Year: 1859

he was arraigned as Charles jackson, and
they were particular about names them
If you indicted man as Jim and his true
name was Joe, he got off; and when the
law was altered, so that they could get
such errors corrected at the tlial, people
leastwise lawyers, thought that the British
constitution was being pulled up root and
branch. But that's neither here mol
there. l cannot tell you how it was that
he came to lie known as Tom Rocket
and, if could, it would not have anything
to do with my story. For six years he
was the famous thief in the midland coun
ties, and for six years no one knew what
he was like. He was lazy fellow, was
Tom; he never came out except when there
was good prize to be picked up, and he
had his scouts and his spies all over the
| place, to give him information about booty
and warn him of danger. But, to Judge
by what people said, he was con the
road' at half a dozen different places at
once, every day of his life; for, you see,
when any one was robbed of his property,
or found it convenient SO to account for
it, why he laid it upon Tom Rocket as a
sort of excuse for giving it up easily, be-
cause, you see, no one thought ofresisting
Tom. So it was that all sorts of conflict
ing descriptions of his person got abroad
One said he was an awfully tall man, with
| thunder; another, that he was mild little
man with black eyes and light hair. He
was fiery fat man, with blue eyes and
black hair, with some; he had a Jolly red
face-he was pale as death; his nose was
Roman one day-Grecian or snub the
next. His dress was all the colors Of the
rainbow, and as for his horse, that was Of
every shade and breed tha. was ever heard
Of and of good many more besides, that
have yet to be found out. lie wore a
black half mask, but somehow it was al
ways obliging enough to slip off, so as to
give each of his victims lull view of liS
face, only no two Of them could ever agree
as to what it was like.


Ny father was a Glouceste tershire man.
He stood six feet three in his stockings and
measured thirty inches across the
chest. lie could double Up half crown
between finger and thumb, and was brave
as lion. He many time and oft, when
any one talked Of the dangers Of the road
would set his great teeth together, shake
his head, and say he should like to see the
man that cnnl1 rob h;-aa n1s tho h;5l.vray,
and a. eaid before, he did see him, and
it was Tom Rocket.


My father was a lawyer, and was at the
time | have mentioned, engaged in a
great 1.-THE case that was to be tried at
Warwick assizes. So, shortly before
Christmas, he had to 90 over to look at
the evidence There was no cross coun-
try coach, SO he rode; and being, as have
said, brave man, he rode alone. He
transacted his business, and my poor
mother being i'll, and not liking to leave
her alone longer than he could help, he
set out to ride home again about nine o.
clock the same evening. 1t was as beauti-
tul a night as ever you were out in. His
nag was a first rate hunter, docile as a
dog, and fit 10 carry his weight over or
past anything. He had brace of excel
lent pistols in his holsters; and he logged
along, humming merry tune, and nei-
ther thinking nor caring for any robber
under the sun. All of a sudden, it struck
him that the pretty barmaid of an inn just
out of Warwick town, where he had stop
ped to have girth that he had broken
patched together, had been very busy with
those selfsame pistols; and suspecting that
she might have been tampering with them,
he drew the charges and reloaded them
carefully. This done, he logged on
again as before.


He had ridden about ten miles, when
he came to wooden bridge that there
was in those days over the Avon. Just
above it rose hill, at the top of which
was a sudden bend in the road Just as
my father reached this turn, a horseman
suddenly wheeled round upon him and
bade him ",Stand and deHperf' 1t was
Tom Rocket. in a second my father S
pistols were out, cooked and snapped with
in yard of the higbwayman's breast; but
one after the other they missed fire The
pretty barmaid-a special favorite ofTom's
was too sharp to rely upon the old mans
drawing the balls or damping the charge;
she thrust pin into each touch hole, aud
broke it short off.


"Any rore?" Tom inquired, as coolly
dS you ploaoe, "HeH NY iaIHcl D SOSohu
pistol flashed in the pan.


"Yes." shouted my father in a fury,
zone for your mob. And, seizng the
weapon last used by the muzzle, he hurled
it with all his might and main at Rockets
head. Tom ducked the pistol flew over
the hedge, and my father, thrown out of
his balance by his exertion, lost his seat
and fell heavily upon the grass 10y the
roadside. In less time than it takes to
say so, Tom dismounted, seized my father
by the collar, and presenting a pistol
within an inch of his face as he lay, bade
him be quiet, or it would be worse for
him.


You've given deal of trouble" said
Tom; so just hand over the purse without
any more ado, or, by Cd. I'll send a
bullet through your skull just, there's" and
he laid the cold muzzle Of his pistol on my
fathers forehead, just between his eyes.


is bad enough to have to look dowr
the barrel Of loaded fire arms upon full
cock, with highwaymsn finger upoI
the trigger; but to have the cold muzzls
placed upon your head--ugh. it make
lny flesh creep to think oi it.


Ny father made virtue of necessity