CHRONICLE. 



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following order : — the two head of- 

 ficers of the Shire of Edinburgh, in 

 biack, with batons ; two country 

 constables with batonj ; the sh^rift- 

 depuc;;,and sherili-substitute, dress- 

 ed in black, with white gloves, and 

 white rods ; six fcoiinty constables, 

 two and two, witii bitons; the liur- 

 dle, p:\intedblack (dvo-.^-n by a white 

 horse), in which \ ^dtheex- 



ecutioaer dressed in oiacK, with the 

 axe in his hand, and tl.o criminal 

 drawn backward-;, and tied to the 

 hurdle; six luider-constables on 

 each side of the hurdle, . twelve on 

 the outside of them, and twenty in 

 t!ie rear ; two hundred ot the Ar- 

 gyllshire fcncibles keeping off the . 

 mob, walking the dead march ironi 

 the castle to the Waterhoase. Hore 

 the soldiers went back to tKe castle, 

 and the procession came down cs- 

 coited by the city guard, the nnagis- 

 trates, constables, &c. going hrst. 

 Having entered the Tolbooth, the 

 criminal soon after, attended by the 

 sheriff aad magistrates, came out 

 upon the scaffold, where he was as- 

 sisted in his devotions by principal 

 Baird. About a quarter before 

 tUreeheasGendedtheplatform''; but^; 

 C!T.\ing some longer indulgence, he 

 L.i.ne down, and, kneeling, prayed 

 with much fervency for a short tune, 

 wh'jn heagainmounted,aiid, having 

 dropped a handkerchief as the sig- 

 nal, the platform dropped about 3 

 o'clock. When the body had hung 

 about 32 minutes, it,was cut dowi>, 

 completely lifelesM, and placed on a 

 table. Tlie executioner then came 

 forward with a large axe, and, at 

 two strokes, severed the head fri>m 

 the body. The head, having been 

 received in a basket .prcpraed for 

 the purpose, was afterwards, in the 

 u.iial form, held up by the exe<;u- 

 tiontr, who pronounced,, " Tliis is 

 the head of a traitor !" The remains 

 were then put into a cotiinjand con- 



veyed away. Thisexecutionwascon- 

 ducted witli much regularity, and 

 the procession was solemn and im- 

 pressive. Watt hunself exhibited a 

 picture of the most abject dejection. 

 He was Wrapt up in a great coat, a 

 red night-cap. (which on the plat- 

 form he exchanged for a white one), 

 with a round hat, his stockings 

 . hanging loose, and his whole ap- 

 pearance wretched in the extreme* 

 During the procession, his counte- 

 nance was ilxed, his body motion- 

 less, and he seemed altogether re- 

 gardless of the multitude that sur- 

 rounded him. On the scaffold he 

 assu;ned a little more animation, and 

 after finishing his devotions, took 

 leave of the clergyman very collect-- 

 edly ; and on the platform conver- 

 sed with the executioner with much 

 a^'Jparent composure. lie appeared 

 very penitent, acknowledguig in 

 general terms the justice of his sen- 

 tence ; bat made no particular con- 

 fession. It is said he has given an ^ ^ 

 account o£ some circumstances of ^fc* 

 his hfe in writing. The Crowd on * 



this occasion was slow in collecting, ^ 



andj though -numerous at last, * 



scjA-cely amounted to what has ap- 

 peared on former remarkable exe- 

 cutions. When the platform drop- 

 ped, little agitation was perceptible 

 amongst the spectators ; there was 

 evidently a becoming acquiescence 

 in tKe justice of the sentence, ac- 

 companied, with that silent sym- 

 pathy, which even the most atro- 

 <:ions criminal never falls to excite. 

 But the appearance of the axe, 

 a sight to which they were totally 

 unaccustomed, produced a shock .. 

 instantaneous ns electrity ; and 

 ■ when it was uplifted, sent a ge- 

 neral shriek or shout of horror 

 burst forth as made the executioner 

 delay his blow, while numbers rush- 

 ed off in all directions to avoid the 

 sight 



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