> Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:14:31 -0300 > From: akilpatrick@ns.sympatico.ca > Subject: News extracts: June 21, 1812: Murder of Elizabeth Hill at Shalfleet, and execution of John James at Winchester > To: genbrit@rootsweb.com > > Names: Cambre, Hill, James. > > Transcribed from the 28 July 1812 edition of The Strabane Morning Post, > by permission of The British Library: > > Winchester Assizes. > J. James, aged 19, was indicted for the wilful murder of his > mistress, Elizabeth Hill, at Shalfleet, near Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. It > appeared, that his master, to whom he was an apprentice as a shoemaker, > was gone with his son to church on the morning of Sunday the 21st of > June last, leaving his wife and this lad at home. On their return in > company with a neighbour, they discovered Mrs. Hill lying on the kitchen > floor, with three deep wounds inflicted with a hatchet on her head and > face, and her throat cut across. On interrogating the boy, who was > deliberately walking before the house, he very calmly confessed the foul > deed. He stood at the bar, during the whole of the trial, with his eyes > bent on the ground, in a kind of melancholy apathy. He viewed the > dreadful instruments, produced in Court, with unaltered aspect; he heard > the awful sentence with indifference, and retired without having uttered > a word, beyond a refusal to say any thing. He declared that he > entertains no sorrow for the action: for had any one else come in his > way, he should have done the same thing. His mistress, he says, was > always too good to him. He feels no terror at his approaching fate, but > expressed himself truly happy and content to die. When strongly > interrogated as to the probable motive of his conduct, he referred the > inquirers, without comment, to the 3d chapter of Job. He appears an > enthusiast of the Methodist persuasion. The Judge (Sir Alan Cambre) > commented with much feeling on the dangerous effects of vulgar and > literal conceptions of scriptural passages. > > Execution.--Monday se'nnight about eight o'clock in the morning, > John James, convicted at the late Winchester Assizes, of the wilful > murder of Elizabeth Hill, at Shalfleet, in the Isle of Wight, was taken > from the county gaol, to the usual place of execution, and after > spending considerable time in devotion with the Ordinary of the prison, > was launhced [sic] into eternity.--After hanging the usual time, his > body was taken to the County Hospital for dissection. At the place of > execution, he maintained the same composure that has distinguished him > ever since he committed the act, and even at the last moment not the > smallest trace of fear or dread was discoverable in his countenance. It > does not appear that he was given to vicious habits, or like the > generality of the victims of justice, had become progressively wicked; > and, just before he left the prison declared that he had no motive > whatever for committing the dreadfut [sic] act, and could by no means > account for it. > > ============================ > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GENBRIT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message _________________________________________________________________ The New Busy is not the too busy. Combine all your e-mail accounts with Hotmail. http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?tile=multiaccount&ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_4