The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-09 00:00:00

MAURITIUS.

MILITARY EXECUTION.-The environs of Port Louis
were yesterday morning (13th Sept.) the scene of one
of the most solemn and heart-rending spectacles which
we conceive it possible for a by-stander to witness, and
which (God be praised !) arc of rare occurrence in this
colony; use allude to a military execution.
Upi,n the present occasion the culprit was a private sol-
dier of the sith regiment, named John Tolmie, who was
arraigned for having on the Sth of last month, shot at,
with intent to kill, Corporal John Maher, of the same re-
giment, wheat he seriously wounded, and who still lies at
the hospital in a very dangerous state. The act was
committed about mid-day, when Corporal Maher was
occupied in the distribution of the men's dinner ; and
no motive whatever, appears to have existed for it, beyond
the declaration, subsequently made by the prisoner, that
he etas tirod of his life, and sought that method of getting
rid of it, as he knew that its forfeiture would be the con-
sequence of the murder lie had attempted.
The culprit was immediately seized, placed under close
arrest, and subsequently tried by a general Court-martial,
by whom he was found guilty, and condemned to he shot
to death.

From the moment that his sentence was pronounced and
communicated to him, the prisoner was unceasingly attended
by the Rev. Mr. Perring, the military chaplain of the
colony. who spared na pains to prepare his mind for the
s:
ttobiobm.faotenhhwhndi
the
awful doom he was to undergo. The unhappy man enter-
taiaed, in the first instance, some hopes that he would ob-
tain a reprieve, but these were, a few days before his death,
finally dissipated; and he was at last impressed with the
conviction that nothing was left for him but to die.
The respite having expired, techdoestiunp:dr,iedsi.arunmers,waansa
yesterday morning, before day-light, from the condemned
cell to the main guard, in which he had been confined, to
the barracks, escorted by the officer and soldiers of the
rguardtgiul
ctihi
ta. t
and
dd hheaeviiing
the relieved,
coffin,preceded
li h
iehtlhbowaaddit hebtaeoff:hbeta-hvn death-vestment
contain
remains carried immediately before him.
usual practice he wet Lot array
a.alma_dnewshsoanfodrms
self-possession;
sosfi
othne;
a; li ieh is commonly the garb of those whoCs:cunartrcareilniYintyhraerietfiabrr.l
execution, but wore his ordinary
ever, had the first strokes of the mufil
few notes of the Dead March in Saul I, aye.
been sounded, before five or six young recruits who have
prisonerre-
ocntc'
cution,The prisoner himself,‘ contrary, maintained during
fell back to the rocriart,hoevercom, e wiih.faintness.
cgcuta'trla); ne•cliniC.uh reuset.otrou,dhetlcreof:
y
by.
Jtciecatri,diric:aii:di:,,,2.l,li:ot
fh e%,.l:.,p;acti, l
is therecohis n grave
adnwe
deposited,
s itathlerede
a, escort
already
sdug,
counte-
nance which
natned..
and walked with a. more upright carriage and a more
e
observed, that a s he
apprc
aritrdal
he
h a
dB
previouslyu t h e speedily
exhibited, rallied,
knelt re
his
dttibihaienn,n.preorsbtj
ti,t
liwc,sraasn:one however,nl
u:,,,jair,,Fi,hntilei, became
sit r)etiniirfl; deadly,:os
iniifin,cr c
d his eyes to be bandaged, and sub-
laittcd to his tate with a firmness and resolution which
were worthy of a better cause.
There was riot, we believe, upon the ground a single man
in ~t was not moved by this melancholy spectaele, however
Just might he the retribution the prisoner had entailed upon
nimselt. In 'woof of this we may state that whet the firing-
party, which as usual consisted of twelve men, commanded
by a Sejezia, was called out, and the signal Olsen to fire, one
.1 the men was so overcome by his feelings as to be enable
to obey, and fell down in a fainting fit. Our readers are net
perhaps aware, that upon these sad occasions, in order to
avoid the feelnras of compunction which might either at
the moment or afterwards arise in the breasts of any of the
firing party, the men to whose lot it falls to form it, are not
allowed to load their own muskets; but that these are
handed to them indiscriminately, some being loaded witft
ball, and others with blank cartridge. At the execution
of yr:me:day, seven balls out of the eight muskets
charged with ball cartridge struck the criminal, who was
killed 'lrstantancously, although to prevent the possibility
of his sufferings being prolonged by any breath of life re-
maining in bier, a last shot was, according to custom, fired
elasa to his head by the sergeant specially appointed for
that purpose. The two regiments then formed into close
c.ilunan and marched pan the body, the men being cotta-
in order that each might regard
winded to keep eyes left,
the corpse, and retain the recollection of an act of retria
Ibutive justice d stirred to inspire horror at the punishment
reserved by military law for crimes of a similar order....
Alaiiritius Paper.