Wedderburn book > History

280 THE WEDDERBURN BOOK.
Part III. Of greater interest, however, is a long letter, 1 also to Margaret (Bl. 57), from his son
Chap. vn. j ameSj giving a full account of Sir John's last night alive, and of such efforts as could be
made at the eleventh hour to obtain a reprieve. He writes : —
Dear Peggy,
I Recieved yours of the 11th Dec. on the 21st of January. I assure you I was as-
much surprized as you could be when these bloody rascals the Ju — e and att — ney General
accomplished their ends which nobody here thinks they could have done if one of our
friends had done as we expected Both Mr. Wedderburn 2 and I thought we were as sure of
his being saved as any body can be in a case of that nature : from the time of the sentence
being pass'd 1 never rested going continually from one friend to another to applie more
earnestly to the Great People they were acquainted with : there was never a day but I
went to General Anstruther's after I heard he was upon the road to importune him but
putting all the circumstances together I have great reason to think he never spoke one
word in his behalf at court or so faintly as not to be of any use you may look upon him
as your friend in matters of small consequence but I assure you although the whole family
was to go the same way I dont think he would run the risk of making himself disagreeable-
to save us. Dureing his confinement he was always as chearfull as ever I have seen him
saying that he was resolved not to disturb himself with whatever should happen for he
had prepared for the worst the only thing that troubled him was leaving his family in such
a Miserable Condition as he express'd it in a letter the copy of which with some others he-
wrote the night before the execution I shall send with Pet: Scot but still as I thought we
had so many friends that there was little to be feared so that we had no reason to dispair
till thursday at 1 2 o'clock when the reprieves came down and he was not mention'd after
that he put all his cloth's together put on his old bearskin coat wrote a letter 3 to me with
direction about his ffuneralls, and some others I spoke off, tooke his leave of me and went
to entertain some company who had come out of curiosity to see who was to go and who
not we had not sitten long when there came a reprieve for Tho 8 Watson which I thought
had been the effect of some later solicitations so went and tooke boat immediatly for Mr.
Wedderburn's to advise with him what could be done he said that nothing more than what
had been done allready that he knew of but Mrs. Wedderburn and I desired him to write
a handsome letter to the C — tess of Y — th which I carried to St. James after signing it
but it was of no purpose for the Servants 'had got orders to take no letters except from the
post I desire you would not tell anybody of this because I did not expect to have any
success only that I might have the Satisfaction of haveing tryed everything that could be
thought upon, there is one thing that I always thought would have done in the evenings
especially that before the execution the prison was crowded with people (for they sell
liquors as in a publick house) which must of necessity confuse the keepers and I would
have had him to put on Mrs. Kinnaird's hoop gown and capuchin which I think would have
disguised him so far as to get out but he said it would be as well to die now as 20 years
after and he would not run the risk of being ill used the night before his death and forbid
me to trouble my head any more about it next morning at 7 o'clock I came over when the
condemned were not come from the back prison so I waited with Sandy K inloch till they
should come and he told me that he had been up all night preparing himself and he
thought a second parting would be troublesome bringing us all to his memory which he knew
was the only thing that pained him and perhaps give an appearance of concern to him
which would be explained otherwise by the spectators so I went away before he came to
from prison I need not tell you that he died in such a manner as to confirm all those
who had conversed with him since he came to London in their opinion of his sense,
resolution, and integrity which will always make them ready to assist us when we go
abroad in the world.
Dear Peggy I desire you would not take the thing so much to heart for it will hurt
yourself and give our enemies that satisfaction they so earnestly desire nobody knew him
but who had a regard for him and it will always be an honour to us that we had such a
father the stings of their own consciences will be a sufficient punishment for them in this
world and may they have their deserts in the next.
1 Original at Craigflower; copy only among the Blackness Papers (Bl. 57).
5 See ante, p. 278, note 1.
3 This letter is not extant, nor can the directions have availed, for the bodies of the executed were dealt
with by the Government.