The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-04-23 00:00:00

DARING MURDER NEAR BRISTOL

BRISTOL, APRIL 19, 1811.—One of the most atrocious
murders ever recorded was perpetrated on Saturday morning
last at the quiet village of Tocklington, about eight miles
from Bristol, under the following circumstances :—The un-
fortunate deceased, Mr. William Fisher, was 54 years of age,
and a very respectable farmer, living on his own freehold es-
tate at the hamlet of Hawley, near Tocklington. On Satur-
day morning, having occasion to proceed to Bristol market,
with a cart load of potatoes for sale, he stopped at a retail
cider-house at Tocklington, kept by a person of the name of
Thomas, and called for a jug of cider. While he was drink-
ing the elder, and conversing with two persons at the house,
named James Cullimore and Richard Knapp, the murderer
(William Weyman), who is a pensioner, having been dis-
charged from a cavalry regiment, came in and called for a
pint of cider, which was supplied him. He had not been
there many minutes before the landlady observed inside the
breast of his coat a cavalry pistol, which, seeing a piece of
brown paper in the muzzle, she judged to be loadd heavily,
and expressed her alarm at it. As, however, the prisoner
was in the habit of shooting cattle for the butchers in the
neighbourhood, and cleaning guns, &c., for the farmers as
a mode of livelihood, in addition to his pension, this cir-
cumstance, she was told, need not surprise her ; besides
which the prisoner declared it not to be loaded. The pri-
soner then entered into conversation with the persons who
were in the house, to whom he was well known, and
said that he had been to the post-office, where he had got a
penny letter containing £5O. The farmers present, knowing
the prisoner's habitual mendacity, joked him upon this, and
the deceased Mr. Fisher said, " That's a lie, I know." The
prisoner immediately answered, " If you had said that out-
side, Fisher, you should never have kicked more." The de-
ceased, being a man of very jocular habits, said, " 'Pshaw,"
and repeated the observation. The prisoner then got up from
his seat and went into the back kitchen for a minute or two,
and on his return clapped his pistol against the cheek of the
deceased, and before either of the persons in the house had
time to interfere, discharged its contents through the head of
Fisher, who fell instantly on the floor, the pistol falling be-
side him. A medical gentleman, who happened to be riding
by at the moment, hearing the report of the pistol, came
into the house and examined the deceased, who was, how-
efver' quite dead, his tongue beinc, shot off and the lower part
o his cheek very much shattered.' While the surgeon was
examining the body, the prisoner, with the greatest coolness,
said, " I know that's a dead shot."
The coroner's inquest was held this day before Mr. Ellis,
and from the evidence adduced, and the statements made by
the prisoner after his apprehension, it appeared that the pri-
soner had been contemplating the commission of this atrocious
act for some days. It was proved that on Friday last he pur-
chased some gunpowder and two marbles at a shop in the
neighbourhood, and that in the afternoon of Friday be told a
man named Cook that he had been looking about for Mr.
Fisher all the day, and that if he had found him he would
have shot him. The constable also deposed to the prisoner's
having said to him when apprehended, " I will go anywhere
with you, for I know I shall be hanged for it ; but I shall die
happy, as it was all for that woman." The prisoner did not
mention the woman's name, but having also said that "he
bad it harbouring in his breast before he went into the army,"
it was understood to be an allusion to the wife of the de-
ceased, for whom it is said that about nine and twenty years
ago he professed an attachment, although she was then only
twelve years of age. The prisoner having committed a rob-
bery at that period, to avoid apprehension entered the army,
and was present at the battle of Waterloo. During his ab-
sence Mr. Fisher married the young woman, and lived hap-
pily with her until the period when his existence was thus
awfully terminated. The prisoner also said he had kept the
pistol loaded for four days, but that he could not find Fisher
before that morning, when, thinking it a convenient oppor-
tunity, he shot him.

The jury, after hearing the whole of the evidence, returned
a verdict of " Wilful Murder against William Weyman,"
who was committed to Glocester gaol for trial.

EXECUTION AT GALWAY

(From the Dublin News Letter.)

On Wednesday last, Patrick M' Hugh, aged 22, convicted
at the late assizes for the wilful murder of his fellow-traveller,
on their way from England, paid the penalty of his offence by
undergoing the extreme sentence of the law. The wretched
culprit immediately after he was pronounced guilty by the
jury acknowledged the justice of the verdict, and when
brought up for sentence before Baron Foster declared his
sincere sorrow for his crime, and his regret that he could not
in this life suffer more than the torture of death. Upon
being removed to the gaol he at once betook himself to prayer
and such other devotional exercises as are prescribed by the
Roman Catholic Church, of which he was a member. The
chaplain, the Rev. Mr. Cummins, was unremitting in his at-
tentions to the unfortunate man, and it is hoped he was not
unsuccessful in preparing his soul for the great change it has
since undergone. His conduct since his conviction has been
marked by a strict propriety of demeanour, combined with a
perfect resignation to his fate. In the early part of this
week he went through the forms prescribed by the discipline
of his church, and to all around him he expressed his willing-
ness to die. Though no effort was made to obtain a commu-
tation of the sentence, the high sheriff deemed it proper to
wait until after the arrival of the Dublin mail on Wednesday,
lest any communication might be received by it from the
executive. None was forwarded from the Castle, and pre-
parations were immediately set on foot for carrying the
dreadful sentence into effect.

Three Roman catholic clergymen were with the con-
demned and unfortunate men from an early hour, and at
about two o'clock the melancholy procession left the chapel,
whence they proceeded through the gaol-yard to the place of
execution. M'Hugh walked with a firm step, still un-
daunted at his ignominious fate, nor did he betray the slight-
est symptom of weakness when ascending the steps leading
to the press-room. Upon reaching this apartment the pub-
lic functionary, whose office it is to carry out the last sen-
tence of the law, eommenced his operations by pinioning the
arms of the culprit, who said he willingly submitted to that
indignity when he recollected that the hands of his Saviour
were affixed with nails to the wood of the cross. The cler-
gyman meantime continued in prayer, and assisted the con-
demned in the religious exercises suited to such occasions.

The Rev. Mr. Roach then came upon the platform and
addressed the crowd assembled below, which consisted of at
least twenty thousand persons, two-thirds of whom I regret
to state were females. The rev. gentleman said be was re-
quested by M'Hugh to express his heartfelt sorrow for his
crime, of which he had already acknowledged his guilt, and
the deep anguish of his soul for the many offences committed
by him against the Majesty of Heaven. He implored the
prayers of his hearers that God in his infinite mercy, and
through the merits and the sufferings of Jesus Christ, would
extend to their unhappy brother forgiveness for his crimes,
and that he would not refuse him that pardon which he
vouchsafed to promise the penitent thief on Calvary. He
trusted that his fate would be a warning to all others, and
would teach them to avoid the occasion of sin. The culprit
was then led upon the drop, and the rope having been ad-
justed on his neck, the executioner tried to pull a white cap
over his face ; but this was too small ; and from the great
force used by Jack Ketch to effect his purpose, or from the
extreme pressure with which his arms appeared to be pinioned,
M'Hugh fainted, and fell back upon the grating of the scaf-
fold. While in that state the attempt to draw down the cap
was renewed, and it was accomplished with some difficulty,
when at length the bolt was drawn, and the unhappy wretch
was launched into eternity. He hppeared to struggle for a
few minutes, but life was soon extinct ; and after hanging for
half an hour his body was cut down and buried within the
precincts of the gaol.

THEATRE,ROYAL, LIVERPOOL

Tide,' the Management of Mr. CLAI?IiP., Sole Lessee

FOR THE BENEFIT OF MISS DELCY,
And positively the Last Night of Miss DELCY and Mr.
TEMPLETON, of the Theatre-Royal, Drury-lane.
THIS present FRIDAY, April 23, 1841, the Entertain-
ments will commence with the Last Act of the popular
Opera of _

CINDERELLA;
Or, THE FAIRY and the GLASS SLIPPER.
Written and adapted to the English Stage by Mr. ROPHINO
LACY, under whose direction the Musical arrangements
will be conducted.
Leader of the Orchestra (which will be considerably aug-

• •-•
mented) Mr. Aldridge.
Cinderella Miss Delcy.
Felix.. (Prince of Salerno).... Mr. Templeton.
Alidoro
Baron Pompolino.. Mr. G. Horncastle. I Pedro.. Mr. Baker.
Clorinda Miss E. Honner.
Thisbe.. Mrs. P. Crowe. Fairy Queen.. Mrs. Barton.
After which, the Farce, written by J. B. Buckstone, Esq.,

called
SECOND THOUGHTS.
Mr. Sudden.. Mr. Baker. I Jabber.. Mr. Chaplin.
Mrs. Trapper.. Mrs. Clarke. Isidora. .... Miss Cleaver.
Celestina .. Mrs. Baker. I Matilda.. Miss Chaplin.
To conclude with Weber's celebrated Opera, (with, for the
second time in Liverpool, \Veber's Original Finale,) called

DER FREISCHUTZ ;
Or, THE SEVENTH BULLET

Which was received, on Wednesday Evening, with the most
enthusiastic applause.
Agatha Miss Delcy.
Rudolph....
Prince Ottocar Mr. F. Gardner.
Caspar.... Mr. G. Horncastle. Killian.... Mr. Baker.
Anna Miss E. Honner.

TO-MORROW (Saturday), 24th April, the Tragedy of
JANE SHORE. Glo'ster, Mr. Stuart; Hastings, Mr. H.
Holl ; Dumont, Mr. Gray ; Jane Shore, Mrs. W. H. Bland;
Alicia, Miss Cleaver.—After which the Farce of HIDE
AND SEEK. Mordaunt, Mr. Chaplin; Moses, Mr. Slai-
ter ; Mrs. Mordaunt, Mrs. W. H. Bland.—To conclude
with the Drama of the LADY AND THE DEVIL.
Mr. CHARLES KEAN and Mrs. WARNER, late Miss
Huddart, Principal Tragic Actress of the Theatres-Royal,
Drury-lane and Haymarket, will commence an Engagement
for TEN NIGHTS, at this Theatre, on MONDAY next,
April 26th, 1841, when will be performed the Tragedy of
MACBETH. Macbeth, Mr. CHARLES KEAN ; Lady Mac-
beth, Mrs. WARNER, her first appearance in Liverpool since
her London engagement.