serving his life. On the morning appointed for his execution he was respited for a week; and before the expiration of that time (it being represented that messengers were gone to France in search of Brown) he was respited for a week longer. Brown's affidavit was brought from France, expressing that he wrote the indorsement that Alexander had been charged with forging. The affidavit being carried to his Majesty at Richmond, he was pleased to refer the matter to Lord Weymouth; but his lordship's interference could not be obtained, he being then at his country-seat. The sheriffs attended at Newgate the next morning, in order to conduct the prisoner to the place of execution. He informed them that his friends were gone to Richmond, to make a second application to the king; and they consented to defer their melancholy office till the issue of the intercession should be known. No further respite being obtained, the prisoner was taken from Newgate about half past twelve o'clock, attended by a dissenting minister, with whom he prayed in an earnest and devout manuer. At the place of execution his behaviour was decent and composed; and he persisted in the declaration of his innocence till the last moment of his life. He suffered about half past two in the afternoon of the 9th of August, 1769.

ALPRESS, JOSEPH. See GUYANT, JOHN. ANDREWS, JOHN, (FORGERY) was a native of Essex, and for some time grazier, having sent a number of cattle to Smithfield market; after which he sailed to the East-Indies, where he acquired a sufficient sum to enable him to deal in seamen's tickets, on his return to England. This business, sufficiently oppressive to the poor sailors, he carried to the height of extortion, and frequently obtained

of

of them fifty per cent. on advancing money on their tickets. After thus lending money for some time, he ventured on the dangerous practice of forging the wills of seamen, in order to defraud the widows, and met with a narrow escape at Maidstone, on a charge of publishing a forged letter of attorney. He employed some women of his acquaintance in London, to whom he used to give small gratuities, to personate the widows of seamen, and by their perjuries he frequently acquired considerable sums of money. Quarrelling at last with a woman named Elizabeth Nicholls, with whom he was thus connected, blows ensued, and the woman determined to be revenged, but disguised her sentiments, till she had an opportunity of injuring him in the most essential manner. He applied to her on a particular occasion to personate the widow of a seaman to whom thirty pounds were due, and to swear that she had a will in her favor. The woman, with a view first to make an advantage of Andrews, and then to betray him, did as she was directed, and signed her name to a forged will in Doctors Commons, in consequence of which Andrews received thirty pounds at the Navy Office, and became possessed of the seaman's ticket for fourteen pounds. This ticket he offered for sale to a man who kept an alehouse in Oxford-road;* but the latter refused to buy it, unless the woman would sign the receipt for it, which she readily did, expecting Andrews would give her a good part of the money thus illegally obtained; but on his refusal to give her more than half a guinea, she determined on immediate revenge. To carry her scheme into effectual execution, she went to another woman, with whom Andrews was connected, and both of them having given information against him, he was taken into custody, and lodged in Newgate. As it

B 3

was

was presumed that his offences had been numerous the following scheme was adopted to find full evidence of his guilt The lord mayor commissioned a person, who had formerly known him, to go to Newgate, and hint to him that a warrant would be issued to search his lodgings. Andrews having papers which he thought of great consequence to conceal, desired his supposed friend to pack them in a basket, and leave them with an acquaintance in the Minories. Hereupon the prisoner gave the man his keys, who went, packed up the goods, and carried them as directed. This was done to discover, if possible, whether Andrews had any accomplices; that, if he had, his guilt might be the more clearly ascertained, by procuring stronger evidence against him. When the papers were deposited in the Minories the lord mayor issued a search warrant; in consequence of which his officers found sixty-four forged wills and powers of attorney; but no proof arose that he had any accomplices, except the women whom he had employed as his agents. One of these women, however, deposed that she had received above five hundred pounds for him, by swearing to forged wills, but that half a guinea for each perjury was all the compensation she received. Andrews, who was in possession of a considerable sum of money when he was committed to Newgate, had no idea that sufficient evidence could be adduced of his guilt; but when he was brought to trial, the testimony of the two women was so positive against him, that the jury did not hesitate to convict him, and sentence of death pa-sed of course. His behaviour after conviction was remarkably morose, resèrved, and untractable. He absolutely rejected the good offices of the ordinary of Newgate, which at first caused a suspicion that he was a Roman Catho

lic; but as he was not visited by any priest, this suspicion wore off, and his rejection was attributed to the obstinacy and gloom of his own mind He refused to acknowledge the justice of the sentence by which he was condemned; alledging, in excuse for his conduct, that having lost large sums of money by some seamen, he was justified in endeavouring to make others pay the deficiency. He seemed agitated in the highest degree when put into the cart on the morning of execution. His whole frame was convulsed; and when at the fatal` tree, despair seemed to have taken possession of his soul. He said a short prayer, but did not address the surrounding multitude. He suffered at Tyburu,

March 23, 1752.

ANGIER, HUMPHRY, (ROBBER,) was a native of Ireland, born near Dublin; but his parents removing to Cork, put him apprentice to a cooper in that city. He had not been long in this station before his master desired to get rid of him, on account of his untoward disposition. Thus discharged, he lived the life of a vagabond for two years, and his father apprehending that he would come to a fatal end, brought him to England in the eighteenth year of his age. Still, however, he continued his dissipated course of life, till having got considerably in debt, he enlisted for a soldier, to avoid being lodged in prison. As this happened in the year 1715, he was sent to Scotland to oppose the rebels; but robbing a farmer in that country, he was punished by receiving five hundred lashes, in consequence of the sentence of a Court Martial. The rebellion ended, Angier came to London, and obtained his discharge. Here he became acquainted with William Duce (see DUCE) whose sister he married at an alehouse in the verge of the Fleet. After

After this heenlisted a second time, and the regiment being ordered to Vigo, he took his wife with him. The greater part of the Spaniards having abandoned the place, Angier obtained a considerable sum by plunder. On his return to England he became acquainted with Butler's associates, and was concerned with them in several of their lawless depredations, but refused to have any share in acts of barbarity. Angier now kept a house of ill fame, which was resorted to by the other thieves; and one night after they had been out on one of their exploits, Meads told the following horrid tale : "We have been out, and the best fun of all was, an engagement with a smock-faced shoemaker, whom we met on the Kentish-road. We asked him how far he was going, and he said, he was just married, and going home to see his relations. After a little more discourse, we persuaded him to turn rather out of the road to look for a bird's nest, which as soon as he had done, we bound and gagged him, after which we robbed him, and were going away; but I being in a merry humour, and wanting to have a little diversion, turned about with my pistol, and shot him through the head." Rad as Angier was in other respects, he was shocked at this story, told his companions that there was no courage in cruelty, and from that time refused to drink with any of them. After this he kept a house of ill fame near Charing Cross, letting lodgings to thieves, and receiving stolen goods. While in this way of life he went to see an execution at Tyburn, and did not return till four o'clock the next morning; when, during his absence an affair happened, which was attended with troublesome consequences. A Dutch woman meeting with a gentleman in the street, conducted him to Angier's

house,