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[Lex Talionis]

ATTACK IN SOUTH-MILL BOTTOM

On Saturday morning last, a little before seven o’clock, the St. Edmund’s-Bury and Norwich stage-coaches were stopt by two highwaymen, in South-Mill Bottom, almost a mile from Hockerill, in the way to London, and all the passengers robbed. The passengers in the Norwich coach lost 15l. 7s. 6d. those in the other coach, not above 24 or 30s.

Whilst the highwaymen were busied in searching the coaches, three gentlemen on horseback were separately passing the road, who they also stopt, and took from one 7s. another about 4l. and a watch, and the third betwixt 3 and 4l.

The rogues, when the two last Gentlemen came up, were getting the passengers out of the coach to strip them, suspecting they had concealed some of their effects, which design they departed from after they had got the last booty, and rode full speed off, driving the Gentlemens horses before them for about a mile, having first pulled off the bridles.

They seemed to be fellows of great dexterity in their business: The one is a tall man, rough-visaged, with a black beard, and a dark, sanguine complexion, and a light wig ramelly’d, rode an ordinary scrub bay horse.

The other a short squat fellow, full faced, and of a pale sodden complexion, with a dark wig, and seemed to have a small blemish or hurt on one eye, rode a black horse, thought to be an hack, with a longish tail, and had a crupper to his saddle.

They had horse and pocket pistols; by the brightness of the barrels they appeared new: One of them snapped a pistol at a Gentleman’s head, which did not go off. They had on drab-colour’d horsemens coats. It is supposed they went off the Hoddesdon road. . . .

[Lex Talionis]

DAVID AND GOLIATH

Thursday last a remarkable bout was fought at the Great Booth in Tottenham Court. A prodigious crowd consisting in no small part of High Persons witnessed this fight, in which the celebrated Norfolk Butcher was challenged by a Jew, Mr Benhaim. The Odds were Six to Four on the butcher before they began, for the Challenger was a man of very small and mean Appearance, and our Mr Slack all know to be a Hero of Adamantine. The butcher at the beginning of the battle struck his small Opponent a heavy blow just above the eye, which nearly brought him low. Yet the Jew fought away despite his wound, and flung the butcher several times successively. A particular Finesse was to be seen in his active movements, and his straight Left observed as a very effective strike. The butcher was hardly able to get another hit in as they went at it, and in the end he was led into intemperance and an unwise Strike, which the Jew moved from the way of, causing the butcher to break his hand upon a spike of the ring. Thus he was beat in thirty minutes.

We understand a great deal of money was lost in this match, and one illustrious personage, a Lord L______, was made poorer by some five hundred pounds.

The Post observes that this Interloper gives new life to the legend of David and Goliath, but wonders whether to Celebrate his defeat of a Good British Champion is entirely Amenable to a patriotic spirit. There is certainly something cowardly about a Warrior who dances about and retreats before his enemy all the time, instead of standing up in a true Gentleman’s Fashion.