Macdaniel affair
Encyclopedia
The Macdaniel affair or Macdaniel scandal occurred in England
in 1754 when it came to light that a gang, led by Stephen MacDaniel, had been prosecuting innocent men to their deaths in order to collect reward money. It was an unintended consequence of British government rewards for the capture of criminals. Before those rewards were instituted, thief-takers depended primarily on privately-funded rewards from victims seeking return of stolen property or other restitution. However, this scandal formed part of the impetus for the formation of salaried public police forces who did not depend on rewards.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1754 when it came to light that a gang, led by Stephen MacDaniel, had been prosecuting innocent men to their deaths in order to collect reward money. It was an unintended consequence of British government rewards for the capture of criminals. Before those rewards were instituted, thief-takers depended primarily on privately-funded rewards from victims seeking return of stolen property or other restitution. However, this scandal formed part of the impetus for the formation of salaried public police forces who did not depend on rewards.