The New Hampshire Gazette

PLATTSBURGH, N. Y. MARCH 23

Execution of Peggy Facto -On Friday last, at an early hour, crowds of people began to collect in this village, from every point of the vicinity, to witness the execution of this unfortunate convict. Before noon, the period pointed out in the sentence, between which and two o'clock, the last act of the law was to be performed, the concourse had become very great.

At a few moments past 12, the prisoner was brought from the jail in a state of feebleness which required the assistance of the officers by whom she was placed in the vehicle prepared for the purpose, when the procession moved on, formed by the light infantry company under the command of Capt. Sailly, and the rifle company, commanded by Lieut. Couch; the whole under the command of Capt. Baily. A crowd preceded and followed the cavalcade on foot and in wagons; the latter class were a great part females of various ages, from the decrepitude of the grandmother, down to the rosy cheeked maiden in her teens, all eager to witness the rare show in which the death of a human being was to afford food for their curiosity. Many of these had come from a distance in spite of the badness of the roads, which could scarce be worse.

When the prisoner arrived at the gallows. which was placed in a field west of the meeting-house, she was taken from the wagon and placed upon the scaffold by her attendants, to whose honor it may be said--that not one of them could refrain from tears. She was attended by Monsieur Gireux, Roman Catholic Curate of St. Luke, who had come from his parish to attend her last moments. After having joined him in prayer, she declared she was innocent of the crime for which she was to suffer and that she forgave all her enemies. She was then lifted up by one of the officers, who was about to proceed to the performance of his duty, but on her uttering a faint scream, excited either by terror or hysterical affection. he allowed her to be seated for a moment. when she became composed and signified her readiness; upon which she was raised, and the cord adjusted; during which she again declared herself innocent, prayed for the forgiveness of her enemies, and while in the utterance of these words, the bolt was pulled, the platform dropped, and with scarcely a convulsive motion, her soul was consigned to the land of spirits.