The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-23 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF J. ROBERTS.

Kirkdale Gaol was, on Saturday last, the scene of
another execution. The mob was not so great, the roads
leading to ch.. fatal spot were less crowded, and there was
by no means so great a proportio❑ of female gazers as w•
have seen.
The unhappy man, John Roberts, who suffered the ex-
treme penalty of the law for the murder of Lord Derby's
gamekeeper, under circumstances with which our readers
are familiar, gave, in his personal appearance, no indica-
tion of that ferocity of disposition which the world popu-
larly associates with a deliberate murderer. His face, fat
and chubby, with a heavy cast of features, was rather
pleasing in its expression than otherwise. He was dressed
in an old black body coat, dark waistcoat, barragon trou-
sers, and shoes. His hair was dark, his height about five
feet six inches, and he was a young man—only twenty-sir
years of age.
The culprit, since his condemnation, and more espe-
cially since the reprieve of his companions in guilt, has
been imbued with strong religious feeling. At the con-
demned sermon, preached on Sunday week by the Rev.
Mr. Appleton in the gaol chapel, he was most attentive to
the worthy clergyman's exhortations to prepare for another
world. On Friday night he prayed, read the Bible and reli-
gious tracts, and sung detached pieces of hymns incessantly.
He did not sleep at all. About five on Saturday morning he
partook of some refreshment—a cup of tea and bread and
butter.

He told the officer who sat up with him that the approver
Shaw, on whose evidence the prisoners were convicted,
had told the truth—that be attributed his present position
to his " good nature"—that when he went out on the fatal
morning with his gun, he had no intention of shooting
any one—and that had he not been in liquor at the time,
the criminal act would not have occurred. He made fre-
quent mention of Richard Kenyon (the murdered game-
keeper) in his solicitations to the throne of grace, and
wished it to be known that he prayed frequently for the
happiness of his widow and children. In short, his con-
duct has been in every respect becoming a repentant sin-
ner.

About half-past eleven, the prisoner, accompanied by
the Rev. Mr. Appleton, Mr. Amos, the late, and Mr.
Gibbs, the present governor of the gaol, entered the
chapel, where he partook of the sacrament. On leaving
it he embraced, in the most affectionate terms, his com-
panion Jim Hunt, to whom, it will be seen, he alluded in
his speech at the scaffold. He placed his arms round
Hunt's neck, and pressed him most warmly. At this
leave-taking, his firmness, which was so marked during
his subsequent movements, appeared for a moment to de-
sert him—but it was only for a moment, for when the
chaplain on the one side, and one of the officers of the
prison on the other,. moved forward, he took his place be-
tween them, and walked with as much apparent nerve as
those about him. During the procession Mr. Appleton
read the burial service. Arrived at the press-room, the
prisoner was seated in a chair, when his hands were pi-
nioned, the handkerchief removed from his neck, and the
other preliminaries for the execution gone through. sir.
Appleton still continued reading, and the prisoner's lips
moved in prayer. He ejaculated at intervals, " Lord have
mercy on me! Christ have mercy on me ? &C." The exe-
cutioner, who appeared au fail at his duties, (he arrived
from London on Friday night, the scene of his labours'
being the Old Bailey,) then led the culprit forward to the'
scaffold. When the crowd caught a view of the unhappy
man, a buzz ran through it, during which he bowed very
respectfully three times—to the southern. the centre, and
the northern parts of the vast assemblage opposite the
scaffold. This concluded, he prepared to speak, and in a
very firm and audible voice gave expression to the follow-
ing, address, which, from the cool, deliberate, and empha-
tic manner in which it was uttered. must have been heard
by every one—even the most remote in the crowd :
" Good people all !" (Great uproar in front of the
scaffold, mingled with hisses, during which the culprit
waited patiently. When it had subsided he continued)—
" Good people all ! I have made my peace with the Al-
mighty, and I hope that some of you will tell my poor old
father that I die happy. Good people, F have prayed very
bard for my sins to be forgiven night and day, and my
poor companion, Jim Hunt, has been praying for me. I
hope, good people, you will all turn from your sins and
wickedness, I owe no man any animosit?. and I expect
that no man owes me any. (Cries of " No, no !" from the
crowd.) Gcod people, take this as a warning from me,
and never let yourselves be entangled with the devil and
bad company. May God bless you all ! /Vey the Lord
have mercy on. your souls ! for the Lord Jesus Christ's
sake, who suffered on the cross for our sins, and who shed
his blood for us—Amen. Farewell ! Farewell !"
The bolt was then withdrawn, and the prisoner fell, the
crowd setting ap a hideous yell, the expression, appa-
rently, of their feelings of horror at the shock, rather than
of had feeling towards the dying man. He struggled vio-
lently for a few seconds, and then ceased to move. The
crowd then dispersedrand after the body had been sus-
pended the usual time it was cut down, and buried within
the precincts of the gaol.

MESMERISM.—Dr.• Collyer, on Tuesday and Wednes-
day evenings last, delivered lectures on this subjeet at the
Town-hall, Birkenhead,. to very respectable audiences.
The doctor was not successful in his experiments-, but in
Chester was exceedingly fortunate in this respect.
SERIOUS ROBBERY, aY A SHOP BOY.—On Tuesday
last, William Woods, shop. boy to Mr. Pearson,. Macs-
office, Lord-street, who was left in charge of the shop
during the absence of, Mr. Broadfoot, the manager,
abstracted £lO 10s. in gold, a watch-guard, and other
articles, from a box which was locked up in a cupboard.
He was apprehended on Wednesday morning at Ormskirk,
brought down to Liverpool, and committed for trial:

PUBLICANS' CASES.—On Friday there were eight
pab1i0nr.e......11...11,-..allersimminnoneci before Mr. Rushton,
at the Police-court, for infractions of the new act. We
subjoin a summary :—John Chambers, beer-seller, was
acquitted; Thomas Glascoe9. beer-seller, was fined' 60s.
and costs; John Williams, beer-seller, was fined 20s,and
costs ; ThomasW'ormald, publican, was acquitted • William
Moss, publican, was fined 40s. and' costs; John'Griffiths,
beer-seller, was fined 50s. and costs ; Richard Jones, beer-
seller, was fined 20s. andcosts.; and John Ryan, publican,
was fined —s. and costs.

FORGERY IN GLASGOW —We hive been requested to
state that the party apprehended in Liverpool was Robert
Potter, late builder in Glasgow, and a partner of the firm
of Potter and Houston, some time builders there ; :that
the charge is not that of forgery, but of theft, or reset of
theft, in having taken a sum of about £lOOO too much
from a teller in the Glasgow Union Banking Company,
Glasgow, in July, 1839, getting discount for a bill. We
are further requested to state that Mr. James Potter,
Seel. street, Liverpool, was•never in the remotest degree
implicated in, or connected with, the offence with which.
Robert Potter now stands charged.—Glasgow papsr.
ROBBERY BY A SERVANT.—A respectably-dressed fe-
male, named Amelia Rowlands, was brought before Mr.
Rushton, on Saturday, on .a charge of having robbed her
mistress, a widow lady, 0f,17, Hotham-street, of a
sariety
of articles of wearing apparel. It appeared that the pri-
soner lived as servant with the complainant, in Paradise-
street, for about six weeks,-and that she left the service,
on the 18th of November last, without notice.. Soon
after she had been missed it was ascertained that she had
taken with her a silk cloalt.and a number of dresses, veils,
shawls, scarfs, aprons, towels, table-cloths, tuseau bon-
nets,. and blankets, of the value of about £l5. She- suc-
ceeded in eluding the haotle.of justice until Friday last.
She was committed for trial.

THE WALLASEY DO.XKlip—lt is rumoured that two of
the most eminent contractors for the executierb.of public
works in the kingdom, have offered to execute, the whole
of the works requisite for the conversion of Wallasey Pool
into a dock, for the surer specified in Mr. Renders esti-
mates; and that such is- their confidence in.the success
of the scheme, that they have also offered to accept Wal-
lasey Dock bonds in payment. With the view.of showing
how greatly land on the Cheshire side has. risen, in value
since the Wallasey Dock project was started, it is said
that, on Saturday week, a Liverpool gentleman sold, for
the sum of £75,000, a piece of land on the Seacorabe side
of Wallasey Pool, which he bought two- years ago for
£B,OOO. The land has a good and extensive frontage ;
tnd, when the pool shall have been convartedinto a dock,
.i
will be one of the most valuable estates on its banks.
DOCK Comiunrse, THURSDAY.—Letters were read
from Messrs. Ashbridge, Reay, Purnell, and Guiniss,
masters of the Victoria, Waterloo, King's, and Queen's
Docks, denying the allegation, contained in an anony-
mous letter to the Chairman, that the dock-masters were
in the habit of taking bribes. Some conversation took
place as to the propriety of having export and import
docks, but it was considered better to defer the matter
until the Albert Dock was ready. for use. Mr. Bold men-
tioned the dirty state of the docks, and the subject was
referred to the Harbour-masters' Committee. Mr. Nicol
said he expected the special sub-committee on the dock
plans would be able to report on Wednesday next, and it
was agreed that a reporter should be engaged to take full
notes of the d scussion, in older that they might be printed
and distributed amongst tha members, and also amongst
the members- of the council.
i

THE AA-UMW A N .—The American packets
which have recently left this port afford evidence of the.
improving state of business with the United States. The
Hottinguer,. on Monday week, took out freight amount-
ing to upwards of £l5OO,
.and eleven cabin passeregers;
the Montezuma, which sailed the same day, upwards of
£l2OO, and ten cabin passengers. By the way, tleese two
fine vessels, both remarkably fast sailers, are pitted
against each
.other, and bets to some amount are depen-
Cohota, also sailed in
depen-
dent upon which gets home first.
company ; she is known to be a very
fast ship, and is pitted, as regards speed, against the ves-
sels we have named. in
future, there will be a packet
The fine transient ship
every five cl!iys. Europe is the first ship under the
new regulatiun. The Roscius, which is about to sail,
takes out freight amounting to £l4OO. Indeed the Ameri-
can packets have received better freights lately than for a
length of time previously.
RESCUE AT BURY'S FOUNDRY.-011 Tuesday, an able-
bodied fellow, named James Askew, was brought before
Mr. Rushton, at the Police-court, on a charge of having
rescued a person of the name of Isaac Edwards, from
Greaves, one of the Bridewell keepers, and another officer.
It appeared that on Friday week a warrant bad been re-
ceived here from NI ales for the apprehension of Edwards,
on a charge of having destroyed property and threatened
further violence in that country. The warrant, after
having been backed by Mr. Rushton, was delivered into
the hands of Greaves and Mr. Christopher Ca;nes, the
officer from Mold, fur the purpose of putting it into ere.
Edwards had been working, and took him into custody,
which they bad no sooner clone than they were attacked
They accordingly went to Bury's lout:dry, where
being foundry, one of the 1110 A active of their assailants
twine tee prisoner, and the result eel. that Edwards was
cation. They
of one hundred of the workmen employed at
rescued, and effected his escape through tie yard. Mr.
Rushton ordered the prisoner to pay the sum QC-P-4" to
be imprisoned one month.