1. End of The Highwayman 19th April 1758
Highwayman finally gone from the roads.
By Helga Hufflepuff
Unbelievable events have occurred in the village of The Hollow over the last few nights. Ending dramatically last night. However, all was not lost, as there have been sightings of the local highwayman ( a thief ) and his beloved Bess at the old-inn, appearing in ghostly form.
His Love
It all started in the late afternoon, when the highwayman was spotted, by a witness, riding a silky, black horse. He was wearing an eye mask, a cape and gloves, clattering over the cobbles to the old-inn. He started cracking his whip on the shutters, trying to get someone’s attention, but then he started whistling a tune, that finally caught the person’s attention. She was a girl with long, black hair which she was plaiting a dark love-knot into.
Gold
According to the eye-witness (whose name does not want to be mentioned) it was claimed
that The Highwayman was talking to the girl (Bess, the Landlords daughter) saying that he was going to ‘win-a-prize’. Then, he stood up on his horse and gave the young lady a peck on the cheek. Then, he sat back down on his horse, and galloped into the night.
Red Coats
On the Saturday evening, King George’s troop marched into the old-inn, they drank the Landlords ale, and behaved in a boisterous way. Then they rampaged upstairs as noisily as elephants to find Bess. They tore apart every room to find her and then they tied her to the bed, with a musket behind her.
Decision
She could hear The Highwayman coming closer, she had to make a decision, take her life and save The Highwayman or save her life and get The Highwayman killed. Before she could change her
life and get The Highwayman killed. Before she could change her mind she pulled the trigger. The Highwayman was returning to the inn with a bag full of gold, that was when he heard the gunshot, he turned his horse and galloped back the way he had come. He knew something was wrong but he didn’t know what it was. The next morning, he heard the news. Bess, his beautiful Bess had taken her life for him, he ran back, wanting revenge on whoever had done this to Bess. The Red Coats had heard him coming and shot him down as soon as he got there.
Ghosts
Villagers thought that the nasty events had come to an end, but they were wrong. There have been sightings of The Highwayman in a ghostly vision every Sunday evening on his horse, clattering up to the old-inn where his beloved Bess is waiting, still plaiting that dark red love-knot into her long black hair.