Читать книгу Old Convict Times to Gold Digging Days - William Derricourt - Страница 11

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Knocking about, and with my sovereign nearly gone, I strolled down to the canal, and by, as I thought at the time, good luck, got employment from the captain of a light flyboat, carrying about eighteen tons beside passengers. Finding that I had before worked in such boats and could steer, the skipper offered me five shillings a week and food, which I gladly accepted. This boat ran right through from Oxford to the Potteries, near Hanley. On our way we passed through Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Brood, and within a mile of Darliston, where I trembled to think lived my old acquaintance the constable.

On our return, when nearing Pancridge, the horse cast a shoe, and the other boy and I took him to a forge. The other boy left me at the forge for a time, and went for a stroll. By-and-bye we both went back to the boat, and, on reaching Brood, my companion told me that he had a beautiful long-sleeved plush waistcoat that his mother had given him. He arranged that when we got to Wolverhampton I was to take the waistcoat and try and sell it so that with the money we might go to the play together at Birmingham. I was told to say that the waistcoat was my own, and was quite unaware that it had been stolen when I was waiting with the horse at Pancridge. I went on my errand and, near the courthouse, I saw a man whom I thought looked a likely purchaser. I asked him if he would like to buy a waistcoat, assuring him that it was my own property. He said, "Oh yes, come in and let me have a look at it." I went with him, when I found to my horror that I was offering a stolen waistcoat to the constable of the place. He told me that he was looking for someone of my sort as the coach from Pancridge had brought notice of the robbery. Thus was I, though innocent, again laid by the heels in Wolverhampton.

Brought before the magistrate I told him my story, true in every particular, but the evidence against me for having stolen property on my person was strong enough to commit me to Stafford Gaol. I had to acknowledge to the magistrate that nobody had seen the boy give me the waistcoat, and the constable remarked that mine was all a cock and bull story. The owners of the property from Pancridge swore that their house had been entered the same day that we had the horse shod, that entrance had been made through an open window, and this waistcoat and a hankerchief stolen. Fearing that the full report of the case might reach the old constable at Darliston, I, upon being asked my name, replied "William Jones," dropping my proper name "William Dedicote." It was under my assumed name that I was removed to Stafford to await my trial at the next Quarter Sessions to be held in two months.

During my detention, while one day exercising in the yard, I was rather surprised to see a man brought in whom I at once recognised to be the captain of the very boat upon which I and the actual stealer of the waistcoat had served. On one of the trips of his boat this man and another had criminally assaulted and brutally ill-used a young woman passenger, and then, fearing detection, had murdered her and sunk the body in the canal. The charge against him was, of course, "wilful murder," and the boy through whom I had been sent to prison had turned Queen's evidence. In talking to the prisoner I learned that the woman's body had been brought to the surface by the disturbance caused in the water by the passing of a rival boat, and, being fresh, had been identified. The murderer tried to comfort me by comparing his position with mine, telling me that as a young and active fellow not afraid of work, I ought to be glad of a chance of being sent to one of the new colonies, where by patience, submission and industry I might one day become a respectable member of society, and even a man of ample means.

This kind of talk rather reconciled me to my fate, and on my trial before the judge I made no great effort to get off, but was content to tell again the same story that I had told before the magistrate at Wolverhampton, and with no better success. My sentence was, however, delayed pending corroboration from this magistrate, but it appeared that while I was waiting for my trial he had committed suicide, because of money and other troubles. So my case remained as it was, and the result was that I was sentenced to "ten years" transportation beyond the seas.