Samuel Maxwell

EXECUTION !

A Full and Particular ACCOUNT of SAMUEL
MAXWELL, who was Executed at the Head of
Libberton Wynd, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh, on Wed-
nesday Morning, the 17th January, 1821, for
Stouthrief and Robbery, committed in the House of
Mr Arneil, near Glasgow, last year.

SAMUEL MAXWELL, or, as some called him, M'CORMICK,
which is said to have been his real name, was tried, with three
other, viz. ROBERT MUIR, JAMES DONELLY, and ALEX-
ANDER HAMILTON, before the High Court of Justiciary, on
the 12th of December last, for breaking into the house of Mr Ar-
neil, residing in the vicinity of Glasgow, and carrying off a great
deal of property. The libel was found not proven against Robert
Muir and James Donnelly ; who, after an admonition from the Lord
Justice Clerk, were dismissed from the bar. Hamilton, in conse-
quence of the unanimous recommendation of the Jury, though
condemned with Maxwell, has since been respited during his Ma-
jesty's pleasure; so that, of the four tried for the same crime, Max-
well alone has suffered the extreme punishment of the law.

Maxwell was a good looking young man, apparently about 24
year of age, of an intelligent and prepossessing appearance; and,
previous to the awful sentence of the law being passed upon him,
he stood up, and, in a respectful, though animating manner, ad-
dressed the Court in the following terms, to the surprise and asto-
nishment of many present:—" I now, standing before you, my
Judges, as I, in all probability, must appear before my heavenly
Judge, unwilling that the innocent should suffer with the guilty,
and in order to caution your Lordships against the like in future,
beg to request yonr Lordships' attention to what I have now to say,
—I am guilty.—I confess the crime ; but there is not one word of
truth in the evidence by which I am convicted. All the witnesses,
except the Arneils and William Lochhead, have perjured themselves;
and, for any thing that is known to the Court to the contrary, I am
innocent. The robbery was committed by me and four others;
neither of the prisoners besides myself was concerned in it, and
neither of us were in the M'Wiiliams's, and Dolin knew nothing
about the matter."—He added, that ' he hoped Hamilton would
not suffer, as he was perfectly innocent."

After the delivery of this confession, the Lord Justice Clerk, af-
ter exhorting them, in the most solemn and impressive manner, to
devote the short period of life allowed them by the law, to spiritual
instruction, and promising them the assistance of the ministers of
any persuasion they preferred, passed the awful sentence of the
Court, which was, that they should be Executed at the ordinary
place of Execution, on Wednesday the 17th of January, 1821, be-
tween the hours of eight and ten in the morning.

This uufortunate young man appeared .perfectly resigned to his
fate, and has behaved himself with great propriety since his con-
demnation.—The Clergymen of the City have been very attentive
to him, and he was also visited by several private individuals, to
whom, we were informed, he appeared very penitent, and very grate-
ful for the kindness and attention shewn him. Accordingly, this
morning, Wednesday, l'7th January, 1821, in pursuance of his sen-
tence, he was conducted from. the Lock-up-house, by the Clergy-
men, the officiating Magistrates, preceded by their Officers, and se-
veral other individuals, escorted by a large detachment of Police
Officers, up to the head of Libberton Wynd, Lawnmarket, where
the gibbet was erected, a little past eight o'clock. Immediately on
appearing on the Scaffold, one of the Clergymen prayed very fer-
vently for twelve or fifteen minutes, when Maxwell turned round,
shook hands with some about him, and bowed to the Magistrates
and others. He was then assisted to mount the fatal drop, when
he prayed most earnestly for several minutes, while the executioner
was fixing and adjusting the rope, who then spoke to him, and in
two or three minutes, he dropt the signal, and was instantly
launched into eternity, a little before nine o'clock. amidst a great
crowd of spectators.

   Edinburgh—Printed for R. Watson.—PRICE ONE PENNY.

Commentary

This report begins: 'A Full and Particular ACCOUNT of SAMUEL MAXWELL, who was Executed at the Head of Libberton Wynd, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh, on Wednesday Morning, the 17th of January, 1821, for Stouthrief and Robbery, committed in the House of Mr Arneil, near Glasgow, last year.' This sheet was published by R. Watson of Edinburgh and cost one penny.

This broadside tells of the trial, confession and execution of Samuel Maxwell or McCormack, for burglary. Maxwell's virtuous confession gives substance to the saying that there is 'honour among thieves', since he tells the court that the other three accused men had nothing to do with the crime, and that he alone was responsible. Although the sentence of death for the relatively minor crime of housebreaking might seem extreme, it should be remembered that the aim of the 'Bloody Code' (called the 'Criminal Code' in Scotland) was to protect property above all else - hence the execution.

Broadsides are single sheets of paper, printed on one side, to be read unfolded. They carried public information such as proclamations as well as ballads and news of the day. Cheaply available, they were sold on the streets by pedlars and chapmen. Broadsides offer a valuable insight into many aspects of the society they were published in, and the National Library of Scotland holds over 250,000 of them.