Crime & punishment > Notes of conversations with H. M'Donald, N. Sutherland, and H. M'Intosh, (who were executed at Edinburgh, April 22, 1812,) during the time they were under sentence of death

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a gibbet erected opposite to the spot where! H
Campbell was murdered. M‘Donald, who wasp*
an orphan, was not quite certain what his age < s
was, but thought he was between 19 and 2(1 Rj
years; Sutherland had just completed his 18th ;3
year; and M‘Intosh was only 16.
My first interview with them was after they pi
had been condemned to die. Sutherland and u
M‘Intosh, I found, could read—M‘Donald could ' *■
not. He was indeed very anxious to improve f i
any little time he had in learning to read the [til
Scriptures. I could not, however, encourage, H
him to devote his attention to this object. Hado i
he had any prospect of remaining in the world,!I
it would have been highly proper; but as his 8>c
time was to be so short, it seemed of the utmost fe
importance to turn it to the best possible ac- bi
count, by communicating instruction by conver- |r
sation and reading, in the way that was most h'
suited to his previous ignorance of the plainest \<-
principles of Divine truth. Besides, by being l:
in the same room with Sutherland and M'Intosh, #1
lie had the benefit of hearing them read those If
portions of Scripture which were more particu-
larly recommended to their attention.
Having asked Sutherland and M‘Intosh, one I
day, if they ever read the Bible before they v
were apprehended ?—Sutherland replied, “ My v
mother used sometimes to make me read it, but I
I felt a hatred of it, because when I read it, I I
found it condemned the ways I knew I was go- -