The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-28 00:00:00

THE LAST SCOTCH _HANGMAN.

Jelin Murdoch, who, until disabled by age and infir•
mity about four years ago, had officiated for a length-
, ened period as the finisher of the law in Glasgow, and
who was the last hangman who is ever likely to be in
the ordinary pay of the corporation, has himself at
length " shuffled off this mortal coil." For a period of
about 20 years bis stalwart form and grim visage (par-
tially concealed by an old bigh-necked waterproof) were
seen as the presiding genius at every scaffold which was
erected throughout Scotland, and at not a few in the
north of England. Murdoch, who was a baker, came
to G'aegow from the north upwards of 20 years since,
and was even then in advanced life. He was in poor
circumstances, and contrived to get some humble em-
ployment about the corporation prperty. It hap-
pened that, about this time, Tim Young—the last func-
tionary who had a
.format appointment and a regular
salary, and who wore the executioner's official cos-
tume—was getting rather shaky, and, accordingly,
Murdoch was retained as a sort of assistant, or
stand-by. On Young's death he got a monopoly of
the trade, such as it is ; but, as he had neither the
official appointment nor the regular pay, he was remu-
nerated by the job. He took to the work quito genially,
and, as he regarded his own functions as perfectly ne-
ce-sary to good government, he did not fail to toe on
perfectly comfortable terms with himself. As his person
becalie known in Glasgow, however, he found it con-
venient for his comfort to remove from the city, and took
op his residence sometimes in Paisley, sometimes in
Kilmarnock, sometimes in the adjacent villages—such
as Motherwell—and he has even been recognized offi-
ciating as a pastrybeker's assistant at one of our fashion-
able Clyde watering-places. The tidings of a murder case
at a Glasgow circuit always drew him forth. As soon
as the judges sat down he reported his presence to the
authorities, and then waited patiently, in the hope that
the man would be barged. After sentence was pro-
nounced he felt all right. That the mind of the magi-
strates might be kept perfectly easy as to no accident
taking place at the eleventh hour- -for in this case, ac-
cording to the old notion, the yeungest Bailiie must do
the work—old Murdoch always lodged himself in prison
a week or ten days before the event, where he had bed
and hoard at the public expense, and thus he was certain
to be forthcoming when needed on the morning of the
execution. But, unfortunately for Murdoch, Glasgow
alone did not afford employment enough to support a
man of this trade when " paid by the piece," and accord-
ingly he laid himself out as a peripatetic finisher of the
law in general ; and we suppose he referred to the ma-
eistrates of Glasgow for his character and qualifications.
In this way it was his lot to string unfortunates up at
Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeen, Ayr, Perth, Dundee,
Stirling, and in varions towns in the north of England,
such as Newcastle, Carlisle, &c. Taking a pleasure in
his work, he held anything in the shape of a reprieve or
commutation in mortal detestation, end used to say that
the ridiculous weakness of the Government did him out
of the best job he was ever likely to have—viz., the
hanging of Frost, Williams, and ,Tones, for which em-
ployment he was the favoured candidate. We have said
he took a p'easure in his revolting work. He officiated,
for instance, upon the two murderers Doolan and Red•
ding, who slaughtered a railway ganger while the E
iin-
burgh and Glasgow line was being constructed, 16 years
years ago, and who were executed in a field close to the
scene of the crime. As Murdoch stood at the bottom of
the scaffold imined'ately after the men had been thrown
off, one of the authorities remarked that Doolan had
riot been properly handled, as he struggled, and suffered
much. "It's his ain fau't," said Murdoch, "aocht wad ser'
him but he wad tak' a jump when the drap geed deep ;
but see, sir, boo kindly Redding's slippin'awa" (dying).
The last occasion on which Murdoch officiated in Glas-
gow, or anywhere else, we presume, was at the execu-
tion, in 0:t. 1851, of a ma❑ named Hare for a murder
committed in B'autyre. He was then 84 years of age,
and was so lame with rheumatism that he had to hirple
after the criminal to the gallows by the aid of a staff ;
but, once there, the old fellow did his duty with nerves
of steel. Although there have been, unhappily, other
occasions of the same kind since, the magistrates of Glas-
gow could not trust Murdoch again, and accordingly
they called in the help of Calcraft, who, we trust, will
be found perfectly able to do all the work of this kind
which is required over the United Kingdom. Murdoch,
being thus laid aside, went to the charming village of
Bothwell, where, happily, his " antecedents" were un-
known, excepting to one or two, who generously kept
the secret ; and here he died on Saturday, the 15th inst.
He was maintained for the last few years by a monthly
dole from the Corporation of Glasgow, which was dis-
guised, to the public, under the head of " criminal ex-
penditure," and he will he the last official of the kind,
we trust, who will permanently have a place on the Cham-
berlain's books. He was not a native, and had no claim
on Glasgow excepting that which abject destitution gave
him, and that he had been useful in performing neces-
sary, but very vile functions. Had Glasgow left him to
starve, it would not have been an easy matter to fix the
parish liable for the support of a wandering hangman
approaching 00 years of age.

THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY.—The 14th quar-
terly general meeting took place at Exeter-hall, on
Thursday ; Viscount Ranelagh in the chair. The nob'e
lord submitted a very satisfactory statement of the so-
ciety's affairs during the quarter, observing that the
executive committee had deemed it expedient to exercise
great caution at the present period, before they resumed
active operations in the sale of the unallotted land, and
in the acquisition of new properties. The total cash
receipts to March 25, 1856, amounted to 224,006/. Bs. ld,
The quarterly returns showed an increase of about 1,2001.
on the previous quarter. The return of rights showed
5,233, of which 2,300 were unexercised. The total sale
of land amounted to 135,3711. 12s. ; for the present
quarter to 2,3211. 10s. 6d. The committee announced
that the following estates would be allotted on the 3d of
April : —Maldon, South Essex ; St. Catherine's Close,
Lincoln ; Roundhill. Brighton, third portion ' • and
Brockly-hill, Forest-hill, Kent, reserved lots ; to be fol-
lowed, at an early date, by the Woodbury-park estate,
Tunbridge-wells. The Earl of Bective, M.P., has been
elected a member of the executive. A drawing took
place for 100 rights of choice, and 50 were added by
seniority,