The Sun.
London, England, 1824-11-25 00:00:00

RECORDER'S REPORT.

Vesteztlay,.at Carlton Palace, the Recorder made his-report'
'to the King in Council of the prisoners under sentence of death,
In Newgate, who were convictettat the Old Bailey October
Sessions, namely :—John Cook, alias Cookson, alias Jackson,
' 17; Henry• Ferris, 111, of burglary, William Oliver, 16-; Wm.
Moore, of highway robbery, Wm. Dalton, 17, of housebreak.
ing, Henry John Walls, 18 ; Evan Williams, 48 ; James
Adams, ; Ann Williamson,'l7 ; Bridget Polley, 621 -Henry
Lee, 16; John Passenger, 12, of larcetryin a dwelling-house ;
and Henry Fanntleroy. 40, of forgery. 'llls Majesty was gra-
ciously pleased to respite, during his Royal pleasure, all of the
above-named convicts,excepting Henry, 'Faun tleroy, upon whom
• the law was left to take its course, and he is ordered for execu.
tion on Tuesday next. The Recorder, immediately after the
breaking up of the Council, directed his clerk to make out the
warrant, ordering Mr. Fauntleroy's execution, and having sign-
ed it, he sent the clerk with it to'Newgate.

COMMUNICATION TO AIR. FA UNTIJEROY OF
TILE ORDER. FOR II IS EXECUTION.

At half-past six o'clock the Reeortier's Report reached New-
gate, and the Reverend Mr. Cotton, and Mr. Baker, *Aso
.have been long the comforter of unfortunate culprits, and the
Recorder's Clerk, immediately proceeded to the roatwin width
.. Mr. Fauntlerey is confined, for the purpose of communi-
cating to hint •the intelligence that 'he 'is 'to die on Tuesday
morning. The Ordinary was in his black gown, and held the
Recorder's Report in his hand. Mr. Fauntlemy was reading
• a prayer-book the moment they entered. 1-le.had been wait-
, ing in a most anxious state for the Report, -haring up to the
last moment, as he now acknowledges, entertained some faint
hope of reprieve. The Ordinary, whose attentions to him
have been unremitting, had considered it His duty- to caution
him against the absurdity of expectation, and he seemed to ac-
quiesce, but still the fondness for.life betrayed him' into hope,
• and he had just seised a prayer-book to relieve his mind from
the horror of suspence. The Ordinary was deeply affected
At the appearance of • the unfortunate man, who sat with his
head upon' his hand, intently reading a prayer—the very prayer
which invokes grace-and strength to endure the dreadful change
-from life to eternity. The face of the culprit was pale as •
.fishas. lie looked up when the Ordinary approached him, and
• said, " Ali, Mr. Cotton, you are come—l see how it is," and
he rose anti walked towards the Ordinary, who was unable to
speak for some moments, but who held out the Recorder's Re-
port, and pointed to the black seal—a mark intelligible to the
-condemned. I expected nothing less than death," said Mr.
raenderoy, "and thanks be to Clod 1 am resigned to my fate."
-" Yes," said Mr. Cotton, " the Report is fatal to you, and I
trust and believe that you are prepared." " It Is very extraor-
dinary," said Mr. Faunderoy with a smile, " that I should
`have operied-the prayer-hook at the very spot in which the cul-
.prits prays to Owl for power to bear the last extremity. I
looked into it for comfort, and the comfort it gave me was in
• turning my thoughts to the grave." Mr. Cotton said he was
rejoiced to see hint in so tranquil anti resigned a state of mind.
" Yes," said he, " I have benefited by your excellent advice,
. and I learn those tidings without fear or trembling. When
am I to suffer ?" Mr. Cotton fold him that Tuesday was the
day appointed for his execution. "'Very well," said he, "
shall be ready. It is odd that when I opened that book of
• prayers which you gave to me, no doubt for the purpose of keep-
ing toy thoughts upon a separation front this life, I exactly hit
upon the words—' Almighty Cod, give me grace and strength
to spend :lie short time i have to live as it is meet, anti make tne
neeeptableso thee for Christ's sake." ' Ile then begged that the
naiaary and Mr. lial:er would call upon hint after they should
Leave visited the other prisonera. They told him they would
tetutn to hint in half Ott hour, and turned towards the door.—
" 1 hope," said he, " that I urn to suffer alone—that no.other
poor creature is to go out of the world-at the isame time. How
Is my fellowaittiliTer, Harwood ?" The Irdinary replied that
Harwood was perfectly prepared—that he was resigned and
hanity. " l feel," said MT. " that. there is happiness even
in resigning this life." Ile then reauttual Ills book, and was left
• The Ordinary •( Rev. Mr. Cullen) went round to inform
th ether ',Owners, whose narru:s were included in the Report,
of the avowable consideration which thcie cases haul re-

ceived. When he- called 'upon Barris, whose case was .sup-
posed to be desperate, and told him of the postponement of the
decision, the unfortunate man was Tau! overpowered. After
the several visits round the prison, the Ordinary and Mr. Baker
returned to Mr. Fatintieroy, who, it appeared, when left
io himself, began to paint death in his imagination in all
it. 4 usual terrors. He pressed his hand :upon his forehead, and
igheul deeply. lie muttered a few words, and looked at Mr.
Id Mr. Wier, at if. for comfort, and then. he- dropped-

(:Jtv)

!rshis eyes upon the ground, and seemed to retire within the a w
ful circle of his own meditations, and to find nothing there but
despair. Mr. Cotton took him by the hand, and Mr. Baker
told him to be comforted. He suddenly recovered from his
agony, and said he wished to pray. Mr. Baker then read a
prayer, and Mr. Fauntleroy said,in.rather a cheerful tone, " It
is better, my dear Sirs, that I Should die than that I should
have escaped to another country. Had I gone to America,
as I intended to have done, every bit of bread I should have
swallowed would have been as poison to me. Another happy
hour I never should have enjoyed; and yet, Mr. Cotton, I
had, I will acknowledge to you, some flattering hope. It was
merely a flattering hope, but still it was hope." Mr. Cotton
said, " My dear Sir, I cautioned you against giving way to
hope ; I told you there was no chance." " Yes," said Mr.
Fauntleroy, " you prevented me from encouraging that
dangerous hope, the disappointment of which .would have
been intolerable, but still it broke in upon me in some
shape or other from the first. But it is well that I am to
die. It is well fur my children that I am to die. Oh,
Mr. Cotton, I have one great consolation in leaving the
world ; I have got the assurance of a most virtuous and Ines-
timable friend that my poor boy and my two other children
shall be taken care of; I go out of life without any fears about
them. Indeed my son has now before him the prospect of a
prosperous course. He will fare better than he would if I had
been merely an exile. Oh my calamity of itself will operate in
making him virtuous." Mr. Cotton then conversed with Mr.
Fauntleroy, who most rationally spoke of his sentence, upon the
necessity of.shutting himself up from visitors, and devoting the
remainder of his days to communications with the Almighty.—
Mr. Fauntleroy admitted the propriety of keeping h imself apart,
but he suddenly returned to the subject of his condemnation.—
Mr. Cotton said he saw that Mr. Fauntleroy occasionally aban-
doned the very correct opinion he had expressed ever since his
trial of the event. Mr. Fauntleroy " I did, and yet Mr. Forbes
assured me, and indeed! had a direct communication from the
Bank of England to the same effect before my trial, that if I got
rid of the first case by any accident, the rest should positively
be brought against me. That, if any error crept in, and fa-
voured my escape upon one occasion, the Bank would do
their duty, and prosecute me until I should be found guilty.'
Mr. Cotton told him he had repeatedly made the same as-
surance to him, in the hope that all thoughts of pardon,
-commutation, or any other way of escaping with life, would
be banished. "It is true," said Mr. Fauntleroy, *" you
told me that the Bank had a duty to perform, and that
it would be a compromise of that duty to let me escape.—
I believe that to be the case, and I think the Bank would
have acted right in pursuing my life as far as the law
could go, laid I been acquitted on the first indictment." Mr.
Cotton then asked him, whether he intended to interdict
the visits of his friends before Sunday. The Ordinary thought
it world be most prudent to do so? Mr. Fauntleroy " I hope
to be able to 'devote myself to prayer after Friday night. I
think shall bid adieu before Friday night to all my friends,
who have, God knows, been kind in the extreme. Oh ! it
is a great consolation to me, that they have remembered me
in the days of my affliction. But above all, I feel comfort in
the promise so solemnly made by my friend for the preserva.
lion of my children." He aftegwards prayed with Mr. Baker,
whosehumanity to the two unfortunate men who are to suffer
death, can never be too warmly praised.