was in circumstances of distress, and possessed only eighteen-pence; on which, instead of robbing him, they made him a present of half a crown; a proof that sentiments of humanity may not be utterly banished even from the breast of a thief. On their return to town they robbed a man of fourteen shillings, and then went to their old place of retreat.

On the day after this transaction they went to the Red Lion alehouse, in Aldersgate Street, where having drank all day, and being unable to pay the reckoning, they called for more liquor, and then quitted the house, saying that they would soon return. Going immediately towards Islington, they met a gentleman, to whom they said that they wanted a small sum to pay their reckoning. On this the gentleman called out Thieves !' and made all possible resistance; notwithstanding which they robbed him of a gold watch, which they carried to town and pawned, and then, going to the alehouse, defrayed the expenses of the day.

In a little time after this one of the gang sold the two horses which had been stolen as before mentioned, and appropriated the money to his own use; after which he went into the country, and spent some time with his relations; but, finding it difficult to abstain from his old practices, he wrote to Cald clough, desiring he would meet him at St. Albans, where it was proba ble a good booty might be ob. tained.

Caldclough obeyed the summons; and, on his arrival, found that the scheme was to rob the pack-horses* belonging to the Coventry carrier. The man drinking at a house near

St. Albans, and permitting the horses to go forward, Caldclough and his accomplice, who had hidden themselves behind a hedge, rushed out and stopped the horses; and, having robbed the packages to the amount of fifty pounds, carried their booty to London, where they disposed of it.

Having dissipated in extravagance the money acquired by this robbery, they went into Hertfordshire, to rob a gentleman whom they had learnt was possessed of a considerable sum. Getting into the yard near midnight, the owner of the house demanded what business they had there; to which they replied, "Only to go through the yard;' whereupon the gentleman fired a gun, which, though it was loaded with powder only, terrified them so, that they decamped without committing the intended robbery.

Caldclough, and one of his accomplices named Robinson, being reduced to circumstances of distress, determined to make depredations on the road between London

and Kensington. While they were looking out for prey, two gentlemen, named Swafford and Banks, were observed on the road behind them; but Mr. Swafford being at some distance before his companion, Caldclough and Robinson, who were provided with hangers, robbed him of some silver; but not till they had first wounded him in a manner shocking to relate-they cut his nose almost from his face, and left him weltering in his blood.

Soon afterwards Mr. Banks came up, whom they robbed of five guineas, and then, hurrying towards Kensington, went over the fields to Chelsea, where they took a boat,

and crossed the Thames; and, walking to Lambeth, took another boat, which carried them to Westminster.

In the mean time Mr. Banks, who had missed his friend, proceeded to Kensington, where he made inquiry for him; but, finding that he had not reached that place, he was apprehensive that he might have been murdered; and, going back with a gentleman in search of him, they found him in the condition already described.

Mr. Swafford was immediately removed to the house of a surgeon, where proper care being taken of him, he recovered his health, after a long series of diligent attendance; but his wounds were of such a kind as totally to disfigure the features of his face, his nose having been cut so as to hang over his mouth.

The villains were taken into custody on the very day after the perpetration of this horrid deed, when Robinson being admitted an evi dence against his accomplice, he was brought to trial at the next sessions, convicted, and received sentence of death.

After conviction Caldclough seemed to entertain no hopes of a pardon; but, appropriating all his time to contrition for the vices of his past life, prepared for futurity with all the zeal of one who appeared to be a sincere penitent.

He was executed at Tyburn, July

2, 1739, and made the following speech to the surrounding multitude :

"I humbly beg that all you young men whom I leave behind me would take warning in time, and avoid bad houses as well as bad company. Remember my dying words, lest some of you come to the same end, which I pray God you never may. What I am now going to suffer is the just punishment for my crimes; for, although I did not commit murder, yet I look upon myself equally guilty, as the poor gentleman must have died had he not met with assistance.

'Were I able to make satisfac. tion to those whom I have wronged, I would do it; but, alas! I cannot, and therefore I pray that they will forgive me. I hope my life will be at least some satisfaction, as I have nothing besides to give: and, as I die in charity with all mankind, may the Lord Jesus receive my soul!'

In the case of this malefactor, as in that of many others, we have a striking instance how extremely pe.. nitent a man may be when his penitence can avail nothing to the injured party. We hope that those who read narratives of this kind will reflect that the true way to be. happy is never to be guilty of such crimes as will lay them under the necessity of such ineffectual repentance.

about five years, but without making any considerable improvement.

Soon after he had completed his fourteenth year he was removed from the school, and his father informed him that he was endeavouring to find some reputable tradesman who would take him as an ap

prentice; but the youth expressed an aversion to any occupation but that of a gardener. Finding that he had conceived a strong prepossession in favour of this business, they bound him to a gardener at Stepney, whom he served in an industrious and regular manner for the space of seven years; and for some time afterwards continued with the same master in the capacity of a journeyman, his parents being so reduced through misfortunes that they could not supply him with money to carry on busi. ness on his own account.

A short time after the expiration of his apprenticeship he married a milk-woman, by whom he had seven children in the course of twenty years, during which time he lived in an amicable manner with his wife, earning a tolerable subsistence by honest industry.

His children all died in their infancy, and upon the decease of his wife he procured employment at Bromley; and, that he might lose but little time in going to and returning from his work, he hired a lodging at the lower end of Poplar, in a house kept by a widow, with whom he in a few days contracted a criminal familiarity. They had lived together about a twelvemonth, jointly defraying the household expenses, when she more frequently than usual gave way to the natural violence of her temper, threatening that he should not continue in the house unless he would marry her; which he consented to do, and, adjourning to the Fleet, the ceremony was performed.

After their marriage their disagreements became more frequent and violent; and, upon the wife's daughter leaving her service, and coming to reside with them, she united with her mother in pursuing every measure that could tend to

render the life of Joines insupportably miserable. On his return from work one evening a disagreement, as usual, took place; and, being aggravated by her abusive language, he pushed her from him, when, falling against the grate, her arm was much scorched. In consequence of this she swore the peace against him; but, when they appeared before the magistrate who had granted the warrant for the apprehension of Joines, they were advised to compromise their disagreement, to which they mutually agreed.

By an accidental fall Mrs. Joines broke her arm, about a month after the above affair; but, timely application being made to a surgeon, she in a short time had every reason to expect a perfect and speedy recovery.

Joines being at a public house on a Sunday afternoon, the landlord observed his daughter-in-law carrying a pot of porter from another alehouse, and mentioned the circumstance to him, adding, that the girl had been served with a like quantity at his house but a short time before. Being intoxicated, Joines took fire at what the publi can had imprudently said, and immediately went towards his house, which was on the opposite side of the street, with an intention of preventing his wife from drinking the liquor. He struck the pot out of her hand, and then, seizing the arm that had been broken, twisted it till the bone again separated.

The fracture was a second time reduced; but such unfavourable symptoms appeared, that an ampu, tation was feared to be necessary for preserving the patient's life. In a short time afterwards, however, she was supposed to be in a fair way of recovery; and, calling one day at the gardens where her hus

band was employed, she told his fellow-labourers that she had great hopes of her arm being speedily cured; adding, that she was then able to move her fingers with but very little difficulty.

The hopes of this unfortunate woman were falsely grounded; for on the following day she was so ill, that her life was judged to be very precarious. She sent for Joines from his work; and, upon his coming to her bed-side, he asked if she had any accusation to allege against him; upon which, shaking her head, she said she would for give him, and hoped the world would do so too. She expired the next night, and in the morning he gave some directions respecting the funeral, and then went to work in the gardens as usual, not entertain. ing the least suspicion that he should be accused as the cause of his wife's death; but, upon his return in the evening, he was apprehended on suspicion of murder.

An inquest being summoned to inquire whether the woman was murdered, or died according to the course of nature, it appeared in evidence that her death was occasioned by the second fracture of her arm: the jury, therefore, brought in a verdict of Wilful Murder against Joines, who was, in consequence, committed to Newgate, in order for trial.

At the ensuing sessions at the Old Bailey Joines was arraigned on an indictment for the wilful murder of his wife. In the course of the trial it appeared that the prisoner had frequently forced the deceased into the street at late hours of the night, without regard to her being without clothes, or to the severity of the weather. The surgeon who attended her deposed that a gangrene appeared on her arm, in consequence of its being

broken the second time, which was indisputably the cause of her death.

Nearly three months had elapsed from the time of her arm being first broken to that of her decease; but not more than ten days had passed from the second fracture to the consequent mortification. The law expresses that if a person, violently wounded, dies within twelve calendar months, the offender causing such wound, or wounds, shall be deemed guilty of a capital felony. As it was evident that his wife died in consequence of his cruelty within the time limited by law, Joines was pronounced to be guilty of murder, and sentenced to suffer death.

During the confinement of Joines in Newgate he did not appear to entertain a proper sense of his guilt. As his wife did not die immediately after the second fracture of her arm, it was with difficulty he could be persuaded that the jury had done him justice in finding him guilty of murder. He had but a very im perfect notion of the principles of religion; but the Ordinary of the prison took great pains to inspire him with a just sense of his duty towards his Creator. Though he was distressed for all the necessaries of life during the greatest part of his confinement, his daughter-inlaw, who had taken possession of his house and effects, neglected either to visit him, or afford him any kind of assistance; and he was violently enraged against the young woman on account of this behaviour. Joines suffered along with Thomas Bark with, Dec. 21, 1739.

The fate of this malefactor and his wife affords a striking lesson to teach the necessity of avoiding family dissensions, from which the most terrible effects are frequently known to arisc. Mrs. Joines was a woman of violent passions, which, instead of endeavouring

FROM serving some years as a messenger to the General Postoffice, this man formed the dangerous resolution of robbing the mails. At this time the vast property in circulation by means of the post was not, as at present, secured from being plundered by any lurking thief upon the road. Since the adoption of Mr. Palmer's plan of regulations it is nearly an impossibility to rob the mail.

On the 21st of February, 1738, this public plunderer began his depredations by stopping the postboy bringing the Bath and Bristol mails, about seven o'clock in the

VOL. I.

evening, at the end of Sunning Lane, two miles north of Reading, in Berkshire.

For the apprehension of the robber the postmaster-general offered a reward of two hundred pounds, over and above the sum allowed by act of parliament for appre hending highwaymen; or, if any accomplice in the said robbery shouldmake a discovery of the person who committed the fact, such accomplice should be entitled to the reward of two hundred pounds, and also receive his majesty's most graciouspardon. The advertisement described the robber to be a middle

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