The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-05-04 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF LANI.

The last penalty of the aw was inflicted on Monday
morning, at 8 o'clock, in front of tire gaol of Newgate,
upon Giovanni Lani, a Sardinian, who was convicted at
the last session at the C,estral Criminal Court of the
murder of Heloin Thamin, • Frenchwoman, at •
brothel in the Haymarket.
The circumstances of the crime will be fresh in the
recollection of the public. The prisoner was proved to
have accompanied the wretched woman to her residence,
and there was no doubt that he intended to rob her,
and that during her efforta i 0 prevent him from carry-
ing that intention into effeethe strangled her, and then
decamped, taking with him t watch and some trumpery
articles of jewelry, which he sold the next day, the
whole proceeds not amounting to a couple of pounds.
He was taken into custody Greenhithe, on board a
vessel in which lie hod takin his passage for Montevi-
deo, and if the officers hadonly been an hour or more
Inter in their pursuit the rrisoner would in all proba-
bility have altogether esoapel the hands of justice.
Both before and after his conviction the prisoner has
received the most kind attention from Mr. Heath, the
Consul-General of the Sardinian dominions, end it was
through the instrumentalitr of that gentleman that he
was provided with legal assistance at hie trial. Since his
conviction Mr. Heath has interested himself in urging
upon the intention of the authorities at the Home-
office various matters which he considered likely to in-
duce the Secretary of State to spare the life of the
prisoner. Mr Heath saw the prisoner for the last time
on Sunday, and he then expressed his gratitude to him
for the kindness he had received at his hands.

Ever since his condemnation the prisoner has re-
ceived the apiritual ansistance of Father Fiensi, a Roman
Catholic priest attached to tle Sardinian Chapel, and on
Monday morning, in consequence of the prisoner having
expressed a wish to that effect, a second minister of
that religion, Father Ran, was admitted to see him, and
he and Father Fienii remained with him to the last
moment.

A few minutes before 8 o'clock Mr. Alderman and
Sheriff Lawrence, Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Allen, and
the Under-Sheriffs, Messrs. Millard and Parker, pro-
ceeded to the cell of the prisoner, accompanied by Mr.
Weatherhead, the Governor of Newgate ; Mr. Hum-
phreys, the principal warder; and the usual officers of
the prison. The culprit was seated when they entered;
he appeared to be in a most dejected condition, and the
near approach of death 'evidently struck him with the
utmost terror. He cried bitterly, and the united efforts
of the two ministers of religion who were present were
hardly sufficient to calm him. The rev, gentlemen ad-
dressed some earnest exhortations to the culprit in a low
tone in the Italian language, and Calcraft, the execu-
tioner, then proceeded to pinion him. While this opera-
tion was being performed the prisoner cried in a most
piteous manner, and appeared hardly able to support
himself; and when the prison bell suddenly tolled a
perceptible shudderprased through his frame.
The usual procession having been formed just before
the'hour of 8, the culprit proceeded to the scaffold, accom-
panied by both his spiritual advisers. He seemed very
weak, and it was necemary to assist him up the steps to
the scaffold. The moment he was seen by the assembled
crowd there was • torrid., yell, which was continued un-
til the drop fell. Both the rev, gentlemen remained on
the scaffold with the prisoner until the last moment, and
they appeared to be very much affected by the painful
task that devolved upein them. The prisoner was a
remarkably muscular young man, and after the drop
fell he appeared to struggle violently for at least a
minute; his muscles then gradually relaxed, and all was
over. _

The crowd that assembled was very much greater than
any that has been present on a similar occasion for •
considerable time, and it was the opinion of many that
it was equal to the crowd that was in attendance when
Courvoimer was executed for the murder of Lord
William Russell. There were a good many women in
the mob, and at some of the windows of the Old Bailey
there ware seated several of the femme, gakintes of the
Haymarket.
At 9 o'clock the body was out down, and in the course
of the day it was buried in one of the passages of the
gaol devoted to that purpose, by the side of Christian
Battler, the murderer of Thetis, the detective officer.