The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-01-27 00:00:00

DOUBLE EXECUTION AT TRALEE.

Sylvester Poff and Thomas Barrett, the two men
convicted at the last Cork Assizes of the murder of a
fanner named Thomas Brown, at Castleisland, on
Oct. 3, in broad daylight, were executed on Tuesday
orning in Tralee Gaol.
Brown was the very best type of an Irish peasant—
Sober, industrious, thrifty, and religious; he amassed
through his own sheer labour and untiring energy
nioney sufficient to purchase the freehold of his own
farm and of those belonging to a few neighbours as
Well, On the date in question he was working in a
Said near his house, when two men, subsequently
dentified as Poff and Barrett, went up to him, and,
aPParently without any warning, shot him dead.
Both men were subsequently tried at Cork Assizes
last month before Mr. Justice Barry, and after having
been twice tried—the Jury in the first trial having dis-
agreed, they were convicted and sentenced to death.
Since their conviction the two culprits have been
attended by the Rev. Father Riordan, the chaplain
of the gaol, The Rev. Dean Coffey and Father
O'Leary, the pariah priest of Ballymacelligott, in
the district where the prisoners resided, have also
been in attendance on the condemned men, who have
been very attentive to the ministrations of the
reverend gentlemen. The men are first cousins,
and this fact may have served to explain their Co.
Operation in the crime. No other circumstances
could account for the complicity of these two parti-
cular individuals in the crime, as their sympathies
ratutt have been quite foreign to each other, Poff being
Of Bavarian extraction (his parents having settled
Many years ago in county Cork), and Barrett a native
of the locality. Poff was a tall, sullen-looking man of
about 30 years, and by his cool demeanour during his
trial at Cork, last month, attracted some amount of
attention. He was a married man, and leaves a wife
and three children. He was an evicted tenant. He
was imprisoned as a suspect under the late Ceercion
Act, and on his release he came to reside with a rela-
tive who owns a farm a short distance from Brown's
Place. Barrett was a young man of good address, and
Was the son of a well-to-do farmer at Castleisland.
Marwood, the executioner, arrived at Tralee on
Thursday in last week, and at once directed the erection
of the scaffold, which was built by workmen from
Dublin—no local services being available for the pur.
Pose. It was constructed in the east angle of the
gaol-yard, and was a substantial structure of about
twelve feet high, and ten feet square, being boxed in
all round. A dozen steps led to the floor of the
oTaffold, which was quite hidden from any view out.
aide the gaol, although the walls of the prison are very
low. There was little or no excitement exhibited in
the occurrence, the only evidence of any interest being
the assembling of about 50 or 60 persons outside, and
the Putting up of mourning shutters by many of the
Shopkeepers.
The morning was exceedingly wet and miserable.
Rain had been falling all night, and the sky main.
tained a leaden and overcast appearance until long
alter eight o'clock.
The two doomed men did not pass a very restful
bight. Barrett rose about six o'clock, and Poll three-
'Marten of an hour later. Neither took any break.
fast or refreshment of any kind, but at seven o'clock
they were waited upon by the Rev. Father Riordan
Who administered the Sacrament to them, and cele•
brated mass in the chapel of the hospital.

As the hour for the execution approached, a pro.
cession was formed, consisting of the condemned men,
the Governor, the Sheriff, the medical officer, and the
two clergymen above mentioned. As they proceeded
to the place of execution, the men were met by Mar.
Wood and pinioned. While the operation was being
Performed Poff said, "I declare before my God as a
clYing man I never murdered Brown, neither do I
know by whom he was murdered. I never committed
kt% outrage in my life. I forgive those who brought
111 e here, and I ask God to forgive them." Barrett
then spoke to the same effect, saying that he did not
ktuder Brown, nor did he know by whom he was
"tirdered. He also said that never in his life had he
iniured a hair of the head of any man.
The two men then passed on to the scaffold, a die.
!Mee of about eighteen paces. Each man was atten-
`l" to the exhortations of the priest, and fervently
"Peated the responses to the service for the dead, as
read by the Rev. Father Riordan.

- --- • • - ----•
They mounted the steps of the scaffold unassisted,
"▪ nu took their places on the drop without an' further
observations. Marwood quickly completed the final
?erations of strapping the legs of the culprits, and at
.21e Minutes past eight the bolt was drawn, when the
"Len aPpeared to die instantaneously.
of'rbe black flag was immediately hoisted on the wall
fm_ein outbuilding in the yard.
th 'le representatives of the Press were excluded from
e erecution by the erdar ef the Sheriff, but 41342
...`gellfYmen—the Rev. Mr. O'Riordan and the Ray.
41Zr. O'Callaghan—who attended the men in their
dying moments, state that they bore themselves
bravely to the end, and died perfectly resigned to their
fate.
At nine o'clock the bodies were cut down, and an
Inquest was held by Mr. Coroner Spring. The Press
Were also excluded from those proceedings, but two
Or three succeeded in gaining admission as jurors.
The Coroner, in reply to a question, stated that it
as bY the order of the Governor of the gaol, and
• by his order that the Press were excluded.
• e Governor, he said, had orders not to admit any
trawl until the execution was completed, except
e authorized officials of the Crown, and the
Gloyernor understood that the execution was
not completed until the inquest had been held
the bodies buried. Evidence was then
'ren by the Sub-Sheriff, who stated that the
en, before ascending the scaffold made a declaraticn
:11 their innocenw. Dr. Lawler deposed that the men
nfte themselves calmly throughout, and that the exe-
,ron was carried out in the most perfect manner.
toe jury returned the usual 'verdict, and added a
eer te it expressing great dissatisfaction at the con-
I:nit of the Governor of the gaol and.of the Sub-Sheriff
, excluding the representatives of the Press from the
UkCilleet,