The Sun. — 1865-12-07 (London, England)

THE PLACE OF EXECUTION. Not remote from this spot, and in the full view of the prisoner himself, two other men were employed in framing a rough coffin destined to receive his remains after the murderous work of vengeance should be completed. The preparations were surveyed with an undaunted eye byPhillipson, as he stood between two roundhead soldiers. The white scarf,which was wrapped about his sword-arm, was literally soaked in blood ; he was without his cloak, and bareheaded; his dress was altogether much disordered, torn, and marked with sanguine stains, his bright ringlets were dishevelled, and he occasionally shook them back from his face in an impatient gesture, and more than once made an effort to get his hands at liberty, which movement caused Briggs, in spite of bodily pain and weakness, to start from his chair and bawl to the men to look to their prisoner at the peril of their lives. Phillipson smiled scornfully at this, glanced carelessly over the scene before him, and whistled " Prince Rupert's Rant." Notwithstanding his fatigue and loss of blood the awful circumstances in which he stood, and the dreadful preparations he was compelled to witness, his eye retained its wonted fire and his bearing its usual daring intrepidity ; if he felt uneasiness at anything it was at the vocal exertions of Samuel Stunner and the choir of psalm-singers militant. Of these Briggs himself was no less impatient than his victim, and, raising his hand, he made a signal to Samuel Stunner to cease; but Samuel was in the vary cream of a quiver, and in spite of all intimation of his commander's displeasure, continued to trill and shako on the note in a most donkey-like strain of dissonance, followed by the voices of all the choir, good, bad, and indifferent ; and they obstinately persevered in singing a psalm of thirty-eight verses to the end. " By my faith," soliloquised Phillipson, "a man with ears of any sensibility would incontinently prefer being hanged outright tolhe infliction of another of this solemn buying." In short, it was difficult to determine which was most weary of the psalmody, the doomer or the doomed. But men's lungs are not really made of leather, and oven if they were, they must in turn crack with undue exertion. There is a point beyond which human nature cannot go in any of its functions—the vocalists had gone to the very extremity of their powers, most manfully, regardless of hoarseness, faltering, squeaking, and wheezing—they had arrived at the ne plus ultra of their energies, and were—silent. As a crowning indignity to his fallen foe, Briggs had condemned the gallant soldier to a felon's doom —the gibbet. When summoned to take his place at the gallows— " Phillipson, starting on his feet, cast out a glance of fiercest disdain upon his volunteer deathstnen that they fell back with dismay, and almost expected to see him burst his bonds as the mighty captive of Gaza did of yore, and take memorable vengeance on them. ITo one was more thoroughly impressed with this idea than Briggs himself, who, on perceiving the bearing of his prisoner, cried out hastily to the troopers, "Make ready, present, and fire if the prisoner offers to stir a foot further, except to the gibbet." " Cousin Bat," said Phillipson, coolly, you may spare yourself much trouble by ordering your men to fire at once, for I give you my word of honour that I shall never set a step gallows-ward at the bidding of any roundhead. " Verily," observed Bethuliel, "I stand amazed at the contumacy of the malignant, for in all my days I never knew a man of any kind refuse to merit the ladder after he had been condemned to the gibbet." " That is," replied Phillipson," because your experience has fallen amongst felonious villains like yourself, whose birthright the gallows is, and who naturally take possessit of their lawful inheritance, as a matter of course." " Oh, that thou would'st be persuaded to let me do mine offence quietly and discreetly," said Bethuliel, holding the rope neatly twisted towards Phillipson in a most inviting manner, yet not daring to approach within arms' length  of him. " Cowardly scoundrel," cried Briggs, " are you afraid of a fettered man? Why don't you throw the rope boldly about his neck, and drag him to the gibbet foot, since he fears to approach it fairly ?" Before the final command is given the heart-broken Althea rushes desperately to the spot and implores of her guardian the safety of her lover, but in vain.