After Death She Was Hung In
Chains, Or Rather In A Solid Iron Cage, At The Fork Of Four Roads, At
Levi, Close To The Spot Where The Temperance Monument Has Since Been
Built.
The loathsome form of the murderess caused more than one shudder
amongst the peaceable peasantry of Levi, until some
Brave young men one
dark night, cut down the horrid cage, and hid it deep under ground, next
to the cemetery at Levi, where, close to a century afterwards, it was dug
up and sold to Barnum's agent for his museum.
Sergeant Jas. Thompson describes in his diary, under date 18th Nov., 1782,
another memorable execution:
"This day two fellows were executed for the murder and robbery of Capt.
Stead, Commander of one of the Treasury Brigs, on the evening of the 31st
Dec., 1779, between the Upper and Lower Town. The criminals went through
Port St. Louis, about 11 o'clock, at a slow and doleful pace, to the place
where justice had allotted them to suffer the most ignominious death. It
is astonishing to see what a crowd of people followed the tragic scene.
Even our people on the works (Cape Diamond) prayed Capt. Twiss for leave
to follow the hard-hearted crowd." It was this Capt. Twiss who
subsequently furnished the plan and built a temporary citadel in 1793.
In 1793, we have also, recorded in history, another doleful procession of
red-coats, the Quebec Garrison accompanying to the same place of execution
as a mess-mate (Draper), a soldier of the Fusileers, then commanded by the
young Duke of Kent, who, after pronouncing the sentence of death, as
commander, over the trembling culprit kneeling on his coffin, as son and
representative of the Sovereign, exercised the Royal prerogative of mercy
and pardoned poor Draper.
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