The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-02-22 00:00:00

iag order

The Sherifr Surry,
Tito Clergt:utun in his Ru'.yea,
Mr. lies, the Ketper• with a Mute wettl,
High Consiable,
Other Constab!cts.

The Executioner, with a drawn sword. MAC/+A-
NASA and GRAIIAM were first put into the hurdle,
and &ma tc the lodge, where the inner gates were
npened, and they were conveyed to the stair-case
that leads up to the scaffold. The hurdle then re-
rarned, and brought

Broughton and Wrltten,
th-n
Wood untl Fatlci>.

last of all, Colonel I)Lsr.vrtu was put into it
alone. MACHAMAR A seemed intent upon the book
in his h:md. GRAHAM remained silvat.. Btouon-
TON leaped into the hurdle, smilc J, and looked up
to the xaffold. Wool) and els both smiled;
and of them surveyed the awful scene with much
composure. Dsse ARS) 11100 k hails with a Gentle-
man, as he got into the hurdle, Lnwi looked up to the
seaffold with a smile.—As soon as they bud all been
conveyed in the hurdle to the r,tairease that leads to
the scaffold, they were escorted rp one by one—the
SHERIVIt Sir RICHARD FOILDOITC Clergyman, (Mr.
Witoortsav It) the Romeo Catholic Clergyman,
and Mr GI; trrtva, preeeffmg them. Seven coffins,
which had been previously placed in a room unier
the seaficld, were brought up, and placed ca the
pla:foinv on which the drop was erated.
There were about one hundred spedators on the
pbtforrn. The greatest order and silence pre-,
wailed.

As soon 2S the prisoners were placed on the
bindle, St. George's bell toiled for some time. It
was abot.t half pas: eight when the prisoners were
brought up to the scaffold one by one.

As soon as the cord was fastened round the neck
of one, the second was brought up, and so on till
the cords were fastened, round the necks of all the

seven.

MA C. rAMA R A watfirst brought up; he still held
a book in his h.ind ; anti when the cord wasplaced
round his neck, he exclaimed, with the greatest.
devos;:m, " Lord Jesus, have mercy upon me! Oh !
Lcrd, look down with pity upon me !"
Gamts 74 came second. He looked pale and
ghastly, hut spoke net.

WitATTEN was the third : he anended the =al-
-
frhl with much firmness.

BROUGHTON the fourth, smiled as he ran up the
scaffold- stairs; but soon as the ropt was fastened
round lib neck, he turned pale and smiled no more.
He joined in prayer with much earnestness.

WOOD was the fifth, FRANCIS the sixth.—
Fa ANCIS ascended the scaffold with- a composure
w••hich he Frrtservcd. to the last..—Woos and
Bac.vonropt were equally composed, Of all of
FRAXCIS was the best...looking—tall, hand-
some;and roll made; He and WOOD were dressed
m soldier's uniform. The rest were in coloured
clothes.

Colonel DE3eARD was hrought up the last, dress-
ed in boots, a dark brown great coat, h:s hair on-
powdered.
The Colonel ascended the scaffold with great firm-
ness. His countenance underwent not the slight,nt
changcorbilc the awful ceremony of fastouing the
rope round his neck, and placing the Lap on his
head, was performing. lie looked at the multi'ude
a:•sembled with perfect calmne.s. The Clergyman
who ascended the scaffold after the prisoners were
I ,tp, spoke to him a few words as passed.-,-
The Colonel bowed, ?.nd thanked him.

The ceremony of fastening the prisoners being
.dished; the Colonel advanced as near as he could
tt. the edge of the scafold, evidently with an intent
to address the populace. He had evidently pre-
rared himiclf for t:,:e purpose, as.he had. early in
the morning, expressed a•wish- to that efrea to the
Sheriff and Sir 'lt 'cult ID Fuel), who signified their
agent. As soon as the populace perceive.] his inten-
titz, there:was an universal call for silence. lu an in-

~" --g

gnu all clamour suhsidgeft and 11l sirs, 01 Ira
silent throu!Th the iirarsense multitude assembled
upon the eccasion--not a breath or murnttr.- was to
be heard. It was all anxiety to catch every word
that should fall from him. The Colonel then, with
a firm step and collected manner, advanced to the
front of the scaffold, and delivered an address, in
precisely the 'following words :

" FELLOW CITIZINi--1 am come bore asvou seo, after
having served my eou:itry faithfully, honourably, and I trust
usefully, for 30 years and upwards, to sufFer &all upon a
scaffold, for a crime, which I am no more guilty of than any
mat who is nor looking at 1112,-.4 d 3 solemnly declare,
that I am no more guilty of it than any of you who
may be now listening to me. IS utiptough his Majesty's Mi-
nisters knots I am not guilty, they avail thentsetves of the op-
portunity, which they have, of destrm ing a man, became they
think he is a friend to truth, to liberty, and to justice, and be-
cause he has been a friend to the poor, and to the eippecsseC.
llut, Tellow Citizens, I hope and trust, that notwithrondiug
my fate, and perhaps the fate of many others who may follow
me, that still the principles of liberty, justice, and humanity,
will triumph over falsehood, deapoti.m and delusion, :nd every
thing else hostile to the interests of the human race. And
now, having said this, I have not:sing more to arid, toot to
wish you all that health, that happiness, and that fortdoni,
which I have ever made it thy ctel.uvuur, as far as: lay in my
power, to prucu.e for every one at you, and for mankiis:i 0i ge-
neral."

We pledge parselves for the fidelity of the report
of this speech. We have been the more ar.tious to
give it truly and accurately, as ive understand it
has been much misrepresented. It was stated with
confidence, that-the Colonel had declared, as matter
of ecnsolation in his dying moments, that ‘, lie left
behind him many persons who would finisil the bu-
siness which lie had begun." This, if true, might
excite considerable alarm ; but we can assure our
readers, that no such expression, or any 'hint at all
like k, escaped him, and that he did not say one ward
more or less, than what we have irrrpnted to him.
immediately after this speech, the populace sheer-
ed ; but the impulse immediately subcidcd.—
As soon as Colonel DUPARD had ceased speaking,
the Clergyman prayed with five of the prisoners.
MACNAMARA prayed earnestly with the Clergyman
of his own perstrasion. PES PA RD surveyed the po-
pulace; and made a short answer, which we could
not hear,. to some few words addressed to him by
Fs aNC ts, who was next to him.

The Clergyman now shook hands with each of
them. Colonel DESPARD bowed, and seemed to.
thank him as he shook hands with hin The err.
cutiouers pulled the caps over the faces.of ttn.'
hapry persons and descended the s:affold.—Most of
then " Lord :taus, rae4:fre our souls 1"

I.he last and most dreadful part of the ceremony
was now to be performed. The most awful silence
prevailed, and the thousands present an with one
accord stood uncovered.

At seven minutes ',e'en nine o'clock the signal
was given, the platform dropped, and they were all
launched into eternilr ! !

Colonel Dm on had not one struggle. The
executioner 'Suited his legs. He was dead in an
instant. No spasm, or convulsion marked his exit
from life.

MACNAMARA, GRAHAM, WOOD, And WaAT.•
TEN, were motionless after a few straggles.

Baoucoron and FRettcrs struggled virilently for
some moments after all the rest were without mo.
tion. The ex4:cutioner pulled their legs, towput an
end to their pi.,.
After hanging exactly half an hour, the bodies
were cut down. Colonel D !sr ARD was first cut down,
his. body placed npon saw-dust, and his head on a
block. After his coat had been taken off, his head
was severed from his body. This was done by the ex-
ecutioner, with a surgeon'simife. A young Surgeon
attended, and pointed out the mode. The Execution !r,
however, effeaed it with considerable difficulty.
The Executioner then took the head by the hair.
He carried it round' the parapet on the right-hand
side, holding it up to the view cif the populace,
while another officer, who accompanied. him, cx-
laimed,
"'rho is the bead of a:ttaitor—EDwAßD- MAI/ICUS DE -
PAR', I."

There was great hooting and hissing at this exhibi-
tiory particularly among the populace who occupied
the tenter-fields. They used the most opprobrious
expressions, and secnied very indignant. The-same
cetemotly was then performed at the left haad side
of the parapet, by the same two officers in proces-
sion, the one carrying, the head and the other using
•
the same exclamation.

TliP Colonel's body was then put into the coffin
that had been prepared to receive it.
The other sufFerers were then cut down, their
beads severed front their bodies, and exhibited to
the- populace.with the same exclamation of--0 this
is the bead of another traitor."

The bodies were then put into their different
shells, to be &livered. to their fricnds for inter-

merit.

The populace were struck with the appearance of
MACtiAllAtt A, who, on ascending the scaffold,
bowed; many of them were acquainted with him;
they pitied the situation of his wife, to whom he
had been married but a short time: it was at first
thought he was CL)IO.CCI DesP.sao.—The crowd at

YIT

the earnazcie 61 I lorsemonger-Lune was in:intense
As the time of execution drew near, the people from
all parts came xith such force as to bear (fawn all
opposition. Those who b.nd been in dry situations
were pushed into the middle of the mad, where
they stood almost up to the knees in mud.--Many
fainted, both men ind women—of the latter, how-
ever, there r•erc bat few. While the heads were
exhibiting, the populace took off their hats.
l'lie execution was over by ten o'clock, and the
poptflace soon after dispersed quietly. There wa;
not the least tendency to riot or disturbance. The
precautions, however, taken by Government, were
certainly proper. We unclerstar.d, that a sky-rocket
was sent to the keeper of the prison, to be let off, as
a signal to the military, in case of any disturbance.

The whole of the awful ceremony was conducted
by Sir ItICHAun Four and the• Sheriff, with the
greatest solemnity.