A Horrible Crevel and bloody Murder, Committed at Putney in Surrey on the 21. of April last, 1614, being thursday, upon the body of Edward Hall a Miller of the same parish, Done by the hands of john Selling, Peter Pet and Edward Streater, his servants to the said Hall, each of them giving him a deably blow (as he lay sleeping) with a Pickax.  
Published by Authority.   a man holding an axe, and accompanied by another man and a demon, attacking from behind another, seated man. 
Imprinted at London for john Wright, and are to be sold without Newgate at the sign of the Bible. 1614   

To the Reader.  
REader I do here present unto thy view one of the most horrible inhuman and bloody murders that hath ever been committed; which as it was damnably devised so it was devilishly and butcherly accomplished and executed, whereby thou, and all the world may perceive in what a miserable estate the times are wherein we live, when the thirst and lucre of a little cankered coin, (with the enticements of the Devil) shall have such predominance over the faculties of the minds of wretched men, that they will not stick to run into most desperate and dangerous actions, to the hazarding of soul and body, and to the final temporal detriment of those (their parents or marsters) whom they are in duty bound to love, honour and reverence then let this discourse be unto thee as an Epitome or brief abstract (to thee) of the miseries of man, and the illusions of Satan; in reading of which if thou hast a remorse or feeling of the want of grace in men, then pray to him that is the giver of grace, that he may be graciously pleased to make the ungracious world more gracious.  
Farewell, I. T.   

A HORRIBLE CRUEL AND bloody Murder, committed at Putney in Surrey, on the one and twentieh of April last 1614  
THIS old impotent decrepit age wherein we live, the doting World limping on her last legs, whereas impieties, blasphemies, iniquities, villainies, and thousands more of hell-hatched enormities have gotten the upper per hand, where the sweet seeming baits of Satan leads men (like bears by the noses) to commit all horrid and damnable trespasses, and transgressions against the Divine Majesty of the omnipotent and eternal God. By which abominations the wrath of the most high is oftentimes justly kindled against miserable misgoverned mankind. So that God in his justice gives many over to a reprobate sense, that they have no remorse or feeling of the breach or violating of the sacred laws of their immortal Creator, and so (woe worth the while) As they live dissolutely, they die desperately, and after all (that which is worst) they live a dying life eternally, or die a living death everlastingly. What numbers of execrable and inhuman murders are daily committed by barbarous, and brutish minded men, on the bodies of their brethren, that Cain who was the first of that bloody fraternity, if he were on the earth would blush to hear and see how far he is out passed in butcheries? Amongst the number of numberless bloodthirsty pa●irides and homicides: let this, which is here following treated of, be accounted and Recorded for none of the least which was effected, accomplished, and revealed in this sort. In the Parish of Putney upon Thames in the County of Surrey, five or six miles distant from the City of London, there dwelled this Murdered Man, named Edward Hall, by his vocation a Miller, a man of good reputation, having substance of money and movables sufficient: now this aforesaid Hall (notwithstanding his sufficiency of all things needful, yet his natural inclination was to be sparing, and in a manner miserable in his housekeeping, which procured him the hatred of his servants and family, and in conclusion was a great motive to his ●●●e destruction; for it is Reported that his wi●e ●●●ing big with Child, and that his p●r●●●ed the time of her deliverance to draw near, hi● to ●●●e charges of her lying in, did send his th●●● s●●●e miles into the Country to hi● Mothers, in ●●e mean space in her absence, he was thus treacherously, and inhumainly massacred and Murdered; for upon Thursday night the one and twentieth of April last 1614 about ten of the clock after supper, the said Hall sleeping in a Chair by the fire in his Kitchen, his servants (being three of them) namely john Selling, Peter Pett, and Edward Streater, having (as they confessed) conspired their Master his death long before, now they perceived him sleeping, thought it not fit to let such an opportunity slip to put their damnable practice in execution. john Selling having provided a pickaxe to give the fatal blow, told the aforesaid Pett that now it was a fit time to do it, and bade Pett strike the first stroke, and he would second him with another: whereupon Pett took the pickaxe, and standing behind his sleeping Master, lifting it up with all his force (being strengthened by the inspiration of the Devil, who was a Murderer from the beginning) gave his Master a violent blow on the back betwixt his shoulders, wherewith Hall being astonied fell down and gave a great groan, where Selling presently catched the pickaxe out of Pette hands stroke the second blow at Hall, and hitting him on the head, in most cruel and ●●●●●ly manner, beat out his brains, the other (their third companion in this mischief) named Streater, being all this while grinding corn in his masters Mill, a little distant from the house, not knowing as than that the devilish design was accomplished, till at last Pett went to him and told him what was done, and bade him come and behold their handiwork: presently upon this Streater left the Mill, and coming into the house where he saw his said Master lie imbrued in his own gore, with his brains most brutishly dashed out. He upon the instant, and imporunate request or command of Pett & Selling, the said Streater took the pickaxe and stroke the said Hall a blow on the breast which split and shivered his breast bone, Hall being thus dead, thése three Murderers consulted amongst themselves what were best to be done with the dead body, protesting and vowing that whosoever should reveal this their damnable deed, should have his brains beaten out. Then they all took up the dead carcase and carried it into a Stable, where they digged a hole and buried it. And afterwards devising what were the best course for them to take to keep this murder concealed, and to keep themselves clear from suspicion thereof, at last they bethought themselves of a gelding which was their Masters (at that time standing in the stable) which gelding they (all three) took and saddled and bridled, and led him forth the same night into Wimbleton wood where they turned the Horse astray, loosely to wander up and down, that it might be thought that thieves and robbers had assanited their aforesaid Master in the wood, or that some mischance had there befallen him, of the which (as they imagined) the straying Horse would be a manifest infallible token: but (as I said before) these villains having thus turned the horse lose, returned home to their masters house, where they searched, sought, and ransacked for money, and at last they found the sum of between thirty and forty pounds, which was the accursed wages and pillage which these Murderers got for their inhuman and horrible execution of the death of their Master, which by the just judgement of God they enjoyed not long, for notwithstanding that they had time to provide for their safety, from the Thursday night (wherein they did this murder) yet they remained there till Thursday following, till it pleased the Lord that this bloody fact was revealed, which fell out in this sort following. Hall was miss amongst his neighbours, and it was given out, and reported by his servants aforesaid, that he was gone a far journey into the Country, but Edward Streater being further examined, upon his examination confessed unto the Officers and chief men of the Parish of Putney abovesaid, the whole order and manner of their devising, complotting, attempting, proceeding, and executing, of this their wilful cruel and bloody Murder, which God in his justice will never suffer to be hid or escape unpunished, then john Selling upon this went into the country to his Mistress, and told her that he had found his masters horse in the wood near Wimbleton aforesaid: but the other two, Pet and Streater, were brought before Sir Thomas Gardner Knight and one of his majesties justice of peace and quorum in the County of Surry, by whom they were examined, and there confessed that they had done this cruel fact to their Master, because (as they said) he did not love his wife so well as he ought to do, and because he did not allow them meat enough, but that which I think most is to be believed from them is, when they did affirm they did it by the inspiration and instigation of the Devil. Then were these malefactors committed to the common jail of the white Lion in Sowthwark, where till the sessions they are to abide, then to have the recompense of their demerrits.  
Thus have I truly and faithfully set down the true discourse of all this horrible murder, with the manner of the take and attaching of the murderers, wherein the blind world may perceive to what a miserable estate it is brought, when as a man (for the value of so small a sum) shallbe thus massacred and murdered by his own servants, whom he best should trust. It is reported that Pompey (being a Heathen) whose valiant deeds had purchased him the name of great, julius Caesar, Mark Anthony and he contending for the Empire and domination of the whole world. Where many bloody battles was sought between them; yet at last there was a truce agreed upon for a certain time, in the which truce these three mighty commanders did feast and were merry together divers times, and being once invited to sup aboard of Pompey's Galley, as they were sat, one of Pompey's servants whispered him in the ear, and asked him it he would be Master of the whole world. Pompey fold him yes, if he knew how, then said his servant again, let us cut Caesar and Anthony's throats, and then all the world is thine. Pompey made answer, thou shouldst (quoth he) have done it without my knowledge, but now it shall not be done, for in me it is villainy, but in thee it had been good service. Thus this Heathen man may be a pattern to all Christians, that by his example they should abhor and detest murder, for Pompey would not basely take away the lives of his two mighty mortal and only enemies, although he knew the doing of it would have gained him the Monarchy of the whole world. What brutish beasts are these then, that for trifles and a little cursed coin will murder their friends? God themselves says that blood shall have blood, and whosoever sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, yet notwithstanding how many horrible and execrable cruelties are committed daily by man, on man, that one devil will not deal so devilishly with another as men will do with men. What numbers have been desperately stabbed for taking the wall, of these Roaring boys of the damned crew? (as they are fitly termed) how many have been killed for refusing to drink their friends, mistress or sometimes their whores healths? The numbers are numberies, and therefore I will let them alone unnumbered. The God of mercy and peace, iudue the hearts of men with fear of thy great and glorious name, with love and brotherly affection one toward another, that they may all with one mind in unity worship thee that art their good and merciful creator, preserver & defender: Through jesus Christ thy son our alone and only Saviour and Redeemer, to whom, with thee and the holy and blessed spirit be ascribed and rendered all honour, glory, might, majesty, dominton and thanksgiving of men and Angels both now and for ever more. Amen.  
FINIS.