The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-08-09 00:00:00

EXLCUTION.

On Friday last Jneeph Dirkett, aged 35 (whit, together
with an nrrompliee named (;onne Barton. was convicted at
the last Aesixes fur • highway robbery at Caistor, on the 20th
of March last, on the person of John Twig?, in the service
of Mr Clothe, of Market Resew, whom they robbed of •
one posed note, • half crows piece, his greet coat, and
some other articles), was executed at Lincoln. The poor
man said welting before he was hanged except " Farewell ^'
he was scarcely sensible of his sitwation—appereoily is a
prefect stupor. Ile belonged to the parish of Waddington,
near liercoln, lon which place he gained a settlement Weer.
vitude in early youth. From the age of 17 years until he
was 25, his conduct was praiseworthy, and to general to the
satisfaction of his employers. Indeed, most people who
knew him as • young man, give him • better character than
common; and the inquiries which the writer of this eventful
h;vtory has made among many who knew Birkett per-
gooey, and had employed him as a labonrer, have
heels generally auswered with such favourable accounts
of the .poor miserable malefactor, that the ►eart bleeds
to thit.k bow fair a fame is here destroyed. His parents
were industrious people.of the loiter orders of society,
ersidtog orcavionolly at the villages of Silk Willoughby
and Fulbeck, on the Cliff, wear Limeade. Their son Joseph,
a, before observed, was a very promising lad, and for many
years was • comitri with family. At 'meters pars of
age hr rifled • settlement in the parish of Waddingtoo, by
servitude as • labourer in husbandry, with several farmers
in th■t sod the adjoining ►illages. He was much esteemed
and regarded by Ms masters, and also by his fellow.serrauts,
and was a steady sober person. Every year added to his
respectibility in the world, and, but fur his marriage with a
woman of irregular conduct, be might have escaped his
miserable end. The woman be married was one Rebecca
Brumpion, whose mother kept • lodging house at Harmelon.
Joseph chanced to be Rebecca's partner in ban eal-worb,
and began an tritium:7 which uprooted all his good habits of
many years standee/. la short, be married he►; and instead
of fielding those comforts in home and the bosom of his fa.
mily which he might have expected, the women tweed out
to be • very unsteady cad wasteful character, till at last de-
spairing of rising above his misfortioses lie sank under them;
and, influenced by her example, gave way also to the vice
of drinking, and mispendirig his lime. He had now two or
more children by his wife, who, after aim bad reduced ►er-
self sud her husband to beggary. by !mowing his clothes,
dc. departed from him, and we believe now subsists by
beggary. After being deserted by his wife, Barking saw.
elated himself with two women equally bad; and basing
broke through all restraint, and all respect for moral., took
• way of life of which the reader views the melancholy re-
sult. 'lke Rev. Mr. Keut preached a arty impressive ser-
mon us Thursday, to the condlinued, in the chapel of Lin-
cola Cecile, from the Ist book of Samuel, eh. 210, pert of 3d
verse,."F here is but • step between me and death."