Charlie

[George Thompson]

Here is an antedating for U. S. use, and also, it seems, the first wild-
caught passage in which the word is used, the OED's two earlier cites
(from England) were taken from dictionaries.

1826:   Mr. Editor, As I was going home a fortnight ago, my attention
was arrested by one of our "Charlies" whom I discovered in a close
confab with a young woman. . . .
        Hawk & Buzzard, April 29, 1826, p. 2, cols. 2-3

1827:   . . . the Charlies being called, . . . they were nabbed and
carried to the nask, . . . and in the morning brought before the Beak.
After being all night in limbo, they resolved to cap, (14) but were not
able to muster the Tatlers.
(14): to give satisfaction
Commercial Advertiser, February 1, 1827, p. 2, col. 3

HDAS: (1a) *1812, from Vaux, Vocab.; 1837 (U. S.);
OED (Charley, sense 1.) The name formerly given to a night-watchman.
1812 J. H. VAUX Flash Dict., Charley, a watchman, Charley-ken, a watch-
box. 1823 in Hone Every-day Bk. I. 1628 No Charlies have they now.
a1845 HOOD Tale of Trump. lv, That other old woman, the parish Charley!

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.