Andrew for education. When young Hunter had acquired a good share of claffical learning, he was admitted to the degree of mafter of arts, and began to profecute his ftudies in divinity, with no Imall degree of fuccefs.

Several of the younger clergymen in Scotland act as tutors to wealthy and diftinguished families, till a proper period arrives for their entering into orders, which they never do till they obtain a benefice. While in this rank of life they bear the name of chaplains; and in this ftation Hunter lived about two years, in the house of Mr. Gordon, a very eminent merchant, and one of the bailies of Edinburgh, which is a rank equal to that of alderman of London.

Mr. Gordon's family confifted of himself, his lady, two fons and a daughter, a young woman who attended Mrs. Gordon and her daughter, the malefactor in queftion, fome clerks and menial fervants. To the care of Hunter was committed the education of the two fons; and for a confiderable time he discharged his duty in a manner highly fatisfactory to the parents, who confidered him as a youth of fuperior genius, and great goodnefs of heart.

But it happened that a connection took place between Hunter and the young woman abovementioned, which foon increased to a criminal degree of familiarity; however the correfpondence between them was maintained for a confiderable time, during which the family was totally ignorant of the affair.

These lovers had gone on undetected fo long, that they grew daily lefs cautious than at the commencement of their amour; and on a parti→ cular day, when Mr. and Mrs. Gordon were on a

vifit,

vifit, Hunter and his girl met in their chamber as usual: but having been fo incautious as not to make their door faft, the children went into the room, and found them in fuch a fituation as could not admit of any doubt of the nature of their intercourse.

No fufpicion was entertained that the children would mention to their parents what had happened; the eldest boy being not quite ten years of age: fo that the guilty lovers had not the leaft idea. that a difcovery would enfue; but when the children were at fupper with their parents, they difclofed fo much as left no room to doubt of what had happened. Hereupon the female fervant was directed to quit the houfe on the following day; but Hunter was continued in the family, after making a proper apology for the crime of which he had been guilty, attributing it to the thoughtleffness of youth, and promifing never to offend in the fame way again.

Hunter from this period entertained the most, inveterate hatred to all the children, on whom he determined in his own mind to wreak the most diabolical vengeance. Nothing less than murder was his intention; but it was a confiderable tine after he had formed this horrid plan before he had an opportunity of carrying it into execution; which he at length in a great degree effected, as will be feen hereafter.

Whenever it was a fine day, he was accustomed to walk in the fields with his pupils for an hour before dinner; and in thefe excurfions the young lady generally attended her brothers. At the period immediately preceding the commiffion of the fatal fact, Mr. Gordon and his family were at their country retreat very near Edinburgh; and having received an invitation to dine in that city,

he

he and his lady propofed to go thither about the time that Hunter ufually took his noon-tide walk with the children. Mrs. Hunter was very anxious for an the children to accompany them on this vifit; but this was ftrenuously oppofed by her hufband, who would confent that only the little girl fhould attend them.

By this circumftance 11unter's intention of murdering all the three children was fruftrated; but he held his refolution of destroying the boys while they were yet in his power. With this view he took them into the fields, and fat down as if to repofe himself on the grafs. This event took place foon after the middle of the month of Auguft, and Hunter was preparing his knife to put a period to the lives of the children, at the very moment they were bufied in catching butterflies, and gathering wild flowers.

Having fharpened his knife, he called the lads to him, and having reprimanded them for ac quainting their father and mother of the scene to which they had been witneffes, he faid that he would immediately put them to death. Terrified by this threat, the children ran from him: but he immediately followed, and brought them back. He then placed his knee on the body of the one, while he cut the throat of the other with his penknife; and then treated the second in the fame inhuman manner that he had done the first.

Thefe horrid murders were committed within half a mile of the caftle of Edinburgh; and as the deeds were perpetrated in the middle of the day, and in the open fields, it would have been very wonderful indeed, if the murderer had not been immediately taken into cuftody.

At the time of the murder, it happened that a gentleman was walking on the Caftle-hill of Edin

burgh,

burgh, who had a tolerably perfect view of what paffed. Alarmed by the incident, the gentleman called fome people, who ran with him to the place where the children were lying dead: but by this time the murderer had advanced towards a river, with a view to drown himfelf. Thofe who pursued, came up with him juft as he reached the brink of the river: and his perfon being immediately known to them, a meffenger was inftantly difpatched to Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, who were at that moment going to dinner with their friend, to inform them of the horrid deed that had been> perpetrated by this wicked man.

Language is too weak to defcribe the effects> refulting from the communication of this dreadful. news: the astonishment of the afflicted father, the agony of the mother's grief, may poffibly be conceived, though it cannot be painted..

Mr. Hunter being now in cuftody, it is requi fite that we give an account of the proceedings against him, and of the punishment that followed his offence.

According to an old Scottish law it was decreed, that if a murderer fhould be taken with the "blood of the murdered perfon on his cloaths, " he should be profecuted in the fheriff's court, "and executed within three days after the com"miffion of the fact." It was not common to execute this fentence with rigour; but the offender in question had been guilty of crimes of fo aggravated a nature, that it was not thought proper to remit any thing of the utmost feverity of the law.

The prifoner was, therefore, committed to gaol, and chained down to the floor all night; and on the following day the fheriff iffued his precept for VOL. I. No. 1.

E

the

the juty to meet; and, in confequence of their verdict, Hunter was brought to his trial, when he pleaded guilty; and added to the offence he had already committed, the horrid crime of declaring, that he lamented only the not having murdered Mr. Gordon's daughter as well as his fons.

The fheriff now paffed fentence on the convict. which was to the following purpofe: that " on the following day he fhould be executed on a gibbet erected for that purpose on the spot "where he had committed the murders: but that,

previous to his execution, his right hand: "fhould be cut off with a hatchet, near the "wrift; that then he fhould be drawn up to the "gibbet, by a rope, and, when he was dead, "hung in chains between Edinburgh and Leith, "the knife with which he committed the mur"ders being stuck through his hand, which fhould "be advanced over his head, and fixed therewith "to the top of the gibbet."

Mr. Hunter was executed, in ftrict conformity to the above fentence, on the 22d of August, 1700. But Mr. Gordon foon afterwards petition, ed the fheriff, that the body might be removed to a more diftant fpot, as its hanging on the fide of the high way, through which he frequently paffed, tended to re-excite his grief for the occafion that had first given rife to it. This requifition was immediately complied with, and in a few days the body was removed to the fkirts of a fmall village near Edinburgh, named Broughton.

It is equally true and horrid to relate, that, at the place of execution. Hunter clofed his life with the following fhocking declaration: "There is no God-I do not believe there is any-or if there is, I hold him in defiance."

Some