The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-12-22 00:00:00

THE EXECUTION OF O'DONNELL.

In London, on Monday morning, the prisoner
Patrick O'Donnell was executed within the prison I
of Newgate, where he has been confined since
his committal upon the charge of murdering the in.
former, James Carey. A good many people assem-
bled in the Old Bailey as early as seven o'clock, but
they behaved in a most decorous and orderly manner,
although they evidently took a deep interest in the
terrible transaction that was about to take place.
The morning was cold but dry, and a keen north
wind was blowing, but still the crowd kept their
places, and eagerly scanned each person as he
approached the prison. The Rev. Father Flem-
ing, the Roman Catholic priest, was with
the prisoner until nearly nine o'clock on Sunday night,
when the latter went to bed and slept soundly for
three or four hours. The Rev. Father again attended
the prisoner at six o'clock on Monday morning and
remained with him until the hour appointed for the
execution. The prisoner appeared qutte resigned, and
exhibited a demeanour tot .lly different fc,)m that
shown by him in the dock after sentence had been
passed upon him. The prisoner has been visited by
his wife and a brother, the latter of whom had a
second interview with him on Friday, when the pri-
soner expressed himself prepared to meet his fate.
The sheriffs, Lieut-Colonel Cowan and Mr. Clarence
Smith, came to the prison about half-past seven
o'clock, and were received by Captain Kirkpatrick,
the governor of the prison. The under•sheriffs,
Messrs. Hanbnry and Mitchell, were also present, and
a few minutes before eight these gentlemen procceeded
to the cell where the prisoner was confined. They
were accompanied by Dr. Gilbert, the medical officer
of the prison, and Mr. Duffield, the chaplain, but the
last-mentioned gentleman of course took no part in the
proceedings, although he felt it his duty to be present.
The executioner, Binns, had slept in the gaol since
the previous Friday night, and he was up at an
early hour. O'Donnell submitted to the operation
of pinioning without saying a word, showing great
firmness, and a smile passed over his face while
the pinioning was going on. When the clock was just
upon the stroke of eight a signal was given, and the
mournful procession passed on to the scaffold. The
governor and some of the warders headed the party,
and the prisoner walked without the least assistance,
the Rev. Father Fleming walking close to him and
praying, the prisoner evidently paying great attention
to his exhortations. In the yard a number of police-
men were present, but no other strangers were ad-
mitted. There was some anticipation that the pri-
soner would make a statement when on the scaffold,
but if he ever entertained any idea of this kind he
relinquished it, for he did not utter a word. The floor
of the scaffold is level with the yard of the prison,
and O'Donnell placed himself under the rope that
was hanging from the beam. Binns at once placed the
cap over his face, and during this operation a faint
smile played upon his lips, and they appeared to move
slightly, probably in prayer, but not a word was
audible. The prisoner, as has already been stated,
was a tall man, nearly six feet high, and the execu-
tioner gave him a fall of nearly eight feet. The drop
fell with a land crash, which might have been heard a
considerable distance' and as the black flag was hoisted
at the same moment an audible murmur was beard
from the crowd in the Old Bailey at the instant
of the falling of the drop. The prisoner appeared
to be dead almost instantly, and according to the
statement of Dr. Gilbert, the medical officer of the
prison, there was not even the slightest twitching of
any part of the body, and it was admitted by every
one present that the executioner had performed his
ghastly work in a most satisfactory manner.
Alter hanging an hour, according to the usual
practice, the body was cut down and placed in a shell
in the yard where the execution took place. Mr. W.
J. Payne, the Coroner for the City of London, subse-
quently held an inquest in one of the Old Bailey Session
Courts, for the purpose of making a formal inquiry
into the cause of death.

The jury, headed by the Onroner, met in the first
place to view the body. The face presented a calm
and placid appearance, and there were very few
indications that the deceased had died a violent death.
After some formal evidence had been taken, the
jury returned a verdict that the deceased man,
Patrick O'Donnell, was duly executed pursuant to
the sentence of the law, and the proceedings ter-
minated,

A Reuter's telegram from Paris says the following
is the letter addressed by M. Victor Hugo to the
Queen, praying for a reprieve of O'Donnell :—" The
Queen of England has shown more than once her
greatness of heart. The Queen of England will grant
the condemned man O'Donnell his life, and will ac-
cept the unanimous and profound thanks of the civi-
lised world,"