Page:Life of Richard Turpin, a most notorious highwayman.pdf/3

3 stealing to footpad robbery, and was at last obliged to fly from his place of residence for stealing a young heifer, which he killed and cut up for sale. Soon after this, he stole two oxen from one Farmer Giles, of Plaistow, and drove them to a butcher’s slaughtering-house near Waltham Abbey. Giles’s servants came to this place in pursuit of the cattle, where finding two carcases cut up, that answered the description of their master’s property in size, and shrewdly suspecting Turpin, who did not deny being the owner of the goods, they made a strict search after the skins, and haying found them, they had not the smallest doubt of his having stolen the identical head of beasts which they were in search of. No doubt regaining who was the robber, a warrant was procured for his apprehension; but he soon got scent that the runners were in pursuit of him. He made his escape out of the window of the house where he was, just at the moment they were entering the door. Finding his situation at Waltham Abbey rather perilous, he retreated into the Hundreds of Essex where he found greater security; but as he could not live long without a fresh supply of money, he hit upon a new scheme to support himself; and that was to rob the smugglers he happened to meet with on the road; but he took care not to attack a gang, only such solitary travellers as fell in his way, and then he did it with colour of justice, for he constantly pretended to have a deputation from the Customs, and so took their property in the King's name. He got tired of this kind of business after a while; and the retirement to which he was condemned, in this pursuit, not suiting the volatility of his disposition, he went in search of the gang with whom he had before connected himself, the principal part of whose depredations were committed upon Epping Forest, and the adjacent parts; but this business not