The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1860-04-26

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10 death two days subsequently, in Kilkenny
market place. As the weights were heaped on
the wre ched man he earnestly suppliceted to he
hang ID; but il being beyond the power OF the
sheriff to devi'ie from the mode OF punishment
prescribrd in the sentence, even this was an in
dugenca which could no longer be granted to
him.
HANGING ny wHoLEsALE.
During the whole OF the eighteenth century, |
the galluws bore proiuse crops OF awful FRUIT.
and the hangman had incessaut occupetiou,--
Now.a days, one can scarcely realize the fact |
thai within the memory ot many yet living, six
ten fifteen and even more men were hung AZ one
time in one poce In book printed only about !
fifty years ago, we have an engraving, IAN exact |
representation It is called OF n new scaifhld at
Newgate, with ten men hanging at once! ON
the 23l of April, 1883, nineteen men were exc
cuted, aud not one for murder! Most were hung
lor rohberics and hurglarcs, and no less than
three for returning from transportation before
their time had expired On the l3th OF Novcm
ber, the same year eighteen were hanged at New
gate, aud not one for murder, and on Dec-mb
lst, niue more were hanged all for robberies aud
burgaries. The bodies, of murdercrs, we may
remark, were almost invariably given to sur
geons for dissection, unless ordered to be hung
in chains aud they were publicly exposed Ia the
gaze Of young anl old on tho diSsccting table OF
Surgeons Hall Od u iley.
|, was very ancient custom for the bell man
Of the parish Of ST Srpulchrc's to go beneath the
walls Of Newgatr on the night prior to the exc.
cution of condemned convicts. add ringing his
bell, to recle these admontory lines;
All YOU that in the condemned hold 10 lie,
Prepare YOU, Tor tomorrow you shall die.
Watch all. and pray 70" tho hour il drawing near,
Thatyo before tn Almighty must appear.
Examine well yourselves: in time repent,
That YOU my not { eternal htucs bc sent;
And when St. Scpulchre bell tomorrow tolls,
The Lord above have mercy on your souls!
Past twelve O'Clock
| ST. Sepulchrc's bsll toled ON the morning Of
execution, aud the cart used to stop before the
church whllst the bellmiu again did his Office
ol ringing the bell aud repeating several lines.
It would appear. however, that u Clergyman
ought to have been, and roaly was, the reciter
of the verses.
! 1t was also customary FOR the cart to stop on
its way to ryburn, that the maefactors might
be pre- scntcd with bowl Of ale heir last one
on rth. This custom prevailed in the county
of York later than anywhere else, and curious
anccdnte is told of saddIer at Bawtry, who
'lost his lte in consequence Of declining the ~.
freshmeut as had h stoppc as usual, his re.
prirve, which was actually on the roid. would
have arrived tim onougheto have saved him.
|
try was hanged for leaving his ale"
EXECUTION OF 3oYs--AN ORIGINAL METHOD OF
REFORM
It is startling to read of mere boys being
hanged for oG.ns,s which, now a-dAys, would
probably hG punished by lew months mpris.
onment, or by secusion in reiormaory. -
Peter MrCloud, aged sixteen, was hanged al
ryburn, Nay 27 l772 for housebreaking. An.
other boy, not sixteen, was hanged for murder,
at Wirbeach, July l3, 1897, and we notice his
case on account OF the very eXtriordinary e1.
pcdient used to render him panitent prior TO his
execution. This boy had comm tteI most
a rocious murder at Nhittlesel. by killing u
child agcd twelve, in revenge for tn child
mother having accldenlly thrown some wAt,
over him. The hardened young wretch threat
ened to murder the C ersy m II, attcnluItAe "a
aud any one else who dared approach MN; aud
so faruclOus was his conduct that is Was nece>-
sary to chain him down. hand and foot, in his
dungeon, aud even then he behaved in fright
hIl manner We will quote what followed in
the words Of the narrative before Us: " At
length, to prevent the termination of hia cxiS-
tence in this drpraved state, expedent was de.
viSad of procuring child about the size of the
one murdered, aud similar in feature and dress
whom two clergyman unexpectedly led between
them by the hands into his cell, where he lay
sulklly chained to the ground but on their a y
proach he started and Set med so colnplctel
terrified that he tremblrd IN every limb, coli
drops OF sweat protusety falIug from bin. anr
wa, almost momeniarlly in such dreadful STATE
Of agi lauDn, that he rntreatei the clcrgymrn tt
continue with hiIn, and from that instant be
came as contrlte d pen!tent as he Mad been be
fore calIous and insensbie." What would bt
the comments Of the press ON such an affair Il.
this had it occurred at the present day?
PRISON DISCIPLINE.
The manner in which the prisoners, both be
fore and after conviction, were allowed to con
duct themselves in prison, was disgracefll IN
the extreme. Thos who had money seemed tu
have lived much the saue as though they were in
tavern, treating their fellow prisoners aud the
friends who came to visit them with dinners aud
suppers--drink bting supplied 10 any extent Of
ten sufficient to intoxicate the whole party. We
could give many curious anecdotes of the nc-
tIons which various doomed male lactOIs weTe
permitted to perform. One Avprshaw after be
ing sentenced to delh--whieh he richly merited
--uo sooner got back to prison than he procured
some black cherries and diverted himself by
using their Juice to paint on the white walls OF
the room IN which he confined u number of
sketches Of the highway robberias he had com
milted: lone representing him running up to
the horses head ui post. chOise, presenting the
pistol at the driver another where he was firing
at the chAse a third, where the parties had
quilted the carriage; and another in where he
was described in the ect OF taking the money
from the passengers, and being fired at, while
his companion was shot dead" We are not
surprised to learn that this man died impeniteut,
"aughing and nodding" to his acquaintances
on his way TO ryburn. A highway man some
what resembling him in character actually shot
dead Mr.. Spurling, the head turnkey of the court
at the Old Bailey, in the presence OF the court {
tie did this because Squirting would not let him
speak with a woman. an acquaintance of his.
then on her trial for coming The woman en-
couraged him to the deed and the horror stricken
court instantly arraigned them both for the mur.