86 COACHING DAYS AND COACHING WAYS 



somewhat mud-stained, flushed, and exhausted state, but 

 not inwardly unpleased at what he had done. 



Those of my readers who may be surprised at such 

 an affair having taken place a little more than a century 

 ago in the immediate neighbourhood of the present 

 barracks of life-guards, may be glad to learn that such 

 adventures were, at the time I speak of, of almost daily 

 occurrence. In April, 1740, the Bristol Mail was robbed 

 a little beyond this spot by a man on foot, who 

 took the Bath and Bristol bags, and mounting the 

 post-boy's horse, rode off towards London. On the 

 1st of July, 1774, William Hawke was executed for 

 highway robbery here, and two men were executed on 

 the 30th of the ensuing November for a similar offence. 

 In the same year, December 27th, Mr. Jackson, of the 

 Court of Requests at Westminster, was attacked at 

 Kensington Gore by four footpads, and even so late as 

 1799 it was necessary to order a party of light horse 

 to patrol every night from Hyde Park Corner to 

 Kensington, all of which strange facts will be found 

 chronicled in Mr. John Timbs's pleasant work on the 

 Romance of London, who at the same time tells a good 

 story of a footpad's capture at this very place. 



It seems that during the year 1752, the chaise to 

 Devizes had been robbed two or three times, and at last 

 the thing becoming no doubt monotonous, a gentleman 

 of the name of Norton, not unknown to the authorities, 

 was asked to try his hand at abating the nuisance. 

 With this end in view he entered the post-chaise on 

 the 3rd of June, and had got just as far as Knights- 

 bridge on the way to Devizes, at half-past one o'clock 

 in the morning, when a man came up on foot and said, 

 " Driver, stop." The driver, who was a post-boy, did as 

 he was bid in the twinkling of an eye ; and the man held 

 a pistol tinder-box to the chaise and said, " Your money 

 directly ; you must not stay — this minute your money." 

 Mr. Norton now commenced business. He took a pistol 

 from his coat pocket, and from his breeches pocket a five 



