the awful sentence of death," remarking that the crime of
sheep-stealing had so increased that it was necessary to make a severe
example.

One of the most remarkable adventures of the pursuit of horse-stealers
in this district occurred in 1822, and actually formed the subject of a
small book [now before me] bearing the following curious title:--

"The Narrative of the persevering labours and exertions of the late Mr.
Owen Cambridge, of Bassingbourn, Cambs., during his search for two
horses, stolen from his stable in October and November, 1822; during
which search he very unexpectedly found a pony which had been stolen
from the stable of his neighbour, Mr. Elbourne; Printed by particular
request. The Royston Press: Printed, published, and sold by J. Warren."

If the reader is inclined to smile at a book with the strangest title
that perhaps was ever put upon a title page, it should be said that the
adventure recorded in this little book of thirty-two pages is really a
most remarkable one, than which no "Bow Street Runner" of those days,
to say nothing of the modern police officer with the advantages of
railways and telegraphs, had a stiffer task of detective work, or ever
more distinguished himself for perseverance, energy and resource, than
did Mr. Owen Cambridge in this memorable affair with its innumerable
{90} journeys by coach to London, and to almost all the fairs in the
home counties, at a cost of upwards of L200. The result was that many
other crimes were brought to light, and a gang of horse-stealers was
broken up; two of them were sentenced to death at the Beds. Assizes,
and the one who stole Mr. Cambridge's horses was sentenced to death at
Cambridge, but, upon Mr. Cambridge's plea for mercy for the prisoner,
sentence was commuted. It is perhaps worth placing on record that
after the extraordinary searches, covering several weeks in London and
elsewhere, Mr. Cambridge found the thief at home in his garden in
Oxfordshire, passing as a respectable horse-dealer.

Perhaps the most interesting case of a local character of capital
punishment for highway robbery with violence and sheep-stealing
combined, was one which occurred to a Royston gentleman, for which it
is necessary to travel a dozen years beyond the reign of George III.

At the Cambridge Summer Assizes in 1832 was tried a case of highway
robbery and sheep-stealing, which was one of the last cases of sentence
of death being inflicted for these offence