Star.
London, England, 1827-09-17 00:00:00

tx• ECU tION
MU OF MARY
HE HUSBAND.,WI FOR
THE RDER OF

This unhappy womaa paid the forfeit of her life at
right o'clock this morning, in the Old Bailey. The
street was crowded molt denseley, and it was generally
believed that she would be brought outside the prison
and drawn upon a hurdle to the scaffold: however,
this was not the case; the preparations at the exterior
Newgate were the same as upon all similarly sad oc-
casions, and in the interior of the prison such an ar-
rangement was made as to carry into full offer* the
directions of the Statute, a small black chair, or hurdle.
to which long ropes were affixed, being prepared fog
the occit,ion.
The unhappy woman, who, as will be seen from our
paper of Saturday, made an ample confession of her
grill, has since then devoted all her time to penitential
prayer. In this she has been assisted by the Ordinary,
Mr. Cotton, and Mr. Baker, and although her tin*
from the hour of condemnation has been :bon, yet she
devoted herself unceasingly to entreaties to the Al-
mighty for mercy and pardon.
Yesterday she was visited by her daughters, and the
parting was most affecting. She passed an extremely
restless night, frequently her moaning was most dis-
tressing. At a very early hour this morning she re-
ceived the sacrament, but as the hour of expiation ap-
proached, the unhappy woman groaned and cried with
the urmoit bitterness, seemingly quite unable to con-
template the near approach of so dreadful a departure.
A few minutes before eight o'clock, Mr. Sheriff Win-
chester and Sheriff Wilde, and their officals, attended
at the prison, and were conduCted to a small room in
one of the passages leading immediately to the scaffold.
Here the hurdle was placed;; a short time after, low
female moans, in the direction of the cells, announced
tie approach of the unhappy woman. She was soon alter
introduced moaning bitorty,and looking the very picture
of distress and misery. Her arms to the elbows were
bare and uncovered, and she wore an old spotted cotton
frock. The sfficers placed her uptight in the hurdle,
and commenced the operation of pinioning bet arms
and hands, during which she groaned With the utmost
anguish; she cried out once, 4, Oh GOD ! Oh my God!
Oh Omar, receive me r The remainder of her ob-
servations were io so low a tone as to be unintelligible.
The officers haling pinioned her atms, she was set down
in the hurdle, and drawn rapidly to the lobby, at the
outside of which the scaffold was placed. The bell
did not toll, indeed, upon all occasions of the execution
of murdertrs, that is dispensed with, as is also the read-
lag of the burial service. She was placed on the drop
a few minutes after eight. The unhappy woman, when
in the hands of the executioner, continued her 1210:1111S
with much appearance of anguish. When the execu-
tioner had performed his duty, he retired, and instantly
the drop fell. She was violently convulsed for about
two minutes before she died. Her body will be given
to the surgeons for dissection.

The crime in law of murdering a husband by a wife,
is styled Pow Proditie, or Petit Treason, because the
breach of civil or ecclesiastical connections, coupled
with the murder, makes it a description of treason, the
petit treason, however, being nothing more than an ag-
gravated degree of murder, and in the ancient gothic
constitutions the crime is marked in the same class
with crimes against the State and Sovereign.
By the Statute of Edward HI. the crime of petit
etta•on may happen three ways, by a wife killing bee
losbmd, a servant his ~veer, or an ecclesiastical per-
sot (either secular or regular) his superior to whom he
uses Faith and obedience ;And, if a wife be divorced and
destroy her husband, she is equally regarded as a
vileness and formerly women were berried for the
crime, the Druids having handed down that mode of
punishment, which, however, was abolished by the
25th and 30th of the late King, and all capital punish-
Anal are by the same mode now.
Execurion tit Pisala.—Maack the murderer of the
Shepi mins of Tory, was executed on the 10th. About
sir in the morning he awoke, and asked the keeper for his
Prayer-book. A quarter of an hour after, a young man
belonging to the benevolent society called to see him,
and pray with him. At seven o'clock a door-keeper,
accompanied by Gendarmes appeared to conduct him
to the Conciergerie. The young
.man who had not
ceased to pray, mounted the sledge which removed
bin. When they arrived at the Conciergerie, the ec-
cksiaqtic of that trison gave his spiritual assistance.—
At four o'clock Ulbach mounted the fatal chariot. His
limbs were weak and his features agitated, however, he
refused to receive a handkerchief dipped in vinegar,
rlffered by the executioner. At the foot of the scaffold
he fell on his knees and made his last prayer. He t hen ,
mounted with firnmess,and in a few seconds was no more.

DESTRUCTION oiDUPPLIN CASTLE BY FIRE.

Finnan PARTICULAIte.—EarIy on Tingsday morn-
ler the alarm of fire was given at DuppUn Castle. The Earl and
Comes+, with their family, had arrived there only the preceding
der, and had retired early to rest. Some of the domestics who slept
la the attics, fek the air there before going to bed oppressively warm,
but,., "Paid it arose front the heat of the sun during the day.—
at ed thew, however, fortunately left the door of ler room open,
aid Shined the fire about four o'clock in the morning--only
kw minutes before its progress would have not only cut
LIS access to their rooms, but endangered the safety of the
aM Countess, who slept in the room almost immediately
h,....,„_""- "115 Pile. where the lames first burst out. The alarm was
~___-"wlgiven In time, and all the instates of the Castle escaped
rw,asiraculassly, unhurt, but without being able to provide
°wankel with clothing. or to save any of the property in the
14" Port of the building. From the higher doors, the fire ex-
tabled downwards with anteing' rapidity, and those who were
"f‘efed in endeavouring to save the property In the lower rooms,
were driven by the flames from au room to another, ere they
timid secure the valuable pictures mud furniture. There were
"tints belonging to the Castle, but water could only be
Procured for arum of them, until some hours afterwards, when
workmen, who had been dispatched from the Castle, had suc-
ceeded in removing part of the banks of # lake at some ellw
teem. By means of the only engine which could be worked,
O fire was prevented from reaching one of the principal
library apartments until the books were removed. About seven
',clock, assistance from Perth arrived. The Magistrates, who
oieut out the moment the alarm reached the town, were accuse.
Nand by panics of military, who were not only of the most service
lat maintaining order and preserving the property throw. out upon
Lee,l!‘ro but in aiding the working of the engines, two of which
7 ken brought from Perth. A copious supply of water was at
7' ',obtained, but by that time the whole building was enveloped
iu,r.re! and presented a fearfully grand appearance, door after
r;"imt among the flames with tremendous crashes. All
• tuna Were now directe I to cutting off the communicatboi
the main building and the new unfinished west wing
:4m in this, by the judicious management of the engines,
7r were completely successtuL These portions of the edifice
e sased--of the old Castle itself, in half an hour afterwards.
▪ b
remained but smoking rubbish and tottering walls. The
"t" of liinuoull, with her family and female attendant.,
shel:er at first in one of the out houses; subsequently,
__S lie safet even of these was threatened, they retited to Mr.
4elmer house at Aberdatgle. The whole of his Lordship's papers
aLe "ed. Although it rained heavily at the time, the Noble Karl
.:_"too going about with little the on but his trowsers and morning
irr; ;;;Stitante to the amount of 1.7.,0001. over the building gene-
.:"llesitsttcd in one of the offices in Perth (North British); and
is uu doubt but other UliCti will alio be sufferers by the event.