The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-09-06 00:00:00

EXECUTIONS.

LANCASTER, AUG. 31.—This was the day appointed for the
execution of Patrick M‘Partland and John Howarth, who were
convicted at the late Lancaster assizes, before the Lord Chief
Justice Denman, the former of two attempts to murder two of
his fellow prisoners in the Manchester New Bailey, and the lat-
ter of an unnatural offence. The notice of the indecent prac-
tice at the factories of giving the inmates liberty, about a quarter
of an hour previous to the hour fixed for the execution, in some
of the provincial papers, has been the means of putting an end
to it, at least in some of the factories, for several of the mill-
owners kept their workpeople later than usual, in order to pre-
vent their appearance at such a scene. A few minutes before
twelve o'clock the solemn toll of the Castle bell announced the
near approach of the fatal moment, that the necessary prepara-
tions were about to be completed, and shortly after the clock
struck M'Partland appeared on his way towards the drop, fol-
lowed by the executioner. His step was firm, his manner col-
lected and calm, and he appeared quite resigned to his fate.
When he reached the open air he cast a glance at the surround-
ing crowd, and marched with military step 'under the beam to
which the chain was attached. The executioner then placed
the cap over his face, fastened the rope to the chain, and then
conducted Howarth to the same spot, and performed the same
office for him. The appearance of the latter was by no means
so collected as the former. The Rev. J. Rowley then ap-
proached, and read in an impressive manner several prayers, at
the conclusion of which the bolt was withdrawn, and they. died
almost without a struggle.
On Saturday, at a little after eleven o'clock, at Gloucester,
Charlotte Long and Thomas Gaskins underwent the fatal sen-
tence of the law ; the former for setting fire to the ricks of three
different persons on the same night, the latter for setting fire to
a hayrick, the property of his master. The unhappy woman,
Charlotte Long, was only 33 years of age, and her husband,
by whom she had had two children, had been transported about
four years. She, however, had a third child, about two months
ago, which she carried in her arms when she was brought to the
bar to take her trial; but this child was, almost as soon as the
trial commenced, given into the charge of the unhappy woman's
sister, who took the wretched infant homewith her, and continued
it in her care up to the time of its death, which occurred last
week, from an attack of inflammation. It appeared that this un-
happy victim of the laws of her country had not the slightest ill-
; will towards either of the persons whose ricks she set on fire,but
1 it was stated bythe King's evidence, who was examined, that the
prisoner had told her that she intended to set fire to the premises
of Mr. Exell, the churchwarden of the parish of Nibley, because
he had removed her to her parochial settlement, but that conceiv-
ing that it would be thought that she had done it, she resolved to
fire the ricks of three other persons in the parish, to ward off sus-
picion from herself, before she set fire to the premises of Mr.
Exell. The other unhappy prisoner, Thomas Gaskins, was a
young man who had always borne an excellent character, and
the only inducement that he had for the commission of the dread-
ful offence was, that he and his master had had a dispute becausethe cider which he had to drink was not wood enough to satisfy
him. It is understood that both the wretched prisoners made an
ample confession, and were quite resigned to their fate.