Glasgow Courier. — 1853-03-17 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

EXECUTION OF JOHN WILLIAMS AT GREENLAW.  On Monday the sentence of death was carried into execution on John Williams, for the murder of Andrew Mather, toll .keeper at Cleikhimin, near Lauder, Berwickshire, on the night of the 4th Dec., 1852. The gibbet, which was brought from Edinburgh on Friday last, was erected in front of the County Hall, to which place the prisoner was removed early in the morning from the County Jail, in the neighbourhood. While on the way down from the jail, the prisoner manifested a great amount of coolness and indifference concerning his impending fate, by gazing around him, and scrutinising the few persons who followed the procession. The dig was one of the most miserable and gloomy which we have experienced for some time past- -the morning having opened with a cold east wind, accompanied by a dense fog, which continued till about half-past eleven o'clock, when a heavy shower of rain fell. On account of the disagreeable state of the weather, and, perhaps, from feelings of repugnance, the assemblage was comparatively small, and consisted chiefly of the lower classes. The spectators did not amount to over 500, and it is worthy of remark that there were very few females present. The execution was fixed to take place between the hours of twelve and two o'clock. During the earlier part of the day, William', was attended in the County Hall by the Rev. Messrs. Walker (parish minister of Greenlaw) and Proudfoot (of Fogo), who separately engaged with the unhappy culprit in religious exercises. Shortly before twelve o'clock the prisoner was conducted from the small room in which he was confined, after his removal from the jail, to a large adjacent room, in which Sheriff Wood, and other officials, besides the Rev. Messrs. Walker and Proudfoot, were assembled. The chains were here taken from the prisoner's ankles, and his arms pinioned by a strong cord. After farther religious services, Williams was conveyed to the scaffold by a body of the county police, and followed by the executioner, Calcraft, who arrived from London on Saturday last. The prisoner ascended the scaffold with jt firm step, and having taken his place on the drop, the executioner proceeded to perform the preliminary duties of his office, amidst hootings and other expressions of disapprobation by several of the spectators, whom the prisoner, lifting the white cap from over his eyes, looked in the flee and severely rebuked. 'The arrangements having been completed, the prisoner requested the attendance of the Rev. Mr. Walker, who ascended the scaffold, and offered up a fervent prayer in his behalf, during which the prisoner appeared to be wholly overcome with a sense of the awful position in which he was placed; so much so that he required to be slightly supported. On the conclusion of prayer, Williams said, in a firm voice, Now, I'll give you a signal when lam ready.' He then, with deep fervour, and in a loud tone of voice, exclaimed, 'Lord God have mercy on my soul; Christ Jesus receive my spirit!' and immediately threw the handkerchief out of his hands. The bolt was then drawn, and the unhappy man launched into eternity. He seemed to die without a struggle, a slight shiver only evincing the departure of life. Having hung for nearly an hour, during which time upwards of half of the crowd had left, the body was lowered into a coffin beneath the drop, and immediately conveyed in a cart to the jail, to be buried within the precincts: The scaffold was then taken down, the crowd dispersed, and in a short time afterwards all evidence of the locality having been the scene of such a dreadful occurrence was entirely removed.