The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-09-05 00:00:00

IRKLAN& •

Oa Friday, the Uth ult. the dieadret sentence of
the law was put in etocution aspur.sfigesabilierry and
(.harks Underwood, for 'the ,muider of ‘'..lohis
AlTliire. The prisoners were escorted by awetong
' guard of several corps of yeomanryo soda &tech..
.taunt of the Derry pinta, from Carriektergas,
which they left at five o'clock A. M. to the towatiand
of .Proclioi, lb the parish of Druinaul,-Ose scrod of
the horrid crime, which is Ititheeto•usaparellekd le
' the *muds of this country. . . s. •
Ott arriving at Antrim, Xederwood :was' per-
mitted to have an intro view with his .wife; which
was extremely affectinst. This •young man, who
ba.licareely attained his 21st year, was married only
one week previously to his apprehettsiOn, and mot
a mouth before the termination of his life. • John
Cherry was attended by three of his sons. Upisti
reaching Itandalstown, the, party halted for above
half- an hour, when the' pirsunertf being brought
into the Court-loom., and Underwood introduced
into an inner 'partite:id, he there, in the preectici
of Mr. Aiken, the Magistrate, Dr. Henry, and cue
or two others, made a full and amplo confession .of
• his guilt. While Underwood was in one apart.
ghiwt, the old man was in another, where he was
iltheried iu the most earliest matinee by .the Rev.
Mr. Pratt, vicar of the parish, and by Mr. Fulton,
the Seb.sheriffi to ackuusyledge the justice of his
sentence, and to confess his guilt;
.but sheltering
himielf under the casuistry, that " not having
struck a blow, be waste. criminal;" he persisted
in continuing deaf to every argument, sitting with
his legs across, mad taking snuff iii quautitiesi with
the most hardened eoniposore.
On the arrival at the 'fstal tree, the Rev. Dr.
fixtry offered up an energetic prayer,. to which . that
youth paid the utmost 'attention ; het the aged ed.,
tnittal seemed stupidly obdurate. Itnruediaty after.
wards, Underwood stood upright on the car, dud
with calm firmness addressed the multitiatiO'ht
nearly theie words .
You're me here, my friends, bmoeht to this shanwful
end in the Bower of my youth. l beg of you. for the love of
• OA, and if you would wiM to escape my fat, ..to avoid 1144
onspasty of all sorts, particularly shun coca 114hill!e:.
laig..andowearittg; and above all thiugs, pay attention to the,
dubouth.dav, and net omit nomaling westing. mut bearing
the Word or God I—For tbe love of Cott, mind wh.it I say.-
*eerie die. for I aiu guilty ; 'but it it a.. emoolation so me
that I .Sid out raise un hued ; 11'3 I nliAlit have saved the mail.
I take it uponmyatenth, that it was my wide John Under-
' wood who struck Sl'Clure wait the head, and Robert tour-
)
.telsay who scooted hint with zraypnet I it ems this atifixisioate
old mum st his estiserit nlway wamits. bad : what lie
swore Wits partly true, aad parity fibe—be aid not • offer his,
daughter Marriage.-
Then turnipitoCherrfilbe aaressed bids in the
must earnest and pathetic' manner, uollelfaelea..
kin . ,
. •
" And not., John Cherry. for the love of god iusd year
own soul, cookie your &gilt r Item the* hardened old meg
looked up most itripudendy,_interrupting him,.as iroffeltledi
and minim-au, " %Vita' would you have we soy r•-,4,-Yns
have been rt very wicked ea mat and have :teen the memos of
bringing me here. .fdy (Vet! when so young a creature as J.
am so cast down witb the 'weight of my Ibis, what most be
your rase, and you m old ; for you itoow you always bore a
had cheract"r.—Fur my part I MP two light, ands's% rejoiced
I am goiisx to die, for linviug begun so vounz, SO7 vim would
h;tve.been igen, ised; if I had not hero rut The devil had
got ho-si of me. Come I begin, for God's sake, and state all
your sin. from the first. May God forgive you t I iluowd
t very out." •
A shroud, &c. being produced, Underwood, wide
the greatest fortitude and deliberationdivested
self of ilia dulling, even including his shirt; and
having put out the shroud, distributed his clothes
amongst his friends, and then said he hoped • what he
said airfare was heard by everyone:—t' I spoke
as loud as I could," Said lie, " and I hope you. rt..
member it ;" and whilst the dreadful preparation
was making, he continued his address, • repeefiog I
and etiforelog nearly the sane sentiments. At
length, on the car being drivel) airily, tbe tttlifoett
nate men came to the ground, ei.'iy titing hash's boas
I,tetketually done by the miserable weecationer.
Above twenty minutes elapsed in .madjustiog
the ropes, during which time Underwood stood
stead) ; and being told that he had a few moonlit@
longer, he replied, " God is still good to met *ad
I hove always been ungrateful," and then employed •
,
his tine in 'exhorting the crowd; bet Cherry only 1
mutteted es before: and while every heart thrubbtil
tot Underwood, not a feeling of pity was • excited I
for the hoary villain, neither did he seem to feel foe
himself. The teens at closed •
f
Underwood etas a lino erect yohth of 'about sit
feet high, light haie and complexoin, long visagl/4•
and bad a terySensiblel and rAther 11 good count&L
nano& Cherry was a set old man,.about five feet,
'seven litehee. high,• with a weither.beaten couote.,.
lance, •eaproesive of leis conning and assurance--
be.eould neither read nor write. i.
While.Undefwood was dictating what was tvrit.
ten.down at Rattslablown, he exclaimed with greet.
feeling, 1` Oh ! 'that Almighty God would soften
the heart uf that old man. Ile has had much expe-
rience, and I am but a yoeng men, and have been
led away.".
41 teas enticed, that when Underwood was eve.
homing. Cherry to confess his crimes, though bli•
waits were Hear him at the time, none of them joined
strittst•ieqtil,st, but preserved an *spree:ire silence.'
is aideheil that Cherry has left seven freehold-
prOpertiiii-worth from eight fo tenlhousaud poundal;
When' at (be place.of execution Understood. asked
fur several of his acquaintances, and they wet**,
called fur aiming the crowd and *Ad that the Or-
phan wanted them. Mane went fot.werd to him.—
lie shook bonds with theta and had theuttareweal.,
Prtui,,usly to In:ingiied op the second limo, hi held
sei his right baud and &tiara that honorer Meal
• •
The bodies were suspendid about 31 nsinaseil:
and after being taken down, that of Uoderwo*
WAS conveyed to the couner., infirmary, at
f.,r dissection, . but on aceuent of the.eonifidon lic
had mailifese.i!, it was. given to his father4n4ari
and his other friends who applied toe ii. The '
of Cherry wen delivered to his aonep• who took eta
away on a car, but on their way home, they gall
drunk, soil had a violent quarrel About the dais*,
of their father's property.
The parson who so solemnly took " his bible,
oath " a. to the truth of live phenolitenon which he
•a... 1 at the residence and &silt of the Sumpfued
east, is not a Scotsman, otha.iiise we might ad.
count fur it by a second sigiar; 'i44oo4opeeepoi:oe
are able, at* fire‘ sight, to 0443iiihishe
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ClP6jairer•
'4? Ala :till .

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