Sometimes it's better not to allow one's inner skeptic to run wild.

 I have long been a fan of the song "The Highwayman" by Loreena McKennitt, which is based on the poem of the same name by Alfred Noyes. But, my inner skeptic just *had* to examine the poem. The problem : If the redcoats tied Bess "at attention" and jammed a musket under her breast, assuming a standard long pattern "Brown Bess" musket common in the 18th century, the trigger would have been only about 16 inches off the ground. Were Bess the typical height for someone of those days -- about 5ft 2" for women, if I remember right -- I don't think Bess could have reached the trigger with her hand. Drat. another myth busted. 

Poem: The Highwayman, by Alfred Noyes 

Song : The Highwayman, Loreena McKennitt.