The Scotsman - Saturday, 31st January 1829, page 6

_EXECUTION OF _UURKE

[Tlic greater part _of our in'_ual _impression _being n'ccr ' _st'riry _thrown _qft'nlid _dCtpAtclicil by _post and _otherwise bc'fore IHMVII (I _'dinA 611 Waln'cl_._ilil_'_i'w-c _rrprint the _account of _Barkc ' _i _I' ;_xei'ulion , _wlilch _appeared in _our _tiEcnfli EDITION, _its a matter nr _jn- _'ticc _tollinaeof our sulwcrlbcra who received only coti'if ot" _tlic niornliiB 'a _Iniprciaion .] Pursuiiii ' t to sentence _passed in the _High Court of _Justiciary , on _'VVcilncaday _morning _Burkfe _suft'_ereil the _lusl _rfenichce ' of Hie law, at the _coiintion place 'of _execution, licad oT I_^l) ' l)_irtbn' _'s _'_\Vynd . From tliclioiitin whicli lie li ' ea ' rd _tliat hia _associate _Hare w'as _16 be _adniitteil an _i- _'v ' nlciice _against him, _lie _auiiiuloncrt all lioprs of _acquittal ,_'and _resigned _himself lo his _ateful _fiite._"_' \Vhcn _cohsigne ' ll to the _silence anti _solituile ' of his _cell , _lie _eagerly nvailnl liini ' Bell' o'f _( lie _consolations of tcligion , Biid _sedulously prcpnre'd 'for tlie 'awlul cliange tic _was soon to undergo. Sincerely anxious to'hear of the _promises of pardon and _acceptance wh'ic ' li the _fios _'_pt _d holils out to _the _con' trite and repentant _sinner, on one _occasion _wlicn'a Catholic _Priest and the _'Rev . 'Mr Marshall _'Hr ' rived at once at _[_Tie _jail, lie _exclaimed' _1 a'dmit lliem both." In a short time, _however_, lie _dispensed willl' llic _visits oT BIT'Marshall , a'_ndrcablveil to _'dieprot ' _esliilig _(_lie faiill of _Ilis _'forefathers . _Tliough lie lalked _freely over his murders _, at aTl _thnt's , he spent _ttnich of Ins _time in reading such bob'ks as _were _left by his spirilu 'iil _in'itructor .s, ' m_<\ in _deep and _serious _meditation. JIeiiVily manacled as he _was, and confined to ' themur . _(lefer'_s 3iet— bread _and water, _lie uniformly _rnanifcsleli an _astonishing calmness aild _contentment. One gcntle-( nan, b _' y whom he ' wa_'s 'visitefl , _remarked _thatliis cell _'_*as 'very cold, " Yes,yeii,"1ie_'Frbnipilyreplied , "'but wncc_'mhttera'have come'to this, _riniistjiisVbeiirit all.' _llioliglKlreadfully _nfflicicd by iin _excraciating' disease, _hnd tormentedbytheapproach'dfan ignominious death, _he aclcil with _'deliberation , alid ' _talked with perfect _I'oliercnce 'at _all timca. At an early hour on _Tues' _{' _.'ay nc _ii'as _conveyed in _a coach to the _'Lock-up _, llonsc; ii prison _iiiiniediatcly adjacent_^to _(lie,place _ofcxecmioii. He ' _spilitthe day in silence, rt ' ading, and diivoiion, nnd bh Tuesday ' _night lie slept _soundly _'for several hours. '5']i(vneuiatcly nl'ici he awoke, _lie _commenccd_._'a'religious _convcHatioii, _in'the _course _ot'lyliich lie stated, that _lie Wil ' s liappy tliat lie had at last fcecn '_arrested in ilia _caricer _of '_crime, and _'brought to _justice. Tlioufih _he'li ;ul _bccii'a _great _offender, _yet lie rested on the atonement of 'the Siitiour for salvation. It was _formerly _'_mentioned , that while in the I_^ck-up-House , lie cxpresseil the _greatest dread of tile _heavy irons willi which he would be loaded for tlie span he had to'livp . _About _half-past five o'clock he _expressed a strong de' aire to be relieved from his _fetters, _coinplninini_, ' oftlieir _weight . This _earnest _wish was complied _with. When 'lie _was holding _out _his _leg _his fetters fell from _it , and ' ' he _'_exclaimed , " Thank God these are off_, _and all will ' be _off _shortly." He shortly afterwards 'said with _car-VE ' _stiicss_, ' apparently impatient at _the _suspense in which li' _is _mind was lield, _'_'Oil that tlie hour was _come which is lo separate _me from this world." About '_seven o'clock tlie two _Catholic _clergymen _arrived and were admitted into llie _cell, _and _they _were soon _after followed by the ._Rev. Mr illiirshiill. In (lie cour. _'c . of tlie _religions _exercises, ' the Priest _endeavoured to ' t'omfort _his niind, and _exhorted him to " confide in _the _inercv of _God." This _expression _appeared to touch _some _peculiar chord of _sympathy in tlie ._prisoner 's brenst , and drew _from him a deep _sigh , which ' _seemed _to'bespeak _some _sudden _BIKI in ' _ilejicrlbalile , though _momentary _distraction of mind.— Previous (o his being _pinioned, lie _expressed tlie _warmi_._'st _gratitude to the _Magistrates for ' tlie _spiritual consulntion tlicy had _afforded him, and also to Cap- ; tain , Itosc , tlie governor, nild Mr Fisher, ( _leputygovcrnot of tlie jnil, _fiir the _kindness and liumanily _willi wliicli _they had _indiilged Iiiin, so f;ir as was _coiiiiistcnt _with tlie _stern sentctice of the law. — In retiring to _another apartment, _lie _was acciilcntiilly niel by _tlie _executioner, who stopt _Ilim rather _unccremoniouiily , upon which hesaiil, " I _am not just _really for _you _yet." _He wiia, _however, followed by _Williams, and _relumed ._shortly afterwards willi his _arms pinion. ed, _but _Tilliout any _change in his _ileinennour. _While the _executioner was discharging tilia part of _his duly, Burkc made no _rciTuirIt, _except _to tell him that his _handkerchief _wns ticil _behind_. He was _then _od'ered a glass of _wine_, which _lie _accepted, and drank " _Farewell to all my _friends," _and then _entered into ci)_imrsalion for n tcw _minutes with _;Ur _.Marshall and Mr 1'ortcnus . _Shoilly after _mid-day , on _Tuesday, _preparations _corn. rocnced at llie pluce of execution. _Strong _poles tfere fixed in _the atrecl, to _support _tile chain by which tile crowd w,i.i _kept at _due _distance, _and on _ihis _occasion _the sp:icc _enclosed _was _considerably _larger Ihlin _usual. By hall.past _liii o'clock at night , _the _frame of _ilia _gibbet _wns _brought _to _the sprtt; nlld, _as ' _the ni_^ht _was _very wet, llnre was no _tin-ic lost by the wurkmrn, _nird by _la _o'_clock, llie wliole _prcpiir._llions in _this i!cparimcnt _Wti'c _compli_._'tcd . So _exceedingly anxious _were _nil _rank.i, _tliat in >_itl_>; r tlisrcg.ird of tlie lt peliing of llie _pitiless _Btorin," _(lie _operatives were _ciiiistainly sur_. roundrd by _a f_,re:tt assfiiibl.ige. \Vlitn t!'eir _laiiiiura were finislied, >hc _criiwd cvinccti tlieir _nbliorrcnce <if tlie monster _BiirliP, _ami nil _concerned in _llie _West I'_urt _iriurdrrs, by three _ireironilous fhccts. By _six o'_i-Iock , ' .i nun ' ibcr _of _people Irul _taken their places _rcsulvcd to _brave tlie inclemency of tlie wcathi_.r. rnilitr than _lose a _imtisfiictorJ _view _uflhc fKieuiirn. Fi.r smile _ilnys _previous , _firm _intcrckt had _I'wn Ut_.ei! _<<> _i_;_bta_._in _WTOdows contm_^ndin_;; 11 full _vicv_; cf _ihe _itch'ftulil , _(lie cim _varying _ncenrdiiig to ihc locnl _prt' >_iliiin, from _five to _twenty _sliiUiiig" . _CroM' _/_ls _of _ln'opli _: continued to nrriv- _' , _not _oiilJ-troin all phru of _the c ' _ny, _but _rrpni _all _ilic iicii_; _'hlipiirini_; _tQ-. _ln _; IITIU 1'y _eigln ii'clock _tlirre _were ccrl._iinly not _fewer _than 20,01)0 _piT'nii'i witliin vit'v of tl'i ! _i-c ._iffolil, among wliom _wire " ._ii _uiiiisiiiil _liuniber _ofl' _cliu'lc" . 'i _lie _tcene._lt lilia _tinic w._if _t'ce; ly _impreiiiive. No _pcri_.oii Cunlil _without _tniuiiiir_; _turify mdi a _v-rt »si_.tintl_»gc, to c{oa_;ly

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