Recollections of John Thurtell, who was executed at Hertford on Friday, the 9th of January, 1824 for murdering Mr. W. Weare. Including various anecdotes, and an account of his demeanour after sentence was passed. Also, the condemned sermon, and a correct view of the execution, taken on the spot by an eminent artist / by Pierce Egan ; being an appendix to his account of the trial.
- Pierce Egan
- Date:
- 1824
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Recollections of John Thurtell, who was executed at Hertford on Friday, the 9th of January, 1824 for murdering Mr. W. Weare. Including various anecdotes, and an account of his demeanour after sentence was passed. Also, the condemned sermon, and a correct view of the execution, taken on the spot by an eminent artist / by Pierce Egan ; being an appendix to his account of the trial. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![4] farmer. It is singular, but strictly true, his person improved con- siderably during his confinement in Hertford caol; but it was owing to his regularity of living. In any other case but that of MURDER, John Thurtell would not have wanted friends nor advocates to apologize in some degree for his follies; but the bare mentiow of murder is so appalling, so freezing with horror, that every individual shrinks from the sight with disgust: and terror. . He has however for- feiicd his life to the outraged laws of humanity, and the ends of jus- tice aré-Satisfied-as to JoHNn THurreLns. LE received: his last ned, or token of remembrance in this world; and TE hope I shail not be de- spised when I acknowicdge that Christian charity teaches me. to pity his misfortunes; to drop a tear over his errors and crimes; and te conclude with the words of the learned judge, “May Godin his in- finite mercy grant him the fayour of his indulgence.” The following sketch of Thurtell I am informed, is from the pen of Mr. Hazcirt, which appeared in the New Monthly Magazine of February 1822, immediately after the battle between Neat and Hickman : THE FIGHT. sa ¢ The fight, the fight ’s the thing top Wherein Vi catch the conscience ef the king.” ‘C Phe mile-stones disappeared one after another, the rain kept off; Tom * Thurtell, the traincr, sat before me on the coach-box, with whom 1 exchanged civilities as a gentleman going to the fight; the passion that had transported me an hour before was subdued to pensive regret and conjectural musing on ithe next day’s battle ; I was promised a place’ inside at Reading, and, upon the whole, I thought myself a lucky fellow. Such is the force of imagination! On the outside of any other coach, on the 10th of December, with a Scotch mist drizzling through the cloudy moonlight air, I should have been cold, comfort- less, impatient, and, no doubt, wet through; but seated on the Royal mail, Tielt warm and comfortable, the air did me good, the ride did me good, Lwas pleased with the progress we had made, and con- fident that ail would go well through the journey. When I got inside at Reading, I found Thurteil and a stout valetudinarian, whose cos- tume bespoke him one of the Fancy, and who had risen from a three months’ sick bed to get into the mail to sce the fight. They were intimate, and we fell into a lively discourse. My friend the trainer was confined in his topics to fighting dogs and men, to bears and badgers; beyond this he was ‘‘ quite chap-fallen,” had not a word to throw at a dog, or indeed very wisely fell asleep, when any other game was started. The whole urt of training CZ, however, learnt from him,,) consists in two things, exercise and abstinence, abstinence and exercise, repeated alternately and without end, A yolk of an‘ egg with a spoonful of rum init is the first thing fa a morning, and then a waik of six miles till breakfast. “This meal consists ‘of a pléntiful supply of tea and toast and beef-steaks. Then another six or ‘seven miles till dinner-ttme, and another supply of solid beef or mutton with a pint of porter, and perhaps, at thé utmost, & couple of gtasses of sherry. Martin trains on water, but this increases his infimity on ano- ther very dangerous side. ‘“* Follows so the ever-running sun, With profitable ardour—” * Joun. The brother of Thurtell was scarcely known in the sporting world at that period.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b33287442_0163.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
