The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 2/2: being a series of memoirs and anecdotes of notorious characters who have outraged the laws of Great Britain from the earliest period to 1841Pelham, Camden
History
The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 2/2: being a series of memoirs and anecdotes of notorious characters who have outraged the laws of Great Britain from the earliest period to 1841
Pelham, Camden
Crime -- Great Britain; Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England)
From the evidence adduced to sustain the prosecution, it appeared that
the prisoner was married to his wife, a fine young woman, in July 1825.
He then became a toll-collector at Long Ditton; but his wife and he did
not live happily together, and at Christmas in the same year he
quarrelled with her and cruelly beat her with a poker. From that time
she did not live with him, although repeatedly solicited by him so to
do. At the end of May, the child whose murder led to the present
indictment was born, and the mother went to Ditchelling workhouse,
taking the infant with her. On the 20th of August the poor woman went to
live at the house of Mrs. Young at Brighton. Two days subsequently the
prisoner called to see her; he was refused admission, but forced his way
to the room in which she was with her child, and in a paroxysm of rage
stabbed her repeatedly with a knife, and also inflicted several mortal
wounds on the child which was in her arms. She rushed out of the house
with her murdered babe, and the prisoner was secured.
The prisoner, in his defence, stated that his marriage with his wife was
one arising from pure love. Shortly afterwards, however, she became cool
in her demeanour, and admitted that she did not like him, but that her
affections were fixed on another object, a naval officer, whom she had
known before. She subsequently left him; and tortured by jealousy, which
was confirmed by a letter he detected her writing, commencing with the
words "My dear," he determined to wound her in such a way as to render
her disagreeable in the eyes of her lover. For this purpose he went to
her on the 22nd of August, but he declared that he had not the slightest
intention to kill his child.
The jury nevertheless returned a verdict of Guilty, and the wretched
prisoner was sentenced to be executed at Horsham on the following
Monday.
A second indictment, charging him with stabbing his wife, was withdrawn.
From the time of his condemnation, the wretched prisoner exhibited the
greatest contrition, and appeared deeply impressed with the dreadful
situation in which he was placed. He took leave of his wife on the
morning of his execution, and both of them appeared to be much affected.
At ten minutes before twelve o'clock, the unfortunate man was conducted
to the scaffold by the persons belonging to the prison, attended by the
Reverend Mr. Witherby, the chaplain of the jail. He then advanced to the
front of the railing, and addressed the people to the following
effect:--"My friends, I hope you'll all take warning from me, and let
not your passion get the better of your reason, as mine has done. I own
my fault, and am ready and prepared to die; and I hope the Lord stands
ready to receive my soul." The last preparations having been made, the
drop fell from beneath his feet, and he was launched into eternity.
The following letter was sent by Burt to his wife on Saturday, the day
after his condemnation:--
"Horsham, the 6th day of January, A.D. 1827.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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