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JOHN PETER DRAMATTI,

EXECUTED FOR MURDER.

THIS unfortunate man was the son of Protestant parents, born at Saverdun, in the county of Foix, and province of Languedoc, in France. He received a religious education; and, when he arrived at years of maturity, left his own country, on account of the persecution then prevailing there, and went to Geneva. From thence he travelled into Germany, and served as a horse-grenadier under the Elector of Brandenburgh, who was after wards King of Prussia. When he had been in this life about a year he came over to England, and en

VOL. I.

tered into the service of Lord Haversham, with whom he remained about twelve months, and then enlisted as a soldier in the regiment of Colonel de la Melonière. Having made two campaigns in Flanders, the regiment was ordered into Ireland, where it was dismissed from farther service; in consequence of which Dramatti obtained his liberty.

He now became acquainted with a widow, between fifty and sixty years of age, who pretending she had a great fortune, and was allied to the royal family of France, he soon married her, not only on ac3

count of her supposed wealth and rank, but also of her understanding English and Irish, thinking it prudent to have a wife who could speak the language of the country in which he proposed to spend the remainder of his life.

As soon as he discovered that his wife had no fortune, he took a small house and a piece of ground, about ten miles from Cork, intending to turn farmer; but, being altogether ignorant of husbandry, he found it impossible to subsist by that profession, on which he went to Cork, and worked as a skinner, being the trade to which he was brought up. At the expiration of a twelvemonth from his coming to that city, he went to London, and offered his service again to Lord Haversham, and was admitted as one of his domestics. His wife, unhappy on account of their separate residence, wished to live with him at Lord Haversham's, which he would not consent to, saying that his lordship did not know he was married. Hereupon she entreated him to quit his service, which he likewise refused, saying that he could not provide for himself so well in any other situation, and that it would be ungenerous to leave so indulgent a master. The wife now began to evince the jealousy of her disposition, and intimated that Dramatti had fixed his affections on some other woman; and the following circumstance aggravated the malignant disorder that preyed upon her mind: Dramatti being attacked with a violent fever, about the Christmas preceding the time the murder was committed, his noble master gave orders that all possible care should be taken of him at his lordship's expense. At this period Mrs. Dramatti paid a visit to her husband, and again urged him to quit his service, which he positively refused. A servant girl came into the room, bringing him

some water-gruel; and the wife, suspecting that this was her rival in her husband's affections, once more entreated him to leave his place; in answer to which he said he must be out of his senses to abandon a situation in which he was so well provided for, and treated with such humanity.

Dramatti, being recovered from his illness, visited his wife at her lodgings as often as was consistent with the duties of his station; but this not being so' frequently as she wished him to come, she grew more uneasy than before. Lord Haver. sham having taken lodgings at Kensington, Dramatti was so busy in packing up some articles on the occasion, that he had no opportunity of acquainting his wife with their removal. At length she learnt this circumstance from another quarter; on which, inflamed to the highest degree of rage, she went to Kensington to reproach her husband with his unkindness to her, though he declared he always maintained her as well as he was able; and, as a proof of it, had given her three guineas but a little time before the murder was committed.

Frequent were the disputes between this unhappy man and his wife, till, on the 9th of June, 1703, Dramatti being sent to London, and his business lying near Soho, he called on his wife, who lodged in that neighbourhood; and, having been with her some time, he was about to take his leave, but she laid hold of him, and wanted to detain him. Having got away from her, he went towards Charing Cross, to which place she followed him; but at length seemed to yield to his persuasions that she would go home, as he told her he was going to his lordship in Spring Gardens. Instead, however, of going home, she went and waited for him at or near Hyde Park Gate; and in the evening

he found her there, as he was going to Kensington. At the Park-gate she stopped him, and insisted that he should go no farther unless he took her with him. He left her abruptly, and went towards Chelsea, but she followed him till they came near Bloody-bridge, where the quarrel being vehemently renewed, she seized his neck cloth, and would have strangled him, had he not beat her with his cane and sword, which latter she broke with her hands, as she was remarkable for her strength; and, if he had been unarmed, could have easily overpowered him.

Having wounded her in so many places as to conclude that he had killed her, his passion immediately began to subside, and, falling on his knees, he devoutly implored the pardon of God for the horrid sin of which he had been guilty. He then went on to Kensington, where his fellow-servants observing that his clothes were bloody, he said he had been attacked by two men in Hyde Park, who would have robbed him of his clothes, but that he defended himself, and broke the head of one of them.

This story was credited for a short time; and on the following day Dramatti went to London, where he heard a paper read in the streets respecting the murder that had been committed. Though he dreaded being taken into custody every moment, yet he did not seek to make his escape, but dispatched his business in London, and returned to Kensington.

On the following day the servants heard an account of the murder that had been committed near Bloodybridge; they immediately hinted to his lordship that they suspected Dramatti had murdered his wife, as they had been known to quarrel before, and as he came home the

preceding evening with his sword broke, the hilt of it bruised, his cane shattered, and some blood on his clothes.

Upon this Lord Haversham, with a view to employ him, that he might not think himself suspected, bid him get the coach ready, and, in the interim, sent for a constable, who, on searching him, found a woman's cap in his pocket, which afterwards proved to have belonged to his wife. When he was examined before a justice of peace he confessed he had committed the crime; but, in extenuation of it, said that his wife was a worthless woman, who had entrapped him into marriage by pretending to be the blood-royal of France, and a woman of fortune.

On his trial it appeared that h went to Lord Haversham's chamber, late on the night on which the murder was committed, after that nobleman was in bed; and it was supposed he had an intention of robbing his lordship, who called out to know what he wanted; but, in a solemn declaration Dramatti made after his conviction, he steadfastly denied all intention of robbing his master, declaring he only went into the room to fetch a silver tumbler, which he had forgot, that he might have it in readiness to take in some asses' milk in the morning for his lordship.

The body of Mrs. Dramatti was found in a ditch between Hyde Park and Chelsea, and a track of blood was seen to the distance of twenty yards, at the end of which a piece of a sword was found sticking in a bank, which fitted the other part of the sword in the prisoner's possession. The circumstances attending the murder being proved to the satisfaction of the jury, the culprit was found guilty, condemned, and, on the 21st of July, 1703, was executed at Tyburn.

From this melancholy narrative the reader is taught to shun the vice of lying, and to dread jealousy as the most baneful of all the disorders of the mind. The two causes that contributed to the untimely death of this unhappy couple were those above mentioned: by a lie the woman seduced Dramatti to marry, and by her ill-founded jealousy, and ungovernable passion consequent thereon, provoked him to murder. Though nothing can be urged in extenuation of a crime of so black a die as murder, yet one can hardly help pitying a man who has been instigated to the commission of it by a vile deception in the first instance, and ungovernable passions in the second. Our young readers

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THOMAS ESTRICK, EXECUTED FOR HOUSEBREAKING,

Was born in the borough of Southwark, in the year 1676. His father was a currier, and instructed him in bis own business; but the boy showed a very early attachment to pleasures and gratifications above his age, and incompatible with his situation.

When the time of his apprenticeship was expired, he was of too unsettled a disposition to follow his business, and therefore engaged in the service of a gentleman of fortune at Hackney; but he had not been long in this new place before his master was robbed of plate, and other valuable effects, to the amount of above eighty pounds.

The fact was, that Estrick had stolen these effects; but, such was the ascendency that he had obtained over his master, and such the baseness of his own disposition, that he had art enough to impute the crime to one of the servant maids, who was turned out of the house with

every circumstance of unmerited disgrace.

Estrick, having quitted this service, took a shop in Cock Alley, near Cripplegate Church, where he carried on the business to which he was bred; and, while in this station, he courted a girl of reputation, to whom he was soon afterwards married. It should be remarked that he had been instigated to rob his master at Hackney by some young fellows of a profligate disposition; and he had not been married more than half a year when these dissolute companions threatened to give him up to justice, if he refused to bribe them to keep the secret.

Estrick, terrified at the thoughts of a prosecution, gave them his note of hand for the sum they demanded; but, when the note became due, he was unable to pay it: on which he was arrested, and lay some time in prison, but at length obtained his

liberty in defect of the prosecution of the suit.

As soon as he was at large he went to lodge with a person who kept his former house in Cock Alley; but, on taking possession of his lodgings, he found that a woman who lodged and died in the room, during his absence, had left a box containing cash to the amount of about ninety pounds.

Having possessed himself of this sum, he opened a shop in Long Al. ley, Moorfields; but his old associates having propagated a report to the prejudice of his character, he thought he should not be safe in that situation, and therefore took shipping for Holland, having previously disposed of his effects. On his arrival in Holland he found no opportunity of employing his little money to any advantage, and therefore spent the greater part of it, and then returned to his native country.

Soon after his return he found himself reduced to great distress; on which he had recourse to a variety of illegal methods to supply his necessities. He was guilty of privately stealing, was a house

breaker, a street-robber, and a highwayman. In a short time, however, the career of his wickedness was at an end.

He was apprehended, tried, and convicted, and, in consequence thereof, was executed at Tyburn on the 10th of March, 1703, before he had attained the age of twentyseven years.

From the particular circumstances which contributed to bring this offender to justice, the ill effects of keeping bad company may be learn. ed. If he had not associated with young fellows of bad character he would not have been reduced to the necessity of giving his note of hand, which carried him to a prison, and consequently threw him out of business when he seemed disposed to have got an honest living. The same unhappy connexion likewise obliged him to depart for Holland, after he was a second time settled; and these circumstances, in fact, contributed to his final disgrace and destruction. Hence let youth in general be taught to avoid every appearance of evil,' and to remember that text of Scripture—' If sinners entice thee, consent thou not.'

GERALD FITZGERALD,

EXECUTED FOR MURDER.

GERALD Fitzgerald was the son of a respectable farmer near Limerick, in Ireland, where he was born in the year 1671, and educated in the Protestant religion, his father being of that persuasion.

At the age of fifteen he came to London to learn the art of peruke. making under a relation of his father's but soon associating himself with bad company, he ran away from his kinsman at the expiration of three years, and entered into the service of Sir Henry Johnson, and had the direction of the domestic

How

affairs of his new master. ever, he had not been long in this service when his old associates persuaded him to leave it, on which he entered on board a man of war, and was soon advanced to the station of steward to the captain.

He made some voyages to the East and West Indies, and on his return to England was married to a relation of the captain, a young lady whose singular good qualities were admirably calculated to give poshappiness to any man who had sessed wisdom sufficient to have

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