The Sun.
London, England, 1818-02-19 00:00:00

THE LATE EXECUTIONS.

Mr.CgooK rose to give notice of his intention
to submit a motion to the Court at their next
meeting, respecting some unpleasant and 'very
painful itcumstances +chic!) h,ol attended the exe-
cution of .the tour untiappy,drlingnents on Tues-
day morning. Ile felt himself bound to do so in
ills ice to the public'-feeling,hich bad been very
much shorkrd.

Tie Court expressing a general wish to have
the :notion now made, he proceeded..
The execution had 'been, on Tueshy, Very
much prottieted, the unhappy individuals not be-
ing brought out of prison till half-past eight
o'clock. Whilst that'of itself was a just ground
of complaint, he was pained to say that the sen-
tence ot the law had been carried into execution
in a mast disgraceful manner. He should refrain
at pt esent from saying any thing more respecting
the conduct of. the. executioner; except that on
the fatal occasion he
_had been guilty of the
grossest, negligence and inattentiOn. This was
evident from the Cale in whicli the bodies of
the criminals appeared • after they were 'cut
down. Ile had last_ night seen three of the
bodies, and was sorry to state, that 'from
the- marks then apparent; the executioner
had by no means done his • duty, but, on the
contrary, been guilty of culpable neglect. The
fatal rope, instead of marking the neck as usual,
had left a deep impression on the chin of one of
the women, and had also been placed at the back
of her taead instead of her ear, tri, should be al-'
ways done in such cases The situation of the
other woman was equally deplorable, and ,shevir.:
ed the want of proper attention on the part of
the individual who fulfilled the, sentence of the law.
The body of Hatchman, the unfortunate man for
forgery, was another melancholy proof of this, and
when the Court were told, that torture of such'a
nature' had been inflicted on three individnalS Who
had forfeited their lives to the law, he had no
doubt they would feel it their imperious duty to
inquire into what line of conduct _bad that day
been foll Owed, it was with that view that he
moved that the Court do inquire into-the cause
of the delay which-took place on Tuesday. at the
execution of Mary Ann James, Charlotte New-
man, William ilarchman, and John Attet; and
that the Court do also particularly inquire into
the conduct of the executioner on that occasion.

Mr. Alderman WooD considered the better way
would be to send for the Sheriffs, and demand from
them an explanation of the cirenmstanceiv that at-
-tended that awful ceremony. 'Fite Sheriffii Were
appointed to see the sentence of the law duly exe;.
cuted, and they were resininsibleto the Coor'for
their 'own conduct and that 'of the Under-SberilfS.
He should 'have irtsisted on theit' being instantly
sent for Item attending the Old Bailey Sessions,
but a's he understood that another meeting of the
Court would take place to-morrow, he moved that
they be positively enjoined to attend. 'fhb a de-
lay • had taken place with regard •to the time of
executing the sentence was ungitestionable, and
it was for them to say how that had happened,
and where the cause lay. The public feeling had
been grossly outraged by the manner in which the
executioner had discharged his duty, for so highly
improper had that conduct been, as to have been
alluded to in the public Papers of the jay. The
Court were bound to inquire into such conduct in
justice to the public, and to thersiselves,,and he
had no doubt they would see the propriety of so
doing immediately,-for it ought to be recollected,
that though these and other pet sons were doomed
to an ignominious fate, on account of criminality
of conduct, they were not on that account to be
treated ar ly ~ but as human beings and rational
creatures. He. therefore insisted on the Sheriffs
attending to-morrow, in their place,,to account to
the Court for the delay.
After a few Words,from Mr. WaitliMati,on the
same side, the Court, seemingly mulch impiessed
with this painful occurrence, unanimonsly refer-
red it to the Committee on City Lands, to in-
quire into the debiy, and into the conduct of the
executioner.
CITY PRISONS.

Mr. DAVI ss presented a Report from the Corn.
mittee of Improvements, -respecting the New
Debtors' Prison, in which the Committee recom-
mended, that the Bill now pending in Parliament,
for raising money on the Credit of the Orphans'
Fund, be withdrawn. He stated, that the Com-
mittee had had an interview with Lords Liver-
pool, Sidrpouth, and the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer, oil the subject, and that it was their opi-
nion that they could not support the Bill, unless
the City Accounts were produced, on which ac-
count the. Committee thought it better to abandon
the Bill.,
Atter some observations from Messrs. Alder
men:Birch, Wood, Goodbehere, Favell, Pearson,
Waithman, Slade, &c. he motion for agreeing to.
the Report waa negatived, and the Report refer-.

I

,red back to the Committee, .with instructions to
them- to prosecute thr Bin in Parliament.
The other business of ilicCuurt was then post-.
honed.- Adjourned at hail-past four o'cloc.k.

I_ %NV IN:rELLIGENGS.

COMIX KING'S BENCH, Firs.
GROISOI V LONSDALB.,
This was an actiOKbrought by the plajntiffi"
order to recover 1561. 0.1. damages *mar the 01-
lowing circumstances. 'iii' „plaintiff, a nursery-
man, held two acres of bind, iteor Highgate-41in,
from the defendant, at the yearly 4201' 41:
acre, since the commenceinen: of the fcase ;
defendant had built a kiln for the inanuflote 0'
bricks, contiguous to the ground occupied 11.1-be
e
plaintiff, but in consequence of the injury
which.
thereby arose to the trees :.-.;rowing in hit tenant's
gionuds, he Was induced, by the aWartl of arbi.
trators, to pay the plaintiff -fifty pinnuls
da-
niages, to which he, Of his
.own.accord, after.
wards added 101. Subsequently to thi4 rennule.- •
ration, he, however, built new kilus'at (list:wee iift
somewhat nearer than the sitnation of the Of-mix
one from 'the plaintiff's ground. Although the
plaintiff, in the latter instance, complained ot. SU
taming a mud) 'greater injury than on 'the foto°
occasion, yet the defendant -refused to pay B°atl
further damages, as he alleged that plaintiff h
not sustainel any additional injury. after hear._'
ing a mass of contradictory arid uninteresting
evidence, the Jtiry gave a verdict of full costs. I°C
the plaintiff.