Soapbox Alan Mccormick: This Rising Tide of Crime

Summary

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GENTLEMEN once carried swords to protect their purses and a ladies' honour. Time passed and they were seen as an encumbrance... swords that is, duelling having been made illegal. So, the "life preserver" became popular, short, pocketable, woven leather, with lead shot filling. It was more sophisticated than a cudgel or a stick with a nail in and less likely to kill someone by chance.

After all, there was still a death penalty and simply stunning an assailant, who could himself be hanged if the value stolen was large enough, was seen as quite sporting.

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Extract

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Soapbox Alan Mccormick: This Rising Tide of Crime

A gentleman of substance, might prefer a silk 'kerchief with five gold sovereigns knotted into it. The amount of levera...

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