A trip through the New Hampshire Gazette, starting with December, 1768, including a report, in some detail, on the hanging and burning of Susannah Lott

“..Last week a Court-Martial was held on board His Majesty’s Ship Mermaid, for the Trial of some Sailors for Desertion;  two were sentenced to be flogged from Ship to Ship, & another is condemned to be hanged, who, it is said, will be executed Tomorrow….”

New York.  The.. Court of Admiralty met for the trial of Stephen Porters, mariner, for the murder of Capt. John Westcot, and sundry others, on board a Bristol ship on the coast of Guinea, in the year 1766.  But on the officers going to bring him up from the prison, they found him hanging to one of the window bars, quite dead, he having made use of a string he usually kept his irons up with.  He was buried in the high-way, and had a stake drove through his body.   June 2, 1769

Tuesday, the 24th  ult. Joseph Andrews was executed at New York, and afterwards hung in Chains, according to the Sentence of the Court there, mentioned in our last.  June 9, 1769

London, Aug 3 Susannah Lott was tried at Maidstone, for the murder of John Lott, her husband, of Hythe, in Kent, and after a long hearing she was found guilty, and condemned to be drawn upon a hurdle to the usual place of execution, on Peneden Heath, there to be burnt to ashes.  At the same time Benjamin Buss, convicted also of the murder of the said Lott, was condemned to be hanged and his body afterwards delivered to a surgeon, to be dessected (sic) and anatomized.

The behavior of Mrs. Lott, during her confinement, was serious, decent, and resigned.  She was convicted principally on her own declaration, and the confession she signed, soon after her husband was poisoned : She was much affected during the whole of her trial : particularly at the time of her child being bro’t to court, to be suckled, which was twice repeated in the course of her trial, in order, it is supposed, to excite the compassion of the jury ; and at the time of her receiving sentence, so great were the agonies she seemed to suffer, as drew tears from almost every body present.

Benjamin Buss, behaved with an insolent indifference, till the verdict was found against him, when he instantly changed colour, and in the utmost agony falling down on his knees, begged the mercy of the Court.

On Friday last a few minutes before 12 o’Clock at noon, Mrs. Lott and Benjamin Buss were taken from the goal, in order to be executed pursuant to their sentence.  Buss dressed in black, was carried in a waggon drawn by four horses, and attended by two or three Sheriff’s Officers.  Mrs. Lott dressed in a suit of mourning, she had for her husband, immediately followed on a hurdle drawn by four horses. —In this manner they proceeded till they came to the place of execution ; when Buss after joining in prayer with the Clergyman, was hanged on a gallows about a 100 yards from the place where Mrs. Lott was to be executed.  When he had hung about 15 minutes, the officers proceeded to execute sentence on Mrs. Lott, who was particularly desirous that he should suffer before her.

A post about seven feet high was fixed in the ground; it has a peg near the top, to which Mrs. Lott, standing on the stool, was fastened by the neck ;  when the stool was taken away, she hung about a quarter of an hour, till she was quite dead :  A chain was then turned round her body, and properly fastned (sic) by staples to the post, when a large quantity of faggots being placed round her, and set on fire, the body was consumed to ashes.  She was very sensible of her crime, and died entirely penitent.  The man did not betray any remarkable concern for his approaching end.  It is computed there were 5,000 persons attended  the execution.

We are informed that Buss presented a petition to the Judge begging that part of his sentence might be reversed, which condemned his body to be dissected and anatomized : this on consideration of his not being the actual murderer, was, (as usual in such cases) granted, and his body was permitted the rites of burial.  We are likewise informed on good authority, that on being entreated to make a confession, he answered, “His crimes he had confessed to God, but never would to man;  though it was afterwards reported, that on being requested, just before he suffered execution, he answered in an angry tone,  GUILTY ENOUGH,

The gentleman who gives me this account further adds, that amidst all the scenes of distress he ever had been witness to, nothing had been equal to the agony of the unhappy woman when bathed in tears and uttering the most piercing lamentations, she kneeled down by the bed side, and prayed in the most ardent manner for the divine protection and preservation of the helpless infant that with smiles of innocence looked on her, which she was going to be seperated from, leaving it (as she observed) to become an orphan, friendless, exposed to all the sad varieties of ills which her misconduct had entailed upon it.  Such was the tragical exit of his unhappy woman, the former part of whose life was spent in a becoming manner, till, excited by her wicked confederate, she suffered her reason to fall a sacrifice to passion, to the forefeiture of her life. — New Hampshire Gazette, Nov 3, 1769 (reporting a story from Britain, earlier in the summer)