The Sun.
London, England, 1824-01-10 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF JOHN THURTELL.

Yesterday, at noon, as we yesterday stated in
a SYCOND EDITION, this unhappy man paid the
forfeit of his life to the offended laws of his
.coontry and of humanity, in front of the county
gaol of Hertford. We have already stated, that
at an early hour on Thursday workmen were
employed in preparing the stage on which the
culprit was to make his exit from the society of
man. The greater part of the preparations were
completed at a very early hour yesterdoy morn-
ing. In front of time centre door of the gaol, a
space, between thirty-throe and thirty-six feet
in length, and about sixteen feet in depth, was
enclosed by !..trot4; railings, across which very
stout planks were !tailed. The whole was
painted black. 'Within this enclosure the plat-
form, with tie drop, was erected. It was in height
-about 7 feet. At each extremity of the platform,
a beam of moderate thickness was inserted in the
tarth. Those bearn•;, when thus inserted, were
nearly as high as the exterior wall of the prison.
At about nine•o'clock the workmen completed the
last part of their melancholy task, that of af-
fixing the cross-beam to the two upright ones.
In the course of the night, and at a very early
hour in the morning, some few curious stragglers
went down to the prison, and viewed the opera-
tions of the workmen. But no noise, no bustle was
apparent, until after 7 o'clock, at which period
many individuals began to takeuptheir stations for
the day—some in the road immediately opposite
to the place appointed for the execution ; others
posted themselves on the banks or hedges of the
fields opposite to the gaol, and not a few sought
to gratify their curiosity by seizing on every
-hillock, however inconsiderable, in the fields
'themselves. As the day advanced, immense
numbers came pouring in on every side. Loudon
tent forth its swarms, who were conveyed to the
scene of punishment in every imaginable species
of vehicle, including all the varieties of the donky-
cart, the taxed-cart, the superannuated gig, and
the almost untenable tilbury. The cattle were in
admirable unison with the carriages they were corn-
pelled to draw. Amongst those visitors from the me-
tropolis, we observed many of that pernicious race,
who arepur excellence, we suppose, denominated
" the fancy"—that race to his connexion with
whom Thurtell would, we doubt not, have at-
tributed all his misfortunes and all 'his infamy,
could he have been induced to speak his mind
openly. Had not his last moments been swayed
rather by a feeling of obstinacy, than by a sense
of what was due to society, he would have ex-
plained the manner in which he had been led
from one transgression to another until he dipped
his hands in blood. Such a disclosure would have
been infinitely more beneficial t© the world than
t.ty executions. But, from a false and mis-
taken notion of " honour," he refused to make to
his fellow-citizens the only real reparation which
:t was in his power to offer. He neither affirmed
iror denied his guilt : and thobgh it was expect-
ed that lie would expose the secrets of some
of those gambling establishments with -which
he was but too well acquainted, lie remain-
ed silent. In his mind, life for life was suf-
ficient; he erroneously supposed that nothing
more was due to mankind. At ten o'clock, all
the roads leading to Hertford were thronged with
• travellers. Ware and Hoddesdon,sent forth all
-their male, and, it would seem, a great portion
- of their female population. The various villages
irs•-the neighbourhood also supplied their full
quota of spectators. Two points struck us as
being rather unusual. The one was, the vast
number of equestrians who thronged around the
place of execution—most of :them apparently
of the class of small farmers, amongst whom
• were intermingled a number of sporting but-
chers, bakers, and moalmen ; the other, the
throng of women, who, to their shame be it
spoken,appeared on the ground. By 11 o'clock,
time multitude assembled was very great ; it ex-
tended, in a dense body, for about a furlong on
the London side of the gaol, and for about the
same distance on -the Hertford -side. Beyond
thi compact body, the crowd, less closely pack-
ed, extended on the one side, to a small bridge
which is thrown over a rivulet •that flows across
the road, and on the other, up to the Blue-coat
School. The field in front of the gaol was
also very full of people ; at least every part of
it from which a view of the scaffold could be com-
manded. A cow-mouse, and, we believe, a place
for rearing swine, which-stood near the hedge im-
mediately opposite the place of execution, seemed
to oiler most eligible accommodation for wituess-
kg the awful ceremony. These buildings were
slightly constructed wi:.ll boards, and covered
with thatch. They were evidently unequal to
the support of any great weight. The feelings
of curiosity, however, overcame the calculations
of prudence, and the roofs of the two buldiugs
were speedily occupied by anxious spectators.—
About 11 o'clock a portion of the roof of the
cow-house gave way : but as no person was hurt,
the warning passed unregarded. No person felt
inclined to abandon so favourable a position.—
At half-past 11, however, almost the whole
of time roof of both buildings fell in, amidst
the cries of those who had trusted their safety to
fabrics of so fragile a construction. The thigh of a
boy, named Frayley, was broken; another lad,
named Mullins, received a severe contusion on the
knee; the arm of a third person was broken, arid
many individusls were wounded in a greater or
less degree. The mischief would have been be-
yond calculation greater, if Mr. Wilson, the Go-
vernor of the Gaol, fearing from the slenderness
of these fabrics, that some accident would ensue
if the people ascended them, had not caused
them to be fillei with a great quantity of straw.
This precaution, which greatly diminished the
danger, is equally creditable to Mr. Wilson's
foresight aad human;ty. The .entire. superintend-
ence of the execution, the marshalling of the con-
stables, the preservation of the peace, and all the
minutiae connected with the business, were in-
trusted to Bishop and Upson, of the Bow-street
establishment. They acquitted themselves, in every
respect most satisfactorily. The whole proceeding,
was conducted in a manner perfectly decorous, and
strikingly solemn. A body of constables, form-
ing three sides of an oblong, kept an open spate.•

before tl►e paling which enclosed the platform.
Beyond them, the equestrians ra►►ged themselves
in a semicircle, of great extent, and at least 12
or 14 deep. A number of carts, cars, and gigs,
were placed in the rear of the horsemen. Every
interstice was filled up by, pedestrians, and these,
the humblest class of sj►ectators, extended to a
great distance on every side. To prevent the
noise of the drop being heard, Mr. Wilson di-
rected a considerable quantity of straw to be
placed against the prison wall, which effectually
deadened the sound.

The parting between Thurtell and his brother
on Wednesday evening was peculiarly affecting,
and they were obliged to be separated by an at-
tendant. It was subsequently deemed proper
that Hunt should be introduced into 'l'hurtell's
apartment. The moment that Thurtell saw him,
he shook him by the hands, and said he freely
and fully forgave him. He added, " Joe, you've
been my enemy, but I forget all that you have
done." Thurtell then employed himself in lis-
tening to the exhortations of the Chaplain, who
remained with him until nine o'clock. He then
wished that Mr. Wilson's son, whose attention to
him he uniformly acknowledged, should read
to him Paley's Sermon on Judgment, and occa-
sional extracts from Dr. Brewster's sermons. He
lay down about 11 o'clock, and Hunt sat on the
bed-side, and spent the night in a state
of great agitation. Thurtell, on the contrary,
fell into a sound sleep, and in the middle of the
night awoke for a few minutes, and again fell
into a sleep, in which he remained until morn-
ing. One of the attendants, struck with the
circumstance of his not awaking as early its was
expected., took the rug from off his head, and
found hint still fast asleep. He awoke soon after,
and said that he had been dreaming, but upon
quite indifferent matters. He then resumed, with
great composure,and apparently with fervour, his
devotional exercises. At eight o'clock he way vi-
sited by the Chaplain, with whom he continued in
earnest devotion for some time. He took toast and
tea for his breakfast, and in his conversations with
the Chaplain repeatedly expressed the consolations
he derived front the religious instruction of that
Gentleman, and only lamented the shortness of
time which remained for his penitence. lie men-
tioned that he had written on the previous day to
his father, and had done with all worldly con-
cerns. The letter so written was transmitted by
,the Sheriff through the post, under a frank
from Lord Cowper, who happened to be in the
jail at the time. After breakfast he wrote two
letters—one addressed to his brother, Thomas
Thurtell, to the care of Mr. Wontner, keeper of
Newssate ; the other to his solicitor, Mr. Fenton,
of Austin-friars ; both sealed with black wax. At
11 o'clock he was removed from his apartment
into the chapel, and before the removal, he
shook Hunt again by the heed, and repeated his
assurance of forgiveness. His sole anxiety at this
moment seemed to relate to the shame and re-
proach which he had brought upon his faritily.—
stie said that it was his lot to be •one of two fa-
vourite sons of a mother whom he tenderly loved;
and, heaving a deep sigh, he added, cc one of
them was drowned, and the other is now about
to be hanged. But I know my
mother, •not-
withstanding my .faults, will seek m -
y g
find
rave
wherever it can be found ; and, if she can
in any part of England a stone with the initials
of her son's name upon it,
she will drop a
,
tear; on that account alone I am anxious that
my family should know where my remains are to
be interred. As to myself, I know that the pro-
cess of dissection, can only happen when all sen-
sation is with me extinct. The law, I um told,
requires it.; but still, when that is done, perhaps
what remains of me will he deposited in a tombs
so that the spot may be recognized by my family."
The High Sherifi Hot having made his appear-
ance at the prison during the morning, although
he Was in the immediate vicinity, Thurtell was
informed that his request should be mentioned in
the proper quarter : but he was exhorted at'
the same time to withdraw his attention from
worldly matters, and to consider now that he
was on the brink of eternity. When intro-
duced into the chapel, he was informed by
Mr. Nilson, that in the awful stage which he
had yet to pass, he was anxious to avoid doing
any thing which could discompose his mind ; but
that it was necessary either that his arms should
be tied, or that the handcuffs which he then wore
should remain, leaving it to the option of the
prisoner. Thurtell thanked Mr. Wilson, and
said, " that as it was the same, he thought he
might as well retain the handcuffs." He was
then left alone in the chapel with Mr. Wilson--
the Chaplain and attendants having for an instant
retired. Mr. Wilson then addressed him, and
said, " Mr. Thurtell, your conduct, since you
have been entrusted to my care, has been such as
to induce nie to hope, that at this awful moment
you will acknowledge the justice of your
sentence. You see there is no person with
us—none but the Almighty can overhear our dis-
course." He replied, " Mr. Wilson, I thank you
for all your attentions to me, and all I wish to
say is this—l am satisfied ; I forgive every body,
and I die in peace and charity with all mankind ;
that is all I wish to go to the world. Pray, Sir,
do not ask me any more questions." The Chaplain
at this time returned into the chapel, and Thus-
tell, taking that gentleman by the hand, repeated
over twice the same words which he had just de-
livered to Mr. Wilson, begging that they might
be understood as his dying declaration. He then
resumed Ids devotional exercises, and said that
he died very penitent—fully impressed with the
consolations of religion, and in charity with the
world. As the clock was on the point of striking
t waive, he walked with his hand on the Chaplain's I
arm from the chapel, along the paved passage
which crosses the yard to the door of the tread-I
mill. His walk was firm and unembarrassed, his
whole demeanour that of composure and resigna-
den. All around him seemed more affected than;
he appeared himself. He cordially'shook hands
with Mr. Wilson's son, to whom in the morning
he gave a lock of his hair, and lamented at first
that he had nothing better to give him. But, as
if recollecting himself, he said, 66 Oh ! here's my
snuff-box : it is now empty ; I have no further
occasion for it. Keep it for my sake."
At tent minutes before Ic2, a bustle among the

javelin-men stationed within the boarded en -
closure on which the drop was erected, announc-
ed to the mtltitude without that the preparations
for the execution were nearly concluded. The
javelinamen aroceeded to arrange themselves in
the order usually observed upon these melan-
choly but tecessary occurrences. They had
scarcely finished their arrangements, w hen the
opening of tae gate of the prison gave an addi-
tional impulse to public anxiety. A t a few
seconds before twelve o'clock, Mr. Nicholson,
the Under-Sheriff, ascended the platform, and
was followed on to it by Thurtell, who mount-
ed the stairs which led to it with a slow but
steady step. The principal turnkey of the jail
came next, and was followed by Mr. Wilson and
two officers. Thurtell immediately placed him-
self under the fatal beam, and at that moment
the chimes of a neighbouring clock began to
strike twelve. The executioner then came for-
ward with the rope, which he threw across it.
Thurtell then lifted his eyes up to the drop,
gazed at it for a few moments, and then took a
calm but hurried survey of the multitude around
him. He next fixed his eyes t n a young gentleman
in the crowd, whom he had frequently seen as a
spectator at the commencement of the proceedings
against him. Seeing that the individual was
affected by the circumstance, he removed them to
another quarter, and in so doing recognized an
individual well known in the sporting circles, to
whom he made a slight bow. The executioner
then commenced his mournful duties by taking
from the unhappy prisoner his cravat and collar.
To obviate all difficulty in this stage of the pro-
ceeding, Thurtell flung back his head and neck,
and so gave the executioner an opportunity of
immediately divesting him of that part of his dress.
After tying the rope round Thurtell's neck the
executioner drew a white cotton cap over hiseoun-
tenance, which did not, however, conceal the con-
tour of his face, or deprive him entirely of the view
of surrounding objects. At that moment the clock
sounded the last stroke of P-2. During the whole
of this appalling ceremony there was not the
slightest symptom of emotion discernible in his
features ; his demeanour was perfectly calm and
tranquil, and he behaved like a man acquainted
with the dreadful ordeal he was about to pass,
but not unprepared to meet it. Though his for-
titude was thus conspicuous, it was evident from
the alteration in Ids appearance that in the interval
between his conviction and his execution he must
have suffered much. He looked careworn ; his
countenance had assumed a cadaverous hue, and
there was a haggardness and lankness about his
cheeks and mouth, which could not fail to at-
tract the notice of every spectator. His dress
was the same that he wore on the second day of
his trial—namely, a brown surtout, dark, waist-
coat, drab kerseytnere breeches and gaiters.
His legs were heavily ironed, and his hands were
confieed in handcuffs. His arms, by his own de-
sire,
were not pinioned. The. executioner next
proceeded to adjust the noose by which Thur-
tell was to be attached to the scaffold. After he
had fastened it in such a manner as to satisfy his
own mind, Thurtell looked up at it, and exa-
mined it with great attention. Ile thee desired
the executioner to let him have fall enough.
The rope at this moment seemed as if it would
only give a fall of two or three feet. The execu-
tioner assured him that the fall was quite suffi-
cient. The principal turnkey then went up to
Tand turned away
htueratresl.l, sr,fsloro. handslalNrns oI w
in ,
,tiitth
e
IliGllOv'ernor of the gaol,
next approached him.'Thurtell said to him, cc Do
you think, Mr. Wilson, I have got enough fall ?"
Mr. Wilson replied, " I think you have, Sir.
Yes, quite enough." Mr. Wilson then took
hold of his hand, shook it, and said, cc Good
bye, Mr. Thurtell, may God Almighty bless
you." Thurtell instantly replied,“ God bless you,
Mr. Wilson, God bless
,you." Mr. Wilson then
turned away from him, and appearing deeply af-
fected, moved to a distant part of the scaffold,
and remained there till the conclusion of this me-
lancholy catastrophe. A few seconds then
elapsed, during which every person seemed to be
engaged in examining narrowly Thurtell's de-
portment. His features, as well as they could be
discerned, appeared to remain unmoved, and his
hands, which were extremely prominent, Conti-
slued perfectly steady, and were not affected by
the slightest tremulous motion. Exactly at twonn-
nutes past 12 the drop fell, without any previous
signal being made ;
and as the violence of the fall
was such as to cause the dislocation of the neck to
be attended with considerable noise, it is reason-
able to conclude that the prisoner's death was
instantaneous,. A slight convulsion of the mouth
was observed the moment after Thurtell fell;
then came a single groan, and then followed the
stillness of death. The executioner, to maka
certainty double sure, pulled his body towards
the ground 15 or 16 times, and thereby led the
surrounding multitude to believe that Thurtell
struggled much before he died. The reverse,
however, was the case. At the moment that the
fatal bolt was withdrawn, which put an end to the
" fitful fever" of Thurtell's existence, an involun-
tary shudder was observed in the crowd ; a num-
ber of persons fled as if under the impulse of
extreme terror, and in their flight absolutely
forced down a cow-house, and some paling that
were seen in front of the prison. One man fainted
away, and several were seen attempting, but in
vain, to hide the in tensisy of their feelings. At
the same minute four horse-expresses proceeded
at full gallop towards London, for the purpose,
it was said, of informing some of Thurtell's late
associates that he had died without making any
confession to their prejudice.
After the body had been suspended about a
quarter of an hour, the multitude, which had be-
haved with great decorum and propriety, during
all the preparatory proceedings of the execution,
exhibited a strong anxiety to have a closer inspec-
tion of it, and in consequence made a rush within
the barriers in order to gratify it. They were,
however, kept back without much difficulty by
the constables. The body was left hanging till
two minutes past one, when the executioner
again appeared on the platform, and unloosed it
from the beam. It was immediately carried by
four of Mr. Wilson's officers into the gaol, where
it was laid upon a bier, with a silk handkerchief
over the face. The features, when examined,

did not appear much distorted; and the chief al-
terations perceptible in the countenance was the
number of livid spots with which it was varie-
gated. On the removal of the body into the
prison, the crowd immediately dispersed.

_ .
In the course •of the evening the body, pur-
suant to the sentence, was deliiered over by the
High Sheriff to Mr. Colbeck, a surgeon in Hert-
ford, to be anatomised and dissected. In ad-
dition to the formal receipt, which it is usual
that the surgeon who receives the body should
give for it, Mr. Colbeck has been called upon to
sign an undertaking, that he will, on no account,
sulfur any person to take a cast from it. This pre-
caution has been taken in consequence of a wish in-
timated to the High Sheriff by Thurtell himself.—
" For myself," said Thurtell, " I care nothing
whether a cast is taken of me or not ; but! know that
if a cast were taken, a bust would be made from
it, and it would be painful to every member
of my family, and to my father in particular,
if they were—met by such a sight on any fu-
ture occasion." The Phrenological Society have
applied, through one of their members, to be
allowed to take a cast of the back part of the
head only ; and as Thurtell's objection to a cast
of the face did not appear to bear upon this ap-
plication, leave has been granted by the High
Sheriff to make it. The body, it is understood,
will be just dissected in such a manner at Hert-
ford as to satisfy the sentence of the law ; it will
then be transmitted to one of the Hospitals in
London, where it will be converted into skeleton,
and so be transferred back to Hertford again.
It was stated in the course of the day, that
Hunt, upon hearing of the manner in which
Th4tell had met his fate, observed, that, severe
as it was, he richly deserved it. It was Probert's
intention to have witnessed the execution of his
associate in crime, had he not been advised by
the Magistrates to leave the town on Thursday.

We cannot conclude this account of the execu-
tion of Thurtell without doing full justice to the
courage with which he met the fate which the
offended laws of his country assigned to him on
account of the atrocious crime of which he was
convicted. In no part of his behaviour on the
scaffold was there any thing like either irresolu-
tion or bravado. The serenity with which he
conducted himself in his last trying hour, would
have caused him to be considered as a martyr had
he died for the sake of religion ; and would have
endeared his memory to his country to the latest
radaposterity,tiuo, had h
iiii a period of national de-
g a iddo%e;nls life for her injured liberties.
Dying, however, as he has died, for a murder of
the greatest atrocity, established by evidence of
the most satisfactory description, we must guard
against allowi"g our admiration of his fortitude
to overcome our moral abhorrence of the barba-
rities he committed. It is evident that he was
a man of uncommon energy of mind, and the
sympathy of his gaol attendants, men unused
to melt, stows, that he must have possessed
some kind, and generous, and amiable qua-
lities. All therefore must regret that such
a man should have suffered his nature to be-
come gradually depraved into the possibility of
perpetrating deliberate murder. At the same
time society must feel relieve,' by casting off
from its bosom a being who, having chosen the
path of crime, was equally formidable from the
laxity of his principles and the strength of his pas-
sions, from the unbounded influence his mental
vigour gave him over his associates, and from his
utter fearlessness of danger and of death. It
might have been natural to expect that the fate of
Thurtell would have excited, if not terror, at least
reflection, in the mind of many of his former
associates ; but, extraordinary as it may appear,
it is still not less true, that though they were
aware that Thurtell's first plunge into crime was
occasioned by his predilection for prize-fighting
and similar savage amusements, many of them
were speculating, at the very moment before his
death, whether he had heard of the recent fight
which took place near Worcester.

We know not what the feelings of such men
may be ; but we should have expected, that if
they entertained the slightest regard for the good
opinion of their fellow-countrymen, they would
have refrained from venturing upon such a topic
at such a moment. No words can describe our
disgust at conduct so revolting to decency,
humanity, and all proper feeling. We shall
only say, that it was in perfect keeping with the
parties from whom it Proceeded : we mean the
gentlemen of the fancy—the ruffians of the ring.