a tall, powerful, athletic man, with coarse
features, marked with the small-pox, and was well known as a
prize-fighter. He used to dress in very good clothes, and wore a profusion
of gold rings, and had a large bunch of seals dangling at his fob. He was
tried for stealing cloth from Watling Street, but was able to successfully
prove an _alibi_. Bransby Cooper states that Crouch was seldom drunk, but
when he was in that state he was most abusive and domineering; the Diary
shows him in more than one of these attacks. He was sharp enough to be
always sober on settling-up nights, and so had a distinct advantage over
his comrades; by this means he generally managed to get more than his
proper share of the proceeds of their horrible work. About 1817 he gave up
the resurrection business, and occupied himself chiefly in dealing in
teeth; in this he was joined by Jack Harnett. They obtained licences as
sutlers, so that they might be allowed as camp-followers, both in France
and Spain. A large supply of teeth was thus obtained by them, their plan
being to draw the sound teeth of as many dead men as possible on the night
after a battle. They did not limit their attention to teeth, but made
large sums of money by stealing valuables from the persons of those who
had fallen in battle--proceedings which were even more brutal than their
former resurrectionist practices. With the money he had thus made, Crouch
built a large hotel at Margate, which at first looked like being a paying
concern. The nature of his former occupation, however, leaked out, and
ruined his business; he then parted with the property at a great
sacrifice. Subsequently he became very poor, and, whilst Harnett was away
in France, Crouch appropriated some of his property; for this he was
sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment. After this he lived in London,
in great poverty, and was ultimately found dead in the top room of a
public-house near Tower Hill. It is very probable that at one time he made
money by lending to the medical students. In his "Confessions of a
Dissecting-room Porter," before alluded to, Albert Smith says, "I beg you
will look at your watches, if you have not already lent them to Uncle
Crouch."

* * * * *

Bill Harnett was a favourite with Astley Cooper and Henry Cline. With the
exception of a fondness for gin, he seems to have been a more respectable
man than one would have expected to find in such company. He was