Description:On 5 April 1813 at 7.30pm, Ralph Bowers of the Dolphin, in Shelton, was returning home across the fields from Lane Delph.
A violent and bloody attack
At Botteslow Green he was supposedly assaulted and relieved of bank notes totalling £8 by three footpads, or unmounted highwaymen.
Bowers' throat was cut in several places - a "handsome Reward" was tabled for any information leading to an arrest of the guilty men.
A reward and pardon were also offered to any one of the footpads willing to betray his fellow criminals.
A plea for information
Two men were described as short, and wearing flannel jackets. The other was tall and stout, with a fustian jacket. All three, claims the notice, may have been colliers.
The plot thickens
The morning after, a bloody razor was discovered at the scene. But the plot really thickened as the saga of the Bowers attack continued.
Pottery manufacturer Enoch Wood, who collected this notice, noted that the authorities had "found it was his own act."