Star.
London, England, 1824-11-25 00:00:00

RECORDiR'S REPORT.

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I

Yesterday, at Carlton Palace, the Recorder made his
report to the King in Council of the prisoners under
sentence of death in Newgate, who were convicted at
the Old Bailey October Sessions, namely
John Cook, alias Cookson, alias Jackson, aged 17 ; Henry
Ferris, 18; of burglary. William Oliver, 18; William Moore,
25; of highway robbery: William Dalton, 17, of housebreaking.
Henry John Walls, 18; Evan Williams, 48 ; James Adams, 19 ;
Ann Williamson, 17; Midget PoVey, 52 ; Henry Lee., 18; John
Passenger, 12, of larceny In a dwelling-house; and Henry Faunt-
Wray, 49, of forgery.
His Majesty was graciously pleased to respite, during
his Royal pleasure, all the abovenamed convicts, ex-
cepting Henry Fauntleroy, upon whom the law was left
to take its course, and he is ordered for execution on
Tuesday next.
41 half-past sir o'clock yesterday evening, the Re-
cot der's Report reached Newgate, and the Rev. Mr.
Cotton, Mr. Baker (Who has long been the comforter of
unfortunate culprits) and the Recorder's clerk, imme-
diately proceeded to the room in which Mr. Fauntleroy
is confined, for the purpose of communicating to hini
the intelligence that he is to die on Tuesday morning.
The Ordinary was in his black gown, and held the Re-
corder's Report in his hand. Mr. Fauntleroy was read-
ing a prayer-book at tie moment they entered. He had
been waiting in a most anxious state .for the Report,
having up to the last moment, as he now acknowledges,
entertained some faint here; of teprieve. 'rite Ordi-
nary, whose attentions to him have been unremitting,
had considered it his duty to caution him against the
absurdity of expectation, and he seemed to acquiesce;
but still the fondness -for life betrayed him into hope,
and he had just seized a prayer-book to relieve his
mind from the horror of suspense. The Ordinary was
deeply affected at the appearance of the unfortunate
man, who sat with his head upon his hand intently
reading a prayer—the very prayer which invokes grace
and strength to endure the dreadful change from life
to eternity. The face of the culprit was as pale as ashes:
he looked up when the Ordinary approached him, and
said, "Ah I Mt. Cotton, you are come: I see how it ;"
and he rose and walked towards the Ordinary, who was
unable to speak for some moments, but who held out
the Recorder's Report, anckpointed to the black seal---
a mark intelligible to the condemned. " I expected
nothing less than death,' said Mr. Fauntleroy, " and,
thanks be to GOD, lam resigned to my fate." " Yes,"
said Mr. Cotton, " the Report Is fatal to you, and I
trust and Selieve that you ate prepared." "It is very
extraordinary,' said Mr. Fauntleroy with a smile, " that
I should have opened the prayer-book at the very spot
in which the culprit prays to Goa for power to bear the
last extremity. I looked into it for comfort, and the
comfort it gave me was in turning my thoughts to the
grave." Mr. Cotton said he was rejoiced to see him in
so tranquil and resigned a state of mind. " Yes," said
he, 64 I have gained by your excellent advice, and I
learn those tidings without fear or trembling. When
am I to suffer?" Mr. Cotton told him that Tuesday was
the day appointed for his execution. " Very well," said
he, " I shall be ready. It is odd, that when I opened
that book of prayers which you gave to me, no doubt
for the purpose of keeping my thoughts upon a separa-
tion from this life, I exactly hit upon the words' AL-
MIGHTY GOD, give me grace and strength to spend the
short time I have to live as it is meet, and make me ac-
ceptable to thee, for Cstruwei sake.' " He then begged
that the Ordinary and Mr. Baker would call upon him
after they should have visited the other prisoners. They
told him they would return to him in half an hour, and
turned towards the door. "I hope," said he,." that I am
to suffer alone—that no other poor creature is Lego out
of the world at the same time. How is my fellow-sufferer
Harwood?" The Ordinary replied that Harwood was
perfectly prepared—that he was resigued and happy,
" 1 feel," said Mr. Fauntleroy, " that there is happiness
even in resigning this life." He then resumed his book
and was left alone. The Ordinary went round to inform
the other prisoners, of the favourable consideration
which their cases had received. When he called upon
Harris, whose case was supposed to be desperate, and
told him of the postponement of the decision, the un-
fortunate man was quite overpowered. After the several
vi.its round the prison, the Ordinary and Mr. Baker
returned to Mr. Fauntleroy, who, it appeared, when
left to himself, began to paint death in his imagination
ih all its usual terrors. He pressed his hand upon his
forehead and sighed deeply. lie muttered a few words,
and looked at Mr. Cotton and Mr. Baker, as for corn-
, fort, and then he dropped his eyes upon the ground,
and seemed to retire within the awful circle of his own
meditations, and to find nothing there but despair. Mr.
Cotton took him by the hand, and Mr. Baker told him
to be comforted. He suddenly recovered from his
agony, and said he wished to pray. Mr. Baker then
lead a prayer, and Mr. Fauntleroy said, in rather a
cheerful tone—" It is better, my dear Sirs, that I should
die, than that ,I should have escaped. to another coun-
try. Had I gone to America, as I intended to have done,
every bit of bread 1 should have swallowed. would have
been as poison to me. Another happy hour I never
should have enjoyed; and yet, Mr. Cotton, I had, I
will acknowledge to you, some fluttering hope—it was
merely, a fluttering hope—b,it still it was hope." Mr.
Cotton said, " My dear Sir, I cautioned you against
giving way to told you thete was no thence."
44 Yes," said Mr. Fauntleroy, " you prevented me from
encouraging that dangerous hope, the disappointment
of which would have been intolerable; but still it broke
in upon me in some shape or other from the first.
But it is well that lam to die. It is well for my chil-
dren that lam to die. Oh, Mr. Cotton, I have one
great consolation in leaving the world—l have got the
assurance of a most virtuous and inestimable friend,
that my poor boy and my two other children. shall be
taken care of. Igo out of life without any feats about
them. Indeed, my son hat now bel,re him the prospect
of a prosperous course. He will fare better than he would
if I had been merely an exile. Oh, my calamity of
itself will operate in making him virtuous." Mr. Cotton
then conversed with Mr. Fauntlwroy, who more ration-
ally spoke of his sentence, upon the necessity of shutting
himself up from visitors, and devoting the remainder of
his days to communications with the ALatioure. Mr.
Fauntleroy admitted the propriety of keeping himself
apart, but he suddenly returned to the subject of his
condemnation. Mr. Cotton said he saw that Mr. Faunt-
leroy occasionally abandoned the very correct opinion
he had expressed ever since his trial of the event. Mr.'
Fauntleroy answered, " I did ; and yet Mr:Forbes as-
sured me (and, indeed, I had a direct communication to
the same effect from the Bank of England before my
trial), that if I got rid of the first case by any accident,.
the rest should positively be brought against me—that
if any error crept in, and favoured my escape upon one
occasion, the Bank would do their duty, and prosecute
me until I should be found guilty." Mr. Cotton told him