The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1825-11-02
EXTRAORDINARY INCIDENTS

.1Dect1ng E0ent.-A young man, gun
smith in the neighborhood of Cbiches-
ter, some time ago went into wood TO
try "A new gun, which unfortunately
burst, and wounded him so severely as
to cause his death before the accident
was discovered. He had, however,
sufficient strength and presence of mind
to crawl, wounded as he was, to a tree.
on which he wrote his will, beoueath-
inS the property he had TO young wo-
man, to whom he was betrothed, and
to whom he wss to have been married
In few days, in these words, SC | leave
my house to Mary" This was consid-
cred good will, and the young woman
inherited the property.
Singular Circumstamce.-The Frank
lin Telegraph, gives an account of the
execution of Stephen Videts at Maloue
N. Y. for the murder of Mrs. Fanny
Mosely. The Telegraph says
That while under the fatal tree, a
paper was then read at his request, in
which he asserted bis innocence in the
following terms with regard to the
crime for which this day suffer, have
only TO remark, that am perfectly in
nocent By whose hands the unfortu-
nate Fanny Mosely was deprived of life,
| do not know /: but say it was not
mine, neither was | accessory to it; nei-
Their was aware of that unhappy event,
but at the time was fearful Of designs
upon my own life.' A short time after
the rope was fastened TO the beam, and
the cap drawn over his face, he still
protesting his innocence, and the drop
fell. But unfortunately, the knot drew
over his chin in such a manner as not
entirely to stop his breath, nor the cir
culation of the vital fluid in this dread
full situation he struggled for several
minutes in the agonies of death.
The paper containing bis protesta-
tons of innocence, he had declared his
intention of holding in his right hand,
when yielding up his life. TAis paper
he changed from has left to has right hand,
chen he had hung too or three minutes,
and zUGved 1t to the multitude cath appa-
rent design"
The above is an extraordinary event,
and we leave it for the rejecting to say,
under every circumstance, whether a
man can be guilty who shall act in that
manner and in that awful situation.
PrOvidential Acqnttal.-Ala lad named Male.
was tried at the Old Bailey Sessions on the
l4th OF Sept. l772, for highway robbery. and
his identity positively sworn to by several
witnesses. When called upon for his defence,
he persisted in his innocence, and said that
his witnesses would prove it. These witnesses
were the books of the Court, by which it ap-
peared, that on the very day and at the very
hour when he was stated to have committed
the robbery, he was on trial at the bar, where
he then stood for similar offence, in which
he was likewise unfortunate enough to be
mistaken for the guilty person he was, of
course, honourably acquitted.
man was condemned to death at Naples.
and was carried out and executed. While
his friends were bearing away the body for
lnterment, it was discovered that the vital
spark was not extinct. They carried the
man back to prison, and he was brought to
He soon disrobed himself from his grave
clothes, and claimed from the hangman, then
present, his own suit the hangman said
they were his perquisites, and refused to de-
liver them up; violent contest ensued, in
which the culprit seized knife, and ripped
up the belly of the hangman. He was secur-
ed, and will again suffer. This 10 the first in
stance Of convict killing the hangman after
he had actually performed his duty, and
IS singular circumstance altogether.
MIRACULOUS EscAPE.--A Mr.. Gwynn was
employed to repair the wall of Mr.. Thomp-
sons well, in Virginia, part Of which had
fallen in near the edge Of the water, and
while he was engaged in removing the rocks
\ from the bottom, the well gave way about fif.
teen feet from the water and closed o,,n- b;,