The Sun.
London, England, 1804-02-10 00:00:00

privy to the murder of two soldier; that I knew
of a gun kept in my parish for the purpose of tour.
der, and remarkable for the certainty of its aim : 'he
is there beside stated to have said, that I made this
declaration, not under any apprehension of punish.
ment, bui I seemed rather to speak as one Clergy-
man would to another, in a moment of contrition :
such at least is the substance of this Gentleman's
words, as far as my friend in Dublin, to whom the
evidence was read, could recoiled it. Now from
the nature of 'the:Communication, which it is here.
. asserted I made, it wilt be naturally supposed that
the Gentleman had a private interview with me
after my punishment : thut he himself is thoroughly
persuaded that he had not. I never laid my eyes on
him since I saw him at that time in the public Ball-
ally. During my flagellation he stood opposite
me, close to the triangle, with,a paper and a pencil
in his hand, noting down whateVer then occurred to
him. He asked, Did you know that flret.arms were
taken from my hoirse My answer was rather .too
short:—Sir I heard you sysy
,so; but I felt at the
moment, by heavier stroko,sfahe consequence of
my impoliteness. I really con&Jered. that Gentle-
man, on account of his apparent: Insensibility at the
time, as the very reverse of a, friend ; and while I
now positively deny ray having made the acknow-
ledgment above reported, I shall take the liberty
to ask ; first,: whether it be consistent with likeli-
hood, that, when such a severe anin'ishment, and so
witnessed by him, was over, I had seleded that
-very .Gentleman in order to criminate myself to such
a .confident, without any possible advantage
I beg leave to ask in the second place, if. I had
made this acknowledgment at the Ball-alley, why a
certain subaltern, declaring that he had 'power to
ad as he pleased by me, should take me (naked and
bleeding as I was) into a small room in a corner of the
Ball-alley, and sternly tell me, that if I would not
now make an avowal of guilt, I should be brought
out to receive a repetition of my-punishment ; and
afterwards to be shot ? And why he should repeat
that menace the same evening, in thegaol,. and.still
more forcibly the day, following ? The 'circum-
stances- of his exertionsson that occasion, are too
striking to be omitted._ -After I had answered him
in the corner of the-Ball.alley, that I would suffer
any death rather than acknowledge a crime whereof
I was not guilty, he _told me 1 should .be set- at li-
berty,if I would agree to a certain proposal witch•
he then made me ;shut justice and truth commanded
me to rejed it. When Condostecl to gaol, after a
lapse of three-hourxs, [was presented with a refresh.
ment : it appeared-to,beswitie and water; but must
have
.had some-aither powerful ingredient, for it
speedily brought :one .a stupor. The same Officer
soon roused me from my lethargy, with a renewed
effort to extort this.avowal from me:, hes drew his
sword ; he declared he would never part with me
until it were given in writing ; he threatened that I
should be forthwith led out again, flogged as before,
shot, hanged, my. head cut. off to be exposed upon
the gaol-top, and my body thrown into the'river :
that he would allow me but two minutes to deter-
mine. Then going to the door, he called for a
scrip of paper, while the sentinel swore terribly
at.. the same time, -that he -would blow my brains
out if I persisted longer in my refusal. Under
this impression I scribbled 'a note to -my bro-
ther, which they instantly cried our was what they
wanted; the precise expressions of it, I: do not at
this moment recoiled; it purported a wish that my
might no longer indulge uneasiness upon
for I deserved what I got. The Officer
withdrew
riyot„aitihdcercr eowun;t,
my sister-in-law. then got admittance,:
she told toe, she had just heard .the sentinel say,
that during my entire punishment, nothing was
against toe : however, that the paper I had just
written would assuredly .hang me. I exclaimed
that their dreadful threats had compelled me to
write it ; which exclamation being carried to the
Officer, he returned the next day : he called me to
the gaol window, commanding a view of a gal-
lows, whereon two men were hanging ; their bodies
so bloody, that I imagined they wore red jackets.
A third halter remained yet unoccupied, which he
declared was intended„for me, should I persist in
disclaiming the aforesaid' note. Look, said he, at
these men, look at that rope, your treatment shall
be worse than theirs, if you disown what you wrote ,
yesterday :. Adding, that it was still in my power
to get free. I imagined from this, that he wanted
money from me; or a favourite mare which I had
occasionally lent him. My answer was, if you
liberate me you shall always find me faithful ; there
is nothing in my power that I will not do. Do
not then attempt, said he,. to exculpate yourself,
and so retired. I now procured paper, wherornl
wrote a formal protest against what he extorted
from me as above ; that, should I he executed, this
protest might appear after my death. I wrote a
second with the same design; but I left them both
after me in the gaol, apprehensive, that should they
be found in my possession, they might cause me to
be treated with additional severity. Neither did I
afterwards, while in gaol, openly assert my inno.
cence for that reason. Now, so. little credit seems
to have bean attached to this paper, in any subse-
quent proceeding, that it was never after, to my
knowledge, produced against me. Indeed there is
reason to imagine, that what this Gentleman- is
reported to have advanced in the above minutes, was
never said by him ; because the same audacity which
forged a declaration for Mr. GREsu, might be dar-
ing enough to forge a similar declaration for this
Gentleman. Thus, by the. Prcr;Htlence of God,
what was maliciously intended.-t, ruin mes has in
the event effeaed my release. Lord COR SMALL IS,
whose discernment perceived, and whose generosity
recoiled at this questionable proceeding, unhesitat-
ingly issued an order for my removal from the trans.
port. The following letter announces that order to
my friend in Dublin

' "'Sra, Dublin Carrie, 3oti >tie, tSoo.
" I live-had the Honour to receive, and to lay before my
Lord Lieutenant, your Letter. of the 28th instait,with its
enclosure, and am direded to acquaint you, tha,- His Ex-
cellency's commands haye been this day conveyed to Major_
General MYERS -to take- t:hc,Rev.. .TETRA )'NEIL from on
board the Ann Botany-Bay3 Ship, in Cork Harbour, sad to
cause him to be imOnsbned until further orders, but not to
treat him with harshness or severity.
I hayeittie Honour.to be, Sir,
" Your Most obedient humble Servant,
", E. B. LITTLEHALES.).