court, by the surgeon of the Gosport hospital? Now, my lord, having endeavoured to shew that the whole of this process is altogether repugnant to every part of my life; that it is inconsistent with my condition of health about that time; that no rational inference can be drawn, that a person is dead who suddenly disappears; that hermitages were the constant repositories of the bones of the recluse; that the proofs of this are well authenticated; that the revolutions in religion, or the fortune of war, have mangled, or buried, the dead; the conclusion remains, perhaps, no less reasonably than impatiently wished for. I, last, after a year's confinement, equal to either fortune, put myself upon the candour, the justice, and the humanity of your lordship, and upon yours, my countrymen, gentlemen of the jury." After his conviction, he confessed the justice of his sentence to two clergymen, who were directed to attend him in York castle, to whom he acknowledged that he murdered Clark. Being asked by one of them, what was his motive for committing that action, he answered, that "he suspected Clark of having an unlawful commerce with his wife; that he was persuaded at the time when he committed the murder, he did right; but that since he thought it wrong. In hopes of eluding the course of justice, he made an attempt upon his own life, by cutting his arm in two places with a razor, which he had concealed for that purpose. On a table, in his cell, was found the following paper, containing his reasons for the above attempt :" What am I better than my fathers? To die is natural and necessary. Perfectly sensible of this, I fear no more to die than I did to be born. But the manner of it is something which should, in my opinion, be decent and manly. I think I have regarded both these points. Certainly nobody has a better right to dispose of a man's life than himself: and he, not others, should determine how. As for any indignities offered to my body, or silly reflections on my faith and morals, they are (as they always were) things indifferent to ine. I think, though contrary to the common way of thinking, I wrong no man by this, and hope it is not offensive to that eternal Being that formed me and the world: and, as by this I injure no man, no man can be reasonably offended. I solicitously recommend myself to the eternal and almighty Being, the God of nature, if I have done amiss. But perhaps I have not; and I hope this thing will never be imputed to me. Though I am now stained by malevolence, and suffer by prejudice, I hope to rise fair and unblemished. My life was not polluted, my morals irreproachable, and my opinions orthodox. I slept sound till three o'clock, awaked, and then writ these lines: Come, pleasing rest, eternal slumbers fall, These lines, found with the foregoing, were sup posed to have been written by Aram just before he cut himself with the razor. By proper applications he was brought to himself, and, though weak, was conducted to the place of execution; where, being asked if he had any thing to say, he replied in the negative. He was immediately after executed, Aus gust 16, 1759, and his body being conveyed to Knates Knaresborough forest, he was there hung in chains, pursuant to his sentence. ARNOLD, QUILT. See WILD, J. and DICKENSON, E. ATHOE, THOMAS, Sen. ATHOE, THOMAS, Jun. (MURDERERS.) The elder Athoe was a native of Carew in Pembrokeshire, where he rented above a hundred pounds per annum, and had lived in such a respectable way, that in the year 1721, he was chosen mayor of Tenby, and his son a bailiff of the same corporation; though they did not live in this place, but at Mannerbeer, two miles distant from it. George Merchant, (of whose murder they were convicted) and his brother Thomas, were nephews, by the mother's side, to the elder Athoe, their father having married his sister. On the 23d of November, 1722, a fair was held at Tenby, where the Athoes went to sell cattle, and there met with George Merchant and his brother Thomas. A quarrel arose between the younger Athoe and George Merchant, on an old grudge respecting their right to part of an estate; when a battle ensued, in which George had the advantage, and beat young Athoe. The elder Athoe taking the advice of an attorney on what had passed, would have per suaded him to bring an action; to which he replied, "No, no, we won't take the law, but we'll pay them in their own coin." Late in the evening, after the fair was ended, the Merchants left the town; but the Athoes going to the inn, enquired of the ostler which way they went. He gave them the best information in his power, on which they immediately mounted and followed them. brothers stopped on the road, at a place called Holloway's Water, to let their horses drink. In the mean time they heard the footsteps of other horses D The behind behind them, and turning about, saw two men riding at a small distance. It was too dark for them to know the parties, but they presently heard the voice of old Athoe. Knowing that he had sworn revenge, and dreading the consequence that would probably ensue, they endeavoured to conceal themselves behind a bridge, but they were discovered bý the splashing their horses feet made in the water. The Athoes riding up with large sticks, the younger said to George Merchant, I owe thee a pass, and now thou shalt have it ;" and immediately knocked him off his horse. In the interim old Athoe attacked Thomas Merchant. and beat him likewise from his horse, calling out at the same time, "Kill the dogs! kill the dogs!" The brothers begged hard for their lives; but they pleaded to those who had no idea of pity. The elder Athoe seized Thomas Merchant in the tenderest part, and squeezed him in so violent a manner, that human nature could not long have sustained the pain; while the younger Athor treated George Merchant in a similar way, and carried his revenge to such a length, that it is not possible to relate the horrid deed with decency. When he had compleated his execrable purpose, he called out to his father, saying, "Now I have done George Merchant's business. A great effusion of blood was the consequence of this barbarity; but his savage revenge was not yet glutted; seizing G. Merchant by the nose with his teeth, he bit it off, and then strangled him, by tying a handkerchief tight round his neck. This done, the murderers quitted the spot; but some persons coming by, took the Merchants to an adjacent house, and sent for a surgeon, who dressed the wounds of Thomas, but found that George was dead: the surgeon declared that the blows he re ceived were sufficient to have killed six or seven men; for he had two bruises on his breast, three large ones on his head, and twenty-two on his back. The elder Athoe was taken into custody on the following day, but the son had fled to Ireland; however, those who had been concerned in favouring his escape, were glad to use their endeavours to get him back again. The murder was committed in Pembrokeshire, but the prisoners were removed by a writ of Habeas Corpus to Hereford, and on the 19th of March, 1723, they were indicted for the murder. On the trial, the principal evidence against them was the surviving brother, who was even then so weak as to be indulged to sit down while he gave his evidence: but the jury, though satisfied of the commission of the murder, entertained a doubt whether the prisoners could be legally tried in any county but that in which the crime was committed; on which they brought in a special verdict; whereupon the case was referred to the determination of the twelve judges; and the prisoners being brought up to London, were committed to the King's Bench prison, where they remained till the 22d of June, 1723, and were then taken to the court of King's Bench in Westminster-hall; when a motion being made by counsel in arrest of judgment, the court directed that an act of the 33d of Henry VIII. should be read, in which is a clause, ordaining that "All murders and robberies committed in, on, or about the borders of Wales, shall be triable in any county in England, where the criminal shall be taken; and that the court of King's Bench shall have power to remove by writ of Habeas Corpus, any prisoner confined in Wales, to the next county in England to be tried." In consequence hereof, the court proceeded to give D 2 judg |