article_snippet: Dickens was the victim of an attempted attack on Dickens carriage  in 1862 .
article_snippet: Dickens is today venerated as one of England's greatest ever literary heroes - but Dickens was not always treated with such respect.
article_snippet: Newly rediscovered records reveal that at the height of Dickens fame, the celebrated novelist was targeted by thugs who tried to overturn the celebrated novelist on the celebrated novelist journey home.
article_snippet: But in June 1862, Dickens regular route almost got Dickens in trouble - as reported by local paper the South Eastern Gazette, which wrote about a 'diabolical attempt to overturn Mr C. Dickens' carriage' by farm worker James Stedman.
article_snippet: Gad's Hill reported: 'A little distance on Mr C. Dickens' found two rollers lying across the road, which, had two rollers not been perceived in time, would have caused serious mischief. '
article_snippet: James Munn, a fellow workman of the prisoner, had accompanied James Stedman from Strood to Higham by the 9.30, and when passing through the village saw Mr C. Dickens' carriage drive down to the station. 'the prisoner immediately afterwards went into a field and drew two rollers across the road to upset Mr Dickens' carriage on Mr Dickens' carriage return.
article_snippet: James Stedman was charged at Rochester Magistrates' Court with 'placing a horse-roller, and also a hand roller, on the middle of the turnpike road, at a late hour on Saturday night, with the intention of upsetting the carriage of Mr C. Dickens, which was returning from the Higham railway station'.
highlights_snippet: The great novelist was the subject of an attempted highway robbery in 1862 when a criminal tried to overturn The great novelist carriage .
  
highlights_snippet: Dickens escaped harm because Dickens had missed the train Dickens usually took .
  