Henry Morgan

Henry Morgan was convicted of the murder of Charles Linton and sentenced to death.

He stabbed him whilst robbing him in New Street, near St Martin's Lane, Whitechapel on 7 July 1784.

Before Henry Morgan was arrested, another man was arrested for the murder, but a couple of days later Henry Morgan went to see the arrested man and confessed that it had been him that killed Charles Linton, it being noted that in his confession he noted that Charles Linton had had his watch out in his hand with his fingers round the chain which corresponded the chain being found still wrapped round Charles Linton's fingers when he was found.

A watchman said that at about 1.45am he heard a rattle sprung and ran to assist and that as he was running he heard a person say, 'Stop thief,  stop!'. He said that he then saw a man at the end of Bedfordbury cross New Street. He said that he then caught hold of the man, Charles Linton, noting that is was dark and they had no lanterns as it had been raining. He said that when he said, 'I have you', and that Charles Linton relied:

He said that he then put his left arm round his neck across his shoulders and pulled up his white waistcoat to let him see he was stabbed, with his right hand, and the saw what appeared to be a flush of blood.

He said that another watchman and with three or four other persons then came over and they got Charles Linton to the corner of Bedfordbury where they sat him down, after which they carried him to a surgeon's in May's Buildings where he died with his head on his breast and arm round his shoulder. The watchman noted that the surgeon did dress his wound before he died and that he died about 30 minutes after being stabbed.

The surgeon at May's Buildings said that at about 1.45am he heard he was in bed but awake and heard a cry of murder and that he jumped out of bed and opened his window. He said that he heard the cry again and hallooed out to know where the voice was. He said that he then dressed himself and went downstairs to see where it was and I heard some people bringing a person along. He said that the watchman then brought Charles Linton into his house and found that he was bleeding very much on the right side.

He said that he then took him into his surgery and asked him what the matter was and said that Charles Linton replied:

He said that Charles Linton then worked his shirt up to show him where he had been stabbed, noting that the orifice was so exceedingly small that it was hardly perceptible.

He said that when he asked Charles Linton to sit down, he replied:

He said that when he asked him who had hurt him, he said:

The surgeon noted that Charles Linton died within 20 minutes.

He said that when he carried out the post mortem examination he found that the knife had gone in and turned rather upwards, and went right through the liver, with the wound going in about six inches.

A woman that had lived in Vine Street off Chandos Street said that she knew the arrested man as she lodged in the man's mother's house. She said that on the day that the man was taken up for the murder that Henry Morgan called round for him, noting that she saw him at the door but told him that the man was not there and that Henry Morgan then went away, noting that that had been between 9pm and 10pm and that the man was arrested by the police about two hours later, along with another man.

A policeman that arrested the man at the Vine Street address said that he did that on 8 July 1784 at about 2am. He said that when he went to his father's house he found him in bed with another man in a two armed chair at the foot of the bed.

He noted that when he examined the man's coat he found some blood on it.

A woman that lived at the Queen's Head in Vine Street said that she knew Henry Morgan, having seen him four times. When she was asked whether she recalled seeing him in her house on 7 July 1784, she noted that she didn't know the date, but said that it had been a Wednesday that she had seen him there. She said that the following day she heard of Charles Linton having been murdered.

She said that when she saw Henry Morgan in her house that he had been in the company of the two men arrested at Vine Street, the man that was charged with the murder and the other man that had been in the chair, noting that they had been there some hours, but that she could not say what time they arrived or left, but thought it was earlier in the day and not in the evening.

A woman who lived in Tothill Fields who was the wife of an under-keeper there, said that Henry Morgan came to see the man that had been arrested and that whilst Henry Morgan was at her house in the attic she called for his sister, who lived in Charles Street, Westminster, and that when she arrived Henry Morgan cried very much when she first went up to him, and told her that he was the man that killed Charles Linton, noting that it was the second or third day that the other man had been arrested for the murder.

The under-keeper at Tothill Fields, Bridewell said that Henry Morgan came to see the arrested man on 10 July 1784, noting that the arrested man had come into his custody on 8 July 1784 on suspicion of the murder of Charles Linton.

He said that he was told that Henry Morgan had come to let them know who murdered Charles Linton. However, he said that he asked another prisoner there to go in with Henry Morgan to hear what he said, noting that if he went in that he wouldn't say anything. He noted that the prisoner at that time had been there for a forgery on the Bank and that after he went in to listen that he came out and told him what he heard and that as a consequence he detained Henry Morgan when he came to go away. He said that when he detained Henry Morgan that he asked to be let out and that he replied:

He said that they afterwards attended at Bow Street and the following day that Henry Morgan's sister was sent for.

When the under-keeper was asked whether Henry Morgan's confession was made voluntarily or whether he was threatened or coaxed into it, he said:

It was noted that the confession was witnessed by a number of other people, including the Clerk to the Magistrates in Bow Street.

However, Henry Morgan claimed that he had been promised favour if he made the confession, saying:

However, the Clerk to the Magistrates said in reply to that:

However, Henry Morgan then said:

However, the Clerk to the Magistrates claimed that at no stage did Henry Morgan leave the room with the Justice whilst he was making his confession.

Henry Morgan then noted that he had spoken to the Justice on the Saturday and had not seen the Clerk to the Magistrates until the Monday, to which the Clerk to the Magistrates noted that nothing about that was mentioned on the Monday, saying:

the confession read:

When Henry Morgan was asked what he had to say in his defence, he said:

When the judge addressed the jury, he said:

However, the jury found him guilty of murder on 17 September 1784, and he was sentenced to death.

When the Recorder passed sentence, he said:

Following the trial, Henry Morgan made a full confession of his guilt, stating that it was he that gave Charles Linton the fatal wound. He also added that he went along afterwards with some of the mob to see the dead body.

However, prior to his execution, after receiving the sacrament, he again denied knowledge of the murder stating that he had been prevailed upon to make the former confession. When he went up to the scaffold, he again declared repeatedly that he was innocent and when asked what he thought would become of his immortal part if he left the world with a lie in his mouth, he said:

He continued to deny the fact and shortly before his last he read the Lamentation of a sinner from the Liturgy.

Henry Morgan was executed on 26 September 1784 on a scaffold erected before Newgate. He came out to the scaffold at about 6.30am with a book in his hand and prayed in an audible voice and with every appearance of fervent devotion. It was said that after he sang the whole of the psalm, the Sinner's Lamentation, that in an impassioned tone of voice, he continued to repeat:

It was whilst uttering those ejaculations that the platform dropped and after a few convulsive struggles, he became motionless.

After that a woman and a child came upon the scaffold and had the hand of the malefactor stroked several times upon their necks, under a notion of it's removing wens.

It was noted that about ten weeks before the murder that Henry Morgan jumped off a barge lying near Blackfriars Bridge in order to drown himself, but that a watchman belonging to the barge, with the assistance with a waterman, got him out and he was carried to the Cross Keys where care was taken of him and he recovered and was carried home to his friends in Westminster who satisfied them for their trouble but told them that they would have sooner given five guineas to have let him have been drowned.

Henry Morgan was described as having been a lad and a youth of about 19.