The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1835-10-06 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

EXECUTION.  On Tuesday morning the last awful sentence of the law was carried into effect, in front of the public buildings, foot of Saltmarket-street, on George Campbell, who was convicted at our autumn assizes of the murder of Mary Hanlin, or Watters, in her own house, Deacon'sclose, Calton Month, by means of kicking her with his feet, and leaping heavily on her body. -At the trial, it will be remembered, the prisoner, while the sentence was being pronounced by Lord Meadowbank, frequently, interrupted his lordship with volleys of shocking execrations and blasphemies which appalled the whole court, and he was removed from the bar amid the universal disgust of the spectators. It appeared to be an opinion generally entertained at the time, that his behaviour at the trial was the result of dreadful excitement rather than of cool contemplated outrage. His conduct in the cell was very different from what might have been expected, being uniformly quiet and submissive, and very much similar to that exhibited by others in the same melancholy circumstances. The Right Rev. Bishop Mtirdoch and-other gentlemen of the Roman catholic faith were most attentive to the spiritual instruction of the culprit during his confinement. As his end drew near, he became more calm and resigned, and seldom entered into conversation with any inoividnal excepting his religious advisers. His aged father and his sister took their last farewell on Monday night, after which he was engaged the whole of the evening, and the greater portion of Monday night with Bishop Murdoch and several lay Roman catholics, and appeared to the visitors to be sensible of his situation. The magistrates entered the Court-hall on Tuesday morning at eight o'clock, shortly after which the prisoner was conducted from his cell, having his arms pinioned, and entered the hall accompanied by his spiritual advisers. Bishop Murdoch addressed the magistrates in behalf of the prisoner, expressive of his sincere contrition for his conduct during the trial, trusting that the declaration would be communicated to the public, and accepted with similar sincerity. The party then proceeded instantly to the scaffold, Campbell walking with a firm but rather hurried step, with his body erect, and occasionally tossing up his head and throwing aside the long dark curls which hung around his temples. His youth and animated appearance created some excitement among the crowd, which was expressed by several notes of loud lamentation, arising apparently from the female portion of the spectators. After spending a few minutes in prayer on his knees with his spiritual instructors, he ascended the drop, irad the cap drawn over his face, and the rope adjusted. A few seconds then elapsed, in which he appeared again engaged in prayer, when the drop fell, and Campbell, after two or three convulsive motions, ceased to exist. In consequence of the age and ' indisposition of the officer under the corporation, the duties of executioner (in this instance) were performed by an individual who was said to have come from Edinburgh. Mr. Watson was in attendance with a large police force, and preserved most rigid order among a croe-d which appeared as numerous as on _any previous occasion. It, however, speedily dispersed, after haying gazed a few minutes on the sad spectacle. Campbell was born in_Bridegate, of Irish parents, and was about 24 Years of age After being t mploved some time as a cot' ton-piecer, he enlisted into the 56th Regiment of Foot, and remained in the army out seven years. On his discharge, he returned home, and resided with his father; but family disagreements inducing lam to change his dwelling, he removed to the house of,the old woman 'Hanlin—described by the counsel on his trial as'a brothel