ever found in the streets by Brownrigg's youngest boy the fame day, and brought back to her confinement: from this time he was never fuffered to ftir out of doors, and the was frequently tied up and whipped naked.

About the fame time Mary Clifford, a third apprentice, was bound to James Brownrigg, by the overfeers of White Friars precinct; the was a month upon liking, and during that time was well treated, and eat and drank as the family did, but foon after he was bound they began to ufe her with great cruelty, frequently beating her over the head and shoulders, fometimes with a walking-cane, fometimes with a horfe-whip, and feve. ral times with a hearth brush.

It was this girl's misfortune, either by natural weakness or bad nurfing, to wet the bed; for this reafon the was ordered to lie on a mat, in a place called a cellar, which had been a coal hole, and is defcribed as a cold, dark place, about as big as a clofet, under the ftairs; the mat after fome time was taken away, and a fack, with a little ftraw in it, fubftituted in its place; fometimes there was nothing but a few rags, and fometimes only the bare floor; as to covering, fhe had fometimes her own cloaths, fometimes a bit of blanket, and fometimes the was quite naked: it does not appear that he had any other food than bread and water, and fhe had not enough even of that.

Once when he was famifhing for hunger, fhe broke open a cupboard where victuals was ufually kept, but found none; and once, when the was fainting with thirft, the broke down fome boards to

come at water. For the first of thefe crimes she was made to ftrip naked, and continued to wash naked a whole day, being every now and then beaten with the ftump end of a riding-whip; for the other offence a jack-chain was put round her neck, and the end faftened to the yard door; it was ftrained as tight as it could be, without choking her; and when fhe had paffed the day in this condition, he was fent down into the cellar when it grew dark, with the chain ftill on her neck, and her hands tied behind her, to pass the night, without bed or covering, in the cellar.

It was common for both the girls, Mitchell and Clifford, to go about the house quite naked; for Brownrigg being, by their indentures, obliged to find them cloaths, ufed frequently to order them to be taken off, upon discovering any little rent, hole, or other fign that they were wearing out. Mitchell, in particular, fcarce ever wore ftockings, and had generally nothing upon her body but an old rag of a waiftcoat, which did not cover her behind.

As the prifoners were tried for the murder of Clifford, and Mitchell was the principal evidence, little appears concerning Mitchell in particular; fometimes, however, fhe was locked with Clifford into the cellar, to pafs the night, and both were conftantly left locked into that difmal cell, from Saturday to Sunday night, while the family were at their country lodg ings in Ilington: during all this time they had no fuftenance but a piece of bread, for water itself was not added.

The

The office of gaoler feems in general to have been performed by the eldest fon, though fometimes the prifoners were locked up by others; once in particular, by one Benham, an apprentice boy, who in his examination fwears, that when he locked them in, Clifford was quite naked.

They were fo often and fo cruelly whipped and beaten, that their bodies, especially their heads and shoulders, were almoft one entire scab, the skin being broken afreth as fast as it healed, for the mistress never left off whipping till fhe drew blood.

In order to inflict this diabolical punishment, the first expedient was to strip them quite naked, and then tie their hands up to a water pipe, that was carried along the kitchen ceiling: this pipe, however, at latt giving way, a ftaple was by the husband, at the wife's defire, made faft to a beam, and the cord that tied them was put through it.

Clifford was alfo fometimes beaten with great cruelty by John: he one day ordered her to put up a bed, which the attempted to do, but was not able, upon which he beat her with the buckle end of a leathern belt, till she was covered with blood, and then put the bed up himself. John alfo found her at another time naked and bleeding, having been tied up and whipped by his mother, yet, in this condition, the ordered him to continue whipping, because he was no longer able, and, ftrange and horrid as it may feem, he complied.

Some acts of cruelty are alfo mentioned of another kind: Mrs. Brownrigg would frequently fix one of her hands on each of VOL. X.

Mitchell's cheeks, and draw them down her face with fuch force as to occafion the blood to start from her eyes.

Mitchell alfo, having complain ed to a lodger, the only one who appears to have been in the houfe during Clifford's time of ill of ge; the woman, upon fome difagreement with the mistress, reproached her with the fubject of the girl's complaint; upon which Mrs. Brownrigg ran to the girl, and thrufting a pair of feffors into her` mouth, cut her tongue in two places.

The account of what happened on the day when the fatal wound was given, is in fubitance as follows.

On Friday, the 30th of July, about ten o'clock in the morning, Brownrigg having threatened the girls all the week, went down into the kitchen, and tied Mary Clifford naked up to a taple; her head and shoulders were then fore, and fcabbed over in many places, but notwithstanding the state of her body, her tyrant whipped her with a horfewhip, in the prefence of Mitchell, till the blood followed the ftrokes; he was then let down, and ordered to wash, naked and wounded as he was, and while the was ftooping down to the tub, her mistress ftruck her over the head with the but end of the whip.

She was tied up five fucceffive times in this dreadful day, ftill naked and bleeding, and ftill covered with new wounds by the whip.

She was now mortally wounded, yet the crept about till the 4th of August, when he was difcovered in the following manner.

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Clifford's

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, she 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 husband, abfolutely denying that any fuch perfon was in the houfe, threatened the woman to fend her before the lord mayor, for being troublefome.

Upon this the 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 fufpected 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 discovery should be made.

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

from keeping the hog in fo clofe a place. The removal of the fkylight 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, Wil liam Clipfon, being on the 3d of Auguft at a two pair of ftairs 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 himfelfacrofs the sky-light, had a fuller view of the poor dying wretch: he spoke feveral times, but received no anfwer: 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, the 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 hooping cough. Clipfon then faid, he

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

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 workhoufe, wholly regardlefs of Brownrigg's bluttering, who faid fhe was his apprentice, and bid him remove her at his peril.

When they came to take off her leather boddice, for the had no shift, it stuck so fast to the wounds, that the skin and efchar came away with them; when they were off, and she was assured she should return to her tormentors no more, The began to give an account of her fufferings, and declared that Clifford was in the house, for that he had parted with her juft before he was berfelf 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 law. yer alfo was fent for, who endeavoured to intimidate the overfeer and conftable; but Grundy con

tinued fteady in his purpofe; 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 miferable object måde, 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 she was all one wound from her head to her toes, that her shift ftuck to her body, that they as in a fever, and the wounds were be. ginning to mortify from neglect.

Brownrigg and the girls were then carried before a magiftratė, who fent the offender to prifon, and the fufferers to the hofpital. The wite 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

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zabeth

1

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 Hartly, and this was found to be true, though they did not think it fafe to undertake that journey, and therefore loft their earneft. It was

alfo afterwards known that they had taken a hackney-coach in Jewin-street, which fet them down in Eaft-Smithfield, and that they took a lodging in a by-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 Raggfair they purchased 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. worth.

On Saturday, the 15th of Auguft, three days after Mrs. Brownrigg

and her fon had been at Wandfworth, Mr. Dunbar met with a newfpaper, wherein he read the advertilement. From a concurrence of many circumstances, it ftruck him immediately that his lodgers were the perfons defcribed, and he went to town the next day, and gave information against

them.

Mr. Owen, the churchwarden, immediately fent to Mr. Deacon, their next door neighbour, in Flower-de-Luce Court, who knew

and

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

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 halfpence 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 the had been

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guilty,