The Statesman. — 1821-10-25 (London, England)

FATAL. ACCIDENT AT KENSINGTON.TiIe young gentleman who was killed at Kensington on Sunday evening last, by being thrown front his horse (as is supposed), was yesterday owned. The advertising that his linen was marked with the initials "A. 0." led his friends to a discovery of his lamentable fate. His name is Archibald Douglas, the son of Douglas, Esq. of Dorset-street, May-fair. It was supposed that be had been robbed and inhumanely beaten, from the circumstance of his seals and keys: being missing, but his watch being left in his fob, and his purse, containing six sovereigns, remaining in his pocket, it was concluded that the former were lost at the time he fell from his horse. It appears that be dined on Sunday at a gentleman's house near Richtnond, and left for town in the evening. A Jury sat on the Es q. last night at Knightsbridge, before Thos. ig Coroner ; and there being no witness to prove bow the accident occurred, they returned a verdict, "That the deceased's death was caused by a fracture on the skull; but bow the injury was produced, they had no evidence upon which they could determine." Yesterday morning an accident, which occasioned considerable alarm, and might bare been attended with dangerous consequences, took place in the house of M. Mortram, fire-work maker in Westminster-road.— It appears that one of the boys employed in making composition stars for rockets had placed a number of them on the fender before the tyre to dry, a most imprudent measure, and set fire to one of them, which falling amongst the others, the whole exploded, by which a little girl was much burnt in the back, and so frightened that she ran to the window of the first floor, but Was prevented jumping out. The boy escaped up the area with his jacket on fire, The neighbours were now much alartned, fearing the fire might spread to more combustible matter in the house, and so on to the workshops of Madame Hengler, the celebrated artist in fire-works to his Majesty ; but, through the activity of the workmen, who ran into the adjoining house for buckets of water, further damage was happily prevented, or the consequences might have been dreadful. An accident of a shocking nature, it will be recollected, occurred about three years since, in the same person's repository, when two men were killed by the explosion. ExecuTios,—Saturday se'nnght, James, alias Big Wll, left for execution at Cardigan, underwent the dreadful sentence of the law, in the presence of an immense concourse of spectators, who seemed very much affected at the sight, no execution having happened there for 20 years. He ascended the ladder with a firm step, and from thence continued admonish. ing young people to beware of sin, and lie prayed for upwards of three quarters of an hour in a manly voice, and very affecting manner. Ile acknowledged the justice of his punishment, and confessed that he had stolen 601. from a person, for which another man being suspected, be signed a letter to acquaint the loser of his guilt; he also confessed that he stole four horses from the county of Cardigan ; but from whom be could not tell. His inducement for coming into l Cardiganshire to steal was, because a fortune teller had shown him in a glass the church he was to be buried at, which had a spire ; and as no church in the county of Cardigan answered that description, his dad was Satisfied that be should not die there. He made three desperate attosats to break prison; when he food he could not get off, he began to be penitent the Sant day before his execution ; and throdgh the anemias ofi,•the Clergyman, he became very resitened-and religit us, and•declared he bad been guilty of almost every crime except murder.