This letter was detected in the hand of his wife, by the jailer, whose suspicions were excited by the circumstance of their parting on this occasion with more than usual emotion; and baffled in all his schemes, he for a time indulged the criminal design of taking away his own life, but from which he was persuaded by the pious exhortations of the chaplain. Seeing no hopes of either mercy or escape, he resigned himself to his fate, but persisted in denying having intended to destroy the horses, as he only wanted to incapacitate them from winning.
Dawson spent his last days in all the fervency of prayer, and expressed his pious hope in the forgiveness of the Almighty. The last parting from his wife was truly affecting, and he described it as worse than death. The night before his execution he slept soundly, and ate, next morning, a hearty breakfast. Previous to his receiving the sacrament he tied a yard of black ribbon round his neck, which, at his dying request, was conveyed to his afflicted wife. At twelve o’clock he was led to the platform, on the top of Cambridge Castle, and was turned off amidst an immense concourse of spectators, it being market-day. He died without a struggle.
THE MARQUIS OF SLIGO.
FINED AND IMPRISONED FOR ENTICING SEAMEN TO DESERT HIS MAJESTY’S NAVY.
IN 1810, the noble marquis, then a thoughtless young man, quitted college, and proceeded on his travels, visiting those places in person, of whose ancient fame and greatness he had read so much. Being partial to marine excursions, and willing to indulge himself in one in the Mediterranean, he hired, at Malta, a brig called the Pylades; and having been introduced to Captain Sprainger, of the Warrior, then on that station, he received from that naval officer much information and kindness.
The noble marquis being frequently rowed to and from the Warrior by some of her athletic crew, seems to have thought the addition of a few of these fine fellows a desirable acquisition to his handful of Italians. Accordingly it appears that he succeeded in inducing two of them to join his crew, upon which suspicion fell upon his lordship; for it was supposed no ordinary inducement had been held out to them, as they were men of tried fidelity, long standing, and had then three years’ arrears of wages due to them. Captain Sprainger paid the marquis a visit on board the Pylades; and, on hinting his suspicions, his lordship appeared greatly hurt; upon which the captain, from their intimacy, contented himself with cautioning his noble friend upon the danger of having deserters on board, as the navy was very low, being nearly two thousand under its complement. He then left the marquis, and from his own ship sent him a description of the men missing, requesting that if they offered themselves to his lordship, they might be sent to some of his majesty’s ships at Malta.
Next day the Warrior sailed; and the noble marquis resolved that his brig should be a letter of marque, for the purpose of upholding the honour of the British flag. For the business of navigation, a comparatively few men would have done; but in this new capacity he required at least forty. To procure these was no very difficult task on a station where men were hourly in the habit of quitting their ships; and his lordship’s servant, in the course of an evening or two, added fourteen brave fellows to their complement.
On the 13th of May his lordship sailed to Palermo, and from thence to Messina, where, on pledging his word of honour that he had no deserters on board, he received a six months’ protection for forty men, having inserted false names for the men-of-war’s men. The Pylades then proceeded on her course, and on the 30th of May she was chased by the Active, an officer of that ship having heard that deserters were on board. Ere the boat came alongside, his lordship ordered the men-of-war’s men below, and, though a search took place, they escaped detection.
The marquis next sailed to Patmos, where ten of the men were allowed to go on shore, and that evening the vessel sailed without them. The abandoned men appear to have suffered great hardship; and at Scio, when accompanied by the British consul to the Pylades, his lordship refused to receive any of them except four, who were useful in the management of the vessel. Some of the men returned to their duty, and were tried by a court martial. From Constantinople the marquis wrote to Captain Sprainger, stating that he found he had some of his men on board, and that he was determined to send them on shore the first opportunity; that if the business was brought into a court, he would do the best to defend himself; and that, at the worst, he had an ample fortune, and could pay the fines.
Tired with travelling, his lordship returned home, and soon after his arrival in England he was indicted for enticing British seamen from their duty. The trial came on at the Old Bailey, December 16th 1812, when, after a protracted inquiry, his lordship was found Guilty, and sentenced to pay a fine of five thousand pounds, and to be imprisoned four months in Newgate.