Ossian Collection > History of the Highlands and of the Highland clans > Volume 3

3JJ8 HISTORY OF THE HIGHLANDS.
cutioo, surrounded by a strong guard. Townley, Blood, and Berwick,
and the executioner with a naked scimitar in his hand, were in the first
sledge. Near the gallows a pile of faggots and a block were placed,
and whilst the prisoners were removing from their hurdles into a cart
ander the gallows, the faggots were set on fire, and the guards formed
a circle round the fire and place of execution. No clergyman of anj'
leseription attended on the occasion, hut the deficiency was in some
measure supjilied by Morgan, who read some prayers and pious medi-
tations from a book of devotion. All the prisoners appeared to listen
with great attention, and evinced their devotion by the fervour of their
responses. They spent half an hour in these exercises, after which they
drew some papers from their pockets which they threw among the spec-
tators. In these papers they asserted the justice of the cause for which
thej' were about to suffer, declared that they did not repent of their
conduct in acting as they had done, and stated their conviction that
iheir deaths would be avenged. At the same time they delivereil papers
of a similar description to the sheriff; and taking off their hats, some of
which were gold-lacetl, threw them also among the crowd. These hats,
;t is aid, contained some treasonable papers.
The prisoners being now ready, the executioner pulled caps over thtir
eyes, and on a given signal instantly turned them off. Alter they had
hung three minutes some of the soldiers went forward, and whilst they
pulled off the shoes, white stockings, and breeches of these ill-fated suf-
ferers, the executioner drew off the rest of their clothes. After they had
been all stripped quite naked, Mr Townley was cut down and laid on
the block. Although he had been suspended six minutes there was still
!ife in him, to extinguish which the executioner gave him several knocks
fin the breast. The executioner finding that these blows had not the
desired effect, he immediately cut the gentleman's throat. He then cut off
ihe verenda, which he threw into the fire. With a cleaver he next chop-
ped off the head, then ripped the body open, took out the bowels and
neart and threw them into the fire. He finally separated the four quar-
ters, and put them along with the head into a coffin. The other bodies
underwent the same barbarous process of beheading, embowelling, and
quarlering. When the executioner threw the last heart into the fire,
which was that of James Dawson, he vociferated, " God save the king,'
an invocation which was answered with a shout by the S])ectators. 'I he
mutilated remains of these unfortunate men were conveyed back to
prison on the hurdles. Three days after the execution, the heads of
Townley and Fletcher were fixed upon Temple-bar; and those of Dea-
ron, Chadwick, Berwick, and Syddal were preserved in spirits for the
purpose of being exposed in the same way at Carlisle and Manchester.
All the bodies except Townley 's were interred in the burying-ground
near the Foundling hospital, that of Townley at Pancrass.
Two singular and interesting eireunistanccs occurred at this executi(-n
The one was the attendance of a younger brother of Deacon's, and one