The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 161: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

150 this third visit naturally filled mind with misgivings. “TIT want a few more pastilles,’ said Jonathan: “they seem so good—and yor are such a worthy man ” “ Cuss his eyes!” growled the Burker, who had the greatest difficulty in containing himself. “What did you say ?” asked Carnabie, locking up into the pretended Jew’s countenance : and now —being already prepared to view him with sus- picion, from all that Gack Smedley had ssid— Jonathan was at once struck with the peculiar expression of the Burker’s eyes : so that he could not prevent himself from starting a# the idea of the villain’s identity flashed to his mind. At that very instant a couple of policemen burst round the corner of a diverging street which was close by; and the Burker was seized upon at the moment that he beheld his recognition on the part of thé old sexton. ‘At last we have got you!” exclaimed one of the constables, with his staff in readiness to knock the miscreant down if he attempted resistance. Barney struggled desperately,—giving vent at the same time to terrible imprecations: but the very paberdine which served as his disguise en- cumbered him now—and he was quickly over- powered. It was some minutes before Jonathan Carnabie could recover from his astonishment af having thus learnt that beneath the garb of a venerable Jew was concealed the individual who had sought his life at Woodbridge, and who had so récently imposed upon him with such success in London. A cab was speedily called: the Burker was placed in it, and at once conveyed to Bow Street,—old Jonathan Carnabie following to listen to the proceedings, and to give his evidence, if needful. We should observe that Jack Smedley, imme- diately after separating from the old sexton, had observed a pvliceman come sauntering round the corner of the street where he was posted; and he sped to accost him. “ Hasten!” said Jack: “there—in that direc- tion—-and arrest the old Jew. Ho is Barney the Barker !” “The Burker!” ejaculated the constable. “ Here’s acaptore! But I can’t tackle him alone: he’s the most desperate villain in all England. Will you come and help P” “No—not IP’ answered Jack, shrinking in horror from the idea of daring the deadly vengeance of his sccomplice in the first moment of the desperado’s fary at finding that he was betrayed. “Well, where is he?” demanded the con- stable. “ Near the end of that street,” was Jack Smed- ley’s impatient answer. “Then I'll nab him !” constable: “ there’s another officer close by !’” With these words the policeman turned upon his heel, and hastened into the street which ran parallel with that where the Burker was:—and procuring the assistance of a brother-official whom rade sped along a narrow street connecting the two above-mentioned. The capture was effected in the ‘manner already described: and Smedley beheld it from under a gateway leading into a mews. He saw the cab arrive to bear Barney off to Bow \ | the Barker's guilty | THE MPSTERIES OF THE COURT. Street; and thither Jack Smedley hastened on foot, in order to turn approver on behalf of the Go- vernment, that he might thereby save his own life. Though it was now-late in the afternoon, the inagistrate was till sitting at Bow Street; and the Burker, dressed in his Jewish appdrel, was placed in the dock. The news speedily spread throughout the neighbourhood that the formidable Barney was taken: and the contt was in a very short time crowded to excess. One of the constables who had captured the criminal, deposed to the effect that he had been accosted hy a stranger who gave him the information upon which he had acted. The Saper- intendent of Police for that district then called the magistrate’s attention to the fact that the prisoner had escaped from Liverpool gaol, to which he had been some time back committed on a oharge of murder; and the officer produced the placard pub- lished on the occasion, specifying the particulars of that escape and offering a reward for his re-appre- hension. “There are likewise, your worship,” added the Superintendent, “ grave and serious charges against this man arising out of certain discoveries made at a house in Lambeth, and which your worship doubt- lees bears in mind.” “ It does not appear to me necessary to gé into that matter,” éaid the magistrate: “ the coarse to be ed in the present instance is clear enough. All that I have to do is to satisfy myself of the identity of the prisoner now in the dock with the one who escaped from the gaol at Liverpool ; and to order his transfer to that town, that he may duly take his trial at the next Assises holden for the Northern Circuit. What evidence, Mr. Superintendent, have you to establish this identity P” “ If the prisoner, your worship, was stripped of his disguise,” responded the official thus addressed, “there are no doubt plenty of persons here who could identify him.” “Please your worship,” said one of the con- stables who had captured the Barker, “I wanted to take off all that hair from his face : but he says it is stuck on so tight that it can only be removed by hot water—and there was not time 7 "You had better rerndve the prisoner for a few minutes,” interrupted the magistrate, “ and let the false hair be taken off.”’ “ Please your worship,” exclaimed a man who had just entered the court, and was now his way through the crowd, “I can identify him as he is!—it was I who gave the information that caused his arrest !” All eyes were turned upon the speaker : but it ‘was not necessary for Barney to look at his coun- quickly rejoined the | tenance to see who he was: he had already recog- nised the voice—and a low but savage imprecation fell from his Jips as he found that he was after all betrayed by Jack Smedley. The miscreant clenched his fist and ground his teeth with the deep con- centrated rage that filled his soul: bat he was im- he encountered at a short distance, he and his com- | potent for purposes of mischief: otherwise he would have flown like a tiger at Smedley, to throttle or to tear him to pieces. There he was, however, powerless, and under complete restramt —shut up in the dock—manacles upon his wrists —a policeman on his right hand—a policeman on COMIC DOG (CO