Letter to the magistrates of Edinburgh : in consequence of the official statement lately published in justification of their conduct with regard to the execution of Robert Johnston.
Town Council (Edinburgh)
One Who Honours Magistrates Only as They Honour the Laws.
Edinburgh : For the booksellers,
1819.
When the Tolbooth jail was knocked down, a new scaffold for public executions was erected in its place on the  Lawnmarket. Robert Johnston was to be hanged there for armed robbery on 30 December, 1818. The trapdoor failed to open completely, however, and Johnston was seriously injured but still alive. The Edinburgh mob, taking advantage of the few officials present  cut the man down and carried him away. The military intervened and took Johnston back to the scaffold where another attempt was made to complete the execution. Johnston's death finally came over eight hours after the execution process had begun. The anonymous author of the work seems to have been an observer. He criticises the city magistrates for presiding over the bungled execution, most  particularly for not bringing in "an experienced executioner" and for not ensuring that the scaffold was secured by an adequate civil force.
Signed: One who honours magistrates only as they honour the laws.
Johnston, Robert, -1818.