Executions.
The Times, 1824-03-25T00:00:00

un 'I'uesday morning, Samnzel 1h_,!ines and John Agugtsio. Wrel, were executed in the Old Bailey. Raines was extretmiely resigned and penitent, antI prayed incessantlv With a sailor named Castle, who is ordered for execution next we'ek: he has left a wvife and two children na stateoftdeplorabledistress. The Sheriff and attendants arrived at the prison shortly betbre eight o'clock, and procee(led to the press-room, where 'reei was, dressed in white trousers and blue coat; be appearedl careless and firm, and joined in prayer on being asked. Raines prayed with muicl apparent ftrvour, and beaged of the Sheriff (Laurie) to do something for his wife and clhildren. " Pity them," said he, " it is not their fault ; had I taken my wife's advice, I shLuld not have been here." By eight o'clock, the prepa- rationa being completed, they wereled to the scaffold. NWreni julmped up with much hardihood, and recognizing some person in the crowd. nodded repeatedly, exclaiming, with a smile, " I'n going; good bye, God bless you !" Raines was so much aff'ectet', that it was ftund ne- cessary to support hin. In a few minutes, tthe Rev. illr. Towne. who officiated for Mr. Cotton, gave the signal, the drop fell, and they ceased to exist. The crowd assembled was very great. rhe family of Wren were most respectable, and he. it anpears, was the entire cause of breaking up ticir fortunes. lie was an only son, and every effortwas made hv his family to wean him from the bad asso- ciations he had formed. Raines bas lefta wife and two clildlrcn. Or. Monday evening he wrote a letter to Mr.B.tker (a gentleman wiho gcne- rally attends to pray with, and give religious advice to the prisoners in Newgate) as follows :-" Dear Sir, I am now a dving man, anti shall soon leave a widow and two fatherless childreni, one 4 ycars. and the other only six months old, quite destitute. I hope through your kind interest she will become an object of pitv to the charitable and humane; she has only 4s. a week from the poor-house to sup- port herself and family. I have a brother, a poor lad only 14 years ot age, whom I trust some kind person will take into his ser- vice, and prevent his associating witls bad company, which may pre- vent his comiing to an ignominious end. My father was some time ago in respectable circumstances in Wood-street, and afterwards he remnoved to Regent-street; his affairs became embarrassed, and lie was compelled to give up his business ; and during rmy imiprison- ment lie ecame deranged. My poor motlher, since my con,inetuent has died, I fear, of a broken heart. I concilude by humblr entreat- ng you to have regard to my wife, and I earnestly inmplore yotur humane exertions ia her behalf.-P. S. Honoured Sir, Since I wvrote theabove, I have been informed, through the mediuim of' friends, that my poor father is iio more-he died this evening in a mad- house. Yours, &c. SANIUEL RATInES.-NNewgate, Mlarch +X.- On MWonday morning,famesCiorI. erwas execute(l at Penenden Heath, pursuant to his sentence on Friday last, for the barbarous murder of E!izabeth Mlarsh, at Sholden. near Deal. Fromt the titne of his condemnation, Clover conducted himself with great propriety, and evinced much finnness at the scaffold: after the rope was placed round his neck, he acknowledged tle justice of his sentence, and con- fessed that he commitced the horrid deed. He said " that he did not know whether he was going to Ilell or to [leaven, but hoped his fate wouild be a warning to others ;" he died without much appa- rent suffering. The followi ng is the confession malde by t he prisonier, on the morning of execution, to the Rev. Chaplain of the eaol "The robbery was proposed on the orecedhing 'hiursdav bv Stephen Shelvey. Mysel and Joseph Shelvey agreed to nndertake it, anti accordingly, on the night of thi ensuing Sunday, about II o'clock, we left Stephen Shelvey's house. I had then made up my mind to murder the old woman, b-it ha(l not communicated my in- tention to my companion. Ml v motive for determinitg on the m urler was a beliefthat we should fiid a large property in Bank-notes, and that Eomeof these being marked inicht lead to our detection. To pre- vent this, I resolved on murder, as I thlought then no one couldl iden- tify the property. On breaking open the house, I entered first, and was tbllovwed by Joseph Shelvey ivith a candle. I immnediately pro- ceeded towards the old waman's room, who I found sitting up in lier bed, and calling to know what was the matter. ll'itlhout speakinz a word, I struck her a mnost violent blowv on the head wvith the road-bat, but she did tiot fall till after I hail again struck her, when she fell backwards. and thle blond streaumed out of her mouth and nose. Joseph Sh-lvev. who was standing on the stair-head, and rnust have seen the blows, then entered the room, which we conmmenced searching. Shortly after. I thought I heafd the woman breathie, and I therefore again hit her on the temple with the road-bat ; after that,all weas silent. On the Mondt v morning I acquainted Stephen Shelves with what I had done , he wanted me to go back and fetch awav the coals, which I was deterred fronm doing on account of the affa-r being known." The prisoner also gave a list of 70 burglaries, robberies. and other offences in wh-ch he had been concerned since 1819, bitt principally in the years 1823 and 1824. Notwithstanding the infavourableness of the morning, a considerable number of persons, amon- whom were many females, attended the execution. After the bodvtlyail huig the usual time, it was cut down, and delivered to Mr. What- man, surgeon to the county gaol, to be anatomized according to law. EXBCI_TION..'.