William Leanord Swan
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E X E C U T I O N,
A particular Account of the Behaviour and Execution of WILLIAM LEONARD SWAN,at Glasgow, on Wednesday the 16th May, 1821, for altering two Forged Five Found Notes of the Paisley Banking Company, in the month of November last. GLASGOW, MAY 16, l821.
WILLLIAM LEONARD SWAN was Exceuted this day. pursuant to his sentence,convicted of issuing a forged note for £5, on the 8th November last, in the house of Agnes Mitchell, change-'keeper in Airdrie, purporting to be of the Paisley Banking Company, and of passing another of the same amount in the house of John Smellie, change-keeper, Clarkston.
Swan was brought up to the profession of the law, and for some time was clerk to M'Kechnie and Mann, writers in Glasgow, but in March,1815 , was tried before the High Court of Justiciary, for theft, fraud and forgery, accused of having abstracted from the letter box of his employers, a letter directed to " Mr. Alexanander Mann, Glasgow," containing a bill of exchange for £100, and with forging,or causing to be forged Mr. Mann's indorsation.
Having procured a school-boy, of the name of Glassford, by promising him money, to pre- sent the bill to be .discounted at the office of the Bank of Scotland, in Glasgow, he was apprehended, owing to the bill being stopt at the bank, and the boy told it .was Swan and another person that gave him the bill, and they were
Both seized and committed to prison. They both, however, were dismissed from the bar, the Lord Justice Clerk observing to Swan,that he might rest assured, if he ever again appeared at the bar, accused of any similar con- duct, the strong suspicion under which he nowday, would not be forgotten, but should infallibiy rise up in judgment against him, and a very different verdict would await him." One-would have thought that this narrow escape should have been a lesson to a person of his information, this, however, has not been the cast", and all now saw the melancholy result of his misconduct.
He afterwards took up his residence in the village of Airdrie, where his parents at present reside, where be acted in the capacity of a messengers, but having tallen into some peculiar embarrassments. a caption was issued against him and he fled to Paisley, where he was apprehended for the crime for which he suffured. On his trial he solemnly declared his innocence of the crime of which he was found guilty, and denied to the last all knowledge of the notes being forged.
He was in hopes of a mitigation of his punishment till Sunday last, when an answer to his petition from the Secretary of State was received, which stated, that owing to the recent example which had been made at Stirling, he could not consistently recommend him to mercy. On the same day he attended sermon in the Chapel, along; with the rest of the prisoners, when an excellent discourse was delivered from Zecariah ix chap, and 12th verse, " Turn ye to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope," and seemed to be deeply affected.
He was assisted in his spiritual concerns by the Rev. Principal Taylor, and several .other ministers, whom he thanked for their attention. He has devoted part of his time to writing a serious Address to his fellow prisoners, which we understand is to be published in the form of a cheap tract.
Swan was a fine looking man, about 35 years of age, and has left a wife and four children, and his last farewell .with them on Tuesday evening, was truly affecting.
At two o'clock the Magistrates entered the Court Hall, and the prisoner soon after, genteelly dressed in black, with weepers on his coat Dr. Taylor, the Rev.Mr.Marshall, and several other Gentalman assisted him in his devotions, ;which being fershed, about 3 o'clock he ascended-the scaffold and immediately thereafter dropt a handkerchief as a signal when the drop tell, and he was departed from this world for ever; the crowd was not very great.
It is much to be lamented that the many examples which have been made have not in the least tended to put a stop to this unpardonable crime the conmission of which struk at the very life and soul of a commercial country like this.
Acknowledgement: 'The Trustees of the National Library of Scotland'
