Quote by Charles Dickens
I was a witness of the execution at Horsemonger-lane this morning. ... I believe that a sight so inconceivably awful as the wickedness and levity of the immense crowd collected at that execution this morning could be imagined by no man, and could be presented in no heathen land under the sun. The horrors of the gibbet and of the crime which brought the wretched murderers to it, faded in my mind before the atrocious bearing, looks and language, of the assembled spectators. ... When the two miserable creatures who attracted all this ghastly sight about them were turned quivering into the air, there was no more emotion, no more pity, no more thought that two immortal souls had gone to judgment, no more restraint in any of the previous obscenities, than if the name of Christ had never been heard in this world, and there were no belief among men but that they perished like beasts.
Summary
The quote describes the author's firsthand experience of witnessing an execution and highlights the disturbing behavior of the massive crowd gathered to witness the event. The author remarks on the wickedness and lack of empathy displayed by the spectators, emphasizing that the shocking demeanor and language of the onlookers eclipsed the horror of the crime and the punishment itself. The author further laments the absence of compassion and acknowledgment of the value of human life, contrasting it with the religious beliefs that seemingly hold little influence in this particular setting.
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