Page:A History of Horncastle from the Earliest Period to the Present Time.djvu/180

Rh primitive character, and quite inadequate for due protection of the house-holder. The days of the "bobby" and "peeler" were not yet, at least in country districts; although Sir Robert Peel had done away with the old watchman, and established the present police system in the metropolis; and some other of our larger towns had followed suit. But in Horncastle the constable, by way of setting a thief to catch a thief, had, it was said, himself in his earlier years been a great smuggler, while in his age he was a spindle-shanked old man, whom a boy could knock down. Roused by the insecurity of property, the authorities decided to import a London detective, disguised in plain clothes. He came, and for a while marauders, among whom the secret soon leaked out, carefully stayed their hands. After a time, however, robberies began to recur; especially a corner shop near "the far bridge," was the scene of considerable pilfering. The detective was called in to investigate. He took up the matter, but did not succeed in making any arrests.

It was noticed by someone that a brass button was missing from the sort of gamekeeper's velveteen coat which he wore; and, strange to say, a button of the exact kind was found behind the counter of the shop where the thefts occurred. No public action was taken in the matter, but it came to be strongly suspected that the professional thief-taker had himself been guilty of thieving. Other suspicious circumstances occurred, but he was a clever man, and nothing was brought home against him. It was believed, however, that something of the truth had become known at head quarters, as his appointment was a few months later cancelled, and he was not appointed elsewhere. He continued to reside in Horncastle and, having no employment, he accepted the post of water bailiff to the local angling association, which he filled for some time, until he eventually disappeared from the scene of his labours, which were thought by not a few to be somewhat "fishy" in the unfavourable sense of being at least questionable in their nature.

He had not left the town very long when it became known that certain parties had received from him some of the goods which had disappeared from the grocer's shop, which had been robbed. Sundry hams were found concealed in a hay loft, and it was generally believed that the robbery of an inn in the town, not far from the shop in question, as well as other thefts in the country around, had been perpetrated by him.

One of the remarkable features of Horncastle is the number of its publichouses, and these were far more numerous formerly than at the present day. This was, of course, mainly due to the great number of dealers who attended the horse fairs, not only from all parts of England and Ireland, but from most countries on the continent; especially the great August fair, which formerly lasted no less than three weeks. The present facilities for rapid travel, by rail, and quicker means of communication, which now enable dealers to hear of horses for sale, and to visit them in their owners stables, before they are brought to the fair, has altered all this, and the fairs now last only a few days at the most.

These publichouses had also generally attached to them large yards, and extensive stabling (as may still be seen), where the best horses were shewn and tried, without appearing in the streets. In consequence of the reduced need for such accommodation many of these publichouses have disappeared. Among