py psi SS SSS «A OT CHAPTER CLVI. JACK SHEPPARD AND HIS TWO COMPANIONS ARE MADE PRISONERS BY THE POLICE. Eacu moment, too, that elapsed served to make their hopes of escape grow fainter and fainter, for the crowd was continually augmenting. The whole neighbourhood by this time was thoroughly alarmed, and from the adjoining courts the people poured out in shoals. The officers closed more closely round the three struggling housebreakers. Flood was the first captured. A well-directed blow laid him prostrate, and before he could recover his feet, two or three of his foes fell bodily upon him, and kept him down. In a moment afterwards Blewitt was surrounded and made secure. Jack Sheppard saw now that all hopes of making an escape were at an end, but yet he would not surrender. On the contrary, he fought with greater desperation and fry. But not for long conld any one contend against the force of such overwhelming numbers. His knife was foreed from his grasp. He was scized by a. dozen different hands in a dozen dif- ferent places. Then one, more dexterous than the rest, slipped on a pair of handcuffs. He was @ prisoner. But they found it necessary to secure his ankles with a ;icee of cord, so furionsly did he struggle. Then, indeed, he was powerless. As soon as this was done, the prisoners were left in charge of a strong body, of police and the remainder, headed by their chief, entered the carpenter’s shop. John Roots was a lonely man. He occupied only a portion of the house in Wych-street himself. The upper portion he let out toa poor but respectable family. These had first spread the alarm by opening a window and springing a rattle. They had, however, after hearing the pistol-shot, been afraid to descend the stairs, lest they should meet with a similar fate. The chief police-officer and most of his followers were provided with dark lanterns. naeey removed these from their belts, and unclosed the slides Passing through the shop into the little parlour at the hack, they came to the foot of the ataircase. Here, weltering in his blood, they found John Roots, the carpenter. An ejaculation of horror came from the lips of all. The sight was one which they bad not expected to see. ‘** Raise him gently,” said the chief officer to bis subore dinates, atter a few seconds’ silence. ‘* Raise him gently, and see if he yet lives.” This was immediately done. An awful groan canie from his lips. So horrible was the sound, that al! recoiled. John Roots, then, was not yet dead. Jack Sheppsrd must have been mistaken wnen he tancied he heard the death-rattle in his throat. ‘ Oarefully,” said the chief officer again. ‘‘ Carefully.” ‘* He is alive, sir.”’ * Yes, £0 it seems, but itis as much as he ts. Let ng try if we can learn anything from him as to his mur- derers.”’ ‘“‘T am afraid he is too far gone, sir.” ae chief officer knelt down beside the carpenter, and enid— ‘Tf you have yet life enough in your body, let your inst breath be spent in declaring the name of the pereou who bas done this deed.”’ The words reached the ears of John Roots, Tle comprehended their import. Hovering as he was upon the brink of another wer", ha, by an effort, recalled bis wandering senses, and maze av. effort to speak. But vainly. The bullet from Flood’s pistol had entered his breast, and lodged in his lungs, which were almost full of blood. By a slight movement of his hand, however, be signified his wish to be raised to a stil] more upright position. He was instantly oheyed. Then once again he strove to speak. “Tell me,” cried the chief of the police, once more, ** who is your murderer.” Hk struggle which the old carpenter made was a fear- one. None who witnessed it could repress a shudder. * J-J-Ja-Jack "—— “Jack!” cried the astonished officcr. ‘Jack who? Speak—speak !” a pe gp, Cberpard 1” said John Roots, with a kind of abriek. “Jack Sheppard ?”’ cried the officer, in a loud tone of voice. “ Are you sure that is the name of the person who murdered you ?”” ane carpenter nodded his head several times with great rapidity. And that was the last thing he did. Something else appeared to stnke him—something, perhaps, which might in some way tend to qualify what he bad just said—but bis voice failed bim. Then a quantity of blood gushed from his mouth. was over. He sank back into the arms of the officers who had been supporting him, a dead weight. ‘This igs a serions business,” said the chief officer. ** Not only has the house been broken into and robbed, but murder committed hkewise. You have heard, all of you, the last words uttered by this poor old man. You must recollect them, for the time will come when yon will have to swear what you have heard.” “ All right, sir; we'll recollect. There can’t possibly be any sort of mistake. He spoke plain enongh.” “He did.” ** What is to be done next, sir?” “Why, half-a-dozen of you had better take charge of the house, and I will accompany the prisoners to Newgate, the only place which is strong enough for such desperate offenders.” ** Very good, sir.”’ ** Leave the body justasit is. Don’t touch it yourselves, or allow any one else to do so, until after the jury have been to see it.” ** All right, sir.” ‘“And don’t admit any one, on any pretext, until after the inquest.”’ With these words, the officer made his way to the front of the house. Here were the three prisoners, completely at the merey of their captors. Resistance upon their part had long since ceased. “Call a hackney coach,” cried the officer in command. You will find one on the rank by the church.” One of his men at once set out for the church, close to the railings of which, as at the present day, hackney coaches were always to be found waiting. ln a few minutes he returned with one of those lumber- ing vebicles, so long a reproach to the streets of London. They were, however, capable of holding more persons than the present cab, so Jack Sheppard, Flood, and Blewitt were pushed in, and three police-officers followed. There were thirteen officers in all. Six had been left in charge of the honse. Three had entered tho coach. One sat on the seat beside the driver. - Three more upon the roof. In this way, then, with a dense mob selling at their heels, Jack Sheppard and his companions were conveyed to Newgate. It was early dawn, and people generally were beginning to he astir. ‘The streets, too, were partially light, so that as those officers who were seated on the roof of the coach looked » back, they could plainly perccive the crowd of people who were thronging after them. But though they could see them collectiveiy, they could uot distinguish them individually. As for Jnck, he could not see them at all, nor did da wish to do so, but he could hear their yells and shoaw execration ag they followed. oe ee. 7 DOO 5} (SO) 5} SS} o(CO) aad