"It is now become a practice in this city, in cases where new houses have been built, as well as elsewhere, when lodgings have been taken,and occupation gained by ladies of a questionable character, who are in general very difficult of ejectment, to proceed to "burn them out" which has been found a much more speedy and effectual process than the adoption of legal means, to get rid of such nuisances.
"This plan of "burning out" is effected by employing 3 or 4 men with flambeaus and large placards, with the inscription of "Beware," on each side of the house."
This brief report of a cunning plan, (Baldrick-style?) as described in The Exeter and Plymouth Gazette of 7th March 1835, is one of the most puzzling that I have met. Who, in Exeter, was hiring thugs ( it would seem), to be sandwich-board-men holding olympic-style flaming flambeaux, the implied threat being that they would burn sex-workers out of their lodgings? Can we believe that this had 'become a practice' in the city?
The Gazette seems to have seen this as a jolly good idea. Apart from anything else I can't imagine it could succeed, not unless the men were doing a lot more than just standing about like so many street-lamps. Ladies very difficult of ejectment would, I guess, have been well ahead of the game.
"Bizarre!" says my granddaughter.
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