Washington telegraph., 1849-05-23
CASE OF ELIZABETH GAUNT.

Rye House plot was man named James
Burton. By his own confession he had
been present when the design of assassi-
nation was discussed by his accomplces
When conspiracy was detected, a reward
was offered for his apprehension. He
was saved from death by an ancient ma
tron of Anabaptist persuasion, named
Elizabeth Gaunt. This woman, with
the peculiar manners and phraseology
which then distinguished her sect, had
large charity. Her life was passed in
relieving the unhappy OF all religious
denomina tons. and she was we'll known
as costant visitor of the jails. Her
political and theological opinions, as we'll
as her compassionate disposition, led her
to do every thing i'll her power for Burton.
She procured boat which took him to
Gravesend, where he got on board of a
ship bound for Amsterdam. At the mo-
ment OF parting she put into his hand a
sum OF money which, for her means, was
very large. Burton, after living some
time in exile, returned to England with
Monmouth, fought at Sedgemore, fled to
London, and took refuge in the house
of John Eernley, a barber in Whitechapel.
Fernley was very poor He was besleg-
ed bv creditors. He knew that "a re-
ward of hundred pounds had been Of
tered by the government for the appre-
hension of Burton. But the honest man
was incapable of betraying one who, in
extreme peril, had come beneath the
shadow of his roof. Unhappily it was
soon noised abroad that the anger of
James was more strongly excited against
those who harbored rebels than against
the rebels themselves. He had publicly
declared that of all forms of treason the
hiding of traitors from his vengeance was
the most objectionable. Burton knew
this. He delivered himself up to the
government, and he gave information
against Fernley and Elizabeth Gaunt
They were brought to trial. The vii
lain whose life they had preserved had
the heart and forehead Of bear as the
principal witness against them. They
were convicted. Fernley was sentenced
to the galows, Elizabeth Gaunt to the
stake Even after all the horrors of that
year, many thought it impossible that
these judgments should be carried into
execution. But the king was without
pity. Fernley was hanged Elizabeth
Gaunt was burned alive at Tyburn on the
same day on which Cornish suffered
death in Cheap psde. She left prayer
written, indeed, in no graceful STYLE yet
such as was read by many thousands
with compassion and horror. "My fault,
she said, "was one which prince might
we'll have forgiven, l did but relieve a
poor family, and 10. must die for it."
She complained OF the insoence of the
judges, of the ferocity of the jailor, aud
of the tyranny of him, the great one OF
all. to whose pleasure SO many OF her
victims had been sacrificed. In as far as
they had injured her, she torgave them;
but, in that they were implacable enemies
Of that good cause which would yet re-
vive and flourish, she left them 10 the
judgment of the King OF Kings. To the
last she preserved a tranquil courage,
which reminded the spectators of the
most heroic deaths of which they had
read of in Fox. VIM. Penn, for whom
exhibitions which humane men generally
dNOlu SGcliSO " nave Ildu d SLEOHB az
traction, FASTENED from Cheapside, where
he had seen Cornish hanged, to Tyburn,
in order to see Elizabeth Gaunt burned.
He afterwards related that, when she
calmly disposed the straw about her in
such manner as TO shorten her suffer
lngs, all the bystanders burst into tears.
1t was much noticed that while the foul
est judicial murder which had disgraced
even these times was pefpetrating,
tempest burst forth, sucn as had not been
known since that great hurricane which
had ragged round the death bed of Oliver
The oppressed Puritan reckoned up, not
without a gloomy satisfaction, the houses
which had been blown down, and the
ships which had been cast away, and
derived some consolatian from thinking
that heaven was bearing awful testimony
against the iniquity which afflicted earth.
Since that day no woman has suffered
death in England for any political offence.
Macaulay's History oJ England
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