The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-02-18


A month or two later, with great in
gratitude, he broke open the house of
Mr.. Kneebone. the kindly tradesman
who had befriended him when lie was
n child, and this robbery scon brought
him back to Jail, for KneebonG conf
planned of his loss to the all-p0werful
jonathan Wild, at once the greatest
thief and the greatest thief-taker of
the time, who carried on, ON a very eX~
tensive scale, the business Of rcceiv-
ing and restoring stolen property, de-
Quoting a considerable percentage for
his trouble from beth the owner and
the thief. Inde, I'd, Men esis seems to
have pursued Sheppard for his un-
grateful conduct to Kncrhone. He
and his companion, Blueskin. had con-
cealed the plumber in a stable near the
Horse ferry, Westminster, and in Il
confiding moment they showed the
place to an acquaintance, William
Field, who promised TO take the stolen
goods off their hands. This he was
kind enough to do by breaking open
the stable III the night and carrying
off the contents, and then giving in
formation as to their whereabouts to
Jonathan Wild. Sheppard was imme-
diately appreciated and committed to
Newgate, and at the next session he
was convicted and sentenced to death.
With the help, however, of Bcss and
ONE other women, he sawed away
one of the spikes of the door and man
aged to thrust himself through and
escape, though some of the keepers
were actually In the lodge at the time.
A ftnT a faNu dave i,htit,an1npt in tI,n
country he returned to the familiar
neighbOrhood of Glare market and
Drury lane, to which he appears to
have been partial, perhaps on account
of the ease with which he could there
carry on his business unplOleSted. Nor
was this surprising, for, at a much
later date the parish of st. Mary-le-
Strand boosted only three watchmen
and two c%OnStables on duty every 9TH
err night; while the watchmen of st.
Clement Danes were in the habit of
spending most of their time drinking
in a cellar lear Arundel street. In
safety. therefore, he went about, and
quite openly. for he was recognized by
many people who were. however,
afraid to interfere with him. lie was
finally captured by the keepers of
-NCN SdW. VII llNllIt, tOllllllOI, VI
which retired spot he had just taken
II his abode.
Alarmed at the genius he had shown
in escaping, the keepers placed him in
a ward known as the castle. where he
was handcuffed and heavily ironed,
and his chains fastered to a staple in
the floor. On Oct. Is. at = o'clock, the
warden who came with his dinner. OK
amined the handouts and chains and
found them secure. When he did his
rounds next morning there was a pile
of bricks and mortar in the room, but
no Jack. He had worked off his hand
cuffs and, with a crooked rail which
he had picked up on the floor, had
opened the paddock which fastened the
chain to the staple. But the difficulties
which he had still. to overcome might
have filed with lespair even Il prison
or escaping for his life. His original
plan was to get up the chimney, but
the aperture was blocked by an iron
bar. So he waS forced to pick away
the bricks and mortar until he had
made n hole into the room beyond.
Even then he had five or six strong
and bolted doors to break through be"
fore he could reach the leads, and his
progress was so slow that n great part
of his work had to be done in the
dark. The leap from the leads to the
next house was so dangerous that he
was forced to go Lack to his cell and
fetch his blanket, which he fastened
to the wall by means of a spike lie had
broken off the chapel door. He was
thus able to descend in safety and,
after waiting on the roof until mid
night. he slipped unperceived down the
stairs and into tie street.
'This marvellous escape. unfortunate
ly. made him ~foolhardy. He became
quite reckless, and ON the night of
Oct. 81 he went about gaily from tav-
ern to tavern, in Drury lane, drinking.
until he was finally taken, incapable
of making the smallest resistance,
His career was now neal it's close. His
petition for a pardon, in which he al
legged his astounding ingenuity as a
reason. was d~isregarded, and his last
scheme for escape was accidentally
discovered. A friend had given him a
penknife . and this he kept in his
pocket, and proposed, when riding il
the fatal cart to Tyburn. to cut the
cord hat bound his hands. Then, as
lie passed Little TUrnStile, lie hoped
to leap out and escape by the help OF
the crowd, down that narrow passage