An Account of a most horrid and barbarous murther and robbery committed on the body of Captain Brown, a gentleman ... near Shrewsbury in Shropshire ... by his own tennant and servant and seven more villains, cutting off his head, putting it into a sack and burying it with the body in a hop-field ... with the most strange, wonderful and miraculous discovery of the same on Tuesday the 22d. of March, 1694, by the apparition of the gentlemans spirit to divers persons of good quality in the countrey ...

AN ACCOUNT of a most Horrid and Barbarous MURTHER and ROBBERY,

Committed on the Body of Captain Brown, a Gentleman of Eight Hundred Pound a Year, near Shrewsbury in Shropshire, (who lately lived in Soho-square) by his own Tennant and Servant, and seven more Villains, cutting off his Head, putting it into a Sack; and burying it with the Body in a Hop-Field, in his Scarlet Cloaths; with the most strange, wonderful, and miraculous discovery of the same, on Tuesday the 22d. of March, 1694. by the Apparition of the Gentlemans spirit to divers Per∣sons of good Quality in the Countrey; and of the Noise of Drums and Trumpets beating Points of War on the very spot of Ground where the Murthered Captain was buried; with the Murtherers Confession, and divers others strange Particulars. Licensed according to Order.

WHAT Dreadful Remembrances have we, of the Judgments of Al∣mighty God, shew'd against Murtherers in a most remarkable man∣ner, as divers of our Modern Chronicles do set forth, which is e∣nough to deter the basest Person from the Commission of so horrid a Fact as Murther; yet it is daily seen how the Sin increases rather than abates: for how many Instances have we of late of this Nature, both in City and Countrey, and none will take warning till they are involv'd and insnar'd in utter Ruine.

For the Hainonsness of this Sin of Murther, I suppose none can be Ignorant, that it is of the deepest Die, a most crying Sin. This we may see in the first Act of this kind that ever was committed. Abel's Blood crieth from the Earth, and God tells Cain, Gen. 4. 10. And it is worth our Notice, what strange, and even miraculous Means it hath often pleased God to use for the discovery of this Sin; the very brute Creatures have many times been made Instruments of it; nay, often the extream Horrour of the Person's own Conscience hath made him betray himself; other times the Apparition of the Murdered Person, (as in the following Instance) from whence its evident that it is not any closeness used in the acting of this Sin, that can secure the Malefactor from the Vengeance of it.

I forsee there are abundance of Men, in whose Hands this Paper may come (and those as they think themselves, no mean Wit too) because forsooth, they have not been Eye-witnesses themselves will dread many of the following Passages, in the Discovery of the Murther, as Fabulous: All that I shall say to these Gentlemen is, if they dare believe nothing but what they themselves have seen; I am sure they dare not believe themselves to be Rational Creatures, and at the same time avouch it.

I know there are some men in the World so hardy and bold, as not only to de∣ny Apparitions, Damons, and Spectres, but the very Beeing of Spirits; These I look upon as Men possessed with such an incurable Madness, as no Hellebor is sufficient to quit them of. Others who belive they are, yet think them so confined to their own apartments, that they may not inter-meddle with Humane affairs, at least not shew themselves to Men: There is, no doubt, variety of Impostures in the stairs of them, but to reject all such Appearances as Fabulous, is too severe a Re∣flection upon the Credit of the best Historians, both Antient and Modern. But to proceed to the Relation.

Captain Brown the unhappy Subject of this Narrative, was an honest, gene∣rous, and worthy Gentleman of Shropshire, near Shrewsbury, had an House in Soho-Square, London, he was extreamly well beloved of the Gentlemen of the Countrey: His Lady and R••lict is a very vertuous Person, of an Honourable Fa∣mily, being sister to the present Lord C—The Captain had one of his Tenants to wait upon him, when he went Abroad; while in the Countrey, a Fellow, whom he put much Confidence, and who was indebted to him 50 l. for Rent, for which he only took his Bond, saying often in the hearing of many, that he would never touch him for it, till he saw him able. In the Christmas Week last past, this Fellow understanding, that the Captain, his Master, was to receive fourscore Pounds at a place about Ten Miles from home, communicated the same

to seven Countrey Labouring-fellow of the Neighbourhood, all as wicked as himself; These idle Persons consult and confederate together to Way lay the Captain, at a place agreed on in the Road, as he is as to pass Home, resolving there to Rob him of his Money and Life at the same time▪ but it so happen'd, that the Captain returning late in the Evening, and calling at a Friends House, He by their Perswasions, lest his Money there for fear of a casual Robbery, not appre∣hending in the least, at the same time, the Treachery of the Servant that accompani∣ed him. Now at the place these bloud 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fell on the Captain, (the Ser∣vant joyning with them) knokt him off his Horse, cut his Skull, cut off his Head, and put it into a Sack they had provided; after which they carryed him to a Hop Ground just by, where digging a Hole, they threw him in, Cloaths and all, and covered him with Earth having first ••ifled him of his Watch, Rings, &c. though they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the 8 〈…〉〈…〉 their Booty, went every Man to his own Home. The next day the Cap∣tains Tenant-Servant went to the Captains House impudently, like Solomon's. Whore Wiping his Mouth, and saying he had done no ill. But the Captains Lady seeing of him, asked him for his Master, who replyed, he thought he was come Home the other Night: However great search having been made after the Cap∣tain, and he not returning, the Servant was Apprehended, and sent to Shrews∣bury Prison, on suspition of his Murther▪ Soon after the Murther, the Spirit, or Apparition, in the plain Dress, Form and Shape of the Captain, appeared to two Gentlewomen of the Captain's Acquaintance, as they lay in Bed; he drew the Curtains, and looked on them with a smiling Countenance, and then walk∣ed to the Window, and opened the Casement; the Gentlewomen said, Lord 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Captain; what make you here, you're very merry, sure you have been up a Drinking all Night, but he retired without answering a Word; after which the Gentlewomen calling the Servant-Maid, she came up, to whom they demanded the Reason why she let the Captain up into their Room. But the Maid declared, that she nei∣ther saw, nor heard him, and that the doors of the House were shut.

Some days after the Captain appear'd to an Acquaintance in the same Village, an ancient Gentleman that was sick of the Gout: Coming into the House, the Son of the Gentleman desir'd the Captain not to make a Noise, for that his Fa∣ther was ill, and just in a slumber; the Captain went and looked on the Fa∣ther, and then sat down with the Son, who talked to the Captain, but he made no reply, only smil'd, and then retir'd, or vanished. At the time of the Ap∣parition, the two Gentlewomen, nor this young Man, knew any thing of the Captain's Murther, from Christmass till last Thursday was Seven-night, being the 22d. of March, it was not known what was become of the Captain; but on the Thursday the said two of the seven Rogues that assisted the Captain's Ser∣vant in the Murthering of him, were with six other labouring Men, working in the very same Hop-Garden where the Captain was buried; and on a sudden they heard the noise, or sound of Drums and Trumpets; upon which, think∣ing some Forces might be Marching by, they all run out to see them, but when they came, could see nothing, only heard the noise, upon which, returning to their Work, the noise encreased, and of a sudden, one of the Murderers said to the other, These Drums are for the discovery of Captain Brown's Murther; but the other reply'd with a frowning look, Hold your Bawling you fool, you know not what you say, but some other of the Company hearing of the Words, went out, and acquainted the next Justice, who was the County Coroner, of what he heard, who enjoyning them silence, and ordering a Guard near the place, came and heard the like noise, and then said to all the Fellows at work. Certainly here must be some Murder or otber extraordinary hapened hereabouts, that we thus hear this noise, and see nothing. Ʋpon which he ordered all the Fellows to dig, and thrusting in his Cane at many places, pushed at last in the very spot that the Captain lay buried, where Digging, one of the Captain's Legs, and piece of the Scarlet Cloak appearing, the two Fellows of the Company, that were two of the Captain's Murtherers, took their Heels and ran for it, but were soon stopt, and committed to Shrewsbury Goal, where the Captain's Man was before, who as soon as ever he saw two of his Companions come, and that his Captain's Body was found, made a large Confession of the whole Murther; upon which the other five were immediatly apprehended, and are all now in Goal, in order to receive their just Punishment for so horrid and barbarous a Murther.