STRANGE it is, to ſee how frequent of late, Murthers are Committed, and nothing can deter the Blood-thirſty; and it is as often obſerved, that the Actors of thoſe Cruelties ſeldome or never go undiſcovered, by one means or other, if they are not taken in the Act before they can make their Eſcape; for as the Devil is the Inſtigator of all Wickedneſs, and bringeth man-kind into Snares by his Deluſions, as by Drunkeneſs many times Murther is Committed, and other Acts of Violence, ſo at laſt he leaveth them, when they have acted their utmoſt parts of Wickedneſs, and nothing is ſo certain as Death; and therefore, if Man would conſider aright, what anſwer he muſt give at the laſt Day, for imbruing his hands in the Blood of his Fellow Creature Man, and the Maſter-piece of his Creator: I ſay, if he would conſider aright, he rather ought to Love, Aſſiſt, Protect, and Help, than to Wound and Deſtroy: But Wickedneſs is grown to the higheſt in this our Age, and Acts of the blackeſt Hue and deepeſt Dye, as that of Murther, are accounted the greateſt Acts of Bravery.

But not to be too long in the Prologue of this Bloody Tragedy, the Story is as follows.

There is a conſiderable Town in Warwick-ſhire, called Coleſhill, Scituate high upon an Hill, well known to all Travellers that Ride the North-Weſt Road, it being a Through-fare, and the Randevouze of the Neighbouring Gentry; Scituate near the Mid-way, between the two great Towns of Coventry and Lichfield; it happened lately to be the Scene on which was Acted the following Bloody Murther; the manner as follows.

The Oſtler of the King's-Head in the aforeſaid Town, having done ſome Courtiſie for a Gentleman Stranger, was invited over by the ſame Gentleman to the Swan-Tavern over the way, to take ſhare of a Pint of Wine, till Supper might be made ready at the King's-Head; they were no ſooner ſeated in the Room to Drink, when came into the ſame Room four Perſons, Strangers, who ſeemed to be Gentlemen by their Habits, though only one of them had a Sword; they had been drinking very hard, and preſently began to ſhew the dire Effects of their Debauchery: Firſt, they began to quarrel with the Oſtler, and to abuſe him, calling him a Saucy Fellow for offering to ſtay in their Room, and likewiſe to revile the Gentleman, for being of ſo low a Spirit, to keep ſuch a mean perſon Company; the Gentleman ſeeing them in ſuch a drunken condition, gave them good Words, wiſely thinking he ſhould have been as mad as they if he ſhould have done otherwiſe, but the Oſtler was not ſo ſmooth, upon which, they began to be very boyſterous in Words, and threat'ned him very ſore, upon which, he ſlip'd out of the Room, as conceiving himſelf to be in great danger, whip'd over to his Maſters Houſe, the King's-Head, and went up to a Room above, where ſome Neighbouring Gentlemen were drinking, to give them an account of what a Danger he had eſcaped at the Swan-Tavern; but he had ſcarce well began his Story, when the Perſons that had been ſo boyſterous at the Swan Tavern, came ſwaggering up the Stairs, crying, Where is the Rogue, where is the Rogue that has affronted us, we will have his Hearts Blood; at laſt they ſtaggered into the Chamber where they ſaw the Oſtler, upon which, the three that had no Swords, preſently cryed to the other that had a Sword, draw and Kill him, Kill them all, ſo he preſently fell upon the Oſtler, and ran him through the Body, at which, the Gentlemen in the Room being unarmed were aſtoniſhed, and ſhewed themſelves much concerned at ſo bloody a buſineſs, particularly one Mr. Loggins, a Gentleman of a very civil Carriage and conſiderable Eſtate, well beloved by the Neighbouring Gentry, ſhewing by a compaſſionate geſture, his reſentment of this bloody Tragedy, which the Murtherer perceiving, and being inſtigated by the other three, he preſently fell upon Mr. Loggins, and wounded him mortally three times, ſo that he preſently dyed; while this laſt Murther was acting, the other perſons that were in the Room made their eſcape, or elſe it's probable they had born a ſhare in this diſmal Story; after they had Killed theſe two aforeſaid Perſons, they began to think of making their eſcape, but three of them were preſently ſeized, and are now in Warwick Goal, but the fourth who was the Sword man, and the principal Actor, got to the Stable, got out his Horſe and fled, it being Night through the Town, without his Hat, and is not as yet Apprehended, where we leave him purſued by the Guilt of his own Conſcience till Juſtice Apprehend him, when time which brings all things to light, eſpecially Murthers diſcover this abominable Aſſaſſine; the three that are in the Goal are very Penitent, but it's thought they muſt expiate the Crime with their own blood, as being Abettors and Inſtigators of this Execrable Fact.