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318
The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance
·
James Wilson Hyde
29
Here
the
temptation
presented
itself;
and
although
some
twenty-six
letters
were
found
inside
his
hat
when
he
was
searched,
it
is
not
unlikely
that
he
commenced
by
merely
peeping
into
the
letters
by
pulling
out
their
ends,
for
several
bank
letters
containing
notes
for
considerable
sums
had
been
so
violated,
while
the
contents
were
found
safe.
To
cover
one
delinquency
the
boy
had
recourse
to
others.
In
order
to
account
for
his
delay
on
the
road,
he
opened
the
bag
containing
his
way-bill,
borrowed
a
knife
from
a
shoemaker
who
kept
one
of
the
toll-houses,
and
altered
his
hour
of
despatch
from
his
starting-point.
The
unfortunate
youth
also
gave
way
to
drink,
stopping
at
the
toll-houses,
and
calling
sometimes
for
rum,
sometimes
for
whisky,
the
keepers
sharing
in
the
refreshments,
which
were
purchased
with
stolen
money.
On
one
occasion
the
boy
opened
a
parcel
intrusted
to
him,
and
from
a
letter
inside
abstracted
a
twenty-shilling
note.
Whether
to
render
himself
all
the
more
redoubtable
on
the
road,
over
a
section
of
which
he
travelled
in
the
dark,
or
for
some
other
purpose,
is
not
clear,
but
with
six
shillings
of
the
aforesaid
sum
he
bought
a
sword,
and
with
two
shillings
a
pistol,
the
balance
going
in
drink.
The
occupation
of
riding
the
mail
was
not
for
one
so
young:
yet
it
was
found
that
full-grown
men
often
gave
more
trouble
than
boys;
and
it
may
be
here
remarked
that
the
adventure
of
Davie
Mailsetter
in
the
'Antiquary'
is
no
great
exaggeration
of
the
service
of
postboys
at
the
period
to
which
it
refers.
The
poor
boy
Shearer
was
put
upon
his
trial
before
the
Circuit
Court
of
Justiciary
at
Aberdeen;
and
when
called
upon
to
plead,
confessed
his
guilt.
There
was
every
disposition
on
the
part
of
the
public
prosecutor,
and
of
the
presiding
judge,
to
let
the
case
go
as
lightly
as
possible
against
the
prisoner--doubtless
on
account
of
his
youth;
but
the
law
had
to
be
vindicated,
and
the
sentence
passed
was
that
of
transportation
for
a
period
of
seven
years.
Since
then
humanity
has
made
progress,
and
no
such
punishment
would
be
inflicted
in
such
a
case
nowadays.
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