There is further mention of the connection of Dr. Johnson with Grosvenor Square, as J. T. Smith said that he
"once saw him follow a sturdy thief, who had stolen his handkerchief in Grosvenor Square, seize him by the collar with both hands, and shake him violently, after which he quickly let him loose; and then, with his open hand, give him so powerful a smack on the face, that sent him off the pavement staggering."
Until just before the beginning of the nineteenth century, the neighbourhood of Grosvenor Square was a happy hunting ground for such depredators, and there is an instance of it given in the Annual Register for 10th June 1777:
"H. E. the Neapolitan Ambassador was attacked in his carriage in Grosvenor Square by four footpads, one of whom presented a pistol to his coachman, two more one to each of the footmen, while the fourth robbed his Excellency of a gold watch and money."
This sort of thing continued for a number of years, and as time went on Grosvenor Square might have naturally been considered an advantageous spot by thieves, etc., as it was the last of London's squares to be lit by gas, an innovation that had been successfully tried in Pall Mall by Winser as early as 1807.