The Confessions, Behaviour, and Dying Speeches of Gerhardt Dromelius< no role > , Michael Van Bergen< no role > and Catherine Truerniet< no role > , Condemn'd for the Murder of Mr. Oliver Norris< no role > , and Executed by Harts-horn Brew-house in East-Smithfield , on Friday the 19th of July, 1700 .

These three Persons, being all of them Dutch, had the favour of Ministers of their own Nation to Instruct and Prepare them for another World, Ministers who made it their Business, together with the Ordinary, to perswade them to a Confession of the Crime for which they suffer'd, and of their other Wickedness that provok'd Heaven to punish them in this Exemplary manner.

GErhardt Dromelius< no role > accordingly gave the following Account of the barbarous Murder. That he himself committed it, and that his Master and Mistress were wholly ignorant of the Matter. The manner thus, That (being Drawer of the House ,) his Master observing the unhappy Gentleman resolv'd to go home, laid his Commands upon him to conduct the said Gentleman to his Inn near Aldgate ; that no sooner were they out of his Masters Doors, but the said Gentleman took the opportunity to ease himself in an adjacent broken Building; that whilst they were there the Gentleman gave him very angry Language, and attempted to draw his Sword upon him, that this made him close with him, and having got him down he wrested his Sword out of his Hand, and gave him several Wounds with it; that whilst the unfortunate Gentleman was in this Condition, and groaning for Life, he heard the Watchman coming on, and dreading a discovery, he drew his Knife and cut the Gentleman's Throat, that so there might be an end of his Groans and his own Fears. This is the substance of the Story as related by him in the English Tongue (for he cou'd speak English so as to be understood) and this engaged me to represent the improbability of the Story in several Particulars, as First, That it was not likely a naked Man, as he was, shou'd venture upon a Gentleman that draws his Sword upon him, when he had both room enough to run away, and it was no disgrace for him so to do, the Gentleman so drawing, being, as he knew he was, overcome with Liquor. Secondly, That tho' he shou'd be so Fool-hardy to close with him notwithstanding it was highly improbable they shou'd tumble together as he himself acknowledged and not dawb their Cloths with Dirt, that Night particularly having been very Rainy, and Thirdly, That if the Murder had been committed by him alone, near the place where the Body was found, there must have been a very great quantity of Blood, not only on the Cloths but on the Ground, and Fourthly, That the Wounds he had given him with his own Sword, being at first given, while his Cloths were on, it must follow by a necessary Consequence, that there must be several little holes in those Cloths, the contrary whereof is apparent. To all which he answer'd. That he did close with him, magre all the disadvantage, but cou'd assign no reason besides his own Madness and the Devils Temptation. That their Clothes might be dirty tho' not observ'd. That there was a considerable quantity of Blood near the place where the Body was found, and that there wou'd have been more had not he tore the Gentleman's Shirt and put it into the bleeding Wounds; and in fine, that there might be small holes in the Clothes, tho' not taken notice of; Answers, so improbable, the first, and so contrary to Truth, the others, ' That ' almost forc'd me to lay before him the hainousness ' of Murder, especially in his Case, as it was attended by an obstinacy peculiar to himself. For ' him to affirm that to be done by his own, which ' cou'd not well be done without two or three pair ' of Hands; what cou'd he propose to himself from ' such a Humour? It cou'd be of no use to his Master and Mistress, when the Circumstances of the Fact ' were so fully prov'd upon them, and they die for it; ' and certainly if there be a hotter place in Hell for ' one more than another, it must be for such a Person, who durst obstinately deny the Truth, and venture his own Damnation upon it - Discourse that had this effect upon him, to fetch Tears from his Eyes, and Groans from his Heart, but no alteration in his Story. I then charged him with another Villainy, even blacker than the Murder it self, if possible, and that was an endeavour to murder the Gentleman's Reputation after he had taken away his Life; for he had industriously spread abroad the Gentleman's attempt to commit Sodomy with him, which was, as he said, the only cause why he fought and slew him; upon which he declared publickly, the Gentleman attempted no such thing, 'twas pure contrivance in him to make his Guilt appear less odious and abominable in the sight of the World, I then ask'd, who put him upon writing that Paper wherein this was contain'd? he protested, as in the presence of Almighty God, it was his own Act and Deed. I then observ'd, that tho' this might be true, yet since he acknowledg'd he had spoken falsely in that, there was great probability he had also spoken falsely in the main Point, and he wou'd do well to consider before too late, and confess that and all his other Sins. This made him particularly to bewail his Intimacies with his Mistress, and to wish likewise that he had a longer time to Consider. -

Michael Van Bergen< no role > , Condemn'd for the same Murder, could not express himself intelligibly in English, but in Latin. He absolutely denied that the Murder was committed either in his House, or that he knew any thing of it. I put him in mind, that he with his Drawer was seen to come from the Common-shore, where the dead Body lay, betwixt 2 and 3 a Clock that Morning; that he also denied. I then took leave to observe, that he might possibly be there, after his Man had told him of the Murder, being willing, as I suppos'd, to hide the Body, and so conceal the Murder; but this neither could bring him to a Confession, not but that he owned, the Drawer inform'd him, as he lay in his Bed, immediately after the Fact was done, that he had Wounded the Gentleman, and that he did therefore assist him in his Escape upon such a supposal; but when he came to understand this Gentleman was really Murder'd, he declared this with great Confidence, that he then gave Money to persue the Murderer, that he might be made an Example and pay Blood for Blood. Upon this I could not but enquire, where those Persons were, to whom he gave the Money for that purpose? That it was most necessary to have produc'd such Persons, if such there were, and that since such did not appear, it gave a strong Presumption, there had been no such thing done; and that therefore, instead of making his Case better, it render'd it worse. I told him farther, that for my part, I could not conceive why he persisted in his Ignorance of the perpetrated Murder, when the World was satisfied he was Guilty, and he knew he must Die for it, and afterwards undergo the Judgment of that God, who certainly knew the Truth, and would Judge him accordingly. That not to Confess before his