A print of Rogers was soon after published with the following legend:
“Henry Rogers lived at a village called Skewis. He was so ignorant of the reason as well as of the power of the law, that when a decree in Chancery went against him, he resisted all remonstrances, and fortified his house, making loopholes for his muskets, through which he shot two men of the posse comitatus who attended the Under-sheriff. A little after he shot one Hitchens, as he was passing the high road on his private business. He also fired through the window and killed one Toby, and would not suffer his body to be taken away to be buried for some days. At length the neighbouring justices of the peace assisted the constables, and procured an aid of some soldiers, one of whom he killed, and afterwards made his escape; but at Salisbury, on his way towards London, he was apprehended and brought down to Cornwall, when at the assizes in August 1735 five bills of indictment were found againt him by the grand jury for the five murders aforesaid; to save the court time he was tried only on three of them, and found guilty of every one, before Lord Chief Justice Hardwick. As he lay in gaol after his conviction, the Under-sheriff coming in, he attempted to seize his sword, with a resolution to kill him; swearing he should die easy if he could succeed in that design. He was attended by several clergymen; but they could make no impression on his brutal stupidity, and he died at the gallows without any remorse.”
Extract made at the British Museum July the 8th, 1812, from the Weekly Miscellany, by Richard Hooker, of the Middle Temple, Esq. for Saturday Aug. the 9th, 1735, No. CXXXIX.
Launceston, August 1.
This day came on before the Lord Chief Justice Hardwick, the trials of Henry Rogers and John Street, one of his assistants, for murders committed in opposing the Sheriff of Cornwall in the execution of his office.
Rogers was arraigned upon five indictments, and Street upon two. The trials began about seven in the morning and ended about two in the afternoon. Rogers was tried upon the three first indictments, and being found guilty on all three, the Court thought it unnecessary to proceed upon the other two. Street was found guilty of the two indictments against him. And they both received sentence of death before the Court rose.
The Counsel for the king were Mr. Serjeant Chapple, Mr. Fortescue, jun. The Counsel for the criminals Mr. Pratt and Mr. Draper. The Solicitor for the Treasury Richard Paxton, Esq. was also there on the part of the Crown, he being sent down purposely to prosecute the affair.
At the assizes at Launceston Henry Rogers and John Street received sentence of death for a murder they committed in opposing the Sheriff of Cornwall in the execution of his office, and were executed on the 6th of August 1735. They seemed very penitent, particularly Rogers, who did not care for any sustenance but bread and water. He said he was guilty of one of the murders, but knew nothing of the other; but had it been in his power he would have killed as many more, and thought he committed no crime. Street, who was his servant,
had little to say, but that what he did was to defend his master, and he was willing to die, for by the course of years he could not live much longer, and he hoped God would receive his poor soul.
And lastly, I subjoin an address to the parish of Crowan, by Sir John St. Aubyn, the gentleman whom I have mentioned as one of the opponents of Sir Robert Walpole’s administration.