September following, when Perrott caused himself to be brought up by a Habeas Corpus before Lord Manffield, in order to be difcharged. But his lordship, after having examined the affair, declared that the commiffioners had done wifely and honeftly in committing the bankrupt to prifon; and that there he should remain till he had answered the queftions they propounded to him, to their fatisfaction. Perrott, however, on the 17th day of December following, petitioned the lord keeper a fecond time, alledging that he had finifhed and figned his final examination, as by law re quired, before fuch queftion had been propounded; and that, having fworn he had made no concealment, the commiffioners had no right to confine him. When the matter of this petition was heard before the lord keeper, he directed that the validity of the warrant upon which Perrott was committed, which was a question of law, fhould be determined in the court of King's Bench. This point was accordingly argued before the court of King's Bench, before which Perrott was again brought by Habeas Corpus, and the court was unanimously of opinion, that the warrant was legal, and therefore remanded him to pri fon. On the 13th of March, the lord keeper difmiffed the petition, and declared himself to be of the fame opinion with the court of King's Bench. Perrott hoped to prove, that, by the laws in force concerning bankrupts, the commiffioners were oblig. ed to receive, as true, whatever the bankrupt fhouuld pleafe to fwear at his final examination, and that they have afterwards no power of commitment; but finding himself dif appointed, he fubmitted himself to another examination; and being brought before the commiffioners on the 21ft of March, and asked the fame queftion, he gave an account of his becoming acquainted with one Sarah Powell, otherwife Taylor, about fix years before, with whom he continued an intimate acquaintance till he became a bankrupt, bus who died foon after, as he was informed about ten months ago, while he was a prifoner in Newgate. And he delivered in an account, upon oath, of his having remitted to this woman, from Christmas 1758 to Chriftmas 1759, though the was, during that time, by his own account, dying of a consumption, and was for that reafon, in the country, fometimes at Weybridge in Surry, and fometimes at Bath, no less than 50001. in cafhand bank-notes, which he received of Thompson for the goods that he employed him to fell; at the fame time confeffing, that, before this time, fhe had never coft him more than 1001. a year. ( When he was afked, whether this woman, whom he supplied with no lefs than 50001. in one year, kept. any carriage, he faid, he could not tell. When he was asked, by what fervants she was attended, he anfwered, by a man and a maid, whofe names he never knew; and he alfo declared, that though he faw her after her return from Bath, and perceived the was paft hopes of recovery, he never afked her low the intended to difpofe of her effects, nor did he defire any perfon to attend her as a phyfician or apothecary, in her last illness, or even knew by whom he was attended; F3 that that he vifited her at her lodgings 'n ftreets, the names of which he has entirely forgot; and that he directed many letters to her he does not know where: but he faid, that the paper parcel with three seals contained feveral of her letters, which he had fince burnt; and that he did not difclofe thefe particulars before, because it was her dying requeft that he should not.. As it was impoffible to believe that Perrott, who, when this woman was in health and spirits, never fpent more upon her than one hundred pounds in a year, should, when fhe was languishing in a confumption, and after his connexion with Mrs. Ferne, fend her fo large a fum as 50001. and as his account was in every other refpect incredible, even to abfurdity, the commiffioners fent him back to Newgate, for the fame reafon as they first committed him. Not, however, to fuffer the incredibility even of this account to reft upon its own extravagance and inconfiftency, an enquiry was made after this Sarah Powell; and it was difcovered, by information of undoubted credit, that her true name was Rachael Sims; that he was the daughter of a tradelman at the Devizes in Wiltshire, and had been in keeping, and was deferted, when fhe first became acquainted with Perrott that he took the name of Powell, because Perrott's linen was marked with a P; that he alfo went by the name of Powell, and paffed for her husband at many houfes and lodgings in town and country; that the contracted a habit of drinking, which was the caufe of her death; that the had just reafon to complain of Perrott's parfimony; and that, when the died, fhe did not leave money enough to bury her. Perrott, however, fcrupled not upon the merit of the anfwer, false and incredible as it was, to cause himself again to be brought by Habeas Corpus into the courts of King's Bench to be discharged; nor did the court make any fcruple to order him back from whence he came. But Perrott was not yet difcouraged, and hoping for better fuccefs in another court, he brought an action into the Common Pleas against the commiffioners for falfe imprisonment. In the mean time a reward of 40 per cent. was offered by advertisements often repeated, for the difcovery of any part of Perrott's eftate, but without effect: It happened, however, that as Mr.Hewitt, one of Perrott's affignees, was walking one morning laft June, upon the terrace in Lincoln's-Inn gardens, he obferved a woman leaning over the wall, who had fomething fo difconfolate and forlorn in her appearance, that he could not refift his curiofity to fpeak to her. Upon enquiring what was the caufe of her prefent apparent diftrefs, fhe told him that fhe had been turned out of her fervice by one Mrs. Ferne, and that the knew not where to go. The name of Ferne immediately rendered his curiofity interested in a high degree, and he fent her to Mr. Cobb, who' was clerk under Perrott's commiffion, to get her examined. The examination of this woman, wliofe name was Mary Harris, was taken before justice Fielding on the 23d of June 1761, and was to this effect: That he had known Mrs. Ferne about four years; that when the first knew her, fhe was juft come from a bank note of 10001. to pay for it, though he did not buy it, and told the deponent that the other half of the note was in the hands of Perrott; and that the frequently cut bank notes and kept half, and gave Perrott half, who kept an account of them. In confequence of this information, Ferne's apartments, which were very extenfively furnished, in particular with a chamber organ, were fearched by virtue of Fielding's warrant; and, at the fame time, Perrott's room in Newgate by virtue of a warrant from the commiffioners. from a fervice with Mrs. Herman, at the Tea-cheft in Watling-street, and lodged at one Jefferson's a grocer in Shire-lane, Temple-bar, where the deponent alfo lodged, and was her bedfellow That her parents were poor people, who had had a little farm in Derbyfhire of about 301 a year, and that Ferne herself was without money, and in great want of cloaths and other neceffaries; that in February then laft (Feb. 1761) Ferne called upon the déponent at her lodgings, and invited her to come to fee her; that fhe went to fee her the next day, and agreed to live with her as a fervant. That accordingly the went into her service on the 5th of March, and continued in it till the 4th of June following: That during this time, the had frequent dif courfes about one John Perrott, a bankrupt, and frequently faw a number of bank notes in her poffeffion, to the amount of 40001. That fhe told her all her fortune was owing to a perfon whofe picture the fhewed, which the afterwards knew to be that of Perrott. That the went daily with her mirefs to Newgate, where he often heard him and her miftrels difcourfe how they would live when he got his discharge. Once in particular, her miftrefs told Perrott, that the houfe of Sir John Smith, Bart. in Queen-on Perrott's account. fquare was to be sold, upon which Perrott faid, "My dear, have you "a mind for it?" She replied, "Yes; "I can get it for 8 or 9001." and he anfwered, " My life, if you ❝ have a mind for it, I fhould like "it above all places in the world" and in confequence of this converfa. tion, Ferne went and bid 9501. for the house, and took the half of In Ferne's poffeffion were found the half of four bank notes, amounting in all to 1851. and the cor refponding halfs were found at the bottom of Per ott's trunk, hid, or fewed up very carefully in a piece of rag, together with the figned noiety of another bank note for 10001. Upon this difcovery, Ferne was carried before the juftice, and examined concerning the bank notes, when the infifted they were her own property, and received from gentlemen as a gratuity for favours: but thefe very notes were, by the indefatigable diligence of thofe concerned, traced back into money paid to Thompfon, for goods which he fold After fome fubfequent examinations of Mrs. Ferne, and of one Martin Matthias, and one Pye Donkin, who acted as attornies for Perrott, which examinations all tend to prove that Perrott had depofited notes to a great value in Ferne's hands, and to expose the 'fhameless perjury of Ferne, all preceedings were fufpended till the F4 -trial trial in Sept. 1761. when it being proved, that the notes found in the poffeffion of Ferne and Perrott, were the produce of Perrott's eftate, he was convicted, and received fentence of death. sdcasat From the time of his having been charged with a capital offence, he was put into irons; yet he feemed healthy and chearful, and expreffed great confidence of being acquitted. When he was told the dead warrant was come down, he did not exprefs fuch agony of confufion and terror, as is generally expreffed on the cccafion, but faid, "the will of God be done." He performed fuch devotion, and heard fuch inftruction, as are common to persons in his unhappy circumstances. He was, in consequence of his own request, vifited the day before his death by his affignees, to whom, however, he refused to anfwer par ticular queftions relating to his eftate, giving as a reafon that he had received the Sacrament. This reafon for anfwering no queftions, feems to prove that he had fecretly determined not to difclofe his eftate by answering truly; because, in this cafe, he avoided the crime of falfe hood by being filent, though other. wife his answer would have coincided with every part of Chriftian duty, and his having received the Sacrament, would rather have been a reafon for his answering them than not he After his conviction, he was removed from his chamber to a cell, where he contracted a cold and hoarieness, and became fretful, querulous, and impatient. He had, however, even then formed a fcheme of escaping from prifon; and a party of failors were hired to come and rescue him in the day time, when brought down from the cells to the chapel, by fecuring the turnkey at the gate, forcing the keys from him, and then carrying off the prifoner. To facilitate the execution of this project, Perrott complained that the public prayers were not fo frequent as they ought On the morning of the execution, to be, and was very zealous to at he confeffed the juftice of his fentend oftener at chapel; but fome intence, and acknowledged the injury telligence having been given to Mr. he had done to his benefactor Mr, Akerman, that a refcue was intend- Whitton, and afked his forgiveness; ed, orders were fent down, that he he expreffed great folicitude about fhould be more clofely confined, what should become of his body, and not permitted to be out of his defiring it might be buried in the cell any longer than he continued at church of the place where he was chapel; the ordinary alfo received a born; To which he added another hint, not to vifit him more than once request, which was the more ra a day in the day time, and at un- tional; he defired that the time certain hours. might be enlarged in the chapel, and fhortened at the place of execution. He was in chapel therefore from eight to three quarters after nine: the next half hour was employed in knocking off his irons, about ten minutes more were spent in taking leave of his fellow con He was often urged to make a full disclosure of his effects, great part of which was ftill concealed, but he obftinately refufed it, faying, he was to die, and that was atonement sufficient for the wrongs he had committed. When he ftood up under the gallows, he expreffed yet greater horror and defpair, but foon recovered fome degree of fortitude; and when the Ordinary firft came into the cart to him, he found him looking about enquiring after his hearfe, which he was foon fatisfied was at hand; he then fent a red checked handkerchief to Lee, by a perfon prefent, faying he had promised it for a token; this, however, the wretch who received it, never delivered. After this, his mind feemed more compofed, and fome prayers being repeated, in which he feemed to join with great ardour, he was about 11 o'clock turned off. He appears, by two letters, which are printed in the account of him, publifhed under the infpection of his affignees, to have an inelegant, an illiterate, and in every refpect a contemptible low underftanding; yet, as is very common with fuch characters, he had a kind of low cunning, which, like that of a lunatic, is always employed for an ill purpofe; and which, not being fut ficiently uniform in itself, and ex tenfiye, with refpect to its objects, is always ultimately disappointed. An Account of John McNaughton, Esq; lately executed in Ireland for the murder of Miss Knox. Jon of a merchant at. Derry, OHN M'Naughton, Efq;was the whofe father had been an alderman of Dublin. To an outward form, which was perfectly engaging, he added the genteelest demeanor, fo as to promise the very reverfe of what was the real difpofition of his foul, which was fubject to every blaft of paffion! And though there was a great degree of love and foftnefs in his compofition, yet when ruffled and oppofed, he was fuddenly transformed! all his feeming rationality inftantly disappeared, and he became defperate and dangerous. Mr. M'Naughton was educated in Trinity College, Dublin. When of age he entered into a landed eftate of fix hundred pounds a year in the county of Tyrone, which. was left him by doctor M'Naughton his uncle. The first vice he fell into was gaming, by which he very foon did great injury to his fortune; and though he continued (as moft novices do who play with fharpers) in a conftant run of ill luck, and was foon obliged to mortgage; yet his loffes made no visible alteration in his temper. His pride kept him within due bounds there. All was placid with the polite M Naughton, and he loft his money to the very laft, with that graceful. compofure that became the man who had a plentiful fortune to fupport it. But ftrong as his paffion this way might be, it was not ftrong enough to fecure him against the attacks of love; and falling a victim to the charms of a young lady, he very speedily married her, His |