Broadsides; Chapbooks; Street literature -- Great Britain
When you receive this you will see that I am condemned to die;
my Father and Mother are coming to take their last farewell,
and I should very much liked to have seen you, but knowing that
you are on the eve of bringing into the world another to your
family, I beg that you will refrain from coming; if that you do
serious may be the consequences, therefore, dear Sister, do not
attempt to come. I hope that no one will upbraid you for what
I have done; so may God bless you and yours; farewell! dear
sister for ever.
J WARDE
EXECUTION.
The Execution of the above prisoner took place early this morning at
eight o’clock, the people flocking to the scene at an early hour. As
the period of the wretched man’s departure drew near, the chaplain
became anxious to obtain from him a confession of the justice of the
sentence. He acknowledged the justice of his sentence, and said he
was not fit to live, and that he was afraid to die, but he prayed
to the Lord for forgiveness, and hoped through the merits of his
Saviour that his prayer would be heard. Having received the sacrament,
the executioner was not long in performing his office. The solemn
procession moved towards the place of execution, the chaplain repeating
the confession words, “In the midst of life we are in death.” Upon
ascending the platform he appeared to tremble very much. The cap being
drawn over his eyes and the signal given, the wretched man was launched
into eternity. He died almost without a struggle. After the body had
hanged the usual time it was cut down and buried according to the
sentence, in the gaol.
LAMENTATION.
Come all you feeling hearted christians, wherever you may be,
Attention give to these few lines, and listen unto me;
Its of this cruel murder, to you I will unfold,
The bare recital of the same will make your blood run cold.
Confined within a lonely cell, with sorrow I am opprest,
The very thoughts of what I’ve done deprives me of rest;
“Within this dark and gloomy cell in the county Gaol I lie,
For murder of my dear wife I am condemned to die.
For four long years I’d married been, I always lov’d her well,
Till at length I was overlooked, oh shame for me to tell;
By Satan sure I was beguiled, he led me quite astray,
Unto another I gave way on that sad unlucky day.
I well deserve my wretched fate, no one can pity me,
To think that I in cold blood could take the life away;
I took a stake out of the hedge and hit on the head,
My cruel blows I did repeat until she were dead.
I dragged the body from the stile to a ditch running by,
I quite forgot there’s One above with an all-seeing eye,
Who always brings such deeds to light, as you so plainly see,
I questioned was about it and took immediately.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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