EXECUTED FOR THE CRUEL MURDER OF MISS PRICE, WHOM HE HAD SEDUCED AND PROMISED MARRIAGE, equally admired for the depth of his abilities and the amiableness of his temper. Here he married the daughter of Mr. Randall, who died in labour of her first child. WAS a native of the town of of that city in this situation he was Broomsgrove, in Worcestershire, where he was articled to an apothecary, with whom he served his time, and then repaired to London, where he attended several of the hospitals to obtain an insight into the art of surgery. As soon as he became toerably acquainted with the profession he went to Worcester, and lived with Mr. Randall, a capital surgeon VOL. I. After this melancholy event he went to reside at Litchfield, and continued upwards of two years with Mr. Dean, a surgeon of that place. During his residence here, 2 he courted Mr. Dean's daughter, to whom he would probably have been married but for the commission of the following crime, which cost him his life: A young lady, named Elizabeth Price, who had been seduced by an officer in the army, lived near Mr. Caddell's place of residence, and, after her misfortune, supported herself by her skill in needle-work. Caddell becoming acquainted with her, a considerable degree of intimacy subsisted between them; and Miss Price, degraded as she was by the unfortunate step she had taken, still thought herself an equal match for one of Mr. Caddell's rank of life.. As pregnancy was shortly the consequence of their intimacy, she repeatedly urged him to marry her, but Mr. Caddell resisted her importunities for a considerable time: at last Miss Price heard of his paying his addresses to Miss Dean; she then became more importunate than ever, and threatened, in case of his non-compliance, to put an end to all his prospects with that young lady, by discovering every thing that had passed between them. Hereupon Caddell formed the horrid resolution of murdering Miss Price; for he could neither bear the thought of forfeiting the esteem of a woman that he courted, nor of marrying her who had been as condescending to another as to him self. This dreadful scheme having entered his head, he called on Miss Price on a Saturday evening, and requested that she would walk in the fields with him on the afternoon of the following day, in order to adjust the plan of their intended marriage. Miss Price, thus deluded, met him at the time appointed, on the road leading towards Burton-upon-Trent, at a house known by the sign of the Nag's Head. Having accompanied her supposed lover into the fields, and walked about till towards evening, they then sat down under the hedge, where, after a little conversation, Caddell suddenly pulled out a knife, cut her throat, and made his escape. In the distraction of his mind, he left behind him the knife with which he had perpetrated the deed, together with his case of instruments. When he came home it was observed that he appeared exceedingly confused, though the reason of the perturbation of his mind could not even be guessed at. But, on the following morning, Miss Price being found murdered in the field, great numbers of people went to take a view of the body, among whom was the woman of the house where she lodged, who recollected that she had said she was going to walk with Mr. Caddell; on which the instruments were examined, and known to have belonged to him. He was accordingly taken into custody, and committed to the gaol of Stafford; and, being soon afterwards tried, was found guilty, condemned, and executed at Stafford on the 21st of July, 1700. We have no particular account of the behaviour of this malefactor while under sentence of death, or at the place of execution: yet his fate will afford an instructive lesson to youth. Let no young man, who has connexions of any kind with one woman, think of paying his addresses to another. There can be no such thing as honorable courtship while dishonorable love subsists. Mr. Caddell might have lived a credit to himself, and an ornament to his profession, if he had not held a criminal connexion with Miss Price. Her fate ought to impress on the mind of our female readers the importance of modest reserve to a woman. We would not be severe on the failings of the sex ; but we cannot help observing, that a woman who has fallen a sacrifice to the arts of one man should be very cautious in yielding to the addresses of another. One false step may be recovered; but the progress of vice is a down-hill road; and the farther we depart from the paths of virtue, still the faster werun. On the contrary, the ways of Virtue are pleasant; and 'all her paths are paths of peace.' From this story likewise the young officers of our army may learn an useful lesson: for, if Miss Price had not been debauched by one of that profession, the fatal catastrophe above-mentioned had never happened. JOHN COWLAND, EXECUTED FOR THE MURDER OF SIR ANDREW SLANNING. THE crime for which this man suffered will show the danger ever to be apprehended from indiscriminate connexion with females, and a caution against intemperance. John Cowland was the son of reputable parents, who apprenticed him to a goldsmith, but of a vicious irascible disposition. He and some other bon-vivants had followed Sir Andrew Slanning, Bart. who had made a temporary acquaintance with an orange-woman, while in the pit at Drury Lane playhouse, and retired with her as soon as the play was ended. They had gone but a few yards before Mr. Cowland put his arm round the woman's neck, on which Sir Andrew desired he would desist, as she was his wife. Cowland, knowing Sir Andrew was married to a woman of honour, gave him the lie, and swords were drawn on both sides; but, some gentlemen coming up at this juncture, no immediate ill consequence happened. They all now agreed to adjourn to the Rose Tavern; and Captain Wagget having there used his utmost endeavours to reconcile the offended parties, it appeared that this mediation was attended with success; but, as they were going up stairs to drink a glass of wine, Mr. Cowland drew his sword, and stabbed Sir Andrew in the belly, who, finding himself wounded, cried out, 'Murder!' One of Lord Warwick's servants, and two other persons who were in the house, ran up immediately, and disarmed Cowland of his sword, which was bloody to the depth of five inches, and took him into custody. Cowland now desired to see Sir Andrew, which being granted, he jumped down the stairs, and endeavoured to make his escape; but, being pursued, he was easily retaken. Cowland was instantly conducted before a justice of peace, who committed him; and, on December the 5th, 1700, he was tried at the Old Bailey, on three indictments: the first, at the common law; the second, on the statute of stabbing; and the third, on the coroner's inquest, for the murder. Every fact was fully proved on the trial; and, among other things, it was deposed that the deceased had possessed an estate of 20,000l. a year, and his family became extinct by his death; and that he had been a gentleman of great good-nature, and by no means disposed to animosity. On Cowland's being found guilty, sentence of death was passed on him; and, though great interest was made to obtain a pardon, he was executed at Tyburn, the 20th of Dec. 1700. From the moment of his impri sonment to the day of his death, his behaviour was truly contrite and penitent; he professed the most unfeigned sorrow for all his sins, and gave the following account of himself: that he was the son of reputable parents, who apprenticed him to a goldsmith; that in the early part of his life he was sober and religious, studying the scriptures, giving a regular attendance on divine worship, and devoutly reflecting on his duty towards God; but that, abandoning this course of life, he became ar easy prey to his own intemperate passions, and proceeded from one degree of vice to another, till at length he committed the horrid crime for which he was justly doomed to fall a sacrifice to the violated laws of God and his country. On a retrospect of this melancholy narrative, some reflections will occur, that, if properly at tended to, may be of singular use to the reader. The dispute which cost Sir Andrew Slanning his life took its rise from his having associated himself witha woman of light character, with whom Cowland thought he had as much right to make free as the baronet: but Sir Andrew was originally to blame; for, as he was a married man, there was a great impropriety in the connexion he had formed: this, however, was no kind of justification of the conduct of Cowland, who could have no business to interfere; and his crime is greatly enhanced by his having committed the murder after an apparent reconciliation had taken place. To sum up our observations in a few words, from this sad tale let married men be taught the danger that may ensue from the slightest criminal connexion, and let young gentlemen learn to govern and moderate their passions: so may all parties live an honour to themselves, and a credit to their families and connexions. DARBY MULLINS, EXECUTED FOR PIRACY. THE unfortunate subject of this short narrative was born in a village in the north of Ireland, about sixteen miles from Londonderry. Having resided with his father, and followed the business of husbandry till he was about eighteen years of age, the old man then died, and the young one went to Dublin; but he had not been long there be fore he was enticed to go to the West Indies, where he was sold to a planter, with whom he had resided four years. At the expiration of that term he became his own master, and thereupon followed the business of a waterman, in which he saved money enough to purchase a small vessel, in which he traded from one island to another, till the time of the dreadful earthquake at Jamaica in the year 1691, from the effects of which he was preserved in a manner almost miraculous. Soon after this he built himself a house at Kingston, and, having now a wife and family, he opened his new habitation as a punch-house, which, in general, is a very profitable business in that island: but it did not prove so to Mullins, who thereupon took his passage to New York, where he resided two years, and then sailed to the Madeiras, where he remained only three weeks. On his return to New York he buried his wife, and, finding himself not in circumstances to keep house any longer, he purchased a boat of twenty tons' burden, in which he carried wood for firing from one part of the country to another. For a while he laboured in this way with some success; but unhappily falling into company with Captain Kidd, and some of his companions, they persuaded him to engage in their piratical practices; urging that their intention being to rob only the enemies of Christianity, the act would be not only lawful, but meritorious. The consequence of his compliance was, that he was tried at the same sessions as Kidd, and, being legally convicted, suffered death with him at Execution Dock, on the 23d of May, 1701. From the fate of this offender we may learn the sin and danger of quitting an honest employment to engage in a business of a contrary nature. We likewise see the fallacy of those specious pretences by which Mullins was prevailed on to embark in one of the vilest species of robbery. He was told that it was no crime to plunder an infidel. If he had reflected but a moment, he must have been convinced that it was equally contrary to the laws of his country and the spirit of Christianity: but, in fact, he did not give himself time to reflect, being seduced by the bad example of others: so true is the apostolical Evil communicaobservation, tions corrupt good manners.' IERMAN STRODTMAN, duced Strodtman to his masters, who thereupon denied him the li berty and other gratifications that were allowed to his fellow-'prentice. Hereupon Strodtman conceived an implacable hatred against him, and resolved to murder him in some way or other. PIECUTED FOR THE MURDER OF PETER WOLTER, HIS FELLOW APPRENTICE, WAS a German, being born of a respectable family at Revel, in Lisland, who gave him a good education, and brought him up strictly in the tenets of the Protestant religion. About the year 1694, young Strodtman, with a friend and schoolfellow, named Peter Wolter, were, by their respective parents, sent in company to London, where they were both bound apprentices to the then eminent Dutch house of Stein and Dorien. They served their masters some time with diligence, and lived together in great harmony, until a sister of Wolter married very advantageously, which so buoyed up the brother with pride that he assumed a superiority over his fellow apprentice, and which led to the fatal catastrophe. This arrogance produced quarreling, and from words they proceeded to blows, and Wol. ter beat Strodtman twice-at one time in the counting-house, and at another before the servant-girls in the kitchen. Wolter likewise tra His first intention was to have poisoned him; and with this view he mixed some white mercury with a white powder, which Wolter used to keep in a glass in his bed-room, as a remedy for the scurvy; but, this happening to be done in the midst of winter, Wolter had declined taking the powder, so that the other thought of destroying him by the more expeditious method of stabbing. This scheme, however, he delayed from time to time, while Wolter's pride and arrogance increased to such a degree, that the other thought he should at length be tempted to murder him in sight of the family. Hereupon Strodt. man desired one of the maids to in |