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460.

HISTORICAL CHRONICLE.

The parties were all exceedingly well pleased, and the money paid down, as well for the toll as purchase.

Wednesday, Sept. 1.

His Majesty in Council was this day pleased to order, that the Parliament, which stands prorogued to Tuesday the 7th day of this instant September, should be further prorogued to Tuesday the 12th day of October.

This day Field, alias Green, the highwayman, was executed on Kennington-common.  He behaved with great decency.

Field received, with some felonious associates, a proportion of near seven hundred pounds, obtained on the King's highway, in six months, at the repeated hazard of his life; during the receipt of it he was obliged, from motives of personal safety, to deny himself the common enjoyments of mankind, and after playing a most unhappy bo-peep game, was of a sudden unexpectedly apprehended, and at last suffered an ignominious death, in the face of a multitude of spectators.  He was on of the three who stopped Col. Luttrel and another gentleman near Gunnersbury-lane, where Col. Luttrell fired a pistol at Field, and he immediately returned another; but the pistol having been loaded a long time flew out of his hand, and they thought he was shot.  The said pistol Field took from Col. West's housekeeper some time ago, in company with two other, who fired into the chaise, and Field thought they had shot Col. West in the breast.

Isaac Voteer, lately examined before Sir J. Fielding, with the above-mentioned Field, for a robbery, confessed that he was guilty of the burglary for which Wiliam Duffield was to have been executed this day.  He declared that himself, in company with one Marriot, (who is taken at Market Harborough) Patrick Corkorall, and another Irishman, on the 24th of May last, about ten at night, went to the shop of Mr. Wheeler, pawnbroker, in Barmondsey-street, Southwark, under pretence of pledging a neckcloth; that they knocked Wheeler down, and robbed the shop of some watches, a child's coral, and various other pieces of plate; after which, they went to the Dolphin alehouse in Tooley-street, at which place they met the next morning, and divided the booty; and the Duffield was not at all concerned.  Voteer's evidence was corroborated by Mitchell, the master of the Dolphin.  Mr. Wheeler in a very candid manner said, he believed the unhappy man innocent, and, in consequence of that circumstance, had presented a petition to the Secretary of State, to procure him a reprieve.

A fire was discovered in the farm-yard of Mr. Powdon, near Maidenhead, which burnt with such violence, that seven or eight ricks of new wheat, barley, oats, and pease, were in a short time consumed.  The fire spread to the barn, which was also full of wheat and pease, and destroyed the whole.——Supposed to be set on fire by the bargemen, who by a late act of Parliament for employing horses are deprived of their employment, and threaten vengeance to the country.

This day a duel was fought between Mr. Scawen and Mr. Fitzgerald, near Lisle, in the Austrian dominions, in which neither of the gentlemen received any hurt.  Mr. Fitzgerald fired two pistols, one by design, and one by accident.  Mr. Scawen fired on in the air, who making some slight apology for the cause of the duel, the parties were reconciled this night, and returned highly satisfied with the honour acquired.

The son of a gardener at Turnhamgreen, having found some poisonous plant called Oenanthe Crocata, or Hemlock Dropwort, and mistaking it for the wild parsnip, eat a quantity of the roots, part of which he gave to two other boys, which had so violent effect on them, that it threw them into convulsions; the former expired the next night, but the others by means of a gentleman of the faculty, were happily recovered.

Monday 6.

The Royal regiment of Artillery had a great field-day on Woolwich-common, after which several experiments were made on grape shot, one of which was of a most extraordinary nature, from a gun invented by General Desaguliers, which was fired against a long target of wood; it kept a constant firing whilst the regiment marched 150 yards, in which time it put 800 shot through the target, at the distance of 400 yards, having fired 24 times in a minute, this is justly looked upon as the greatest improvement ever made on cannon since the first invention.

In the afternoon of this day, a man decently dressed was seen floating down the New-River, near Newington-green, by a gentleman who was fishing, and the Rev. Dr. Price.  The gentleman threw his line, and the hook fastened in the man's cloths, but broke in bringing him to land, on which Dr. Price observing the poor man just sinking, jumped into the river, and brought him out.  In less than a quarter of an hour he came to himself, so far as to be able to say who he was; and where he lived.  He said he had no intention to drown himself; that he had pulled off his hat and wig, was stooping down to wash his face and head, and accidentally slipped in.

Wednesday 8.

The sessions began at the Old-Bailey, when five prisoners were capitally convicted, viz: Thomas Ashby and Edward Lunday,

461

HISTORICAL CHRONICLE.

Lunday, for stealing plate; Philip Short, for a robbery on the highway; William Williams otherwife M'Kenzie, for stealing jewels of considerable value; and Francis Simberlen, for horsestealing.

Thursday 9.

Three criminals were capitally convicted the Old-Bailey, George Brown, Wm. Hyndes, and James Devereux, for robberies on the highway.

Friday 10.

Two criminals were capitally convicted, William Cox, for stealing Bank-notes, value 400l. form Joh Kendrick, a dealer in horses for the French; and Elizabeth Herring, for the murder of her husband, by stabbing him in the throat with a knife.  This woman has since been burnt in the presence of 20,000 spectators, many of whom were much hurt, and some trodden to death in gratifying a barbarous curiosity.

This day William Davidson, was tried for a most impudent robbery in the chambers of Richard James, Esq; in the Temple.  This fellow used to shave Mr. James, and knowing that he was out of town, he got access by means of a false key, and taking a broker with him, personated MR. James, and sold his goods.

A paragraph having appeared in the paper, in which it is said, "that all parties look forward with pleasure to the conclusion of a Mayoralty, in which violence, tyranny, and neglect of public business, a contempt of all order and decorum, with the most sordid parsimony, have prevailed," the City Marshal this day declared Mr. Wilkes to be the author, who, instead of denying the fact, added, "partiality and cruelty" to the charge, and avowed the truth of every work in the paragraph.

Saturday 11.

Samuel Marriot and Emanuel Peale, for housebreaking, and Robert Walker, for returning from transportation, were capitally convicted.

Monday 13.

Francis Talbot was capitally convicted at the Old-Bailey, for breaking and entering the house of William Ewer, Esq; and stealing plate and Bank-notes to a great amount; and John Sterling, for forging the will of Elizabeth Shooter, with intent to defraud the S.S. Company of 350l. of which an account has already been given in p. 356.  He solemnly declared he intended to replace the money, and the Jury recommended him to mercy.

The method of executing Mrs. Herring this day for the murder of her husband, was as follows: she was placed on a stool something more than two feet high, and a chain being placed under her arms, the rope round her neck was made fast to two spikes, which being driven through a post against which she stood, when her devotions were ended, the stool was taken from under her, and she was soon strangled.  When she had hung about fifteen minutes the rope was burnt, and she sunk till the chain supported her, forcing her hands up to a level with her face, and the flame being furious she was soon consumed.  The crowd was so immensely great, that it was a long time before the faggots could be placed for the execution.

Tuesday 14.

William Gansel, Esq; was brought to the bar of the Old-Bailey, and charged, on three different indictments, with maliciously and willfully shooting at James Hyde, Henry Felthouse, and some other bailiff's followers, contrary to the statute commonly called the Coventry act.  To which the prisoner pleaded not guilty.

It appeared, that a writ had been issued against General Gansel, at the suit of Samuel Lee, Surgeon, for the sum of 134l. and a warrant to serve it, given to James Hyde, the Bailiff, had been sealed previous to its being signed.——That on the 26th of August last, Hyde went with proper assistants to the General's lodgings, at Mrs. Mayo's, in Craven-street; that the street door being open, he went up stairs, knocked at the door of the two pair forward, and, on a voice asking him his business, said, he wanted Mrs. Mayo.  He was answered she lived on the ground floor; on this Hyde went down to the Plaintiff Lee, and beckoned to his men, who were waiting in the street; that on going up again to the General's room, on the landing place he was met by two of the General's servants, one of whom had a knife in his hand, with which he opposed Hyde's passage, swearing he would kill any one that attempted to go up stairs; that Lee, with a stick, knocked the knife out of the lad's hand, and sent him down stairs to be taken care of by the other assistants; that the evidence then saw the General on the landing-place of the second floor, and, taking the paper out of his pocket, told him he had a warrant against him at the suit of Lee, for 134l. on which the General said, "Damn ye!  Have ye?" and endeavored to enter the room and shut the door; that Hyde pursued him so closely, that he got his foot and knee between the door and side of the post, where it locked, and prevented the General's intention, who stood with his back against the door, and fired a pistol with his right hand through the pannel, which passed close by the head of the evidence; that Hyde said, "for God's sake don't fire at naked men, who are int the execution of their office."  On which the General replied, "he had half a dozen more pistols, and would fire them all, for he would not be taken" Hyde swore he then touched Gansel on the shoulder, who soon after discharged a second shot with his left hand over his right shoulder at the evidence's face, but he bobbing his head, it hit Felthouse's