Ale Draper—Eugene Aram

In Hargrove's well-known history of Eugene Aram, the hero of Bulwer's still better known novel, one of the guilty associates of the Knaresborough murderer is designated as an "Ale Draper." As this epithet never presented itself in my reading, and as I am not aware that *draper* properly admits of any other definition than that given by Johnson, "one who deals in cloth," may I ask whether the word was ever in "good use" in the above sense? My main purpose in writing, is to propound the foregoing Query; but while I have the pen in hand permit me to ask,— 1. Whether it be possible to read the cel…