JACK SHEPHERD.
The father of the celebrated John Shepherd was a carpenter in Spitalfields, of good character, and exceedingly solicitous to train up his children in the path of sobriety and religion. They, however, afforded a melancholy proof that the most virtuous example, and the soundest principles, are frequently unsuccessful in influencing the conduct of children. Two of his sons followed evil courses, and were convicted at the bar of the Old Bailey.
After his father’s death, young Shepherd was sent to a school in Bishopsgate street, where he received the rudiments of education, and was bound apprentice to a cane chair-maker. His master used him well, and he lived very comfortably with him; but this master dying, he was sent to another, who treated him so very harshly that he eloped. Masters ought to be cautious how they conduct themselves towards their servants, because this harsh usage was in all probability the cause of Jack Shepherd’s ruin, as well as of bringing great injury upon society. In a short time, he commenced his depredations, and, in place of his former sober mode of life, his time was spent in drinking all day, and retiring to an infamous abode all night.
The history of this unfortunate man adds another to the many examples already given in this volume, that the company of profligate women has plunged men into scenes of dissipation and vice, to which they would have been entire strangers, had it not been for such associates. He was first enamored of one Elizabeth Lion, a woman remarkable for her stature and strength. Having separated from her, he associated with one who stimulated him to all manner of pilfering, in orderthat he might be the better able to feed her extravagances.
One day, informing her that she had received his last half-crown, she instigated him to rob a wealthy pawnbroker. Shepherd left her about one in the morning, and returned with goods to the value of twenty-two pounds. It was not long before the two who had planned the robbery exhausted the booty.
The first favorite of Shepherd was committed toSt.Giles’ round-house, for some pilfering pranks. Jack went to see her, broke open the doors, beat the keeper, and set Bess Lion at liberty. It is scarcely necessary to add, that this action gained him great fame among ladies of her description, and stimulated him to more daring acts of depredation.
About this period Jack supplied his brother with a little money to equip him for the honorable profession he himself followed: and they broke into a linen draper’s shop, from whence they extracted goods to the amount of fifty pounds. The younger brother, however, being rather a novice in the art, was too open in the disposal of the goods, by which means he was detected, and his first return for the kindness of his brother was to inform upon him and several of his confederates. Jack Shepherd was accordingly apprehended, and committed to the round-house for farther examination. This place could not long retain so bold a spirit, and marching off, he that very evening committed a robbery, and vowed to be revenged upon Tom for his ungenerous conduct.
Detection produced no reformation. Jack, in common with one Benson, attempting to steal a gentleman’s watch, was discovered and committed to New Prison. The first person whom he discerned there was his old favorite Bess Lion, who had been sent there upon a similar errand. After exerting all his cunning and stratagem in vain, Bess and he by force escaped, and instantly repaired to her old lodgings. There he remained concealed for some time, but, taking leave of his friend, he again associated with one Grace in raisingcontributions. These two villains becoming acquainted with one Lamb, an apprentice toMr.Carter, they enticed him to introduce them into his master’s house, from whence they extracted goods to a considerable amount. Shepherd and Grace, however, differed in the division of the spoil, and betrayed each other; when Grace and Lamb were apprehended. The misfortune of poor Lamb, who was so simply inveigled, excited the compassion of some gentlemen, who by their exertions succeeded in mitigating his sentence to transportation.
The confederates of Shepherd, in order to obtain a ready market for their goods, employed one Field to sell them, but he being occasionally dilatory, they hired a warehouse, and there deposited what goods they stole. Field, displeased at being turned off from his lucrative employment, importuned them to show him their stores, as he had several orders for goods, and could therefore dispose of them to advantage. He was conducted to the warehouse and shown the goods, and though he had not the courage manfully to rob any person, yet he emptied the warehouse of every rag it contained.
In the course of business, Shepherd robbed aMr.Kneebone, and was tried at the ensuing sessions. He appeared simple and almost foolish at his trial, alleging, as his principal defence, that Jonathan Wild had disposed of part of the goods, and ought therefore to be punished as well as himself. He was however sentenced, and conducted himself, in the whole of his defence, more like an ignorant and simple man, than one who was formed to excel in his own or any other profession.
But necessity is the mother of invention. While in the condemned hole, he prevailed upon one Fowls, who was also under sentence of death, to lift him up to the iron spikes that were over the top of the door which looks into the lodge. By the aid of a strong tall woman, and two others, his head and shoulders were got through, and the whole of his body following, he wasby them let down, and, without the least suspicion of the keepers, conveyed through the lodge, put into a hackney coach, and out of reach before the least notice of his escape could be given.
But Jack had scarcely breathed the fresh air when he returned to business. He associated with one Page, a butcher, who dressed him in one of his frocks, and both betook themselves to the highway. They went to a watchmaker’s shop, in a daring manner broke open one of the glasses, and seized three watches before the boy who kept the shop could detect them. Upon this occasion Shepherd had the audacity to pass under Newgate.
But as Shepherd would not conceal himself nor give over his depredations, he was soon apprehended and again committed to Newgate, was put into the stone-room, loaded with irons, and stapled down to the ground. Being left alone, he with a crooked nail opened the lock, got free of his chains, wrought out two stones in the chimney, entered the red-room, where no person resided, threw down the door, got into the chapel, broke a spike of the door, and by it opened four other doors, got upon the roof, and from thence, by the means of his blanket, went in at a garret window belonging to an adjacent house, and through that house into the street.
The whole of this almost incredible exertion was rendered the more extraordinary in that his irons were on all the time. When at liberty, he went into an adjoining field and knocked them off; and, astonishing to relate, that very evening robbed a pawnbroker’s house, where among other things he found a handsome suit of black clothes, in which he dressed himself, and carried the booty to two of his female companions.
He now went to visit his companions in their scenes of iniquity, and drinking at a brandy shop, was discovered by a boy who knew him. The boy had no sooner recognised Jack than he ran to give information, so that he was almost immediately apprehended and reconducted to his old quarters in Newgate, amid avast crowd, who ran from all parts to see such an extraordinary character; but he was so intoxicated at the time that he was scarcely conscious of his miserable situation. To prevent the possibility of a third escape, they never permitted him to be alone, and made the contributions of those who came to see and converse with such a singular character pay for their additional trouble.
He was now the topic of general conversation, and multitudes, not only of the common ranks of society, but many in the more elevated ranks of life, flocked to see him. In the most ludicrous and jocular manner he related his adventures, exerting all his low wit and buffoonery to amuse those who visited him, and to exact money from them. In this manner were the last days of this unhappy mortal spent, in diverting his mind from serious reflection, and the awful scene before him. Nor was he even destitute of the hope of pardon, from the distinguished persons who visited him, and who seemed to pity his misfortune. But these hopes were vain, and the attentions of these persons proved worse than useless.
He was removed to the bar of the court of the King’s Bench, in November, 1724, and an affidavit made that he was the same John Shepherd mentioned in the record of conviction. Judgment was awarded against him, and the day of his execution fixed. But such was his strong desire of life, and his belief that his resources would never fail him, that he prepared a knife to cut the ropes of the cart which should carry him to Tyburn, in hopes of running off among the crowd. This knife was, however, with no small difficulty, taken from him by force. As his last refuge to provide against every possible event, he employed a friend, to whom he had given all the money he had reserved from his visiters, to take his body away with all possible haste, put it into a warm bed, and draw a little blood, thus to use every possible means to recover life. He finally enjoined, that if all means should prove unsuccessful, his body should be decently interred,and the remainder of the money given to his poor mother.
He was conducted to the place of execution in a cart, strongly handcuffed, when he behaved very gravely, confessed some of the robberies laid to his charge, and exculpated himself from others. His general dexterity, and the various scenes through which he had passed, operated to excite, in no common degree, the sympathy of the multitude.