Page:Particular and impartial account, of what happened on the scaffold, at the execution of Colonel Marcus Despard, Thomas Broughton, John Francis, Arthur Graham, John MacNamara, John Wood, and J. Sedgwick Wratten, for high treason.pdf/5

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The erection of the apparatus of death gave full information to the populace of the approaching event, and great crowds continued to arrive viewing the place the whole day.

Mrs Despard after having taken leave of her husband yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock, came again about 5 o'clock but to spare the Colonel the pangs of a second parting, She was not admitted.

Most of the prisoners passed much of their time in prayer with the clergyman They remained great part of the night in deep and earnest prayer. Macnamara spent the whole night in praycr

Before they received the sacrament, four of them confessed they had done wrong but not to the extent charged against them by the evidence, Graham said he was innocent of the charges brought against him, but that he attended two meetings the second at the instigation of Francis The clergyman said to him You admit you attended meetings." He replied Yes." 'You knew they were for the purpose of overturning the Constitution and Government of the Country. I do not with you to enter into particulars—I only wish you to acknowledge generally' Francis he answered 'I admit that I have done wrong in attending the those meetings." The sacrament was then administered to them.

It was about half past eight when the prisoners were brought up to the scaffold one by one. Macnamara was first brought up; he still held a book in his hand, and when the