FEINTED BY S. & J. KEYS, DEVONPORT. "^ 
 
 THE 
 
 lLIF^ 
 
 A-..N D 
 
 ADVENTURES 
 
 nmiiitiniiiirifiiiYHiifiiifnf^ii^ 
 
 / 
 
THE LIFE AND SURPRISING EXPLOITS 
 
 GF 
 
 JACK SHEPPARD. 
 
 \^Jack Skeppard beating his Master.'] 
 
 JACK SHEPPARD was born in the parish of Stepney, near 
 London, in the year 1702. His father was a carpenter, and 
 died when Jack was^so young, that he could not recollect every seeing 
 him. Hence the burden of his maintenance, together with that of 
 his bi'other and sister, lay upon his mother, who soon procured him 
 admission into the worlchouse, in Bishopsgate-street, where he con- 
 tinued for a year and a half; and, during that time, received an 
 education sufficient to qualify him for the trade his mother designed 
 him^ viz.j a carpenter: accordingly, he was recommended to Mr. 
 Wood, in Wych-street, Drury-lane, and bound to him for seven 
 years. The lad proved an early proficient. Being an ingenious 
 
2 THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES 
 
 hand^ he soon became master of his business, and gave such satisfao- 
 tion to his master's customers, that he had the character of a very 
 sober^ orderly boy ; but, alas, unhappy youth ! before he bad com. 
 pleted six years of his apprenticeship, he formed a fatal acquaintance 
 with one Elizabeth Lyon, (otherwise called Edgeworth Bess, from a 
 town of that name in Middlesex, where she was born,) the reputed 
 wife of a soldier, and who lived in a debauched life. Our young 
 hero became enamoured of her, and they cohabited as man and wife. 
 
 This was the foundation of his ruin- Sheppard grew weary of 
 the yoke of servitude, and began to dispute with his master. Being 
 one day at work at Mr. Britt's, the Sun alehouse, near Islington, he, 
 on a trivial occasion, fell upon his master, and beat and bruised him 
 in a barbarous and shameful manner. Such a sudden and deplorable 
 change was there in the behaviour of this promising young man. 
 Next ensued a neglect of duty both to God and his master, lying 
 out of nights, perpetual jarring and animosities. These were the 
 consequences of his intimacy with this harlot, who, by the sequel, 
 will appear to have been the main loadstone in bringing him to the 
 fatal tree. 
 
 Edgeworth Bess having stolen a gold ring from a gentleman^ to 
 whom she had introduced herself in the street, \vas sent to St. Giles's 
 round-house. Sheppard M'Cnt immediately to his consort ; and, after 
 a short discourse with Mr. Brown, the beadle, and his wife, who had 
 the care of the place, he fell upon the poor old couple, took the keys 
 from them, and let his lady out, in spite of all the outcries and 
 opposition they w^ere capable of making. 
 
 About July, 1723, he was sent by his master to perform a repair 
 at the house of Mr. Braines, a piece-broker, in White-horse-yard. 
 From thence he stole a roll of fustian, containing twenty-four yards, 
 which was afterwards found in his trunk. 
 
 This is supposed to be the first robbery he ever commifled; amd 
 it was not long before he repeated another upon the same Mr. Braines, 
 by breaking into his house in the night time, and taking out of the 
 till £7 iQ money, and goods from the shop to the value of £14 
 more. How he entered this house was a secret, until upon being 
 c(^mmitted to Newgate, he confessed that he took up the iron bars 
 at the cellar window, and after he had done his business nailed them 
 down again : so that Mr. Braines never believed that his house had 
 been broken open ; and a woman, a lodger in the house, lay all the 
 whi^e under suspicion of having committed the robbery. 
 
 Sheppard and his master parted ten months before the expiration 
 of his apprenticeship; a woeful parting to the former. He lost a 
 good, carefiil patron, and lay exposed to the temptations of the most 
 wicked wretches the town coyld afford, such as Joseph Blake, alias 
 
1 
 
 OF JACK SHEPPARD. 
 
 [\Iack Sheppard and hk Comrades encountering the Game-keepers r\ 
 
 Blueskin ; 
 
 Dowliug; James Sykes^ alias Hell and Fury^ by 
 
 whom he was seduced into every kind of vice ! After breaking into a 
 house near Kennington^ they were all nearKy apprehended by some 
 game-keepers, who happened to pass that way, and with whom they 
 had a desperate battle. Soon after this, Sheppard being on horse. 
 back, met his late master near Finchly, whom he first robbed, and 
 then tying him on his horse, with his face towards his tail, flogged 
 hi-m unmercifully with a whip. 
 
 Sheppard had a brother named Thomas, a carpenter by profession, 
 but a notorious thief and housebreaker by practice. Thomas being 
 committed to Newgate for breaking open the house of Mrs. M. Cook, 
 a linen-draper in Clare Market, on the 5th of February, and stealing 
 goods to the amount of £50 or £60, impeached his brother, John 
 Sheppard and Edgeworth Bess, as being concerned with him in this 
 fact ; and these three were charged with being concerned together 
 in breaking into the house of Mr. William Phillips in Drury-lane, 
 and stealing dkers goods, the property of Mrs. Frederick, a lodger 
 in the house, on the 14th of the said month of February. All 
 
4 THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES 
 
 possible endeavours were used by Mrs. Cook and Mr. Phillips to get 
 John Sheppard and Edgeworth Bess apprehended, but to no purpose 
 till the following accident: — Sheppard being-on his wicked range in 
 London, committing robberies wherever he could, one day met with 
 his old acquaintance, James Sykes, alias Hell and Fury, sometimes 
 a chairman, and sometimes a running footman. He was invited by 
 him to go to one Sedgabe's, a victualling Iwuse near the Seven Dials, 
 to play a game at skittles: Sheppard complied, and Sykes secretly 
 sent for Mr. Price, a constable in St. Giles's Parish, and charged 
 him, with his friend Sheppard, for robbing Mrs. Cook, &c. Sheppard 
 was carried before Justice Parry, who ordered him to St. Giles's 
 round-house, till the next morning, for further examination. He 
 was confined in the upper part of the place, being two stories from 
 the ground ; but, before two hours, by only the help of a razor and 
 the stretcher of a chair, he broke open the top of the round-house, 
 and tying together a sheet and blanket, by them descended into the 
 church-yard, and escaped, leaving the parish to repair the damage, 
 and repent the atfr.ont put upon his skill and capacity. 
 
 The night after this. Jack and Bess broke into a house in Chan- 
 cery-lane, and finding an old gentleman up, put a rope round his 
 neck, and threatened to murder him, while Bess plundered the 
 rooms. 
 
 On the 19th of IMay, in the evening, Sheppard, with another rob- 
 ber, named Benson, were passing through Leicester-fields, where a 
 gentleman stood accusing a woman with an attempt to steal his 
 watch. A mob was gathered about the disputants. Sheppard's 
 companion got in among them, and picked the gentleman's pocket 
 in earnest o"f his watch. The scene was now changed from an at- 
 tempted robbery to a real one : and in a moment ensued an outcry 
 of "Stop thief! " Sheppard and Benson took to their heels; but 
 Sheppard was seized by a sergeant of the guard at Leicester-house, 
 crying out "Stop thief!" with much earnestness. He was con- 
 veyed to St. Anne's round-house, in Soho, and kept secure till the 
 next morning, when Edgeworth Bess came to visit him, who was 
 seized also. They were carried before Justice Walker, wlien the 
 people in Drury Lane and Clare Market appeared, and charged them 
 with the robberies before-mentioned ; but Sheppard pretending to 
 impeach certain accomplices, the justices committed them to the New 
 Prison, with an intent to have them removed to Newgate, unless 
 ti\ere came from them some useful discoveries. Sheppar.d was now 
 a second time in the hands of justice ; but how long he intended to 
 keep in them the reader will soon be able to judge. 
 
 He and hi« mate were now in a strong and well -guarded P"Son, 
 himself loaded with a pair of double links, and bazils of about I4lb. 
 weight, and confined together in the safest apartment, called New- 
 
OF JACK SHEPPARD. 5 
 
 gate ward. Sheppard, conscious of his crime, and knowing the in. 
 formation he had made to be but a blind scheme that would avail 
 nothing, began to meditate an escape. They had been thus detained 
 four days, when their friends, having the liberty of seeing them, fur- 
 nished Jack with implements proper for his design ; accordingly he 
 went to work, and on the 25th of May, being Whitsunday, at about 
 two o'clock in the morning, completed a practicable breach, and 
 sawed off his fetters ; having, with unheard of diligence and dexte- 
 rity, cut off an iron bar from the window, and took ott a mutin or 
 bar of the most solid oak, about nine inches in thickness^ by boring 
 it through in many places with great skill and labour. They had 
 still twenty-five feet to descend. Sheppard fastened a sheet and 
 blankets to the bars, caused madam to take off her gown and petti- 
 c at, and sent her out first. She being more corpulent than himself, 
 mI was with great difficulty he got her through the opening ; but, on 
 observing his directions, she was instantly down, more frightened 
 
 [^Sheppard making his escape from the condemned hole!^ 
 
 than hurt. Our hero followed, and alighted with ease and pleasure. 
 But where are they now ? Why, escaped out ©f one prison inte 
 another. The reader is to understand that the New Friioi ^nd 
 
6 
 
 THE LIFE AND ADVENT-URES 
 
 Clerkenwell Bridewell lie contiguous to each other, and that Shep- 
 pard and Bess got into the yard of the latter, where they had a wall 
 of 22 feet high to scale before their liberty was perfected. Sheppard, 
 far from being unprepared to surmount this ditticulty, had his 
 gimlets and piercers ready, and made a scaling-ladder. While the 
 keepers and prisoners of both places were asleep in their beds, he 
 mouKts with his lady, and in less than ten minutes gets over t!he 
 wall with her, completing his liberation. His escape from the 
 condemned hole in Newgate made a far greater noise in the world 
 than that from the New JPrison ; and it has been allowed by all the 
 gaol-keepers in London, that one so extraordinary was never before 
 performed in England. The broken chairs and bars are kept at 
 the New Prison to testify the fact and preserve the memory of the 
 villain. 
 
 [^The Law Stationer imploring Jack not to roh hini.^ 
 
 The next evening, alone, he entered the house of a Law Stationer, 
 in the same street, who went down upon his knees, and implored 
 him not to rob him. Sheppard, however, laughed at him for a fool ; 
 and, giving him a kick, which made him senseless, robbed the house 
 of all he could lay his hands on. The next crime Sheppard and his 
 
OF JACK SHEPPARD. ^ 7 
 
 companions committed was to rob Mr. Kneebone, near the New 
 Church, of property to the value of £300, for which he was a short 
 time after taken, by a domestic of Jonathan Wild, tried, and sen- 
 tenced to death. Being taken to the condemned hole, Sheppard 
 once more contemplated escape; and, having got implements, by 
 some means, for that purpose, he effected it on the very evening 
 that the warrant for his execution came from Windsor. 
 
 He had not been many days at liberty, before he wrote the two 
 following letters: and at night, dressing himself like a porter, went 
 to Mr. Applebee's house, in Blackfriars, who at that time printed 
 what are termed the dying speeches of the persons executed, and 
 left them with his maid-servant; 
 
 '^ Mr. Applehee^ — 
 
 ThiSy with my kind love to youy arid pray give my kind love to Mr. 
 Wagstaf, hoping these few lines toill find you in good health as I am at presenty 
 bid I must own you are the loser for want of my dyvng speech; but to make up 
 your loss, if you think this sheet loorth your while, pray make th-e best of it. 
 Tliough they do say I am taken among the smugglers and put into Dower Castk, 
 yet I hope I am among the smugglers slilL So no vioi^e^ but your humhU servant^ 
 
 JOHN SHEPF'ABD. 
 
 P,S. I d4isire you will be the postman ivith this letter t& Mr. Austin, ths 
 gaol-keeper; so fareivell; now I quit the English slwre:* 
 
 " iV^ WGA TE, FARE WELL ! '' 
 "jJfr. Austin, — 
 
 You was pleased to pass your jokes upon me, and did say you 
 should not have been angry with me had I took my leave of you ; but now pray 
 keep your jokes to yourself; let them laugh that ivin ; Jor now it is an equal 
 cJumce, you to take me, or I to go away ; but I own myself guilty of that ill 
 manners ; but excuse 7ne, for my departure being 2^rivate and necessary, spoiled 
 the cere7nony of bidding adieu. But I wish you alias tvell as I am at present. 
 But pray be mot angry fm^ the loss of your h^ons ; had you not given me tliem T 
 had not taken them away; but really I Imd left them behind me had convenience 
 served. So do not be angry. And what is a7niss doue^ you righty for my 
 scholarship is but small. This from your fortunate prisoner, 
 
 JOHN sheppard:' 
 
 In a few nights after leaving these letters, he broke open a shop 
 in Monmouth-street, and stole some wearing apparel. O* the 29th 
 of October he broke open the house of Mr. Robert Rawlins, a pawn- 
 broker in Drury-lane, from whence he took a sword, a suit of apparel, 
 a snuff box, rings, watches, and goods to a considerable extcHt. 
 
 On the 31st of October he dined with his two women, Cook and 
 Skeggs, at a public-house in Newgate-street, wherd they were very 
 merry together. About four in the afternoon they took coach, and 
 drawing up the windows^ passed through Newgate, which then was 
 similar to Temple-bar, and on to the Shears' alehouse, in Maypole- 
 street^ by Clare-market; wherCj, in th# evening, he sent for his 
 
8 
 
 JACK SHEPPARD. 
 
 [^Jack securely fettered in Newgate.l^ 
 
 mother^ and treated her with some brandy. As she knew the danger 
 he was in^ she advised him to take care of himself, and keep out of 
 the way; but Jack had been drinking pretty hard, and was grown 
 too wise to take counsel, and too valiant to fear anything ; and, 
 therefore, leaving his mother, he strolled about in the neighbourhood^ 
 from alehouse to gin-shop, till near 12 o'clock, when he was appre- 
 hended by means of an alehouse boy, who had accidefitly seen him. 
 Poor Jack was then drunk, unable to make any resistance, and was 
 once more conveyed to Newgate. 
 
 The 10th of November he was carried to the King's Bench bar, 
 at Westminster, where the record of his conviction being read, and 
 an affidavit made that he was the same John Sheppard mentioned in 
 that record, Mr. Justice Povver awarded sentence of death against 
 hitn, and a rule of court was made for his execution on tlie Monday 
 following 
 
 He was hanged at Tyburn on Monday, November 16th, 1724, in 
 the 23rd year of his age- He died with great difficulty, and much 
 pitied by the mob. When he had hung about a quarter of an hour 
 he was cut down by a soldier and delivered to his friends, who car- 
 ried him to the Barley-mow, in Long-acre. He was buried the 
 aame evening in St. Martin's church.yard. 
 
 PEVONPORT ; PRINTED BY SAftfUEl. AND JOHN KETSt 
 
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