I I - American Memory

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Blakefly, Mary Springate, and Richaid Bovjs, were cali'd
into Court, the Subftancc of whofe Evidence againft the
Prifoner was. That the Prifoner being interrogated
about the Murder when in Nenugate faid, ' The Devil
' put it into her Head, but however John Hayes was
' none of the beft of Hufbind's, for fhe had been half
' ftarv'd ever fince ftie was marry'd to him ; that (he
' did not in the leaft repent of any Thing fhe had done,
' but only in drav/ing thofe two poor Men into this
' Misfortune ; that fhe was fix Weeks importuning
' them to do it; that they denied it tv«'0 or three
' Times, but at laft agreed ; her Hiifljand was made fo
' drunk that he fell out of his Chair, then Bi/Ii/iM and
' Wood carry'd him into the back R.oom, and laiU him
' upon the Bed ; that file- was net in that Room, but
' in the fore Room on the fams Fioor, when he was
' kiird; but they told her that Billings ftruck him. twice
' on the Head with a Pole-Axe, and that then Wood
' cut his Throat; that when he was quite dead, flie
' went in and held the Candle whilft Wood cut his
' Head quite off, and afterwards they chopt off his
' Legs and Arms; that they wanted to get him into an
' old Cheft, but he was too long and too big; they
' thought to have done it by cutting off his Thighs and
' Arms, and then the Chcft would not hold them all ;
' the Body and Limbs were put Into Blankets at feve-
' ral Times the next Night, and thrown into a Pond ;
' that the Devil was in them all, and they were all
' got drunk; that it would fignify nothing to make a
' long Preamble, flle could hold up her Hand and fay
' fhe was Guilty, for nothing could fave hers, no Body
' could forgive her ; that the Men who did the Mur-
' der were taken, and hr.d confciTed it ; that flie was
' not with them when they did it; tliiUt Ihe was fit-
" ing by the Fire in the Shop upon a Stool; that flie
' heard the Blow given, and heard fomebody ftamp ;
' that flie did not cry out for fej.i they fliould kill her;
' that after the Head was cut off it was put into a Pail,
' and Wood carry'd it out, that BJIlings fate down by
her