God admonishing his people of their duty, as parents and masters. A sermon, preached at New-London, December 20th, 1786. Occasioned by the execution of Hannah Ocuish, a mulatto girl, aged 12 years and 9 months. For the murder of Eunice Bolles, aged 6 years and 6 months. / By Henry Channing, M.A. ; [Five lines of quotations]

APPENDIX.

AS the Public may wish to be informed more particularly respecting the criminal, Hannah Ocuish, than they have yet been: we have collected the following particulars, which it may not be improper to annex as an appendix to the preceding discourse.

She was born at Groton.—Early in life she discovered the malicious|ness and cruelty of her disposition: as appears from the following fact, which was represented in evidence before the grand-jury. When about six years old, she with a brother about two years older than herself, meet|ing a little girl at a distance from the neighbourhood, they endeavoured to get away her clothes and a gold necklace which she had on.—After beating the child until they had almost killed her, they stripped her, and disputing about the division of the clothes the child recovered, and getting away came home, covered with blood. This affair was immediately ex|amined into, and the select-men of the town concluded to bind them both out.

Their mother, who is one of the Pequot tribe of indians, is an aban|doned creature, much addicted to the vice of drunkenness.—She, it seems, not liking to have the girl bound out; brought her away and left her at a house, about three miles from the city of New-London, promising to return in a few days and take her away again. But she did not return 'till after several months, when urging the family to keep her longer they at length consented.—She continued in this family until she was appre|hended for the crime, for which she was executed.

Her conduct, as appeared in evidence before the honorable Superior Court was marked with almost every thing bad. Theft and lying were her common vices. To these were added a maliciousness of disposition which made the children in the neighbourhood much afraid of her. She had a degree of artful cunning and sagacity beyond many of her years. —In short, her mind wanted to be properly instructed, and her disposition to be corrected.

We now come to the particulars of the horrid crime for which she suf|fered.

On the 21st of July, 1786, at about 10 o'clock in the morning, the body of the murdered child was found in the public road leading from New-London

to Norwich, lying on its face near to a wall. Its head was covered with stones, and a number lay upon its back and arms. Upon examining the body the skull appeared to be fractured; the arms and face much bruis|ed, and the prints of finger-nails were very deep on the throat.—The neighbourhood were immediately engaged in making search and enquiry for the murderer. The criminal made use of her usual art, to prevent suspicion.—She said that she saw four boys in her mistress's garden near where the child was found: that she called to them for being in the gar|den and soon after heard the wall fall down. After searching and enquir|ing for these boys to no effect, suspicions became strong that she was the guilty person. On the 22d, she was closely questioned, but repeatedly denied that she was guilty. She was then carried to the house where the body lay, and, being again charged with the crime, burst into tears and confessed that she killed her; saying if she could be forgiven she would never do so again. The particulars which she then gave, and which ap|peared in the course of the trial were as follow.

On the morning of the 21st, she went to a brook which is near her mistress's house, to get a pail of water:—when at the brook, she saw the little girl come into the road, going to school. She immediately hastened home with the water, and setting it down at the door, ran across the gar|den to overtake the child:—when near her, the criminal jumped over the wall and called to her: offering her a piece of calicoe which she then held in her hand. The child coming to her, she struck her on the head with a stone which she had taken up for the purpose, and repeating the blows the child cried out,

Oh, if you keep beating me so I shall die.

She continued the blows until the child lay still. But after a few moments, seeing that she stirred; she took her by the throat and choaked her 'till she was dead. Being asked why she laid stones upon the child. She said; it was to make people think that the wall fell upon her and killed her.— Upon being asked why she killed her: she said that she had intended giv|ing her a whipping because she had complained of her in strawberry time (about five weeks before) for taking away her strawberries.

Such an instance of deliberate revenge and cruelty in one so young, has scarcely a parallel in any civilized country.

When the criminal was first committed to prison she appeared uneasy with her situation; but after a little time seemed to be quite contented and happy.—She would divert herself with the children that went to see her, and frequently would make very shrewd turns upon those persons who made severe remarks upon her.

When arraigned at the bar, she, at the direction of her council, plead "not guilty." During her trial she appeared entirely unconcerned.— After the verdict was brought in, and she was carried back to the prison; a person visited her and told her what must now be her punishment; and that she must prepare for death, and for another world: she seemed greatly affected, and continued in tears most of the day.—After this she seemed as unconcerned as before, and was very backward in conversing with the person who had thus alarmed her fears. It appeared that some persons had been there afterwards and encouraged her with telling her that she would not be hung.

When she was brought to the bar to receive sentence of death, her stu|pidity and unconcern astonished every one. While that benevolent ten|derness which distinguishes his honor the Chief Justice, almost prevented utterance, and the spectators could not refrain from tears; the prisoner alone appeared scarcely to attend.

About a fortnight before her execution she appeared to realize her dan|ger, and was more concerned for herself. She continued nearly in the same state until the Monday night before her execution: when she appeared greatly affected; saying, that she was distressed for her soul. She conti|nued in tears most of Tuesday, and Wednesday which was the day of exe|cution. At the place of execution she said very little—appeared greatly afraid, and seemed to want somebody to help her.—After a prayer a|dapted to her unhappy situation, was offered to HEAVEN, she thanked the sheriff for his kindness to her, and then passed into that state which never ends.