58 ANNALS OF THE ROAD. 



driven by one Williams, 1 and going over Hounslow 

 Heath on the road between Reading and London, was 

 stopped by a highwayman, who, riding up, demanded 

 money of the passengers. A lady gave up her watch, 

 a gent his purse ; and away goes the highwayman, fol- 

 lowed, however, by Williams (the bold) on one of the 

 leaders, who ' nailed ' and brought him back to the coach, 

 on which he was placed and taken to Staines. This 

 occurred on a Tuesday ; the hearing before the magis- 

 trates took place on Wednesday ; or Thursday he was 

 in Newgate ; on Friday he was tried and sentenced to be 

 hung on Monday. Williams then got up a memorial, 

 petitioning for a reprieve ; and on this being presented to 

 His Majesty the sentence was commuted to transpor- 

 tation for life. The King was so pleased with Williams' 

 daring, that he presented him with a key of Windsor 

 Park gate, to be used by him and his descendants so long 

 as they drove a coach from Reading to London. This 

 royal authority allowed them to pass through the park 

 instead of going by the turnpike road. 



Winter had its severities in the days of the old mail- 

 coach. The Bath coach entered Chippenham one March 

 morning in 1812, near the beginning of the month, with 

 two of its outside passengers dead, and a third dying. 

 The three travellers were frozen to death. We learn the 

 fact from a letter written to Sir George Jackson by his 

 mother, within a few days of the occurrence. 



1 His great-grandson drove a stage coach called the ' Vivid ' (one of 

 Benjamin Worthy Home's) from the Cross-keys, Wood Street, and Charing 

 Cross to Exeter. Jack Goodwin, the well-known guard and player on the 

 key-bugle, was guard to this coach. 



