Clifford's father about four years ago married a fecond wife; he went away however and left her, upon which the delivered up the child to the parish, and went into Cambridgeshire. She was abfent when the girl was bound apprentice, but returned about laft midfummer; having learnt to whom the girl was apprenticed, fhe went twice to Brownrigg's and enquired for her, but was both times anfwered by the apprentice boy that no fuch perfon lived there.

After feveral other ineffectual enquiries, both by herself and perfons whom the fent, Brownrigg, the hufband, abfolutely denying that any fuch perfon was in the houfe, threatened the woman to fend her before the lord mayor, for being troublefome.

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Upon this fhe went away; but as he was going from the houfe, Mrs. Deacon, the wife of a baker that lived next door, having heard high words, called her in, and enquired what was the matter: upon hearing the ftory, Mrs. Deacon told her, that her family had frequently heard groans and moanings in Brownrigg's houfe; that the fuf-' pected there were apprentices who were cruelly treated, and that fhe would do her utmost to make farther difcoveries; taking a direction to find Clifford's mother if any dif covery should be made.

About this time Brownrigg, the husband, having been concerned in a fale at Hampftead, bought a hog, and had it driven home to his houfe. This hog was kept in a covered yard, where there was a fy-light, and this it was found neceffary to open, in order to let at the fmell which proceeded

from keeping the hog in fo clofe a place. The removal of the skylight gave Mr. Deacon's family an opportunity of feeing what paffed in Brownrigg's yard; and, they being upon the watch, it happened that the apprentice, William Clipfon, being on the 3d of Auguft at a two pair of stairs window which looked down on the

fky-light, faw Mary Clifford, her head, back, and fhoulders being uncovered, bloody, and cut in a fhocking manner. Clipfon then went down to the one pair of ftairs window and crawled out of it upon the leads over the yard, and laying himfelf acrofs the fky-light, had a fuller view of the poor dying wretch: he spoke feveral times, but received no answer: he then to attract her notice threw down two or three pieces of mortar, one of which falling upon her head, fhe looked up, and attempted to fpeak, but was able only to utter a groan. This was overheard by Mrs. Brownrigg, but without pity; for Clipfon fays, she fpoke to her in a fharp manner, and asked what was the matter with her.

The poor girl then drew back out of fight, and Clipfon acquainted the family with what he had feen.

Intelligence was foon fent to the mother-in-law, who on the next day, Friday the fourth of Auguft, came with the overfeers, and went into Brownrigg's houfe, and Clipfon with them. They enquired for Mary Clifford, and Brownrigg, the husband, told them, fhe was in Hertfordshire, attending one of the children who had the whooping cough. Clipfon then faid, he

had..

had feen her in a deplorable condition the day before; upon which Brownrigg fwore by God the was not in the house'; after fome altercation he produced Mary Mitchell, and again fwore there was no other girl in the houfe, Clipfon infifted Mitchell was not the girl he had feen; and Mr. Grundy, one of the overfeers, then fent for a conftable, and searched the houfe, but without fuccefs.

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Upon examining Mitchell, the girl that was produced, her cap was found to be bloody, her head wounded in many places, and her fhoulders covered with the fcabs of wounds that were healing. Mr. Grundy perceiving how this girl had been treated, carried her away to the workhouse, wholly regard. lefs of Brownrigg's bluftering, who faid he was his apprentice, and bid him remove her at his peril.

When they came to take off her leather boddice, for fhe had no fhift, it ftuck fo faft to the wounds, that the kin and efchar came away with them; when they were off, and she was affured the fhould return to her tormentors no more, fhe began to give an account of her fufferings, and declared that Clifford was in the house, for that she had parted with her juft before fhe was herself produced.

Mr. Grundy, not doubting the truth of Mitchell's account, went back to Brownrigg's, and telling him he would carry him before a magiftrate on fufpicion of murder, fent for a coach.

Brownrigg's neighbours came about him and offered bail, a lawyer also was fent for, who endeavoured to intimidate the overfeer and conftable, but Grundy con

tinued fteady in his purpose; he faid he would anfwer what he fhould do, and that as the crime Brownrigg was taken up for was murder, no bail could be taken. Matters now took another turn; as it was before Brownrigg's intereft to conceal the girl, that it might not appear fhe had been illtreated, it was now become his intereft to produce her, that it might be known fhe was alive. The fon therefore, by the father's order, brought her from a cupboard under the beaufet in the dining-room, where she had been hidden.

No words, fays honeft Wingrave in his narrative, can fo powerfully defcribe the fhocking appearance which this miserable object made, as the filent woe with which every perfon prefent was ftruck, and the execrations which followed, against thofe who had reduced her to that condition. Her head was fwelled to almost double the natural fize, and her neck fo much, as that she could neither fpeak nor fwallow; her mouth stood open, and the furgeon who examined her depofed, that he was all one wound from her head to her toes, that her shift ftuck to her body, that she was in a fever, and the wounds were be ginning to mortify from neglect.

Brownrigg and the girls were then carried before a magiftrate, who sent the offender to prifon, and the fufferers to the hofpital. The wife and fon had made their efcape foon after the officer firft

came to the house.

On Sunday following, Auguft the 9th, Mary Clifford died, and the coroner's jury brought in their verdiet wilful murder, against James Brownrigg, the husband, and Eli[N] 2

zabeth,

zabeth, his wife. It appeared that the eldest fon John had cruelly treated the girl, therefore he was included in an advertisement for apprehending the mother.

About this time intelligence was given that Mrs. Brownrigg and her fon had taken places in the Dover ftage, by the names of Hart ly, and this was found to be true, though they did not think it safe to undertake that journey, and therefore loft their earneft. It was alfo afterwards known that they had taken a hackney-coach in Jewin-ftreet, which fet them down in Eaft Smithfield, and that they took a lodging in a bye ftreet near Nightingale-lane, where they lived on bread and water, (being afraid to ftir out to purchafe other food,) till Tuesday the 11th. In Ragfair they purchafed fome apparel, left the defcription given in the advertisement of what they wore, might produce a difcovery. They lodged one night at a place unknown, and the next day they took a lodging at Mr. Dunbar's, who keeps a chandler's fhop in Wandf

them, and afked him if he would go with the conftable to Wandfworth, which he readily agreed to do; then Mr. Owen fent for Mr. Wingrave, and Mr. Deacon; Dunbar and Wingrave immediately fet out, and when they got to the houfe, Wingrave went directly to the room, and Mr. Deacon, who followed at fome distance, affured him they were the people he wanted. They were brought to town in a coach, without the leaft fufpicion who they were, and confequently without any tumult crowd.

or

The parties were many times examined, and on the 9th of Sept. bills of indictment were found against the father, mother, and the eldest fon, for the murder of Clifford.

The trial came on upon Saturday the 12th, and lafted fix hours; the evidence was in fubftance the fame as this narrative, upon which Elizabeth was found guilty; and James the husband, and John the fon, acquitted: they were however detained to take their trial for a misdemeanor.

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Though thefe people lived in credit; and Mrs. Brownrigg had a watch, and fome other trinkets which the carried off with her, yet in prifon her diftrefs was fo great, that he was obliged to borrow a few half-pence of a woman who was prifoner in the fame room with her.

The crowd that waited in the feffions-houfe yard during her trial, teftified their joy by a fhout when fhe was convicted; and fuch was the indignation they felt at the horrid, deliberate, and perfevering cruelties of which he had been

guilty,

guilty, that thofe who were near the ordinary's coach when the was carried to execution, cried out they hoped he would pray for her damnation, for fuch a fiend ought not to be faved.

of virtue that abhorred cruelty, but to preclude the mercy of the Almighty was certainly cruel, and the best of mankind have no ground of hope but the gracious promife that extends to the worst," All manner of fin and blafphemy fhall be forgiven unto man. She was executed on Monday the 14th day of Sept. and her body was carried to Surgeons-hall to be anatomized. It is fearce poffible to quit this horrid fubject without obferving, that the facts which now have been demonftrated were in the higheft degree improbable. Who could have believed that two wretches of the age of 15 or fixteen years, could in fuch a metropolis as London, and fuch a neighbourhood as Fetter-lane, continue to fuffer as Mitchell and Clifford fuffered for two years, without discovery or escape, especially as there was no other fervant in the family but the apprentice-boy to go on errands. Let us not then too haftily conclude, on other occafions, that what does not appear probable is neceffarily falfe, nor haftily reject every propofition for which we cannot fully account. Let our enquiry be cool, critical, and deliberate and as evils multiply beyond probability, let our vigilance be not only conftant but fcrupulous, not refting in flight appearances, but pufhing on to facts.

Bank, depofed, that Mr. Gueft had been there between two and three years; that he had seen him pick new guineas from the old ones; that this being Mr. Gueft's frequent practice, it had created a fufpicion in his (Mr. Leach's) mind, which fufpicions he communicated to fome others; that on the 4th of July Mr. Gueft paid fome money to Richard Still, fer-, vent to Mr. Corner, a dyer on the Bank-fide; that feeing Mr. Gueft take fome money out of the drawer, and put it among the reft on the table; when he had paid the man, Mr. Leach followed him out, and begged the favour of the man to walk into the pay-office, and let him tell the money over; which he did, and, out of thirty guineas, three of them feemed to be newly filed; that the man faying this was all the gold he had about him, Mr. Leach carried the three. guineas to Mr. Robert Bell, who looked at them: Mr. Leach defired the faid Mr. Bell would carry them up to Mr. Race the cashier, but did not go up with him then; that thefe guineas appeared to him, as if the right milling had been taken off, and then filed. Being asked whether it was not common to take fome money out of the drawer in their payments at the bank, Mr. Leach replied, that it was fometimes, but very feldom, done there; but this was not the whole

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