ler, were ordered for execution on Wednesday, the 4th day of July . The other five were respited during pleasure.

Charles Stevens< no role > was indicted for the wilful murder of John Shaw< no role > , by shooting him in the belly with a blunderbuss. Henry Holyoak< no role > , and Henry Hughes< no role > , were indicted for being present, aiding, abetting, and assisting him to do and commit the said murder. To this indictment they pleaded not guilty, and for tryal put themselves on God and their country.

Stevens said in his defence, that the night this murder was done, he was not out of his lodging from seven till eleven at night, at which time he went to bed: That he never had a blunderbuss in his life till the night before he was taken, when, coming along the Paddington road , he saw the blunderbuss, a pistol, and cutlass, lying in a ditch: That thinking there were some bad people about who might use them ill, they took them to defend themselves.

Holyoak said he was innocent of the affair; that he knew nothing about it, nor did he recollect where he was that day, and that he never suspected to be taken up about it.

Hughes said, that the night this murder was committed, he went to Islington , to see his father, and staid there till nine o'clock, or a little after; then coming along the New-River side , in order to come home with another person, they heard several people quarreling, at a small distance from the river, and turned down the road to see what was the matter: That they had not gone above a dozen steps, before they heard a gun fired, when they turned round and went home immediately. He said he had known Stevens about four months, and the other he never saw above four times before they were taken into custody, on the evidence of Mary Leighbourn< no role > and others. They were found guilty of the charge laid in the indictment, and sentenced by the law to be hanged by the neck till dead.

They all confessed and acknowledged that they had attempted and committed several robberies within the space of two months, both in houses and the highway; but never before attempted to abuse or take any man's life away; and that the murder for which they were condemned to die, neither was intended or premeditated. That Holyoak and Hughes first meeting Shaw on the New-Road , demanded his money, to which he replied, he had not any; and if he had, he would not be robbed by them. In answer to which they said they were sure he had money, and they would have it: On which Shaw took a long knife out of his pocket, with which he stood on his defence, replying as before. In consequence of this they went a little way from