Broadside concerning the execution of James Brown and John Craig, Paisley

Transcription

Execution

A full and particular account of the Execution of
James Brown, and John Craig, who suffered
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 trial and at the place of Execution.         

An Execution in Paisley is a circumstance of very rare oc-
currence, and may consequently be supposed to excite a much
deeper degree of interest, than in those places where they are
regularly witnessed from time with little space between. In
1765, Provan was executed at Gallowsgreen of Paisley, for
the murder of his wife under circumstances of deep and ag-
gravated atrocity; since that time down to the present, a
period of 64 years, there has been in this town, only one of
these   melancholy   and   awful lessons to   erring humanity.
This was the final exit of Thomas Potts who was executed at
the cross, (the former place of execution having been appro-
priated to other purposes,) in 1797 for housebreaking and
theft, this man, with an accomplice, were tried for the rob-
bery of Gryffe Castle, in the neighbourhood of Paisley, when
Potts was found guilty, condemned, and executed, as above
mentioned, since which the Gallows on which Potts ended his
career would have remained unemployed, had it not been re-
quired by the town of Greenock for a similar purpose, from
whence it has been removed for the execution of these two
unfortunate men, James Brown and John Craig, who were
this day in pursuance of their sentence suffered the awful
penalty of the law. These two men we understood are na-
tives of Ireland, but have for some years been resident in
Johnstone, when the affair for which they suffer was concoc-
ted, and which place they left shortly after its perpetration
in order to evade the hands of Justice. They were however
both seized and brought to this country, and tried at the last
assizes where they were condemded for the crime of break-
ing into the house of Mr. Robertson of Foxbar. On trial
it appeared that these two unfortunate men along with a per-
son 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 their being brought from Glasgow these unfortunate
men have been regularly visited by Clergymen and other re-
ligious 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 forenoon they were brought
into the Hall and after some pious conversation and prayers,
they were brought out to the scaffold, dressed in a very beco-
ming and respectable manner, from their appearance they
were earnestly 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 con-
course of people flocking into this town during the early
part of the forenoon was enormous while the influx from the
towns and villages in the west was no less numerous, presen-
ting as a whole one of the most immense crowds seen in this
place or any former occasion.

PRICE ONE PENNY.

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