Broadsides; Chapbooks; Street literature -- Great Britain
Yesterday morning were executed at the front of Newgate, Martin Clinch
and Samuel Mackley, for the daring robbery and cruel murder of Mr
Fryer, in Islington fields. An extremely disagreeable circumstance
occurred shortly before the period which is usually allowed to men
in their unfortunate situation. The floor of the scaffold, from some
previous misarrangement, gave way, and precipitated into the area of
the apparatus, Messrs Vilette and Gaffy, the latter a Catholic priest,
who attended Clinch, and the two executioners; Mr. Sheriff Stains had
himself a very narrow escape. Mr. Gaffy being a lusty man was severely
hurt, as were both the executioners; Mr Vilette escaped with a slight
bruise. The two unfortunate malefactors swung off with their distorted
features exposed to the view of the distressed spectators. By the
laudable activity of Mr. Ramsden, the prison surgeon, however, the cap
was drawn over their faces afterwards. Their bodies were removed to a
proper place for the purposes of dissection and exposure. They both
denied to the last moment having had any concern in the murder.
Pitts, Printer, Toy and Marble Warehouse, 6, Great St. Andrew Street,
London.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE COURT MARTIAL, SENTENCE, AND EXECUTION OF RICHARD
PARKER FOR MUTINY,
Held on board His Majesty’s ship the NEPTUNE, lying in the river
Thames, off Greenhithe.
The Court was formed on Thursday, June 22, 1797, and the prisoner was
charged with making, and having endeavoured to make, a mutiny among
the seamen of His Majesty’s ships at the Nore; with having caused
assemblies of these seamen to meet frequently, and with having behaved
himself contemptuously toward and disobeyed his officers.
Captain Moss, of the Sandwich, was the prosecutor, and after the whole
of the evidence had been gone through, the prisoner was ordered to
withdraw, and the court was cleared for the purpose of leaving the
members to deliberate on the sentence.
In two hours and a half the Court was re-opened, and the prisoner being
called in, the sentence of the Court was read by the Judge Advocate to
the following purport:--“That Richard Parker do suffer death, and to be
hanged by the neck on board of one of His Majesty’s ships, and at such
time as the Lords of the Admiralty may think proper.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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