The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-20 00:00:00

WHO EXECUTED WILLIAM DOVE.

Under this heading some singular letters appears in
the Leeds Mercury. A paragraph appeared about a
week ago in that journal, intimating that Do►e was exe-
cuted by n debtor in York Castle named Thos. Askren.
A few days after this announcement, a letter purport-
ing to be written by Mr. Pears, the Castle schoolmaster,
appeared in a iVlanchsster paper, denying the truth
of the statement about Askren. Other statements
were also put forward, to the effect that the debtors
in York Castle, or some of them, had a dislike to
Askren, and had caused the announcement relative to
his hanging Dove to be published to make him un-
popular. The following letters have arisen from these
conflicting accounts :

"Ti THE EDITORS OP THE LEEDS MERCURY.
"York Castle, 16th Alt;ust, 1856.
"Gentlemen,—On the 12th inst. I wrote to you cau
Toning you not to use my name as that of the exeeu.
Toner of the late William Dove,*

"Notwithstanding that caution, you took the liberty
of using my name in last Thursday's impression, and
had it not been contradicted in to-day's paper, I should
have authoiised my lawyer to commence legal proceed-
ings against you.
"My impression has always been that great pains
were taken by newspaper editors to get accurate infor-
mation from trustworthy sources ; but that impression
is altogether obliterated, and I mball look on the press
in future with a suspicious eye, , knowing that journal.
ists aro easily imposed upon.
" As this wonder has existed nearly the time which
such things are proverbially said to live, it may, I think,
be allowed to sink into oblivion, and no one be the
worse if such should be the case.

"In c3nclusion, may I ask why do you not consult
Mr. Noble, the governor, on the subject ?
"Craving pardon for the truuble given,
" I am, gentlemen, yours obediently,

" THOMAS A:SKREN."
* No such letter ham been received at this office.—
ED. L. M.

"TO TEE EDITORS OF THE LEEDS MERCURY.
" York Castle, August 16, 1856.
"Gentlemen,—ln your paper of to-day, after allud-
ing to my letter of the 12th instant, you state that Thos.
Askren has denied, in the Doncaster Gazette, that he acted
as the executioner of Dove, and you conclude your para-
graph in such a manner that the public may be led to
believe that my statement was untrue. I therefore beg
to re-state that Thomas Askren was the executioner of
Dove, and that he was so is confirmed by the declara-
tions of the officials of York Castle, and by several
other parties who witnessed the execution, and who have
since seen the hangman. The Manchester Daily Exa-
miner and Times the other day contained a letter pur-
porting to be signed by Mr. Pears, the Castle school.
master, denying that Askren was the execu loner. Mr.
Pears has told me distinctly that he never sent this let-
ter, and that it is a forgery.
" Askren threatens legal proceedings. Certainly this
letter and the York Herald of to-day will afford him
abundance of material for putting his absurd threats into
force.

" I trust that, in justice to myself and other debtors,
you will give publicity to the above, and not forget at
the same time that there is nothing too mean for a
man to do or say who will lend himself to be a hang-
man..—l am, gentlemen, your obedient servant,
" Wm. JACISON."

"TO THE EDITORS OF THE LEEDS MERCURY.

" No. 3, York Castle, Aug. 16, 1856.
" Gentlemen,--In this day's impression of your j.)ur•
nal there appears a paragraph, quoted from the .Don.
easter Gazette, in which Thomas Askren, a debtor in this
places, denies having executed the poor unfortunate W.
Dove.

" In reply, I beg to say that an investigation has this
day been pads by Mr. Noble, the goveuer, regawlieg

an assault by the said Thomas Askren, who had broken
a heavy stick over the shoulders of a debtor for hav-
ing, as be (Askren) supposed, pointed him out as the
hangman. When one of the officers (who, it is said,
procured Askren's services) stated to Mr. Noble that
we (Vie debtors) were sho wing whom we supp )sed to be
the hangman, Mr. Noble replied, "Not the supposed,
but the hangman ;' and the officer replied Yes !' Mr,
Pears, the schoolmaster, also denies having written the
letter (or given any authority or sanction to use his sig-
nature) which appeared in the Manchester Examiner and
Times of Thursday last. The writer of both letters is
well known here. Had the debtor's name been men
tioned in the journals, no one here would have found
fault ; and it is not from any animosity to the man that
I trouble you with this letter, but from a sense of duty
I owe to myself and brother debtors.—l am, gentlemen,
respectfully, " JAMES FINLINSON.

"P.S.—I may add that from half-past ten to a guar-
ter.past twelve, on the 9th instant, Askren was nowhere
to be found ; we suspected him, and one of our number
saw him draw the bolt. "J. F."