The Sun.
London, England, 1824-02-23 00:00:00

OLD BAILEY--(Thls DAY.)

Upwards of 40 prisoners, the bills against
whom had been ignored, were this morning
brought up and discharged by proclamation.
Mary Webb stood indicted for stealing, on the
27th of January, nine sovereigns, the property
of her matter, Henry Beetson, of Essex-place,
Mile End-road. The prisoner had only been a
month in the employ of the prosecutor, and on
the day in question, having missed a sovereign,
he asked the prisoner if she had found any mo-
ney, when she said she had found four sove-
reigns. An officer was sent for, who searched
the prisoner, and found I7s. l Id. in her
work-box. She at length oonfessed that she
had hid the money in the dust-hole, where it «-2S
found tied up in a bit of rag. On being taken to
the watch-house, sh• also confessed that she had
first taken a sovereign from her master's drawers,
the second time two, this third time five, and the
fourth time one from a hag in the parlour.
The prisoner made no defence, nor did any
witnesses appear to speak to her character.

The LORD CHIEF BARO~ summed up the
evidence to the Jury, who found the pi isoner—

The prosecutor and Jury recommended her
to mercy.

EXECUTION OF CHAS. JOHNSON.

This morning this unfortunate man, who was
on Friday last convicted at the Old Bailey of the
wilful murder of JAMES RICHARDSON, at
i►► the year 1821, underwent the dreadfully
ignominious sentence of the law. Since his con-
' deranation every effort had been made by the
Rev. Mr. COTTON, Ordinary of Newgate, to
bring the man to a proper sense of his awful si-
tuation, and, in a great measure, succeeded in
producing a strong feeling of contrition and peni-
tence ; but tl►is was not fully evinced until after
the service in the Chapel yesterday. The
wretched culprit seemed to think his was a case
of peculiar hardship, but eventually admitted,
that having shed blood he ought to die ; at tile
same time Observing, he hoped that the for-
feiture of his existence would be a sufficient
atonement for his offences, and during the whole
of Sunday he prayed earnestly with the at-
tendant Clergyman to Almighty God for pardon.
His wife,three children,and a brother and sister,
took a last farewell of him on Sunday :
seemed very much displeased and distressed that
they did not employ " a Counsellor, for," said
he, 44 if you had, was sure to be acquitted."
The fallacious idea was set aside by the attend-
ants, who pointed out the enormity of his offence,
and its unprovoked brutality. At parting, he
gave his wife a shilling, observing, " Betsy,. it is
all I have." On being left alone, he relapsed
into an apparent stupor, and with difficulty was
prevailed upon to join in prayer : he seemed la-
mentably ignorant, and could not be made fully
to understand the awful nature of the transition
from life to eternity. At twenty minutes to eight
o'clock, this morning, Mr. Sheriff LAUP.IE and
attendants arrived at the prison, and, in a few
minutes, the wretched culprit was introduced
into a small room, in the lobby ; he had been
previously disenrumbered of his irons ; his de-
meanour was wretched and dejected in the ex-
treme; he only spoke one or two sentences, in a

low murmuring tone, and these only in answer to
questions. Being pinioned, he was led to ti
scaffold, and being placed on the drop, was al-
most instantly launched into eternity, the rope
having been previously fixed.