New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-03-25
Cfvcumssuntial Evidence and Capital
Punish "a, emf.

We mentioned In our last the execution Of four
men, James Ashcroft, David Ashcroft, james Ash
croft jun, and William Holden, at Lancaster, for
the murder of i~o female servants OF MIR. Little
wood, at Pendeton, on the 26ih of April 1917, Of
which an old man, John Holden, the uncle of the
! man who was executed, confessed himself the per-
petrator the other day on his death-bed. The fol-
lowing tragica circumstances occurred az the trial
and execution: 1t appears that all the prisoners
were without counsel and that, upon receiving sem
tence of death each of them protested to the Court
his inn ocence. james Ashcroft, senior, exclalm-
ed, "This is numbering US in cold blood God
will reveal this injustice. pray earnestly that ne
would now send two angels to declare upon that
table who committed this murder. We are all in
nocent, will declare it so to the last David
Ashcroft invoked God, and protested his innocence
in the same manner. James Ashcroft the younger,
"If must suffer for crime never committed.
implore your honor to look in mercy on my poor
wife and children" Here the wife beingin Court
shrieked out Printing. William Holden (pointins
upwards) said, There God yonder who knows
that we are innocent, and who will make amends
for this" These ordinations being stopped by
the Judge, sentence of death passed upon
them ali; at the conclusion of whc! David Ash
croft told the Judge shat he hoped God would not
allow tie injustice done 10 them to be always un-
known; and James Ashcroft, Junior, said he would
meet higher Judge with q conscience clear OF
this guilt. At the place of execution, upon the
Monday following, the crowd assembled was I'M
mense, and there, upon the scaffold, the convicts
renewed their pro,estations of innocence. David
Ashcroft said, Il am glad to see so many persons
looking on, as testify TO them that we are all g-
norant of this crime. do protest to you all, be-
fore God, as am now going, trust, to glory,
would not for the whole world die with lie In my
mouth" At this period they ell joined in singing
four lines Of hymn which they had not quite I'm
ished when they were launched into eternity.
Liverpool Mercury, March g.
The MURDER 1T PENpLEToN.-We stated in
our last, on the authority Of correspondent, that
old man at Leigh had confessed on his death
bed, that he was the murderer of the servants OF
Mr.. Littewood, at Pendleton. The murder in
question Yves committed ON the Goth of April,
1917, at the hc1se of MIR. Litllewood. The two
servants Margaret Eiatsden, aged rs, and Han
nah Partinsten, aged 90, were found dead, with
their bodies dreadfully mangled. and The house
robbed of upwards of el60. "Frem various cir
cumstances of strong suspicion" says the Man
chester Courier, five men, named James Ash
croft, the elder, David Ashcroft, James Ashcroft,
the younger, William Holden, and John Robinson,
were apprehended ard tried at Lancaster, before
Baron Richards, at the August asgizcs, Friday,
September 5th,) 1917. Although not direct, the
evidence WIS strong ly circunstantia and the jury
found the three Ashcrofts and William Holden
guilty, but acquitted Robinson. On the following
(Sept. stb,) the Ashcrofts and Holden we're exc
cuted, and every one of Them, calling their God
to witness, died protesting their innocence and
singing q hymn. Nevertheless the public were
perfectly satisfied of their guilt, about which there
never seemed to be doubt, until Thursday the
9th instant when an old man, aged "a, named
ohm Holden (the uncle, we believe, of the man
who hung living at very disrePutable place,
called Egypt, on the right hand side of the road
between Leigh and Chowbent, finding himself on
the point of death, confessed to two women, whom
he called to the bedside for the purpose, that he
was the perpetrator of the murder above referred
to, but that he did not commit the robbery. On
the following day he died. The subject is far too
painful for comment"