took him back to the tavern and asked to be informed as soon as the prisoner appeared, which happened the following Saturday. In his testimony Cockrost mentioned knocking at the door after seeing "filthy actions" through the keyhole. When opening the door he took the marshal by the collar and threatened him, saying, "I'll whip you through the Gills" when he laid his hand on the sword. Testimonies were given by a servant of the tavern proving to have seen the same scene with the prosecutor, a constable, John Carter, watchmen and some character witnesses. The constable opposed the watchmen, who were probably trying to accuse Williamson of inventing the story. At last, the prisoner was acquitted of actual sodomy and found guilty on the second charge, assault. For "sodomitical practices" Hitchen was fined £20 and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment and standing in the pillory near the end of Catherine Street, in the Strand. The newspapers carried details of his crime and trial, and they also announced the exact place and time of his pillorying. He was put in the stocks on 26 April (or 2 May) 1727. A barricade of coaches and carts was placed around the stocks by constables and others referred to as "friends and brethren" by the newspapers. Despite the obstacle, the crowd, composed mostly of prostitutes from Drury Lane, broke the line and beat the marshal viciously. The torrent of filth and stones tore the clothes of the pilloried and the Under-Sheriff removed Hitchen from the stocks long before the hour was out in order to save his life. After several weeks Hitchen recovered enough to charge three men with assault. He then served his six months in prison. Attempts to remove him from his post were in vain. In November he managed to sell it for £700 and used the sum to pay the sureties for his good behaviour before being discharged. He died about a month later, probably as a result of complications from injuries received in the pillory. His widow petitioned the courts for relief and received a 20-pound annuity. Literary references Jake Arnott features him heavily in his 2017 novel The Fatal Tree. References Bibliography Matthew, H.C.G. (2004). The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. London: Oxford UP. pp. 335–336 vol. 27. Lyons, Frederick (1936). Jonathan Wild, Prince of Robbers. London: Michael Joseph. pp. 248–302. Howson, Gerald (1970). Thief-taker General: the