A TRUE RELATION OF A BARBAROUS COMMITTED , By PHILIP STANDSFIELD . ' U P Q N T H E Perfon of Sir James Standsfield his Father. GIVING An Account of the many inhumane Practices and unnatural Contrivances he ufed to bring about his wick- ed Purpofes in comparting the Life ot his laid Father : And how, with the Afliftance of his Confederates and Accomplices, he Murthered him in his Bed-Chamber, threw him into a River, and gave out he Drowned him- ;' felf; feizing upon his Eftate and Burying him privately: And by what means, the Body being again taken up, the Murther was dilcovered in all its Circumftances. For which and other notorious Crimes mention'd in this Book, he was Tryed, Condemned and Executed with the manner thereof, &c. ------ ■ - V ________________________________________________________ I - Written as a Caution to all graceleft Perfins. ^te map fce l&intc&, R. P. , Printed for J. Conyers at the Black P ar St. Andrew ChurchinHclkom, ill'1'!' 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After he had for that and other Crimes been com^ mittedtothe7WWy&, the Mfizes coming on, on the 6th. of Februa- ry an Indictment was exhibited againft him by the King's Advocate, -confiftiog of three Articles, viz,. That he the faid Philh Standsfield had drank a Jreafonable Hea^h, 2. That he had curfedhis Parent, A z w& ftz,. his Father. 3. That he had complottetl, contrived and bfought-fo pafs theMarther of htefeid Father ; and being allow*** Ceunfel to defend thcfe Articles libelled againft hinv after a cfenfi- derable Debate thereon on the part of the King, and the parrt-of the Penal, the-Court giving their-Opinion, That the lirft Article wasHigh-Treafon, and the two others incurring the Fains of Ceatb, according tothe Laws of that Kingdom., The Court adjourned till Two of the Clock in the Aftcraeoiiof 4he day following, enjoyn. ing the Aflizers or Jurors, empannclled to try the matter of 1 ad up- on-thefaidlndtftmem, in the penalty of 200 Marks, to. make -heir perfbnal Appearance in the fad Court at the hour atbrclaid, and the Pjrifbner remanded to the Tatbootb. k 'On the 17tfirbf February, i^^the" Court tueing fat and tkerAflfe. ers or Jurors fworn,the Witneffes wereproduced by the King's Advo- cate againft the faid Philip Standsfield mb Prhbner, who being fworn as to the fjrft Article was plainly proved by three Perfbns that he had not only drank the.Health mehtioned-ia. Ale in the Kitchen^ New Milrtt with other Healths df the like-wicked Purport-, bus -obliged others on their Knees to do the fame ; after that enjoyning them to fecrecy, threatning them.e&rejirrjly if'eVer th*y revealed it : and being reproved by one for enterprihng fo great a Wickednefs, he replied, You' Pog, what are you xoncerned, you- do not under ft and to ^yhonijoufytakl 6Yc. f ' .;.' . The Evidence as to the jirft Article being fully proved* the Vv*it« nefles proceeded to the other two,- upon which briefly'it was fworn that Sir James Standsfield being about to go to Smeitourn with a Mi- nister, the ?rifbner demanded of the latter whether they were go- ing, and being told, he faid", Devil let never a '-one df'them eonje-back jgain, Hfrfe.nor Man: And that fbon after being defired by a Ser- vant to come to Dinner wit'n his Father, he ufed many other ' Curfes and Execrations towards him, lurther expr effing hjmlclf, That he wouldr hot go near him, for liis Father grinn'd upon him like a Sheeps-head in a. Tongues, and at divers other times he had not only curfed htm in ftich wicked- eiprefliansi^is I think not in this Paper fit to be mentioned , le$ft they ftiouldcreate hor- cour and amazement, in the very Relation of fo monftrous a Wickednefs, but.likewife at ftindry times fought his Life, affauli- i «d him and fired Piftols at hinv way4ay\l him/i and ufed ma- O 3 ny unnatural endeavours to deftroy him, efpeciafly opon notice that v he was about \o difmherit him for his many WickednefTe* and De- bauchery, and to, transfer his Eftate upon John Standsfield his young- er Son, and that one day his Mother fainting, Ihe faid upon her Re* covtry, O Philip, you will jhortly want your Mother : to which here- plycd. his Father fhoutd be dead firft, and then it (hould be well with-fier as long as he had it or to the like purpofe, often declaring, he hoped in fhort time to be Laird of all, and then he would ufe (bmeas they had ufed him, declaring at another time, That he had ^hated his Father this fix or fevcn years, and could not abide to fee him, pf.en imprecating the Devil to Dam him, Rire him and Swell him, threatnxig likewife his Brothers. Life, as hi$ Mother her felf confefTed, fo that Sir James Standsfield finding him incorrigible, and ■ that-although he had redeemed him out of fundry Prisons, and fUpr plyed him with great Sums of Money, in this and other Nati- ons, he ftill grew worfe, had accordingly refolved todifinherit him and was preparing Instruments for that purpofe, and had. declared to fbme Friends that he could have no comfort of his Life, by rea- son of his wicked Son, ejre. which as is evident haften'd the Prifon- cr to proceed to the Tragical rimming his Fathers day?, for the Fri- -day before the wicked Act, one Janent Johnft-on who Wiis his-Strum- -pet, held a conference with him in hs Chamber, and about that time, or fbon after, having curfed one of the Maid-Servants, fhe laid, the thanked God he was not her Mafter: to which he replied, with an Oath that fhe knew not how foon he (hould be: On this?, (fUppofing Sir James Standsfield had made his Eftate to his Son John, the Prifbner (aid, if he thought lie had done it he would cut his Throat: but fb it happened that on Friday the of November laft he was feen very familiar or intimate with Janent Jcb?ifton and one George Jhomfon and' his Wife, with whom he held as it were a clofe Consult, and that night his Father coming from FJenborougb with one'Mr, John Bill a Minifter, he refufed upon being fent for to fee him, or come tcr Prayers with him, exprefling.a detcftation tif his Father. Bed-time being come, Sir James having feen the Minifter into his Chamber went himfelfto Bed, lying cuftomary alone,,but the laid '' Minifter had not flept long before he was awaked, as he verily cbn- Kjftured* by Cryes in the adjacent .Apartment, and thereupon heard A 3 feveral [*.] feveral Voices or Whifpering, which coming to the ftairs, went down, as he conjectured, and fo out at the Door as appeared by their leflening or loudening, upon which he rofe to look out at the Window, but could not draw it up, yet he heard the voices move towards the River ; when an hour after day Philip Standsfield came into his Chamber, and asked if Sir James was come thither, fay- ing he had been feeking him upon the Banks of the Water, and foo'n after News was brought that he was in the River, and that Phi- lip Standsfield had ftood looking upon him, as a Stranger came by, faying then, he knew it to be his Father, but did not think fit be the firft Difcoverer, nor would he when he was taken up fuller him to be brought into the Houfe, but caufed him to be layed in a dark Out-houfe, faying, he fhould not be brought into the Houfe/ feeing he had dyed like a Beaft ; and although an Exprefs came from Edenbrougb to have the Cor^s fearched if any occafion or fuf- picion required it, he caufed them to be carried to Morum Church, and there to be privately, in a manner, Interred, having ufed Janent Johnston and other of his Accomplices, in the uioft part of the ma- nagement of this matter. But upon more than ordinary fufpicions of Murther, and that Sir James had not drowned himfelf, by reafbn the Body floated and no water appearing in it when took up, and that the Banks of the River had been much broken with treading , and the Cloaths in a manner not wet, the Body lying likewife upon the Face, a further Order was procured from Edenborough to take up the Corps and have them viewed, the News of the which fo af- frighted Thomfin that he faid he durft not work in the Hou% his Wife likewife declaring the like fear of being alone, as likewife did Philip Standsfield, fo great a power has Guilt over the Confcieneeof the Guilty, &c. The Corps being taken up in Morum Church, two Chyrurgeons were appointed to view it, who making an Incifion about the Neck, &c. found in one part under the Ear much ftagnated or clotted Blood, and that the Joynts had been diftended; alfb by the black- nefs of the Face many Symptoms of Strangling appeared, finding at the fame time no water in the Stomach or Bowels, with many o- ther Obfervations; upon which they concluded him to be murther- cd before he was thrown into the Water, as did the Colledge of Phy- ficians at Edenborough upon the Report of the feveral Symptoms and r 7 j <£ircumftances made to them by the ChyrUrgjons-, andtbe Confult of Chyrurgions did the like. And what further happened was ex- ceeding remarkable^ in which Hie finger of God, to difcover more plainly the Murtherer vifibly, appeared was, that a Speech being made^ after the Wounds were fewed up, that fbme of Sir James's neareft Relation* (hould take him. up -off the place where he lay and lift him into his Coffin , the Son, viz. Philip Standsfield, attempting toraife the left fide of the head and fhoulders, whilft one Mr. RoS reared the other fide, the Blood fprung out upon Philip StandsfieWs Hand, at which wiping it upon his Coat and ftruck with terror and remorfe, he cryed out, Lord have mercy upon me, and fo retired to a Pew, where the Chyrurgion ordered him fome Treacle-water to prevent his Swooning away. It was further given in Evidence, but not upon Oath,' by Jl'om- fonH Son, a little Youth, That the night Sir James was Murthered his Father and Mother were abfent from the Bed, wherein himfelf likewife lay at the Feet, riling and going abroad at an unufual hour, Peter Standsfield and Janentjohnftm having been there a litrle before, and being fo rifen and gone out a confiderable time, his Mother came in fbftly firft, and a while after his Father, not locking the Door but fetting a Chair againft it, becaufe it made a noife when locked •,- and being both in Bed and fuppofing him afleep, becriufe he made no Anfwer when they called, they fell to difcourfing the matter, the Father faying, the Dedd was done, and that Philip Standsfield guarded the- Chamber-door with a drawn Sword and a cock'd Piftol, and that lie never thought a Man would have dyed fofbon -, adding, that they carried him out towards the Water-fide and tyed a (tone about his Neck, and leaving him there, returned to > a little Kilne, where they confulted whether they. Ihould caft him; Into the River with the ftone or without, and at laft, that it might better be taken for a drowning himfelf, it was concluded he fhoujd i be caft in without the ftone, and accordingly it was done, c£r. And •e little Girl, the Daughter of Janent Johnflen, declared that her Mother was out at that time, and when (he came home about Two in the Morning, her Father, in harfh Terms, demanded where fhe had been fo long, to which (he repjyccl, where Hie had been, th« Deed was done,: ,and (9 went to Bed. This being the fubftanafof*the Evidence and Circumftanccs in a •. brief f / [8 ] brief method, and the PrWbner by himfelf or Coilnfcl haying offered nothing material in his own defence,and being by*the whole Country known to be a very notorious Perftn, though no Education in his, younger years were wanting to better qualifie him, the Affizers or Jurors, after the King's Advocate had fummoned up the Evidence, found him guilty of the Indidtment, upon the three Articles therein mentioned, viz,. OfTreafbn. The Curfmg his Father and Acceflion. to the Murther of his faid Father. r" Being found Guilty, he was fentanced to be carried on the r cth. of February to the Markct-Crofs of Edcnbormgh, and thereto be hanged 01 a Gibbit till dead, between the hours *>f Two and Four in the A f. te.rnoon MsTongue to be cutout and burnt upon apublick Scaffold, ^Djght ji^nd to be cut off and affixed orLtheEalternpan ofHadding? .ton and his Body to be hanged in Chains at Gallomk; and it was fur- ther Ordered, That his name,fame,memory and honours be extindr, his Arms to b'e Riven and taken out of the Books of Arms, fb that his Pofterity may never have place, or be able hereafter to poffefs or e.ijoy any honours, offices, titles or dignities within the Realm for time coming.and allfiis lands, goods, chattels,^, to be forfeit t,o the King ; and accordingly this Sentance was put in Execution, he, as h - had all along done, appearing obirinate to the laft. And now who can but relent at what has been related! and.may it ftand as a Seamark to warn bold anddaring. Sinners from running on in a courfe of Impiety,leaft by indulging themftlv.es by degrees they at length become fiaves to the Enemy of mankind, and he who was a Murtherer from the beginning prompt them on to fuch horrid Impi- eties as may defervally bring upon them the like fhamefull and ot?;Iw .b-^ r; -v;, .