Spring Heeled Jack

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Spring Heeled Jack
The Terror of London
OUT of the enormous army of highwaymen, footpads, and housebreakers, who have made themselves famous or infamous in the annals of English crime, probably not one ever succeeded in gaining such a large amount of notoriety in so short a space of time as the subject of our present sketch, Spring-Heeled Jack.
This quickly acquired reputation was the result, probably, of the veil of mystery which shrouded the identity of the man who was known on all hands as the Terror of London.
It was at one time generally believed that Spring-Heeled Jack was no less a personage than the then Marquis of Waterford.
This, however, was distinctly proved not to be the case, although the manner of proving it does not redound to the noble marquis's credit.
That the Marquis of Waterford and Jack could not be identical is proved conclusively by the fact that the terrible apparition showed itself to many persons on the 4th, 5th, and 6th, of April, 1837.
At this time we find from an indictment which was tried at the Derby assizes on Aug. 31st, 1837, that the Marquis of Waterford, Sir F. Johnstone, Bart., the Hon. A. C. H. Villiers, and E. H. Reynard, Esq., were charged with having committed an assault on April 5th, 1837.
On that day it was proved that the defendants were at the Croxton Park Races, about five miles from Melton Mowbray.
The whole of the four had been dining out at Melton on the evening of that day, and about two in the morning of the following day the watchmen on duty, hearing a noise, proceeded to the market place, and near Lord Rosebery's place saw several gentlemen attempting to overturn a caravan, a man being inside at the time.
The watchmen eventually succeeded in preventing this.
The marquis immediately challenged one of them to fight.
That worthy, however, having heard something about the nobleman's proficiency in the "noble art," at once declined.
On this the four swells took their departure.
Subsequently the same watchmen heard a noise in the direction of the toll bar.
They proceeded there at once, when they found that the gatekeeper had been screwed up in his house, and had been for some time calling out--
"Murder! come and release me."
The watchmen released the toll-keeper and started in pursuit of the roysterers.
When the "Charlies," as the guardians of the peace were called in those days, came up with the marquis's party for the second time, the watchman who had declined the challenge to fight observed that one of the swells carried a pot of red paint while the other carried a paint brush.
The man who had by this time grown a little more valorous, managed to wrest the paint brush from the hand of the person who held it.
But his triumph was of short duration, the four swells surrounded him, threw him on his back, stripped him, and ten minutes later the unfortunate man was painted a bright red from head to foot.
They then continued their "lark," painting the doors and windows of different houses red.
Some time later or rather earlier, Mr. Reynard was captured and put in the lock up.
The marquis and his two remaining companions succeeded in making an entrance to the constable's room.
Once there they had little difficulty in forcing him to give up his keys.
Once having obtained possession of these they had little difficulty in releasing the prisoner.
This done they bore their living trophy back to their lodgings in state, and the little town resumed its normal condition of quiet repose.
The jury found the defendants (who were all identified as having taken part in the affray) guilty of a common assault, and they were sentenced to pay a fine of ￡100 each, and to be imprisoned until such fine was paid.
It is hardly necessary to add that the money was at once forthcoming.
So our readers will see that this disgraceful affair proves conclusively that the Marquis of Waterford and Spring-Heeled Jack had a separate existence, unless the marquis was gifted with the power of being in two places at once.
In the Annual Register, Feb. 20th, 1837, we find the following--
"OUTRAGE ON A YOUNG LADY.--Frequent representations have of late been made to the Lord Mayor, of the alarm excited by a miscreant, who haunted the lanes and lonely places in the neighbourhood of the metropolis for the purpose of terrifying women and children."
"For some time these statements were supposed to be greatly exaggerated."
"However, the matter was put beyond a doubt by the following circumstance:--"
"A Mr. Alsop, who resided in Bearbind-lane, a lonely spot between the villages of Bow and Old Ford, attended at Lambeth-street Office, with his three daughters, to state the particulars of an outrageous assault upon one of his daughters, by a fellow who goes by the name of the suburban ghost, or 'Spring-Heeled Jack.'"
"Miss Jane