The Adventures of Roderick Random

The Captain’s Deception and Escape

One evening, Miss Williams was summoned to a tavern where she met a gentleman dressed as a captain, with whom she supped sumptuously. When she woke the next morning, the captain was gone, the room door was locked from the inside, and the adjacent closet window was open. She learned the captain had escaped via the wall and courtyard, leaving her responsible for the bill, as well as a large silver tankard and posset-bowl he had stolen. She was arrested as an accomplice to the theft.

Committed to Bridewell

Miss Williams was brought before a justice of the peace, who mistook her shock and confusion for guilt. He committed her to Bridewell prison, and admonished her to turn evidence and implicate the captain in the theft as the only way to avoid a death sentence. Miss Williams believed divine vengeance had caught her, and expected to die an ignominious death in prison.

The Suicide Attempt

Overwhelmed by despair in Bridewell, Miss Williams attempted to hang herself in the middle of the night, using a hook in the ceiling and a makeshift noose. Before she could adjust the knot, two fellow female prisoners who had suspected her plan stopped her. The next morning, her attempt was discovered, and she was punished with 30 lashes. The pain of the whipping, combined with her existing despair and shame, caused her to lose her mind: she tore at her own flesh with her teeth and bashed her head against the pavement, requiring guards to restrain her from further self-harm.

Madness and Punishment

The fit of madness triggered by her suicide attempt and subsequent punishment lasted three days. After she regained her composure, she remained sullen but still determined to kill herself, so she began a hunger strike, refusing all food in an effort to starve to death.