Gazette Of The United States

AN AFFECTING EVENT.

Lately were executed at Old Heath, near Shrewsbury pursuant to their sentence at our last assizes, Thomas Phipps, Esq. the elder, and Thomas Phipps, the younger (father and only son) of Llwynmapps, in this county, for forging and uttering a note of hand for £20. purporting to be the note of Mr. Richard Coleman, of Oswestry, knowing the same to have been forged.

It was proved on the trial of these unfortunate gentlemen, that Mr. Coleman never had any transactions with Mr. Phipps that required the signing of any note whatever. That about Christmas last, Mr. Coleman was served with a writ, by order of Mr. Phipps at his own suit, which action Mr. C. defended ; that Mr. Phipps not supporting it, non pros was signed in the action, with £2. 3s. costs ; whereupon Mr. Phipps and his son, with William Thomas, their clerk, made an affidavit, stating, that the note was for trespass in carrying away some hay from off the land of one of Mr. Phipps's tenants, which Mr. Coleman had taken. The affidavit is at full length in the printed trial, wherein it appears, that Phipps the elder swears only to a conversation with Coleman ; on which the learned judge observed, the son appeared to have misled the father in the matter. Upon this affidavit the Court of Exchequer granted a rule to shew cause why the non pros should not be set aside. Mr. Coleman insisting that the note was a forgery, the matter rested in suspense, till the event of this prosecution. After a full hearing of the evidence on both sides, and the Judge's charge to the Jury, the two Phipps's were pronounced guilty of uttering and publishing the note, knowing the same to be forged. The Judge immediately passed sentence of death upon them, and recommended the Jury to acquit William Thomas, who was accordingly found not guilty.

Mr. Phipps and his son, from the time of their condemnation till the morning of their execution, persisted in their innocence. However, before they left the gaol, young Phipps confessed that he committed the forgery, avowing his father's innocence of it, and ignorance of its being forged, when published. They were taken in a mourning coach to the place of execution, accompanied by a clergyman, and another pious person, who attended them almost daily since their condemnation. On their way to the fatal tree, the father said to the son, "Tommy, thou hast brought me to this shameful end, but I freely forgive thee." To which the son made no reply. It being remarkably wet weather, the devotions were chiefly performed in the coach.

When the awful moment arrived that they must leave the sable vehicle, Mr. Phipps said to his son, "You have brought me hither, do you lead the way ;" which the youth accordingly did, and in the most composed manner ascended the ladder to a temporary scaffold, erected on purpose, followed by his father. When the devotions were finished, and the convicts tied up, they embraced each other, and in a few moments the executioner let down the scaffold and they were launched into eternity, amidst a vast concourse of deeply affected spectators, beholding a parent and child suffering an ignominious death for violating the laws of their country.

Mr. Phipps was in his 47th year, and his son just 20 years of age, two days before his execution.