The National Register. — London, England, 1818-08-16 00:00:00

AUG. 14)_ PdIRRICIDE. EKF•CUTION OF CIIENNEL AND CHALCRAFr FOR THE MURDER OF MR.CHENNEL'S FAMILY. ClovALmiso, Act:LIT I To-day Chennel, convicted on Wedneslty last of: parricide, and CitaTem% of the murder of his master and fellow-servant, were executed at this place. It had been thought due to public justice and public feeling, that the neighbourhood which had been alar m ed and horror-struck at the atrocity of their crime, should likewise witness their punishment, and hear their sua ression, if disposed to make any. General conve mimeo happily agreed with this arrangement, as Godalining. where the murder was committed, is only -4 miles distant front Guildford, where the trial took place : and there was no danger, as in the case of Hussey, (if he had been brought to Greenwich), that 'an overwhelming crowd would create any confusion. The expected confession, however, has not been made. Ever since they were taken into custody for their horrible crime (which is more than nine months ago), they seemed to have entertained hopes of an acquittal, and, therefore, avoided any serious thoughts of their eltuation. Chennel, we were told, both in Horsernonger lane gaol, and at Kingston, during the Spring assizes, seemed as fearless and inditibrent as if his conscience. had been at case; and though art apt to assert his in nocence, unless when questioned on the subject, op licared to make no douitt of his getting off, -es he ex pressed it, I:y the iusullicieney of the evidence, or the ability of his counsel. fle, therefore, smoked his pipe, and drank his 'beer, when it was procured him, with as much apparert relish us if his mind were clear from . guilt, his -lila free from punishment, and his confine ment only temporary. Though he showed no contempt for the truths . or 'the exercises of religion, admitting implicitly the one, and joining without reluctince in the other, his conduct plainly evinced that his mind was not impressed, and his -Reverend instructors had to L atent that his devotions were languid and formal. His temperament, naturally phlegmatic, was never excited •to any spiritual et ssiderations. There seemed no con fii .t his mind between the aezret consciousness of guilt and a desire to reveal it. He appeared taciturn, sullen, and incommunicative, more from native apathy than Rom premeditated design ; sod a kind of stupor er'sottishnesa, contracted by long habits of idleness and intemperance, prevented him from being interested about any thing but the supply of his present wants, or the gratifications of his appetites. His fellow prisoner and coadjutorin murder was of a very different charac• ter. -His education had been entirely neglected, .as it appeared he could not reed i t and he had likewise run through a - long -course of iniquity.; but his intellects were t cute, and his feeling strong. He was always more communicative, and seemed at times, by some ex. pressions which lie used, disposed to relent into a 'con fe- sion, when, .probably, the remembrance of an oath of secrecy milk)* .they had mutually taken before the com mission of their crimes prevented him from making a disclosure of them. Ho seemed to wait for the .com mencement of coafesSion on the part of Chennel, and, as we have been told, soineti nes desired him to confess. (a phrase which, we are aware, may admit of different meanings); but as the latter revealed nothing, he re solved also to keep .his oath and the horrible secret, par taking probably to the last in the hopes of un acquittal. They were led back to their cells on 'Wednesday night, determined to persist in their denial of guilt, and re it-lived rather to take the chance of pardon for -uncon fased crimes in another world, of which they bad no habitual or vivid impressions, than to brave the horrors of their fellow men in this by admitting the monstrous atrocity of their crimes. They, however, allowed that appearances were all :Against them, that the Judge was merciful in his direction to the jury, that the jury were attentive to the evidence, and just in a mistaken verdict, and that if they had been in the situation of either they must have behaved as they-bad done. At the same time they declared their innocence—Clem:n:l, with less vehemence, and only when questioned; Clial craft repeatedly, and with stronger asseverations. They joined that night • ith more earnestness in religiuus r'ccreises, with the Rev. Mr. Cole, the ordinary of Guildford gaol, and, ors we are told, slept -afterwards four or five hours. When the Rev. Gentleman was about to leave Chennel, he asked him when he would wish to see him again, to which the latter replied, with seeming earnestaesa, " The sooner the better." The Rev. Mr. Mann, the ordinary of lirnvernonger lane gaol, who had been -.very attentive to them when confined there previous to their trial, was sent for ex press atter their conviction, and arrived on Thursday forenoon He immediately visited the prisoner% and after joining with them in religious exercises. offered to hear any thing they haul to say respecting the crime for which they were to suffer, endeavouring to impress their minds by a suitable address, with the obligation antler which they lay to the offended laws of their coun try, to society to their neighbourhood, and their fa milies, to make a full ditelost.re ; hut telling them at the wile time their confes,iona must be voluntary, end that be did not wish to extort from them more than th.c ivt:s .I:.;yaicd to te:4,el. To tE:a address they a..._ THE NATIONAT. REGISTER. remained inaensilde, and answered it by protesting their innocence. In the afternoon of Thursday their families visited them, and to them lile.svieu they declared that they were innocent, Chennel's 'MU sod wife pertbrnted this melancholy °face. From his wife, he had been seperated for some time. They never lived happil4,4, ogether, and from his marriage., accurding to report, may be Hated his crimes and tnisfoetnnee. They had only one son, now five veers or age, who lived with his grand father, and who had only left old -'kennel's house on a visit to his mother, two days before the parricide was committed. We have not learnt at, whose suggestion he was removed ; if at that of histather, it would be u strong circumstance in support of his - premeditated de sign to perpetrate the crime of which he was convicted. ehalcraft has left a wife and six children, three of them being by a ihrmer marriage. His first wife is said to have died a victim to his licentious andprofligate habits, and be took his second from the workhouse, where he himself was sent to be cured. We hare heard nothing more of the last interview between the convicts and their families, but that they both persisted in declaring their innocence of the crime for which they were to suffer. The her. Mr. Mann and Mr. Cole visited thew late at night, and were requested by them to come early this morning. They accordingly went a little before 7 o'clock. 9 being the hour appointed for the proces sion leaving Guildford. They found the prisoners nearly iu the same.state of mind as when they left, them the previous evening. They first went into the cell of Chennel, whom they found up and waiting for them. There appeared to te little change upon him since his trial. He was dressed in the same clothes and had the same heavy, inaniraate, sullen, and inexpressive look. Mr Mann again addressed him on the subject of his confession, after ashing him the state of his present feelings lie told him, that leovever he might con ceal his crime fro in men, he c end not elude the un seeing eye of that G(' betbre whom he was in a few hours to appear. He informed him, that there were certain crimes which he was not required to reveal to -the world, and thr which he hail to account to his Maker alone; but crimes against society should be confessed for the satisfaction of society. It was a duty he owed to his country, friends, and neighbourhood to make a disclosure of the Wier ; it ry e s the best sign he could giv- of his repentance for baring committed them, and he hazarded his salvation by leaving the world with a lie in lt:s month, by declaring his into cence, while conscious of his guilt. He begged him to understand at the same time, that the confession, to be satisfactory, must be voluntary, and that he • did not mean to extort any thing which he was not willing to communicate. To this considerable admonition, ut tered in the most feeling manner, Chennel returned no other answer, than that they had nothing to confess ; that he was perfectly innocent of the crime charged, and that his life had been sworn away by false testimony. Mr, Mann then proceeded to the cell of Chaleraft, and, to an admonition of the same import, received a similar answer, expressed only with more vehemence. The two prisoners were then conducted into the same cell, (the gaol of Guildford being without a chapel,) to join in devotional exercises, and to receive the sacrament. When the communion aliments were brought, and the Bibles and Prayer-books laid on the table, Mr. Mann again embraced the opportunity, before those sacred em blems, of making a feeling address to the prisoners oa their situation and prospects, if' they partook of the sacrament with a lie in their mouths, and having again put the question, whether they had any thing to dis close, they 'replied succeseivelv that they were innocent, and the 'service proceeded. Chennel received a Prayer book. Chaleraft, who could netread, was requested to attend. The Psalms which the 11ev. Gentlemen read were the 51st and 90th, the lessons were the 7th chap ter of Job, and the description of the last judgment under the parable separating the sheep from the gnats in Matthew. Chennel joined in the-service, and read. the response' with an audible though feeble voice,. and in a languid manner. He was several times observed to be more attentive to the trifling inconvenience of a fly bussing about his ears, than to the sacred duty iu which he was engaged, and durieg the reading of the prayers we saw him yawn three or tour times, as front flitigue or listlessness, which he could not conceal. In short the whole of his behaviour ands manner was that of a man completely besotted in his intellects or hardened in his crimes, deal to any feeling of remorse, incapable of any spi ritual reflection, and insensible to any thing but, visible objects. If we may be forgiven in making such an allnsinu on el solemn an occasion, his cha racter strongly reotintlea us of that of Ilarnardine in Measure jur Men.tur.% " a men that apprehends death no more droulfully but as a drunken sleep, careleee, reelless, and fearless of what's past, present, or to come, insensible of mortality, and desperately mortal." Chalcraft seemed more atemtive, and by the expres sion of his fur appeared to apply to hinetelf those parts of the service that had a refercree to his wretched aituation. When Mr. Mann had commu nicated himself and administered the communion to the tither Rev. Gentleman who accompanied him, he. -~~', milawsq 261 modes pause, and again in* most solemn manner, ad dressed ttrisoners on the subject of tudession He described to them the nature and objects of the Body Communion, and conjured them not to risk their salvation by participating in. it unworthily ; informie l ; them that they could not taste the sacred aliments whit true dispositions, union they were prepared to go into the freseuce of their Cod, which they could not es) safely with unrepeentsd sins and unconfessel crimes. The question being again put to them, they severally protested their innocence : their hardened guilt affected the two Rev. Gentlemen to tears. They proceeded,how ever, to administer the aliments, eta the tw.l prisoners communicated with every appearance of Tyre ence and awe. IVlmit tbc service was vou eluded, the two clergymen formerly mantionetl, to g s. their with othars who attended, left th e c e ll, an d the Rev. John West, of Stoke, went to converse with then,. By addressing them on their awful simaticn, we ob served, fur the first time, that they %etre ni,lml tears ; but still they refused to confess ; Chennel saying; that, whatever crimes he mi g ht have c o m m itt e d, h e was not guilty of that for which he was ablut to suf. fer; and Chalcraft echoing the words without variation. —At nine o'clock the Under -Sheriff arrived, the wag.. goo or caravan which was to convey the criminals to the place of execution was brought to the prison door, the variotts.offieers were at their posts, and the prison bell tolled the hour of departure. The two prisoners were then brought with irons on their feet, and their hands pinioned, having the around , with which t they were tote wig. •Chenn n er vas dressed as on his trial, in a black jockey coat, a striped waistcoat, and grey cotton pantaloons. Chalcruft had on a new smock fl-ciek. The back part of the caravan was occupie4 with a platform, provided with steps on which they were to ascend to be tied to the gallows. The execu tioner, with a drawn sword, sat in front of the plat full], with the two turnkeys on each side of him ; tte Rev. Mr West sat with his back to the horses, wits Chalcraft on his right hand and Chennel out his left. The cavalcade then proceeded towards Goclelreing. The crowds that were assembled from .Guildfurd. Godalming,, the neighbourhood, and even parts of the country more • remote, were immense, and lined the road as far as the eye could see. During the whole of the mournful procession, the two prisoners seemed to be very atooktiye to the Reverend Gentleman who sat between them, end directed their minds to suitable to pics of reflection and consolation. '1 he prisoners still refused to confess, though several times pressed to do so both by the clergyman and one of the turnkeys. The procession set out at 9 o'clock, and arrived at the place of execution 'about 11. Here the crowd was greater than Ave imagined could: have been eellected on so mournful an occasion. The gallows was erected on an extensive meadow to the north of Goa:dining, which, together with the neighbouring heights, was covered with people of all conditions. It was surrounded with a ring made of rope, within which only the caravan and. the officers. were admitted. The prisoner Chet. craft seemed a good deal shaken, and hung his head on one side. He. had urged, wn. were told, Chennel confess if guilty, by which he perhaps alluded to other crimes, but no confession could be obtained. When the caravan stopt under the gallows, the Revercuil Mr. Mann came out of the Sheriff s carriage and ascended it. He again repeated his qucstiuus whether the prisoners had any thing to communicate, and was at:- swered in the negative. An officer, who knew Cho:- craft, and to whom.. he slid, that on arriving nt the place of execution he would " tell the wholepedigree- - of it," now came up, and asked if he was ready to per form his premise .and nethe confession. He now re-•.s fused and pretcoted his innocence. Chennel was first taken up on the platfirm, probably to idle w time and op- .e portunity, while the rope was adjusting, for his fellow prisoner to make disclosures;. but still nothing could be trained from him. Seeing all opportunity vain, the executioner proceeded to his work, aad tied both to the gallows. Chennel, as coon as he ascended, requested that the cap might 'be drawn over his eyes, to prevent his thee front dieing toen by the spe :tutors, no.ny whom had known him in other days, He then stock firm and upright without the least motion t•halcraft. trembled raitLhad nearly required support. r. Mann ascended the platform, and addressed to Have is their behalf an excellent and affecting prayer, at which Choi.. craft became very much- agitated, aad his fellow pri soner somewhat moved. No.rippeurance of a design to conless.baing made, the plattiron wes drawn bum under them, and they. were launched into eternity.—. They both seemed to struggle a. little when throws over, but 'time executioner soon. terminated their suf ferings by drawing down their heels with great ihree. After hanging an hour, their bodies were cut down anti given to two surge:nil of Goda.ming, Mr. Remus and Mr. Haynes, fur dissection. • A n i ng net war •.-ken nn We In.:Air , . nt r•errlite i.4m. Cnyte n tr May Fcir, on t!& bot:y of quint°. ()telt. L;c9. of No. 4. Mon-- tegee . et r e et, Ittop.-11 .rare. Thr Jrceceeil lett his hence. on Amt. day. to talte a wink to tne FoooJlitog Holuttl. an ‘.. 0 . 1 1 tit return to .saner; es he wax throbtgb 11:rkeicy. retpiy. he fell and expired. Ver.lict.-13L(i flow a ru l t i.c at • bln.ht-cActi in the bend. '~ - .~ . ~.... ••,..,.. ~