John the Tosser
John the Tosser was a member of the London gang, the Blighters, during the mid-19th century.
Biography[edit | edit source]
In 1868, at her request, Mary Anne Disraeli was given a tour of Devil's Acre by the Assassin Jacob Frye. At the One Tun Pub, Mrs. Disraeli's pet dog Desmond was snatched by a man, so Jacob chased him down.[1]
After recovering the dog, Jacob realized that he had abandoned Mrs. Disraeli—the Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli's wife—at one of the most dangerous pubs in the city and rushed back, only to find the woman sat down, having a casual conversation with John the Tosser about the man's relationship with his father. Upon seeing Jacob return with Desmond, Mrs. Disraeli greeted him and tried to introduce him to John, only to realize that she had never asked for the man's name. As John introduced himself, Jacob simply replied "charmed" before promptly leaving with Mrs. Disraeli to take her home.[1]