misconstrued:-besides, the minds of officers, for the sake of reward, were always prejudiced against the prisoners. His objections, however, were overruled by the Court.

These conversations run to a very considerable length; but the material points were few. They showed, however, from the words of the prisoners' own conversation, that all they had said before the magistrates, in the denial of any acquaintance with each other, or with Hanfield, was totally false, and a inere stratagem to baffle the testimony of the latter, who, they hoped, had secured his own execution by confessing his guilt, without being able to prove theirs; for they were confident the magistrates would not believe his testimony; and that there was no other witness to prove any clue to the fact, or that saw them together near Hounslow, where, from the whole connected tenour of their conversation, it was clear they had been on the night of the murder. Haggerty asked Holloway, after one of the latter examinations, Where did Hanfield say we had the gin that night, after we came to town?' To which Holloway answered, 'At the Black Horse, in Dyot Street.' Haggerty then replied, 'It must be at the Black Horse we had the gin, sure enough.'

John Smith, a coachman to the Gosport coach, in the month of November, 1902, near eight o'clock in the evening of the above-mentioned day, heard, as he passed across Hounslow Heath, on the right hand side of the road, near the elevenmile stone, two groans, the last more faint than the other: on which he emarked to some one on the outside of the coach, that there was something desperate carrying on there.'

Isaac Clayton, beadle of Hounslow, said he received a pair of shoes

and a stick from some person he does not recollect, just alter the murder of Mr. Steele: he recollected, near six years ago, seeing Holloway in company with a man of the same name, who had a wooden leg. about the town of Hounslow; and had seen him also at Brentford election, and other places. The prisoner himself acknowledged he knew him, when examined in Worship Street.

Joseph Townsend, police officer of Worship Street, produced a large knotty bludgeon, a pair of shoes, and a hat, which had been given several years ago to Clayton, by Hughes, and was delivered to him by Clayton.

J. Blackman, an officer, knew Haggerty seven years, Hanfield five years, and Holloway a year and a half.-About four years ago he had often seen them together at the Turk's Head, when he conversed with Haggerty, and observed to him he had been lately in a good thing, as his dress was much improved; the prisoner said he had left it all off now, as he was serving a plasterer, near Hounslow. He was dressed in a green velveteen jacket and small-clothes.

A hat was then produced in court, which had been the property of the deceased, by whom it was given to a servant man, who had since worn it almost to rags.-The hat had been very much widened in the wearing, and, when placed on Holloway's head, appeared rather too large for him.

William Robinson. hatter to the deceased, stated that the hat must have been enlarged by wearing, as he had Mr. Steele's measure in 1802, and could answer for it that the deceased's hat must nearly fit the prisoner Holloway, as their heads were nearly the same size.

William Britten, shoemaker, knew

well the deceased's measure, and thought his boots would fit the prisoner Haggerty. The shoes produced in court, he said, he had tried on the prisoner, and found them rather too large; but added, that it was plain, from the manner the hind quarter of the shoe had fallen inwards, that they were too large for their original wearer.

The prosecution being closed, the prisoners were called to make their defence.

Haggerty protested he was completely innocent of the charge, was totally ignorant of the witness, Hanfield, denied ever having been at Hounslow, and endeavoured to point out some inconsistencies in the evidence which had been adduced by Hanfield.

Holloway declared he was equally innocent of the charge; but admitted he had been at Hounslow more than once; might have been in the company of the prisoner Haggerty and Hanfield, but was not acquainted with either of them.

The prisoners' counsel then produced, as a witness for the prisoners, John Shuter, one of the head turnkeys of the gaol, in whose custody Hanfield had been for some time. He then proceeded to ask some questions, tending to invalidate Hanfield's evidence; but, as the witness could state nothing from his own knowledge, he was not permitted to be further examined.

Mr. Justice Le Blanc summed up the evidence in a very clear and perspicuous manner, making soine very humane observations upon the nature of the testimony given by accomplices; recommending the jury to divest themselves of every feeling but that of strict justice; and to compare with precision the circumstantial evidence (which was the only evidence we could arrive at in most cases of murder, on account of

its usual secrecy) with the direct and positive testimony of the approver, Hanfield. He admitted that such testimony should be received with caution; yet such strong collateral evidence must have its due weight and influence on their verdict.

The jury retired for about a quarter of an hour, and returned with a verdict of Guilty against both the prisoners.

The recorder immediately passed sentence in the most solemn and

impressive manner, and the unhappy men were ordered for execution on the following Monday morning, February the 238, 1807.

They went from the bar protesting their innocence, and apparently careless of the miserable and ignominious fate that awaited them.

After conviction Haggerty and Holloway conducted themselves with the most decided indifference. On Saturday, February 21, the cell-door, No. 1, in which they were both confined, was opened about half past two.

They were reading in two prayerbooks by candle-light, as the cell is very dark. On Sunday, neither of them attended the condemned sermon, as in cases of murder the offenders are deprived of benefit of clergy; neither does the bell of St. Sepulchre toll during the solemnity of their execution.

On Sunday several magistrates interrogated them; but they stili persisted in their innocence.

During the whole of Sunday night the convicts were engaged in prayer, never slept, but broke the awful stillness of midnight by frequent protestations of reciprocal innocence. At five they were called, dressed, and shaved, and about seven were brought into the press-yard. There was some difficulty in knocking off the irons of Haggerty; he volun

tarily assisted, though he seemed much dejected, but by no means pusillanimous. A message was then delivered to the sheriffs, purporting that Holloway wanted to speak with them in private. This excited very sanguine expectations of confession; but the sheriffs, on their return, intimated to the gentlemen in the press-yard that Holloway wanted to address them publicly; and therefore requested they would form themselves into a circle, from the centre of which Holloway delivered, in the most solemn manner, the following energetic address:- Gentlemen, I am quite innocent of this affair. I never was with Hanfield, nor do I know the spot. I will kneel and swear it.' He then knelt down, and imprecated curses on his head if he were not innocent, and expressed, By God, I am innocent!'

Owen Haggerty then ascended the scaffold. His arms were pinioned, and the halter round his neck; he wore a white cap, and a light olive shag great coat; he looked downwards, and was silent. He was attended by a Roman Catholic clergyman, who read to him, and to whom the unfortunate culprit seemed to pay great attention: he made no public acknowledgment of either guilt or innocence. After the executioner tied the fatal noose, he brought up John Holloway, who wore a smock-frock and jacket, as it had been stated by the approver that he did at the time of the mur

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der: he had so a white cap on; was pinioned, and had a halter round his neck; he had his hat in his hand; and, mounting the scaffold, he jumped and made an awkward bow, and said, ' I am inuocent! innocent, by God!' He then turned round, and, bowing, made use of the same expressions, Innocent, innocent, innocent, gentlemen! - No verdict! No verdict! No verdict! gentlemen!-Innocent! innocent!" At this moment, and while in the act of saying something more, the executioner proceeded to do his office, by placing the cap over the face of Holloway; to which he, with apparent reluctance, complied; at the same time uttering some words. As soon as the rope was fixed round his neck, he continued quiet. He was attended in his devotions by an assistant at the Rev. Rowland Hill's Chapel.*

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The crowd which assembled to witness this execution was unparalleled, being, according to the best calculation, near forty thousand; and the fatal catastrophe, which happened in consequence, will cause the day to be long remembered. By eight o'clock not an inch of ground was unoccupied in front of the platform. The pressure of the crowd was such, that, before the malefactors appeared, numbers of persons were crying out in vain to escape from it: the attempt only tended to increase the confusion. Several females of low stature, who had been so imprudent as to venture