POPULAR SUPERSTITION 159 



times, occurred at their execution. While the un- 

 happy fellows were hanging, a child about nine 

 months old was put into the hands of the execu- 

 tioner, who, nine times, with one of the hands of 

 each of the dead bodies, stroked the child over the 

 face. The child had a wen on one of its cheeks, 

 and the notion still prevailed, that on being touched 

 by the hands of a dead criminal, who had been 

 hung, the disease would be cured. In the same 

 month a remarkable circumstance occurred. A 

 young Grenadier, aged twenty-seven, was shot at 

 Plymouth for desertion ; he had been sentenced by 

 a regimental court-martial to receive five hundred 

 lashes, and on appealing against the sentence to a 

 general court-martial, instead of confirming it, they 

 condemned him to death. On April 4, 1764, at the 

 assizes at Monmouth, a young girl, about eighteen 

 years of age, was burnt alive for murdering her 

 mistress. It seems incredible, but I find that at 

 the March assizes at the Old Bailey no fewer than 

 five were sentenced to death ; one for forgery, and 

 four for burglaries and robberies — one of them, a 

 boy of fourteen years of age, for stealing a silver 

 watch and nine guineas. The first four were hung. 

 And at the same assizes fifty-six were sentenced to 

 transportation, one to be privately whipped, and six 

 to be branded. 



On March 30, some desperate fellows broke i7iio 

 Aylesbury gaol to release two prisoners named 

 Berry and Turner. They broke through the roof 

 and succeeded in freeing the two men, who had 



