to gambling; was suspected of being a confederate in robbing his
master's house of plate; was dismissed. At the age of 24 took to highway
robbery; stopped a coach on Hounslow Heath, and eased the passengers of
about L11; with others committed several robberies on Bagshot and
Hounslow Heaths; was arrested for attempting to rescue Captain Lennard,
one of his accomplices, but was discharged.

Wilson, the writer of the pamphlet, was a Yorkshireman; became clerk to
a Chancery barrister; met Hawkins at a gambling-house; they became
"great cronies." Wilson joins Hawkins's gang; they commit several
highway robberies. Feb. 1, 1721, Wilson goes to Yorkshire; Hawkins
impeached several of his companions, and one of them (Wright) was
hanged. Hawkins, Wilson, and others robbed one morning the Cirencester,
the Worcester, the Gloster, the Oxford, and the Bristol stage coaches;
the next morning the Ipswich and Colchester coaches; a third morning,
perhaps the Portsmouth. The Bury coach was "our constant customer."

Sympson, who was born at Putney, and had no education, had by this time
joined the gang. The robberies were continued. In April (1722) they went
back to their old design of robbing the mail coaches. They first
proposed to rob the Harwich mail, but gave up that design because that
mail was "as uncertain as the wind." They then decided to rob the
Bristol mail. Wilson said he objected to this plan, but he joined in it.
They set out Sunday, April 15th. "The next morning being Monday, we
took the mail, and again on Wednesday morning. The meaning of taking it
twice was to get the halves of some bank bills, the first halves whereof
we took out of the mail on Monday morning." On Monday, April 23rd,
Wilson learnt at the Moorgate Coffee House that there was a great
request for the robbers of the Bristol mail. He therefore contemplated
taking a passage to Newcastle, but before he could do so he was
arrested, and carried to the General Post Office, where he was examined
by the Postmaster-General. He was again examined by the
Postmaster-General (Carteret) the next morning, but he denied all
knowledge of the robbery. While under examination, a messenger came from
Hawkins, who was in prison at the Gate House, "to let the Post-house
know that he had impeached me." One of the officers of the Post Office
then showed Wilson an unsigned letter, which he recognised as being in
Sympson's handwriting, confessing his share in the robbery, and offeri