An Exact NARRATIVE OF THE Bloody Murder, AND ROBBERY COMMITTED. By Stephen Eton, Sarah Swift, George Rhodes, and Henry Prichard, upon the Person of Mr. JOHN TALBOT, Minister. WITH The manner of their Apprehension, Arraignment and Condemnation. ALSO, A List of all the other Persons that are Condemned, with the several Offences for which they were Executed.  

Licenced,  
July 14. 1669. ROGER L'ESTRANGE.   
Printed for R. Tayler, at the Crown in Little-Brittain. 1669.   

The Relation of the Robbery committed by Stephen Eton, Henry Pritchard, and Sarah Swift, etc. upon the person of Mr. John Talbot, Minister.  
MR. Talbot having been sometime Minister of Lansdon in Essex, upon some misunderstanding between him and some of his Parishioners, came to London, and took a Lodging in Bishopsgate street, where he for some time continued in quietness, going about such business as he had to do in London; till on Friday, July the 3d. passing from his Lodging and going down Cornhill, he perceived himself to have been dogged from his Lodging; having this suspicion, he goes out of his way, and rambles up and down the Ruins, still perceiving himself to be followed; coming to Shoo-lane he there goes into a house to drink, where he had not long been, ere one of the persons whom he perceived to dog him, came in also, which confirmed his suspicion; having sat there some time, the party that dogged him went away, and in a little time after he goes for Grays-Inn: but he had not gone far ere he perceived himself to be again dogged by him that came into the house to drink; coming to a Counsellors Chamber in Grays-Inn, he relates the story to him, with the occasion of his suspicion; which was; that he had heard some Bailiffs were employed to arrest him, and had forty shillings given them to do it, and that he believed these were Bailiffs followers that had dogged him. He tarried there from three of the clock till ten at night, and then (being advised by his friend) he took his way over the fields to go to his Lodging: He had not been long on his way, ere he had the same occasion of suspicion as he had before, being followed again; upon which he goes out of his way, but is still beset, some behind, some before, and on each side some. He altered his course several times, but could not get rid of his companions; yet still continued his way to his Lodging. At the end of Old-street near the fields, he perceives them to draw nearer to him, upon which he quickens his pace, and makes what speed he can to get clear of them By this time he perceives them to make directly after him, and call to one another to fall on, and is at last set upon by three or four, from whom, after much struggling he at last makes his escape to a Garden hear Annis-a-Cleer, where he hoped to find some assistance, but was deceived in his expectation, it being not near any house; and being closely pursued by those that had before assaulted him, he is again set upon, and being able to make little resistance, (having spent himself in struggling with them before, and running from them to make his escape) is easily overcome, whom when they had gotten down they stripped, and one of them taking his own knife out of his pocket, most inhumanely cut his throat and stabbed him, and then turned him on his face and left him for dead, after which they hid themselves in the Garden, it being then about eleven of the clock when the fact was done.  
A little after, happened a very great shower of Rain, which caused the Brick-makers to come to their works to cover their Bricks, to preserve them from the injury of the weather; which having done they again return, (and now the great providence of God in this Rain and the discovery of the Murderers is very wonderful) for one of the Brick makers going along by the side of the Garden, and looking over, discovers Mr. Talbot lying naked, upon which he leaps into the Garden, takes him by the hand, and lifts it up, and finding no strength in it; concluded the man to be dead; calls to the rest of his company, who came to him, to whom he relates the accident, and immediately they went down to Shoreditch, where they got two Constables, and other assistance, and return again to the place where Mr. Talbet lay, whom they immediately took up, and began to question him about his condition, but he being deprived of his speech, answered as well as he could by signs; Having taken up him that was thus mortally wounded, and provided to carry him away to Shoreditch in a Wheel-barrow, they looked about the Garden to see if they could discover any thing elf; one of them by chance espies Mr. Talbots doublet, and going to take it up, discovers another man (which was Stephen Eaten) the doublet lying on one side of him, and the bloody shirt on the other, and then called, to his Company, telling them there was another man dead; upon which Eton rises, and proves himself alive; the Brick-maker demanded of him what he did there? he replied, He was locked out of his Lodging, and that he came there to sleep; endeavouring to make his escape, but the Brick-maker taking hold of him, told him he must tarry with them a while, the other made resistance, till being knocked down by the Brick maker, and finding it in vain to make any further attempt to get off, he submitted.  
The Constable carried him away, and secured him in the Stocks, till he had taken such further care of Mr● Talbot as was necessary; when he was a little revived, they bring Eton to him, who presently took pen and wrote, That that was the man that cut his throat.  
Some other persons being to view the place where this fact was committed, observed a person to peep out of a Ditch and to lie down again, a Constable coming to him, and ask what he did there? he answered, No harm; The Constable told him, he must go along with them; to which he seemed at the first unwilling, but seeing no other remedy, along with them he goes to Mr. Talbot, who presently wrote, That that was one of them that set upon him; this was Henry Pritchard, by Trade a Tailor.  
Near the place where Eton was taken, Sarah Swift lay asleep in an Outhouse, who was apprehended, and impeached by Mr. Talbot b●●…as was assistant in this Robbery, and cried out Kill the Rogue. She is noted for a notorious Thief, and hath already been burnt in the hand▪ ●o These being all carried, before a Justice were sent to Newgate.  
On Monday July the 15th George Rhodes an Apprentice to a Broker in Long-lane, came to see his acquaintance Sarah Swift at Newgate, where by his discourse he was judged to be an assistant with the rest in the Robbery, and notice being given to the Constable to apprehend him, he repairs to his Master's house to inquire for him, but not finding of him there at that time, he leaves word with his Master to give him notice of him so soon as heisaw him, which he accordingly did, and had him apprehended and carried before a Justice, by whom after his Examination, (not being able to give any account where he was that night, and venting some suspicious words, besides Mr. Talbot's testimony, that he was one of the persons that dogged him, though he could not say he was there when he was robbed) was sent to Newgate to the rest of his Complices.  
Mr. Talbot being carefully looked to by his Physicians, was judged to be in a hopeful way of recovery, and was ready to satisfy all questions that were put to him, by writing his answer; He did constantly affirm, that he never saw Sarah Swift before in his life, to his knowledge, (though reports have been otherwise) and that he had not any acquaintance with any of the rest of them, nor drank with any of them in his life. He could not devise what should make them to dog him so long and so far as they did, and to deal so inhumanely with him; he was robbed of two and twenty shillings, and two gold Rings.  
On Sunday he had his speech, and talked much, none doubting of his recovery; but it lasted not long, for by reason of his straining to answer all questions propounded to him, though enjoined the contrary, he so weakened himself, that the use of means was rendered ineffectual, and on Monday July the 12th gave up the ghost. Thus you have the Relation of a Murder and Robbery committed by 6 men and a woman, who had all of them time and opportunity enough to escape; but the just hand of God would not suffer them to go unpunished, for so barbarous an Act committed against the Law of God, the Laws of the Land, and the light of Nature, but i●●a●u●u●ted them that they might be brought to condign punishment.  
Eton being brought to the Sessions, pleaded Not Guilty, but the proof was so clear against him, the circumstances of his being taken, the bloody knife on one side of him and the doublet on the other, some bloody. Tape sound in his Breeches, and Mr. Talbots affirmation under his hand, that he cut his throat, and robbed him, the case was so clear that he was soon found guilty of the Endictment. Sarah Swift and Henry Prichard were both found guilty of the same Robbery. George Rhodes pleaded Not Guilty, but having nothing to justify himself, and able to give no account where he was that night, and saying, If he died five more should die with him, besides Mr. Talbot's testimony under his hand, That he was one of the persons that dogged him was found Guilty, and all of them received sentence to be executed.  

A List of the other Prisoners that were Condemned to die, and their several Offences.  
Thomas Reeves, was condemned for stealing a Horse, and Executed.  
John Goodwin, was condemned for stealing 15. l. in money, and Executed.  
Grace Hawkins, condemned for felony, and Executed.  
Anne Hall, condemned for murdering of her Infant, and Executed.  
Elizabeth Garret, condemned for murdering of her Child, and Executed.  
Edward Oram, and Robert Hack, Clippers; both condemned, but Reprieved.  
Edward Maddox, Highway man, condemned but Reprieved.  
John Philips, Highway man, condemned and Executed.  
Cuthbert Allen, condemned for breaking the house of one George Page, Executed.  
Francis Baker, for stealing a Farendine Gown and other things, condemned and Executed.  
Toby Wright, condemned for stealing a Barber's Instruments, Reprieved.  
Edward Mace, upon a former Judgement, again Reprieved.   

Wednesday, July 14.  
The Prisoners were conveyed in several Carts from Newgate to the place of Execution. All the way is they passed, the streets were thronged with Spectators, and at Tyburn they were in such numbers that the Carts could not get up to the place of Execution, the Prisoners being led thither on foot, where being placed in Carts, Mr. Partridge a Minister made an Exhortation to them, and others prayed with them. Several of them were very penitent, confessing their sins, and begged of the Lord for pardon. And some seemed not at all concerned, though they had not many minutes to live.  
Stephen Eton prayed himself, to this purpose; That he had been a great sinner, and that he had greatly offended the Lord, by mispending his time, breaking of Sabbaths and keeping ill Company; That it was not long ere he should appear before the Lord, either on the Right hand or on the Left, with a Go ye Cursed, or Come ye Blessed; humbly begging of the Lord to pardon all his sins, to wash them away in the blood of his dear Son; That he would give him an assurance of his Love, and Pardon of his sins, before he sailed into the Ocean of Eternity.  
George Rhodes seemed to be very penitent, weeping bitterly, but said little.  
Two of the women were very penitent, and were much wrought upon while they were in Newgate, and brought to a sense of their sins by some Ministers which came to them in Prison, and died very cheerfully with an assured hope of their salvation.  
After the Prayers were ended, they being all tied together, the Cart was drawn from them, after which Philips struggled very much, but the rest were all of them soon dead. And thus have you an account of several persons condemned for several offences, and come to an untimely end, to the great grief of all their friends and Relations; which might have been prevented, if they had walked in the fear of God, and kept themselves to honest employments.  
FINIS.