Transcription
Execution. OF Craig & Brown. FOR HOUSEBREAKING. A Full and Particular account of the Execution of John Craig and James Brown, who suffer'd the last sentence of the Law, in front of the New Jail of Paisley, for Breaking into the House of Mr. Robertson, at Foxbar, and stealing a quantity of Property, and ill-using the in- mates : also an account of their behaviour since their tri- al, and at the place of Execution. An Execution in Paisley is a circumstance of very rare occurrence, and may consequently be supposed to excite a much deeper degree of in- terest, than in those places where they are regularly witnessed from time to time with little space between. In 1765, Provan was executed at the Gallowgreen of Paisley, for the murder his wife under circumstance of deep and aggravated atrocity ; since that time down to the present, a period of 64 years, there has been in this town only one of these me- lancholy and awful lessoos to erring humanity, This was the final exit of Thomas Pott who was executed at the cross, (the former place of exe ecution having been appropriated to other purposes) in 1797 for housebreaking and theft, this man, with an accomplice, were tried for the robbery of Gryffe Castle, in the neighbourhood of Paisley, when Potts was found guilty condemned and executed as above mention- ed, since which the Gallows on which Potts ended his career would have . remained unemployed, had it not been required by the town of Gree- nock for a similar purpose, from whence it has been removed for the execution of these two unfortunate men, James Brown and John Craig, who have this day in pursuance of their sentence suffered the awful pe- nalty of the law. These two men we understand are natives of Ireland, but have for some years been resident in Johnstone; when the affair for which they suffer'd was concocted and which place they left shortly after its perpetration in order to evade the hands of Justice. They were how- ever both seized and brought to this country, and tried at the last assizes where they were condemned for the crime of breaking into the house of Mr. Robertson of Foxbar. On trial it appeared that these two unfortu- nate men along with a person of the name of Stewart (who was outlawed on the day of trial,) had forcibly obtained entrance to Mr. Robertson who is an old man upwards of 70 living with only his sister a Lady of nearly the same age. Since they were brought from Glasgow these unfortunate men have been regularly visited by Clergymen and other religious persons, and have evinced a deep feeling of contrition for their crimes, giving every evidence of a repentance not to be repeated of, In course of this fore- noon they were brought into the Hall and after some pious conversation and prayers they were brought out to the Scaffold, dressed in a very be- coming and respectable manner, from their appearance they were ear- nestly supplicating the almighty for pardon, and in presence of a most immense multitude they were launched into eternity. Owing to Glasgow Fast happening on this day the concourse of people flocking into this town, during the early part of forenoon, was enormous, while the influx from the towns and villages in the west was no less numerous, presenting as a whole, one of the most immens crowds even seen in this place, on any former occassion. PRICE ONE PENNY.
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Probable date published:
1829 shelfmark: L.C.Fol.73(034)
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