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<DATE>2007-11-27</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<BIBNO T="oclc">36282157</BIBNO>
<VID>150062</VID>
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<DIV1 TYPE="account">
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<HEAD>A Full and True Account of a mo&s;t <HI>Barbarous Murther and Robbery</HI></HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Committed on the Body of Mrs. <HI>Johannah Williams,</HI> By one <HI>William de Fray,</HI> a French-man, at a Gravel-Pit near <HI>Barnet,</HI> in <HI>Hartford&s;hire.</HI> Likewi&s;e of his being apprehended and taken, and committed to <HI>Hart|ford</HI>-Goal. He Robbed her of a Gold-Watch, together with Three Guinneas, and one Five Shilling piece in Money, fir&s;t having cut her Throat from Ear to Ear, then &s;carrified her Face, by rea&s;on &s;he &s;hould not be known. And of his making his E&s;cape towards <HI>Dun&s;table.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>FOR as God hath &s;aid, the Murther &s;hall not go unpuni&s;hed, but that he &s;hall be brought forth either in this World, or that which is to come;</HI> &s;o it plea&s;ed God to order it, that a Gentleman was walking forth with his Blood-Hounds, that &s;ented the Carka&s;s of this poor Murthered Gentlewoman, whereupon they went forthwith to it, the Gentleman following them, heard them Howl and run too and fro about the Pit, in&s;omuch that he looked down, thereupon he e&s;pied a dead Body, which behold|ing he &s;tood a &s;mall time a&s;toni&s;hed, but phe&s;ently coming to him&s;elf, he run forthwith and made a Hue and Cry, withal &s;atisfying the People in the Town of <HI>Barnet,</HI> that there was a great Murther Com|mitted in the Gravel-Pits afore&s;aid, and he believed it was but ju&s;t done, the People hearing him tell this mo&s;t &s;ad and deplorable Story, run &s;ome one way and &s;ome another, and &s;ome to the Pit, where|upon viewing the Corps, and Cloths of the decea&s;ed Murthered Gentlewoman, found her to be one of the Neighbouring Gentry, who was as I am inform'd was Walking a little di&s;tance from her Hou&s;e, &s;omewhat Early in the Morning, for a little of the fre&s;h Air, and being pritty well Attired its &s;up|po&s;ed the Villian had &s;ome mi&s;tru&s;t of her having Money, and thereupon fell upon with his Blood-thur&s;ty Hands, not being &s;atisfied till he had Committed this mo&s;t Vile and Dete&s;table Tragedy.</P>
<P>And although many Tragical Actions of this nature, have been often Committed of late, by &s;everal Barbarous and Bloody minded Villians, yet this does appear to be as Black as any, we have yet heard off, for could any one think, that a Fellow could have the Impudence to be &s;o Notorious Wicked, as to offer any Violence &s;o near the Hou&s;e as that was, nay, not only &s;o but at broad Day light, when all People were Walking on the Road, one would have thought the late Murther of the Worthy <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> <HI>Bowles</HI>'s Lady were enough for an Example of all Per&s;ons what&s;oever, and to molifie the Sturdie&s;t and Stronge&s;t Heart in the World.</P>
<P>Now the Hue and Cry being out run, this Barbarous and Bloody minded Villain, it forthwith &s;truck &s;uch a Terrour to his Spirits, as God had ordered it, that he had not the Power to go any further, but forthwith went into an Inn at <HI>Dun&s;table,</HI> where he &s;at down and call'd for a Mugg of Beer, and &s;ome Bread and Chee&s;e, which was pre&s;ently brought him, the Tap&s;ter looking earne&s;tly upon him, &s;ee him look &s;omewhat dejected, and withal a few drops of Blood upon his Ruffels, thereupon he went to his Ma&s;ter and told him there was a Hue and Cry pa&s;t the Road about the Murther of one Mrs. <HI>Joannah Williams,</HI> who was found dead this Morning in a Gravel-Pit near <HI>Barnet,</HI> and he believed if this Fellow were fully Examin'd, they would find it to be him thereupon his Ma&s;ter order'd a Con&s;table forthwith to be call'd; in the mean time the Ma&s;ter of the Inn approached the Company of this mo&s;t Barbarian|like Villian, &s;aying, <HI>Sir your Servant</HI> and the like, and by way of di&s;cour&s;e asked him from whence he came, in a very re&s;pectful manner, in &s;o much he could not have the lea&s;t cau&s;e of &s;u&s;picion, and &s;o he told him from London, likewi&s;e he asked him whether he was going, he &s;aid to <HI>Che&s;ter,</HI> in order to take Shipping for <HI>Dublin,</HI> &s;o the <HI>French</HI>-man asked him if he &s;hould reach to <HI>Stony&s;tratford,</HI> and how many Miles it was to it, the Ma&s;ter of the Inn told him no, it would be to far, and he had better &s;tay all Night.</P>
<P>But in the mid&s;t of their Di&s;cour&s;e, in come the Con&s;table, who made no more to do, but examined him, at which the poor Mon&s;ieur who was &s;o bloodily bent, was mightily a&s;toni&s;hed; but the Con&s;table forthwith had him before a Ju&s;tice, who examined him from whence he came? and whither he was going? Likewi&s;e, how he came by that Blood on his Ruffels? But he could not give any good account of him&s;elf, therefore the Ju&s;tice ordered a <HI>Mitimus</HI> to be made, and committed him to <HI>Hertford</HI>-Goal; and in his go|ing, confe&s;&s;ed the Bu&s;ine&s;s to the Con&s;table, who hath got a more particular Account, which will ap|pear again&s;t him at his Tryal; It is too long and tedious to repeat the particulars, therefore &s;hall omit, by rea&s;on the Tryal will make it more plain to tho&s;e, who are de&s;irous to hear it.</P>
<P>Nothwith&s;tanding the many repeated Examples that have been of late, it will no ways be a warning to leave off their vile and hideous Practices, and they not having the Fear of God before their Eyes, and giving their Minds full and wholly over to Covetou&s;ne&s;s, and it works &s;o much in the Minds of tho&s;e who are &s;o hardened in Sin, that they value not the Laws of God and Man, but are grown &s;o lazy, that they care not what wickedne&s;s they commit, to accompli&s;h the De&s;ires of their wicked Appetites, which this bloody-minded Villain, as I think to a very high degree &s;hown in this mo&s;t Bloody Tragedy.</P>
<P>But here this Barbarous Villain, after his Commitment was made, he was forthwith delivered into the Cu&s;tody of the Goaler, to whom he declared, he was brought up a Gentleman, but the Lo&s;&s;es his Friends had &s;u&s;tained in <HI>France,</HI> by being forced to leave their Native Soil, to fly to Charitable <HI>England</HI> for a Re|fuge, having lo&s;t all their Sub&s;tance, he had nothing to &s;ub&s;i&s;t withal, and being in no manner of bu&s;ine&s;s, could not tell how to live. Therefore he being weak, not daring to tru&s;t God's Providence.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<P>Licen&s;ed according to Order.</P>
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<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="imprimatur">
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>T. Lightbody</HI> near the <HI>Burrough</HI> of <HI>Southwark</HI> 1699.</P>
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