[List-Cumbria] Carlisle Patriot, 21 Sep 1816 - Execution

[Petra Mitchinson]

Saturday 21 Sep 1816   (p. 4, col. 2)

 

EXECUTION. 

 

John DONALD, aged 32, convicted at our late Assizes of committing a burglary at Loweswater under aggravated circumstances, suffered
the sentence of the law, at the top of English-street, on Saturday last, about three o'clock in the afternoon, in the presence of an
immense concourse of spectators.-DONALD displayed great audacity and want of feeling on the trial, and he continued in a state of
mind very inapplicable to a man in his awful situation, till within five or six days before his execution, notwithstanding every
exertion was used by the chaplain of the gaol, other clergymen, and several dissenting ministers, to bring before his eyes the
dreadful precipice on which he was so blindly standing. About the time mentioned, however, he was prevailed upon to peruse an
admonitory address, and to listen to the warning voice of those kind friends who were anxious for his eternal welfare; and having
listened, and reflected, a complete change took place, which happily continued to the moment of being launched into eternity. The
wickedness of his past life, the justice of his sentence, the state of his soul, all burst on his mind like a clap of thunder, and
he set about his work of salvation with an earnestness, which, we are taught to believe, cannot be otherwise than acceptable to
God.-The night before his execution some persons sat up with him, and lost no opportunity of exhorting him to sincere repentance,
nor of inspiring him with fortitude to meet the trials of the coming day. He took a small quantity of refreshment and slept a
little, fervently expressing his confidence in the mercy of his Maker, and the belief that Jesus Christ, who died for all, would not
fail to save him, however late he sought salvation at his hands. As the hour of execution approached he became more calm and
resigned, and he joined in prayer and singing of hymns with a fervor that marked him sincere. He left the cell accompanied by his
spiritual instructors, and as he passed on to the place of execution he nodded a last farewell to POLLETT, who was very much
affected. Arrived at the gallows, a hymn was sung, and DONALD mounted the ladder with a firm step; he looked around on the immense
concourse of spectators and exhorted them to take a salutary warning by his untimely fate. Just as he begun to speak an occurrence
took place calculated to unman the stoutest heart in the situation that DONALD was placed in. The female prisoners in the gaol, and
among them ARMSTRONG, (the woman with whom DONALD cohabited, and who was also a party in the robbery) by an inadvertance, got to a
window almost immediately above the place of execution, and the moment DONALD appeared on the scaffold, they all set up the most
dreadful cries imaginable. DONALD recognising ARMSTRONG's voice, was sensibly affected, and he desired that some person would go and
take the women out of his hearing. After the executioner had placed the cap on his head, and the rope around his neck, DONALD, in a
very audible manner, said to those nearest him,-"God bless you all; may the Lord bless you. I die convinced that God my Saviour will
deliver my soul." Mr. COCKBURN then offered up a short prayer, in which he was followed by DONALD, at the conclusion of which the
drop board fell, and he died without a struggle. The magistrates had taken the laudable precaution of having a party of the 13th
Light Dragoons, in attendance, formed round the place of execution; but the populace behaved with the greatest decorum. After
hanging one hour, the usual time, the body was cut down, placed in a decent coffin, and borne to St. Cuthbert's Church, where Mr.
BRIGGS, by permission of the Bishop, performed the regular rites of Christian burial, according to a promise which he made to the
unfortunate man while in the condemned cell, and the corpse was interred in the Churchyard, in the presence of a great number of
spectators.-DONALD was rather under the middle size, a native of the county of Down, in Ireland, and had been bred up in the
Presbyterian religion. He confessed, we understand, while in the condemned cell, that he had been engaged in more robberies than the
one for which he suffered; and the confession of KINGHORN, developed the plans which they had laid for further depredations, had the
gang not been detected. An incident occurred a few days before the execution, which strongly marked the sincerity of DONALD's
repentance. Mr. HESLOP, of Carlisle, paid him a visit of consolation in the cell, gave him two shillings, and at parting put a bible
into his hands. Immediately after Mr. HESLOP retired, DONALD opened the bible, and between the leaves found a guinea note; he
desired that Mr. HESLOP might be called back; he came, and DONALD returned the note to the owner. It did not appear whether the note
was put in the bible by accident or design; but we imagine the circumstance was unknown to the owner. After the execution the
Under-sheriff called on POLLETT and explained to him the very narrow escape he had had, as the Judge was in great uncertainty for
several hours whether to reprieve, or leave him for execution. POLLETT replied that he was truly sensible of his narrow escape, that
it would be a warning to him; but at the same time he thought that no situation could be worse than his was; being under sentence of
transportation for life, and his wife had broken her heart with the shock, combined with other circumstances, the whole of which
rendered him as miserable as a man could be. The woman, ARMSTRONG, is also in a state of mind but a little removed from that of
POLLETT. It is to be hoped that both will avail themselves of the longer life allotted for them, to see the impolicy as well as the
criminality of the course they have too long pursued. 

 

 

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