Smuggling & Smugglers in Sussex - online book

An Account of a notorious Smuggling gang in the early 18th Century

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262                             SUSSEX SMUGGLERS.
Falmer, under which there was a cavern dug, which could hold 100 tubs of spirits ; it was covered with planks, carefully strewed over with mould, and this remained undiscovered for years.
"In the churchyard at Patcham there is an inscription on a monument, now nearly illegible, to this effect:—
Of Daniel Scales, who was unfortunately shot on Thursday evening, Nov. 7th, 1796.
Alas ! swift flew the fatal lead,
Which pierced through the young man's head.
He instant fell, resigned his breath,
And closed his languid eyes in death.
All you who do this stone draw near,
Oh ! pray let fall the pitying tear.
From this sad instance may we all
Prepare to meet Jehovah's call.
" The real story of his death is this. Daniel Scales was a desperate smuggler, and one night he, with many more, was coming from Brighton, heavily laden, when the excise officers and soldiers fell in with them. The smugglers tied in all directions; a riding-officer, as they were called, met this man, and called upon him to surrender his booty, which he refused to do. The officer, to use the words of the editor's informant, a very respectable man and neighbour, who in -early life was much engaged in such transactions, knew that ' he was too good a man for him, fur they had tried it out before ; so he shot Daniel through the head.''
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