got it he set out, and meeting his sweetheart at a place they had agreed on, they went to Worcester, where the nuptial rites were celebrated. At this time it happened that the officers, by whom she had been seduced, were at Worcester, and hearing of her marriage, they caused young Hayes to be taken out of bed from his wife, under pretence that he had enlisted in the army. Thus situated, he was compelled to send an account of the whole transaction to his father, who, though offended with his son for the rash step he had taken, went to a magistrate, who attended him to Worcester, and demanded by what authority the young man was detained. The officers endeavoured to excuse their conduct: but the magistrate threatening to commit them to prison, if they did not release him, the young fellow immediately obtained his liberty. The father, irritated at the imprudent conduct of his son, severely censured his proceedings; but considering that what was passed could not be recalled, had good sense enough not to persevere in his opposition to an unavoidable event.Mr. Hayes now furnished his son with money to begin business for himself: and the young couple were in a thriving way, and appeared to live in harmony but Mrs. Hayes, being naturally of a restless disposition, prevailed on her husband to enlist for a soldier. The regiment in which he served being ordered to the Isle of Wight, Catherine followed him thither. He had not been long there before his father procured his discharge, which, as it happened in the time of war, was attended with an expence of 6ol. On the return of young Hayes and his wife, the father gave them an estate of rol. per annum, to which he afterwards added another

:

of

of 161. which, with the profit of their trade, would have been amply sufficient for their support. The husband bore the character of an honest, well-disposed man; he treated his wife very indulgently, yet she constantly complained of the covetousness of his disposition: but he had much more reason to complain of her disposition, for she was turbulent, quarrelsome, and perpetually exciting disputes among her neighbours. The elder Mr. H. observing with concern how unfortunately his son was matched, advised him to leave her, and settle in some place where she might not find him. Such, however, was his attachment to her, that he could not comply with this advice; and she had the power of persuading him to come to London, after they had been married about six years. On their arrival in the metropolis, Mr. Hayes took a house, part of which he let into lodgings, and opened a shop in the chandlery and coal trade, in which he was as successful as he could have wished. Exclusive of his profit by shop-keeping, he acquired a great deal of money by lending small sums on pledges, for at this time the trade of pawnbroking was followed by any one at pleasure, it having been then subject to no regulation. Mrs. Hayes's conduct in London was still more reprehensible than it had been in the country. The chief pleasure of her life consisted in creating and encou raging quarrels among her neighbours; and, indeed, her unhappy disposition dscovered itself on every occasion. Sometimes she would speak of her husband, to his acquaintance, in terms of great tenderness and respect; and at other times she would represent him to her female associates as a compound of every thing that was contemptible

in human nature. On a particular occasion, she told a woman of her acquaintance, that she should think it no more sin to murder him than to kill a dog. At length her husband finding she made perpetual disturbances in the neighbourhood, thought it prudent to remove to Tottenham-court-road, where he carried on his former business; but not being as successful here as he could have wished, he took another house in Tyburn-road, since called Oxford-road. Here he continued his practice of lending small sums of money on pledges, till having acquired a decent competency, he left off housekeeping, and hired lodgings near the same spot.Tho. Billings, a journeyman taylor, and a supposed son of Mrs. Hayes's, by her former connections, lodged in the house with Mrs. Hayes, and the busband having gone into the country on business, his wife and this man indulged themselves in every species of extravagance. On Hayes's return, some of his neighbours told him how his wife had been wasting his substance; on which he severely censured her conduct, and a quarrel arising between them, they proceeded from words to blows. It was commonly thought that she formed the resolution of murdering him at this time, as the quarrel happened only six weeks before his fatal exit. She now began to sound the disposition of Billings, to whom she said it was impossible for her to live longer with her husband; and she urged all possible arguments to prevail on him to aid her in the commission of the murder, which Billings resisted for some time, but at length complied.— At this period Tho. Wood, an acquaintance of Mr. Hayes, arrived from the country, and as he was apprehensive of being impressed, Hayes kindly .took him into his house, and promised to use his

28

interest

Interest in procuring him some employment. After a few days residence, Mrs. Hayes proposed to him the murder of her husband; but the man was shocked at the thought of destroying his friend and benefactor, and told her he would have no concern in so atrocious a deed. However, she artfully urged that "he was an atheist, and it could be no crime to destroy a person who had no religion or goodness-that he was himself a murderer, having killed a man in the country, and likewise two of his own children, one of which he had buried under a pear tree, and the other under an apple tree." She likewise said, that her husband's death would put her into possession of 1500l. of the whole of which Wood should have the disposal, if he would assist her and Billings in the perpetration of the . murder. Wood went out of town a few days after this, and on his return found Mr. and Mrs. Hayes. and Billings in company together, having drank till they had put themselves into the utmost apparent good humour. Wood sitting down at Hayes's request, the latter said they had drank a guinea's worth of liquor, but notwithstanding this, he was not drunk. A proposal was now made by Billings, that if Hayes could drink six bottles of mountain without being drunk, he would pay for it; but that Hayes should be the paymaster if the liquor made him drunk, or if he failed of drinking the quantity. This proposal being agreed to, Wood, Billings, and Mrs. Hayes, went to a winevault to buy the wine, and, on their way, this wicked woman reminded the men that the present would be a good opportunity of committing the murder, as her husband would be perfectly intoxicated. The mind of Wood was not yet wrought

up

up to a proper pitch for the commission of a crime so atrocious as the murder of a man who had sheltered and protected him; and this too at a time when his mind must necessarily be unprepared for the launching into eternity. Mrs. H. had therefore recourse to her former arguments, urging that it would be no sin to kill him; and Billings seconding all she said, and declaring he was ready to take a part in the horrid deed, Wood was at length prevailed on to become one of the execrable butchers. Thus agreed, they went to the wine-vault, where Mrs. Hayes paid half a guinea for six bottles of wine, which being sent home by a porter, Mr. Hayes began to drink it, while his intentional murderers regaled themselves with beer. When he had taken a considerable quantity of the wine, he danced about the room like a man distracted, and at length finished the whole quantity; but not being then in an absolute state of stupefaction, his wife sent for another bottle, which he likewise drank, and then fell senseless on the floor. Having lain some time in this condition, he got, with much difficulty, into another room, and threw himself on a bed. When he was asleep, his wife told her associates that now was the time to execute their plan, as there was no fear of any resistance on his part. Accordingly, Billings went into the room with a hatchet, with which he struck Hayes so violently, that he fractured his skull. At this time Hayes's feet hung off the bed, and the torture arising from the blow, made him stamp repeatedly on the floor, which being heard by Wood, he also went into the room, and taking the hatchet out of Billing's hand, gave the poor man two more blows, which effectually dispatched him. A 282

woman,