22nd July 1812: Soldiers clothing and a butcher's knife found near Wakefield

The 25th July 1812 edition of the Leeds Mercury reported a strange discovery made near Wakefield on the morning of Wednesday 22nd July 1812:

On Wednesday morning in the plantation, adjoining the house of Mr. Tootal of Wakefield, were found an hussar jacket and pantaloons, and a butcher's knife, the former of which had been stolen from the White Hart, and the latter from the common slaughter house in the course of the night. The purpose for which these were taken is yet to us a mystery, but we cannot help surmising that it must have been a very bad one

 Tootal had had 300 panes of glass in one of his buildings smashed two months earlier.