20 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



17th ult. thirteen houses gradually 

 sunk into the abyss, and disap- 

 peared. On the 18th, the Con- 

 Tent of Capucliins, so well known 

 for its hospitable reception of tra- 

 vellers, merged into the abyss 14 

 feet, and threatened to disappear 

 gradually from sight. Other houses 

 have since sunk many feet. It is 

 feared that the whole town touches 

 the moment of its destruction." 



15. A Belfast tender, which 

 went into Campbeltown, sent a 

 gang on shore to impress men, 

 when, from their having met with 

 some resistance, the officer com- 

 manding the party ordered the ma- 

 rines to fire; and a fine young girl 

 of 14- years of age was shot dead, 

 one man severely wounded in the 

 leg, and another most respectable 

 person stabbed. The officer was 

 apprehended, and committed to 

 gaol to stand trial. He was after- 

 wards acquitted by the sentence of 

 justifiable homicide. 



15. Execution of the Murderers of 

 Mr. Webb and his Servant. — Early 

 in the morning, Ruddock and Car- 

 penter, the murderers, were re- 

 moved from Salisbury gaol to War- 

 minster, in a mourning coach, at- 

 tended by the usual escort of jave- 

 lin men, &c. preparatory to their 

 execution on the Down, close ad- 

 joining to Warminster. The spot 

 chosen for this purpose was the 

 point of an almost perpendicular 

 hill, nearly 500 feet above the town, 

 looking down on Warminster 

 church, in which Mr. Webb was 

 buried, and nearly in view of the 

 house where the murderous deed 

 was perpetrated, \bout half-past 

 eleven o'clock the procession be- 

 gan to move from the chapel, in 

 Warminster market-place, where 

 the miserable culprits had been 



from the time of their arrival. 

 On reaching the place of execu- 

 tion, the clergyman spent a con- 

 siderable time in prayer with the 

 criminals ; the executioner then 

 proceeded to do his duty : after 

 they were tied up, a handkerchief 

 was given to Carpenter, to drop it 

 as a signal for the cart to be drawn 

 from under them ; the poor wretch, 

 however, clung so to life, that he 

 delayed dropping it for nearly half 

 an hour, begging earnestly for a 

 few minutes longer ; at length he 

 dropt it, but, even then, endea- 

 voured to prevent his fall as much 

 as he could, whereby he suffered 

 greatly in dying; whilst Ruddock, 

 who jumped boldly from the cart 

 when it moved, was dead in a mo- 

 ment. After hanging the usual 

 time, the bodies were cut down, 

 and taken to the Infirmary, at Sa- 

 lisbury, for dissection. 



The concourse of people that 

 assembled on this occasion was im- 

 mense; the place of execution was 

 judiciously chosen, as it would 

 readily have allowed an hundred 

 thousand persons to see it without 

 pressure : the gallows is to remain. 

 The murderers made no confes- 

 sion of any importance, subsequent 

 to their conviction; indeed, their 

 first confession was so ample, that 

 it admitted of but little addition : 

 they were to the last much exas- 

 perated against each other, each 

 condemning the other for the dis- 

 closure of their bloody deed. They 

 were extremely ignorant, with hard- 

 ly an idea of a future state ; but 

 there is a hope that they were pe- 

 nitent. 



17. The king of Prussia has is- 

 sued from Breslau, under date of 

 March 17, 1813, an order for in- 

 stituting a distinction for merit, to 



