The Chronicles of Newgate, vol. 2/2Griffiths, Arthur
History
The Chronicles of Newgate, vol. 2/2
Griffiths, Arthur
Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England); Prisons -- England; Punishment -- Great Britain
The second conviction for forgery in 1828 was that of the Quaker Joseph
Hunton, a man of previously the highest repute in the city of London. He
had prospered in early life, was a slop-seller on a large scale at Bury
St. Edmunds, and a sugar-baker in the metropolis. He married a lady also
belonging to the Society of Friends, who brought him a large fortune,
which, and his own money, he put into a city firm, that of Dickson and
Co. He soon, however, became deeply involved in Stock Exchange
speculations, and losing heavily, to meet the claims upon him he put
out a number of forged bills of exchange or acceptances, to which the
signature of one Wilkins of Abingdon was found to be forged. Hunton
tried to fly the country on the detection of the fraud, but was arrested
at Plymouth just as he was on the point of leaving England in the New
York packet. He had gone on board in his Quaker dress, but when captured
was found in a light-green frock, a pair of light-grey pantaloons, a
black stock and a foraging cap. Hunton was put upon his trial at the Old
Bailey, and in due course sentenced to death. His defence was that the
forged acceptances would have been met on coming to maturity, and that
he had no real desire to defraud. Hunton accepted his sentence with
great resignation, although he protested against the inhumanity of the
laws which condemned him to death. On entering Newgate he said, "I wish
after this day to have communication with nobody; let me take leave of
my wife, and family, and friends. I have already suffered an execution;
my heart has undergone that horrible penalty." He was, however, visited
by and received his wife, and several members of the Society of Friends.
Two elders of the meeting sat up with him in the press yard the whole of
the night previous to execution, and a third, Mr. Sparks Moline, came to
attend him to the scaffold. He met his death with unshaken firmness,
only entreating that a certain blue handkerchief, to which he seemed
fondly attached, should be used to bandage his eyes, which request was
readily granted.
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