Transcription
A Full and Particular Account of the Execution of JOHN M'GRADDY, who was Executed at Stir- ling, on Friday the 26th May, 1826, containing the particulars of his Trial, and his behaviour since the time he received sentence of death, and at the place of Execution. STIRLING, 26th May, 1826. This day the unfortunate man underwent the last mandate of the law in front of our prison here, for housebreaking and theft, in the house of the Rev. Mr M'Call, of Muiravonside. The first witness the Rev. William M'Call, stated that his house was broken into, upon the llth December last, about 1 o'clock in the morning, when he heard a noise come from the north part of the house, he started up, but thought it was occasioned by the ser- vants working, he came to the stair head, where he saw a light be- low, and in a few minutes two men rushed up stairs, one of them had on something like a. spanish cloak, and held it up so as to con- ceal his face, one of them was armed with a pistol, and the other with a sword; the one with the pistol said, If you do not give up your money I will shoot you ; they then forced him back to the bed-room, and went directly to a chest of drawers, and ransacked them, they carried off a sum of money which had been collected for the deaf and dumb institution in Edinburgh ; saw them carry away a gold watch which hung beside the window.?saw them take from a press some silver teaspoons, when they were at the press, witness stood in the passage opposite the front door, and took the oppor- tunity of opening the door and making his escape to the house of Mr Read, a farmer in the neighbourhood, here he got assistance, but on returning the fellows were gone. He said there was a great number of shirts and stockings taken away, here a pair of stockings were shown him which he indentified as his property, on being asked if the two prisioners at the bar were the men, he said they were about the size of the men that were in the house ; but could not swear to them, as he did not see their faces. Janet Roberts, and Elizebeth Taylor, corroborated the evidence of the proceeding witness. Edward Quin, boatman to the Union Canal, stated that he saw M'Graddy shortly after the robbery, when he told him, that the manse had been broken into and that he, M'Graddy, was one of the persons engaged in it, he saw the officers find a pair of stockings among the coals; saw M'Graddy wear a pair like them, and that he had them on just before the officers came up. Andrew M'Kay, stated that lie was one of them that apprehended M'Graddy, that he found the pair of stockings shown in court among the coals, near where M'Graddy was lying, who had no stockings on, and the weather was remarkably cold at the time. Several other witnesses were examined, after which the Advocate- depute addressed the Jury for the Crown, and Mr Bruce for M'- Graddy. Lord M'Kenzie then summed up the evidence, at consi- derable length, when the Jury, after deliberating a few minutes, re- turned a verdict of Guilty. After an impressive address, he was sentenced to be executed at Stirling, on Friday the 26th May 1826, upon hearing which, he was so much affected that the officers had to carry him away from the bar. Since his condemnation, we understand, he has behaved himself with great propriety, and becoming his melancholy situation ; he was attended by the ministers of the Town, who did all in their power to compose his mind, and to make him lay hold on the hope set before him in the gospel, to whom he paid great attention. Accordingly, this day at two oclock, the Magistrates, attended by their officers, entered the Town-hall, where some of the clergy and others were in attendance on the prisoner. After spending some short time in devotional exercise, they proceeded to the scaffold, where prayers were again put up for the unhappy man. He then affectionately took leave of those around him, shaking hands with the officers respectively. He left the jail with great reluctance, and when the executioner appeared with a white cotton cap, he would not permit him to put it on, but put on a striped Kilmarnock one, which he pulled out of his own pocket. After considerable hesita- tion, and after every thing was prepared, he dropt the fatal signal, and was launched into eternity, in presence of a great multitude of spectators. We trust this awful example will have its due effect on all those who witnessed it. He was a native of Ireland, and a well-looking young man, about 21 or 22 years of age, and nearly 6 feet high; we cannot learn that he had any trade, but was generally employed as a labourer ; and at the time he committed the robbery, he was plying with a coal- boat on the Union Canal.
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Date of publication:
1826 shelfmark: Ry.III.a.2(68)
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