44 THE BATH ROAD 



foot. He bade the driver stop, and, holding a pistol 

 in at the window, demanded the passengers' money. 

 "Don't frighten us," replied Norton. " I have but 

 a trifle ; you shall have it." He also advised the 

 three other passengers to give up their coin ; and, 

 holding a pistol concealed in one hand and some 

 silver in the other, let the robber take the money. 

 When he had taken it the thief-taker raised his pistol 

 and pulled the trigger. It missed fire ; but the robber 

 was too frio-htened to notice that. He stao-orered 

 back, holding up both hands, exclaiming, " Lord, 

 Lord ! " Norton then jumped out after him, 

 pursued him six or seven hundred yards, and then 

 caught hira. He begged for mercy on his knees, but 

 Norton took his neck-cloth oft', tied his hands, and 

 brought him into London, where he was tried, found 

 guilty, and hanged. The prisoner asked his captor 

 in court what trade he followed. " I keep a shop in 

 AYych Street," replied Norton ; adding, with grim 

 significance, "and sometimes I take a thief." 



In Kensington Gore (which might have obtained its 

 sanguinary name from these encounters — but didn't) 

 a certain Mr. Jackson, of the Court of Eequests at 

 Westminster, was requested to " stand and deliver " 

 on the night of December 27, in the same year, by 

 four desperadoes. And so the tale goes on, with such 

 curious side-lights on the state of society as are 

 aftbrded by the stories of how pedestrians, desirous 

 of journeying from London to Kuightsbridge and 

 Kensington, were used in those "good old times" 

 to wait in Piccadilly until there were gathered a 

 sufficient number of them to render the perilous 



