Chigwell; bent upon procuring a conveyance to London from that place,
and carrying him at once before a justice. The disturbed state of the
town would be, he knew, a sufficient reason for demanding the murderer's
committal to prison before daybreak, as no man could answer for the
security of any of the watch-houses or ordinary places of detention; and
to convey a prisoner through the streets when the mob were again abroad,
would not only be a task of great danger and hazard, but would be to
challenge an attempt at rescue. Directing the sexton to lead the horse,
he walked close by the murderer's side, and in this order they reached
the village about the middle of the night. The people were all awake and
up, for they were fearful of being burnt in their beds, and sought to
comfort and assure each other by watching in company. A few of the
stoutest-hearted were armed and gathered in a body on the green. To
these, who knew him well, Mr Haredale addressed himself, briefly
narrating what had happened, and beseeching them to aid in conveying the
criminal to London before the dawn of day. But not a man among them
dared to help him by so much as the motion of a finger. The rioters, in
their passage through the village, had menaced with their fiercest
vengeance, any person who should aid in extinguishing the fire, or
render the least assistance to him, or any Catholic whomsoever. Their
threats extended to their lives an
