Page:A century of Birmingham life- or, A chronicle of local events, from 1741 to 1841 (IA centuryofbirming02lang).pdf/220

192 The young lady was with her father in Court during the trial, and seemed much interested in its issue. Judge Ashurst stated the law to be as follows; and it determined the case: "That, if an officer be killed in endeavouring forcibly to enter an apartment to secure an offender, it cannot be deemed Murder, except the officer shall have acquainted the offender by what authority and for what offence he is about to secure him."

Griffin had still lodged against him two detainers; one on the charge of Mr. Hammond, banker, of Newmarket, and the other on that of Mr. Green, jeweller, London; and a Habeus Corpus, to remove him to the gaol of Suffolk, has been made out in consequence of the first above-mentioned charge.

We hear nothing more of the case until December 17, when this paragraph was published:—

On Tuesday (Dec. 11) G. Hubbard, alias H. Grifin, the  Duke of Ormond and Lord Massey, who was lately tried at Warwick, for shooting Mr. Wallis, was capitally convicted at the Old Bailey for forging and publishing a Bill, purporting to be drawn by Earl Tankerville, for £1,449, and thereby obtaining from Messrs. Green and Willerton, under the assumed title of Lord Massey. jewels and cash for the same. He did not bear his conviction with that fortitude which he before appeared to possess.

The aristocratic swindler was now rapidly approaching his end. On February 8, 1793, the Recorder of London, "made his report of criminals in Newgate to his Majesty, when Griffin (the Duke of Ormond) and nine others were ordered for execution." On February 14, the following curious and illustrative anecdote appeared:—

Grifin, the late Duke of Ormond, lately sent for a taylor who lives opposite to Newgate, to measure him for a suit of mourning. The taylor, thinking his customer's tricks at an end, immediately made the cloaths, and carried them to the cells, where Grifin very deliberately put them on, declaring he was never better fitted, and paid many compliments on the neatness of the cut, &c. The taylor, perceiving no overtures of payment, reminded his employer of his charge. Griffin, turning round, replied, "true, Mr. Taylor, your charge is moderate, and I will put you in a way of being paid. I know (continued the malefactor) that you let out your house at sixpence a head at every hanging-bout; now, as I am shortly to be hanged, and you know, Mr. Taylor, I am no common rascal, I Would advise you to raise your price to half-a-crown. If that wont do, why you nay have your cloaths again, but 1 am determined first to be hanged in them."

On the same day appeared this very brief report of a very ghastly spectacle:—

February 14, 1793--Yesterday morning, soon after eight o'clock, Francis Hubbard, alias Grifin, alias Lord Massey and Duke of Ormond, for forgery, and seven other malefactors, were executed opposite the Debtor's door of Newgate. Hubbard stabbed himself in the side on Tuesday morning, and is also said to have taken some poison, neither of which, however, proved effectual; he appeared very weak from loss of blood, but behaved with great fortitude and composure previous to his being executed.

And so terminated the life of the hero of this curious Cause Célèbre.