The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-06-02 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF THOMAS TEMPLETON.

(From the Scottish Guardian of Thursday.)
This wretched man suffered the extreme penalty of the
law, yesterday morning, at the usual place of execution in
front of the jail. (Glasgow.) It will be remembered that
Templeton was tried on the 7th current by Lords Meadow-
bank and Cockburn, and found guilty of murdering his wife,
Margaret Robertson,. on the night between the Bth and 9th
February, 1840, by dashing her head against a wall or floor,
and inflicting several blows on her head and other parts of
her person. Since his condemnation, the unfortunate de-
meaned himself in a manner that became his situation, and
received the visits of Dr. Smyth, of St. George's, Mr. Fisher,
the chaplain of the prison, and some worthy members of the
eldership, not only without reluctance, but with every symp-
tom of gratitude; and whether these gentlemen were present,
or the prisoner was alone, the Bible was rarely opt of his
hands. Considerable efforts were used to obtain a mitigation
of sentence ; first, by an unanimons petition from the jury ;
second, by a numerously signed petition from the inhabitants ;
and third, by an appeal from the magistrates. All of these,
however, were ineffectual ; and indeed the convict never en-
tertained any serious hope of mercy, and thus he setearnestly
about preparing himself for the great change which so soon
awaited him.

On the evening previous to execution, Templeton was
waited upon by his son (a young married tradesman in the
city), his brother, and three sisters, for the purpose of taking
their last farewell. The scene was a very distressing one,
but the convict bore it with greater firmness than his rela-
tives, and even told them to depart, that he might be allowed
every spare moment that remained to him on this side the

grave fOr thought and devotion. Mr. Jamieson Willis, and
Mr. David Hossack, elder, remained with the prisoner
during the night. At two o'clock he lay down, but was
restless, and slept little; at four he got up, was shortly
afterwards shaved and changed in dress by the jailor and
his assistants, and from that time till the period of his execu-
tion was spent in devotional exercises. Mr. Fisher was early
in attendance. and Dr. Smyth came to the condemned cell
about half-past six, and found tbe state of mind of the
doomed man all that could be expected under the circum-
stances—he alone looked for mercy through the blood of the
Divine Saviour.

A few minutes before eight o'clock, Bailies Small, Kid-
ston, Robertson, and Mitchell, entered the Court-hall; and
immediately thereafter, the convict was brought up, his arms
having been previously pinioned. He displayed a great de-
gree of placid firmness, and only remained a minute or so in
the hall, until the doors leading to the outside of the build-
ing and the approach to the scaffold could be thrown open.
It has been usual to present the prisoner with a glass of wine
in the hall, but on this occasion the custom was departed
from at Templeton's request, who wished all these cere-
monies to beconcluded before leaving the cell. He was ac-
companied up the stairs of the platform by Dr. Smyth and
Mr. Fisher; both gentlemen were much affected, especially
the former ; and after a brit f but solemn prayer by the Doc-
tor, and when farewell had been taken of the wretched man,
he was resigned into the hands of the executioner. After the
cap had been drawn, Templeton remained about three
minutes apparently engaged in inward prayer, when be threw
the signal from him, and the drop instantly fell. His strug-
gles were neither violent nor protracted. There were about
20,000 people witnessing the execution, a great part of whom
were females.

Templeton was in his 54th year, and had been twice mar-
ried. His first wife was a wretchedly dissipated being, and
was burned to death some years ago from the effects of in-
temperance. His body was buried yesterday afternoon in
one of the squares in the centre of the prison.

WASPS.—It may be useful again to state that the wasps
which will now shortly make their appearance abroad, are all
queens or mothers, and that by their destruction the propa-
gation of swarms of others will be effectually prevented.

Woot.—The woolstaplers of London caution the growers
against winding in their fleeces any unwashed wool, fell wool,
tar, straw, grass, &c., as it subjects them to a penalty of 2s.
for each fleece.

THE LATE TRAGICAL AFFAIR AT HUDDERSFIELD.—On
Friday, Mr. Danson, the policeman, who was so severely
wounded by the villain who murdered Duke, was discharged
from the Infirmary cured. On Monday he made the hand-
some donation of £5 to the infirmary.—Leeds paper.
LARGE STURGEON.—On Monday last, a fine sturgeon was
caught in the river Ouse, at Cawood, which weighed about
twelve stone, and measured seven feet in length. It was a
fine species of Tunny fish, and marked like a Spanish
m ackerel. —Leeds letelligencer.
EARLY HAY HARVEST.—Wm. Tomlinson, Esq., of
Frenchwood Cottage, in this town, cut sonic meadow grass,
on Wednesday last, and the crop is very luxuriant. If the
weather continues favourable, Mr. T. will have ample time
for a second crop by the usual harvest tune.—Presion Chro-
nicle.

The following singular letter was actually written to a
merchant at Norwich :—" Sir—This is to acquaint you or
your heirs that Iheard you was dead; but I packed up some
wool before you was so, tho' I could not send it before I
knew whether you was or no, and what circumstances you
died in.—l beg a speedy answer, and remain, &c."

ROMANTIC SUICIDE.-A native of Zurich committed
suicide a few days since, and chose for the scene of his pro-
ject the falls of the Rhine, at Schaffhausen. He walked
into the water below the falls up to the waist, and then pulled
the trigger of the pistol. It did not go off however, and,
coolly returning to the shore to get a new cap for the pistol,
he again went into the water and effected his purpose.

A GoosE WHO WAS "No GOOSE."—At the flour mills
of Tubbeuakenna, near Clonmel, while in the possession of
the late Mr. Newbold, there was a goose, which, by some
accident, was left solitary, without mate or offspring, gander
or goslings. Now it happened, as in common, that the mil-
ler's wife-had set a number of duck eggs under a hen, which,
in due time, were incubated ; and, of course, the ducklings,
as soon as they came forth, ran with natural instinct to the
water, and the hen was in a sad pucker; her maternity
urging her to follow the brood, and her selfishness disposing
her too keep on dry land. In the meanwhile up sailed the
goose, and, with a noisy gabble, which certainly, being in-
terpreted, meant, leave them to my care—she swam up and
down with the ducklings, and, when they were tired with
their aquatic excursion, she consigned them to the care of
the hen. The next morning down came again the ducklings
to the pond, and there was the goose waiting for them, and
there stood the hen in her great flustration. On this occa-
sion we are not at all sure that the goose invited the hen,
observing her maternal trouble ; but is a fact, that, she
being near the shore, the hen jumped on her back and there
sat, the ducklings swimming, and the goose and hen after
them, up and down the pond. And this was not a solitary
event ; day after day the hen was seen on board the goose,
attending the ducklings up and down in perfect contented-
ness and good humour ; numbers of people coming to witness
the circumstance, which continued until the ducklings,
coining to days of discretion, required no longer the joint
guardianship of the goose and hen.—A goose in the farm-
yard of a gentleman, was observed to take a particular liking
to her owner. This attachment was so uncommon, and
so marked, that all about the house and in the neigh-
bourhood took notice of it ; and, consequently the people
with the propensity they have to give nicknames, and
with the sinister motive, perhaps, of expressing their
sense of the weak understanding of the man, called hint
" goosey." Alas for his admirer !—the goose's true love
did not yet run smooth ; for her master hearing of the ridi-
cule cast upon upon him, to abate her fondness insisted on
her being locked up in the poultry-yard. Well, shortly after,
he goes to the adjoining town, to attend petty sessions ; and,
in the middle of this business, what does he feel but some-
thing wonderfully warm and soft rubbing against his leg !
and, on looking down, he saw his goose with neck protruded,
while quivering her wings in the fulness of enjoyment, look-
ing up to him with unutterable fondness. This was too
much for his patience, or the bystanders' good mariners ;
for, while it set them wild with laughter, it urged him to a
deed he should ever be ashamed of; for twisting his thong-
whip about the goose's neck, lie swung her round and round
until he supposed her dead, and then he cast her on the ad-
joining dunghill. Not very long after, Mr. Goosey was
seized with a severe illness, which brought him to the verge
of the grave ; and, on one day, when slowly recovering, and
allowed to recline in the window, the first thing he saw was
his goose sitting on the grass, and looking with intense
anxiety at him. The effect on him was most alarming.
" What 1" says he, " is this cursed bird come back to life,
and am I, for my sins, to be haunted in this way ?" " 0
' father !" says his daughter, " don't speak so hardly of the
poor bird ; ever since your illness it has set there opposite
your window—it scarcely takes any food." Passion, preju-
dice, the fear of ridicule, all gave way before a sense of gra-
titude, for this unalterable attachment. The poor bird was
immediately taken notice of, treated from henceforth with
great kindness, and, for all I know, goose and goosey are
still bound in as close ties as man and bird can be.—Dublin
University Magazine.
AN ODD AFFAIR.—SHERIFF SMALL DEBT COURT, CU-
PAR FINE.—A case of a very peculiar nature was decided by
the sheriff' here, on Tuesday, the sth ultimo, after being in
court for several court days. The facts are nearly these :
John Dall, shoemaker in Star of Streaton, had been at Dun-
dee sometime ago, and on his return home he called in to
get a " wie drappie o' the cratur," at the house of James
Dow, publican, East Toll, Cupar. Dow is a widower, and
had been in bed at the time. Dall, knowing the great incon-
venience arising from the want of " a wife," had recom-
mended to Dow to take another to himself. It appeared that
a great deal of foolish confabbing had then gone on between
the parties, as to Dall providing a wife for Dow ; and Dall
left the house apparently under the mistaken impression that
Dow was to give him £5 if he could obtain for him a woman
who would marry him. In a few weeks after, Dall, " true
to his promise," appeared at Dow's, in a respectable con-
veyance, accompanied by " a buxom young lassie," as the
to-be future Mrs. Dow. Dow appeared to have had no ob-
jections to the " lassie," but, on the contrary, he treated her
very kindly. He showed her the internal geography of his
mansion; had several private communings with her; and
every thing looked as if it should be a sure match, and that
t hey would soon be " a pair o' Dotes." After a day's " flow
of soul," parties separated—Dall taking hack his ward;
Dow having promised to call at Star on a day named, and
enter into the necessary arrangements for " the wedding.'
Whether from being no astronomer, or from some other
cause, Dow thought no more of the Star ; but Dall deter-
mined, whether I)ow should take the " wife of his choice"
or not, lie should at least make him pay the promised £5 ;
and accordingly he gave Dow a small debt summons for that
sum. Dow denied that he either had promised £5, or agreed
to take the woman Dall might bring to him. The sheriff
allowed Dall a proof of his allegations ; and a great iniiny
witnesses having been examined, they all failed to establish
any of his statements. On the contrary, Dow's servant-
maid deponed that she heard Dall offering to wager a. pound
that he would get a wife for Dow. The sheriff asstoli
doubts
if with all expenses, and stated that he had great
e tier cOurt
if a claim for such business was a pro
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