AS MƲRDER is one of the Greatest Crimes that Man can be guilty of, so is it no less Strangely and Provi­dentially discovered, when private­ly committed. The foul Crimi­nal believes himself secure, because there was no Witness of the Fact. Not considering that the Al­seeing Eye of Heaven beholds his conceal'd Iniquity, and by some means or other bringing it to Light, never permits it to go Unpunished. And indeed so certainly does the Revenge of God pur­sue the Abominated MƲRDERER that when Wit­nesses are wanting of the Fact, the very Ghost of the Murdered-Parties cannot rest quiet in their Graves, till they have made the Detection them­selves. Of this we are now to give the Reader, Two Remarkable Examples that lately happened in York-shire; And no less Signal for the Truth of both Tragedies, as being confirmed by Trial of the Offenders, at the last Assizes held for that County.

The First of these Murders was committed by William Barwick, upon the Body of Mary Barwick, his Wife, at the same time big with Child. What were the Motives that induc'd the Man to do this Horrid Fact, does not appear by the Examinati­on of the Evidence, or the Confession of the Par­ty: Only it appeared upon his Trial that he had got her with Child, before he Married her: And 'tis very probable that being then constrained to Marry her, he grew weary of her; which was the the Reason he was so willing to be rid of her, tho' [Page 2]he ventur'd Body and Soul to accomplish his Design.

The Murder was committed upon Palm-Mon­day, being the Fourteenth of April last, about Two of the Clock in the Afternoon, at what time the said Barwick having drill'd his Wife along till he came to a certain Close, within sight of Cawood-Castle, where he found the Conveniency of a Pond, he threw her by force into the Water, and when she was Drown'd, and drawn forth again by him­self upon the Bank of the Pond, had the Cruelty to behold the Motion of the Infant, yet warm in her Womb. This done, he conceal'd the Body, as it may readily be suppos'd among the Bushes, that usually encompass a Pond, and the next night, when it grew duskish, fetching a Hay-spade from a Rick that stood in the Close, he made a Hole by the side of the Pond, and there slightly Buried the Woman in her Cloaths.

Having thus dispatched two at once, and think­ing himself secure, because (unseen) he went the same day to his Brother-in-Law, one Thomas Loft­house of Rufforth, within Three Miles of York, who had Married his drown'd Wifes Sister, and told him he had carried his Wife to one Richard Harrison's House in Selby, who was his Unkle, and would take care of her. But Heaven would not be so deluded, but rais'd up the Ghost of the Murder'd Woman to make the Discovery. And therefore it was that upon the Easter-Tuesday fol­lowing, about Two of the Clock in the After­noon, the fore-mention'd Lofthouse, having occa­sion to Water a Quickset Hedge, not far from his House, as he was going for the Second Pail-full, an Apparition went before him in the Shape of a Woman, and soon after sat down upon a Rising Green Grass-Plat, right over against the Pond: He walk'd by her as he went to the Pond; and as he return'd with his Pail from the Pond, looking side-ways to see whether she continu'd in the same place, he found she did; and that she seem'd to Dandle something in her Lap, that look'd like a White-Bag (as he thought) which he did not ob­serve before. So soon as he had emptied his Pail, he went into his Yard, and stood still to try whe­ther he could see her again; but she was vanish'd.

In his Information, he says, That the Wo­man seem'd to be habited in a Brown Colour'd Petticoat, Wastecoat, and a White Hood; such a one as his Wifes Sister usually wore; and that her Countenance look'd extream Pale and Wan, with her Teeth in sight, but no Gums appearing; and that her Physiognomy was like to that of his Wifes Sister, who was Wife to William Barwick.

But notwithstanding the Gastliness of this Ap­parition, it seems it made so little Impression in Lofthouse's Mind, that he thought no more of it, neither did he speak to any Body concerning it, till the same Night as he was at his Family Du­ty of Prayer, that that Apparition return'd again to his Thoughts, and discompos'd his Devotion; So that after he had made an end of his Prayers, he told the whole Story of what he had seen to his Wife: Who laying Circumstances together, im­mediately inferr'd, that her Sister was either Drown'd, or otherwise Murder'd, and desir'd her Husband to look after her the next day, which was the Wednesday in Easter-Week. Upon this, Lofthouse recollecting what Barwick had told him of his carrying his Wife to his Unkle at Selby, repairs to Harrison before-mentioned, but found all that Barwick had said to be false; for that Har­rison had neither heard of Barwick nor his Wife, neither did he know any thing of them. Which no­table Circumstance, together with that other of the Apparition increas'd his Suspicions to that degree, that now concluding his Wifes Sister was Murder­ed, he went to the Lord Mayor of York; and having obtained his Warrant, got Barwick apprehended: who was no sooner brought before the Lord Mayor, but his own Conscience then accusing him, he ac­knowledged the whole Matter, as it has been al­ready related, as it appears by his Examination and Confession herewith Printed: To which are also annex'd the Informations of Lofthouse, in like manner taken before the Lord Mayor of York, for a further Testimony and Confirmation of what is here set down.

On Wednesday the Sixteenth of September 1690, The Criminal William Barwick was brought to his Trial before the Honorable Sir John Powel, Knight, one of the Judges of the Northern Circuit, at the Assizes holden at York, where the Prisoner plea­ded not guilty to his Indictment: But upon the Evidence of Thomas Lofthouse, and his Wife, and a Third Person, That the Woman was found Bu­ried in her Cloaths in the Close by the Pond-side, agreeable to the Prisoner's Confession, and that she had several Bruises on her Head, occasioned by the Blows the Murderer had given her to keep her under Water: and upon Reading the Priso­ner's Confession before the Lord Mayor of York, attested by the Clerk, who wrote the Confession, and who swore the Prisoner's owning and signing it for Truth, he was found Guilty, and Senten­ced to death, and afrerwards ordered to be hang'd in Chains.

All the Defence which the Prisoner made, was only this, That he was threatned into the Con­fession that he had made, and was in such a Con­sternation, that he did not know what he said or did. But then it was sworn by Two Witnesses, that there was no such thing as any Threatning made use of; but that he made a Free and Volun­tary Confession, only with this Addition at first; That he told the Lord Mayor, he had sold his Wife for Five Shillings: But not being able to name either the Person or the Place where she might be produc'd, that was look'd upon as too frivolous to out-weigh Circumstances, that were Proofs too apparent.

THE Second was a Murder commited by one Edward Mangall, upon the Body of Elizabeth Johnson alias Ringrose, the Fourth of September last past, at a Place called King's Causey, near Adling-fleet, in the Coun­ty of York. He had got her with Child, at lest as she pretended; and was brought to Bed of a Boy, which she called William, and laid him to Man­gall's Charge, and required him to Marry her: which he refused at first to do; but afterwards pre­tending to make her his Wife, bid her go before him down Kings Causey, towards the Church, and he would follow her, as he did; but knock'd out her Brains in a Close by the Way, and at the same time, as was shrewdly suspected, Kill'd the Child.

This Mangall being Examined by Mr. Wil­liam Mauleverer the Coroner confessed that he had Murder'd the Woman; but denied that he meddl'd with the Boy. And being ask'd why he Murder'd the Woman, he made answer that the Devil put him upon it; appearing to him in a Flash of Light­ning, and directing him where to find the Club, wherewith he committed the Murder. So ready is the Devil with his Temptations, when he find a Tempter easie to work upon.

He was Convicted and found Guilty upon the Evidence of Ann Hinde, and his own Confession to the Coroner, as may be seen by the Information an­nexed; and was thereupon Sentenced to death, and order'd to be Hang'd in Chains, as Barwick was be­fore him, he making no Defence for himself for so Foul and Horrid a Murder, but that he was tempt­ed thereto by the Devil.