The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-10-06 00:00:00

EXECUTION.

On Tuesday morning the last awful sentence of the
law was carried into effect, in front of the public build-
ings, foot of Saltmarket-street, on George Campbell,
who was convicted at our autumn assizes of the murder
of Mary Hanlin, or Watters, in her own house, Deacon's-
close, Calton Month, by means of kicking her with his
feet, and leaping heavily on her body. -At the trial, it
will be remembered, the prisoner, while the sentence was
being pronounced by Lord Meadowbank, frequently, in-
terrupted his lordship with volleys of shocking execra-
tions and blasphemies which appalled the whole court,
and he was removed from the bar amid the universal
disgust of the spectators. It appeared to be an opinion
generally entertained at the time, that his behaviour at
the trial was the result of dreadful excitement rather
than of cool contemplated outrage. His conduct in the
cell was very different from what might have been ex-
pected, being uniformly quiet and submissive, and very
much similar to that exhibited by others in the same
melancholy circumstances. The Right Rev. Bishop
Mtirdoch and-other gentlemen of the Roman catholic
faith were most attentive to the spiritual instruction of
the culprit during his confinement. As his end drew
near, he became more calm and resigned, and seldom
entered into conversation with any inoividnal excepting
his religious advisers. His aged father and his sister
took their last farewell on Monday night, after which he
was engaged the whole of the evening, and the greater
portion of Monday night with Bishop Murdoch and seve-
ral lay Roman catholics, and appeared to the visitors to
be sensible of his situation. The magistrates entered the
Court-hall on Tuesday morning at eight o'clock, shortly
after which the prisoner was conducted from his cell, hav-
ing his arms pinioned, and entered the hall accompanied
by his spiritual advisers. Bishop Murdoch addressed the
magistrates in behalf of the prisoner, expressive of his
sincere contrition for his conduct during the trial, trust-
ing that the declaration would be communicated to the
public, and accepted with similar sincerity. The party
then proceeded instantly to the scaffold, Campbell walk-
ing with a firm but rather hurried step, with his body
erect, and occasionally tossing up his head and throwing
aside the long dark curls which hung around his temples.
His youth and animated appearance created some excite-
ment among the crowd, which was expressed by several
notes of loud lamentation, arising apparently from the
female portion of the spectators. After spending a few
minutes in prayer on his knees with his spiritual instruc-
tors, he ascended the drop, irad the cap drawn over his
face, and the rope adjusted. A few seconds then elapsed,
in which he appeared again engaged in prayer, when the
drop fell, and Campbell, after two or three convulsive
motions, ceased to exist. In consequence of the age and
' indisposition of the officer under the corporation, the
duties of executioner (in this instance) were performed
by an individual who was said to have come from Edin-
burgh. Mr. Watson was in attendance with a large
police force, and preserved most rigid order among a
croe-d which appeared as numerous as on _any previous
occasion. It, however, speedily dispersed, after haying
gazed a few minutes on the sad spectacle. Campbell was
born in_Bridegate, of Irish parents, and was about 24
Years of age After being t mploved some time as a cot-
' ton-piecer, he enlisted into the 56th Regiment of Foot,
and remained in the army out seven years. On his
discharge, he returned home, and resided with his father;
but family disagreements inducing lam to change his
dwelling, he removed to the house of,the old woman
'Hanlin—described by the counsel on his trial as'a brothel