The Bessemer indicator., 1893-03-25
A CRIMINAL LONG DEAD.
HE is NOW MADE A HERO BY
u. ENGLISH ROMANCERS.
His Life Ono Long Record of Crafty. Cow
nrdly and squaiid Crimcs-IfanEed
at Tyburn Hill In 17e5-
Nefirious Career.

A hundred and siXtyseven years
have elapsed since Jonathan Wild
was hanged at Tyburn, and the chief
incidents in his nefarious career have
been carefully transmitted from gen
GRAFTON to generation in the success
sivc "Malcfactors' Registers, New
gate Calendars" Criminal Record
ers" and "Chroniclcs OF Crime, (which
ingenious hacks have compiled from
those terrible trustworthy authori-
ties. the Old Bailey sessions papers.
Jonathan Wild, indeed, seems to
have been throughout his life an in
carnation OF rascality, duplicity and
knavery of every kind. He was born
at Wolverhampton late in the reign
OF Charles H., of decent parents, who
gave him plain education and ap-
prcnticcd him to n buckle-maker at
Birmingham. When quite young
journeyman he married. and after the
birth of son he deserted his wife
and child and came to London. He
worked for while at his trade, but
dissolute habits got him into debt in
Wood-street Comptcr. whero he no
uouDb uHluseu MS tHloICeu iulthtoo
by devisins schemes for swindling
tho public when he should regain his
liberty.
In the compter, too he formed the
acquaintance of notorious female
pickpocket named Mary Miliner, who
had been within an ace OF hanging
half score of times, but had man.
u0nl at 1n n at tpI fnI
BY some means or another both
Jonathan and Miliner obtained their
freedom and opened a little public
house in Cripplegatc. AS the lady
pickpockct was on terms of intimate
acquaintance with most of the dis
tinguished thieves in the metropolis,
she proved Il valuable assistant to
Mr. Wild, whose tavern became n
popular resort for felons.
There was no law at the period for
the punishment Of the receivers of
stolen goods, and Jonathan drove for
considerable time a roaring trade as
"fence." His practices, however,
were considerably interrupted by the
passing of an act of parliament in
dieting fourteen years transportation
on all persons convicted OF receiving
goods knowing them to be stolen.
The unabashed Mr.. Wild then pro-
ceeded to call meeting OF the most
notorious robbers in London. and,
after pointing out to them that if
they took their booty to INSCRIPTIONS
pawnbrokers they would not receive
more than fourth part of the value
of the goods, he proposed that they
should bring all their plunder to him,
and he would negotiate for restoring
it to the owners, receiving reward
for doing so, which reward he would
divide with his predatory friends.
The plan met with the appreciation
of the thieves, and for some years
Wild carried on the business with
brilliant success. He had positively
the assurance to open an office in the
Old Bailey for negotiating with per-
sons who had been robbed, and, to
enhance his assumption of respecta-
bility, he acted as assistant to
Charles Kitchen, the city marshal,
who was almost as great rogue as
his subordinate.
This worthy couple used to parade
the streets from Temple Bar to the
Minories, searching disorderly houses
and apprchending suspected persons,
and at the same time extorting large
briDes from those who justly feared
to be brought in contact with the
law.
The two rascals, however, fell out,
and each pursued his own villainous
way. Kitchen had turn for litera-
ture, and attacked Wild in pam
phlet called 1.-The Regulator; or The
Discovery of Thieves and Thief-Tak-
ers." which drew II vehement reply
from Wild.
By this time the scamp had provid-