The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-20
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Great Trials
60
HISTORY
Trial Of
Jonathan Wild

| We read a great deal about the
| thieVing trusts In our day. and In n
way look upon them as modern insti-
tutions. They have existed for CEN
turtles and in various forms More
than 200 years ago there was formed I'm
England what was known as the
Thief Trust" at the head of which
was Jonathan Wild Wild was UNIQUE
In the business, being thief who never
stole; business man with no visible
employment; scoundrel who helped
the law. and man or tho law who
helped scoundrels. In these varied oc-
equations his name became famous at
the time. and has ever since remained
synonym for vlllainy.
Wild was born In 1852. He was n
oucklemaker by trade. but thief by
! profession. He went to London as a
young man and lived n life of dissi-
patton which quickly landed him in
prison for debt. He remained there
tor four years and became acquainted
with number of the worst Characters
Of London.
When he emerged from Jail, and with
the knowledge he gained there. he
drew about him number of crooks
and started In the business of thleving.
employing them to do the work, while
! ne would receive the stolen goods He
mt upon novel scheme. He would
nave his men steal the goods, and then
he would hunt up tho victims and
promise to recover them for stipu
lated gum. This worked admirably for
! n time, and Wild, as we'll as the thieves,
round an abundance of profit I'm the
scheme.
BY the world at large wild was con-
sidered clever detective, who was
respectfully fortunate In tracing lost
property He managed to get the
thieves wholly In his power, and by
holding threat over their heads he
made the great army OF crooks give
him slavish obedience.
| When robbery became SO general
Parliament was forced to pass law
making 1t a felony for any one TO take
money on pretensc OF restoring goods
unless he should also produce tho thief.
wild was, by this time. sufficiently
wealthy to have retired, but the spirit
iof graft was too strong for him. At
/ last in 1925 he was arrested was tried
and was sentenced to be hanged He
was npprehended at his house In the
/ Old Bailey and was carried before Sir
John Fryar. The charge against him
was that for many years he had been
IL confederate with a great number of
/ highwaymen, pick pockets. housebreak-
crs. shopiifters and other thieves"
! The trial was begun on Saturday,
May 10. the previous day tho prisoner
having distributed among the jury
men considerable number OF printed
papers, entitled "a list OF the persons
discovered. apprehended and convict
cd of several robberIes on the high
1 way by Jonathan Wild"
| When the jury took their seats, and
the prisoner was brought to the bar,
the counsel for tho King took notice
| OF his extraordinary proceeding in the
distribution of these circulars stat
ing that such practices wero unwar-
rantable. and not to be suffered in any
court of Justice as an effort to in
| fluence a jury.
The trial OF wild lasted for number
of days. and the most damaging evi-
dence was brought against him, show :
ing that he was the greatest rascal OF
1 tho age and one Of the greatest and
cleverest that had ever been appre-
hended. lie was found guilty, and the
death sentence was imposed upon him
! The evening before the sentence was
carried out Wild inquired how the no.
BILE Greeks and famous Romans. who
slew themselves, came TO be go glori-
Gus in history, and If self murder was
n crime Ills jailers gave him no OPP
portunity for self-destruction. At the
place Of executive wild. who had been
till then half delirious by poison. be-
| gan TO recover, and united with the
other criminals in the public prayers
as well as the tumult and the clamor
which seemed TO give them relief.
| IT is not easy to express with what
ronghncss he wRs treated by the mob
on the way to Ills execution. -ns we'll as
when lie won't TO tho block. Insteud OF
those signs of pity which they gen.
orally show when common criminals
were going to execution, they reviled
ami cursed him, and pclted hin, with
Is l.Ht I Z