CHRONICLE. 



[Here follow the names of 62 

 persons, among whom were the 

 governor of the province and his 

 lady.] 



Jan. 1. — .Interment of John Wil- 

 liams. — On Monday, Dec. 30, at 

 midnight, the body of this wretch 

 was removed from the House of 

 Correction, Cold Bath-fields, to 

 the watch-house, near Ratcliff- 

 highway ; and yesterday morning, 

 at about ten o'clock, he was placed 

 On a platform, erected six feet 

 above a very high cart, drawn by 

 one horse. The platform was 

 composed of rough deals battened 

 together, raised considerably at the 

 head, which elevated the corpse. 

 A board was fixed across the lower 

 end, standing up about six inches, 

 to prevent the body from slipping 

 off. On this platform the body 

 was laid ; it had on a clean white 

 shirt, very neatly frilled, quite open 

 at the neck, and without a neck- 

 handkerchief or hat, but the hair 

 neatly combed, and the face clean 

 washed. The countenance looked 

 healthful and ruddy, but the hands 

 and the lower part of the arms 

 were of a dee]) purple, nearly 

 black. The whole of the arms 

 were exposed, the shirt being 

 tucked quite up. The lower part 

 of the body was covered with a 

 pair of clean blue trowsers, and 

 brown worsted stockings, without 

 shoes. The feet were towards tlie 

 horse ; on the right^leg was affixed 

 the iron Williams had on when he 

 was committed to prison. The 

 fatal mall was placed upright by 

 the left side of his head, and the 

 ripping-chisel or crow-bar, about 

 three feet long, on tlie other side. 

 About ten o'clock the procession, 

 attended by the head constable, 

 ■nd headboruughs of the district ; 



and about 250 or 300 constables 

 and extra constables, most of them 

 with drawn cutlasses, began to 

 move, and continued at a very 

 slow pace until they came opposite 

 the house of the unfortunate Marr, 

 in Ratclifl-highway, where they 

 stopped for about a quarter of an 

 hour. By the shaking of the cart 

 the head of Williams had got turn- 

 ed to one side, and looked from the 

 house where the murder was com- 

 mitted ; but before the cart left the 

 place, a person ascended the plat- 

 form, and placed the face of the 

 corpse directly opposite the scene 

 of atrocity. The procession went 

 down Old Gravel-lane, along Wap- 

 ping High-street, entered New 

 Gravel-lane by Wapping wall, and 

 continued slowly to approach 

 the spot where the second mur- 

 der was perpetrated ; on reach- 

 ing which, it stood for another 

 quarter of an hour, and then pro- 

 ceeded, again entering Ratcliff- 

 highway, and passing along it 

 until it came to Canoon-street, 

 where it turned up ; and on reach- 

 ing the top where the New-road 

 crosses, and the Cannon-street 

 road begins, a large hole being 

 prepared, the cart stopped. After 

 a pause of about ten minutes, the 

 body was thrown into its infamous 

 grave, amidst the acclamations of 

 thousands of spectators. The stake 

 which the law requires to be driven 

 through the corpse had been placed 

 in the procession, under the head 

 of Williams, by way of pillow ; 

 and after lie was consigned to the 

 earth, it was handed down from 

 the platform, and with the mall 

 was driven through the body. The 

 grave was then filled with quick 

 lime, and the spectators very 

 quietly dispersed. During the 



Trhole 



