The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-08-01 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF DR. PRITCHARD.

Dr. Edward William Pritchard, who was found
guilty on the 7th ultitno of the crime of poisoning his
wife and mother-in-law, was executed on Friday morn-5
ing at Glasgow.
From the time the wretched man made confession up
to the time of his death his general demeanour was
vastly changed. He appeared cnnparatively relieved
of a great burden, and, with all the fortitude he could
bring to bear, prepared himself for the inevitable fate
that awaited him. He spent the best part of his time
in treading the Bible and religious works, and would
frequently ask one of the warders, to whom he appeared
much attached, to read to him. On Monday, Tuesday,
and Wednesday he spent a great deal of time in writ-
ing. He eppeared always to enjoy his meals; he slept
well at night, and was up to the last in what may be
termed good health, although by no means robust.
His. personal appearance, however, materially
chenged after his condemnation ; he became consider-
ably thinner, and the fresh colowr that lighted up his
countenance during the first three days of his trial,
and which began to fa le on the fourth, entirely dis-
appeared, leaving a deadly pallor that bespoke the
mental and physical anguish he must have endured
during the past three weeks. The wretched man was
throughout treated with the gr atest kindness on the
part of the prison authorities, and was allowed to have
whatever he fancied.
When the culprit was renewed from Edinhergh the
day after his trial, he was brought to the North Prism
in Glasgow, where he remained till the middle of Wed-
nesday night, or rather Thursday morning. Owing to
the public indignation expressed against the criminal it
was deemed expedient by Mr. Stirling, the governor of
the prison, that he should be quietly removed to the
gaol, the place of execution, a distance about two miles.
This was accordingly aecompliahed at three o'clock in
the morning without the least interruption, although
there were many loiterers on the road. Upon alighting
' at the entrance to the gaol the wretched man appeared
to be ethausted, and he ascended the stone steps at the
' entrance with evident difficulty. He was, nevertheless,
calm and collected. He was at once taken to the con-
demned cell in the gaol, which is situated below the
level of the street, and in the very centre of the prison,
and is reached from the back entrance of the building by
a long, winding, stone passage. It is gloomy in the
extreme' the only light of day which can be admitted
passing through a small strongly-barred window, level
w.th one of the inner courts of the prison. Indeed, so
dark is the place that one could not read the largest
print at midday without the aid of a jet of gas, which is
kept burning night and day when inhabited. It is about
12 feet long, 9 broad, an 9in height s and the walls,
floor, and roof are of atone. Three-fourths of the in-
terior are separated from the other by a strong iron
railing, which runs from floor to roof across the ceiling.
This dreadful place had a marked effeot upon the
prisoner. He shuddered when he entered it, and
although he did all he could to endure the shook he
perceptibly broke down, and, sinking upon the iron
bedstead, he placed his hands to his face and silently
wept for some coesiderab'e time. This somewhat re-
lieved him, and he passed the remainder of the night by
dosing at intervals.
On Thursday he appeared to have regained his self.
composure, and, after partaking of some breakfast, he
applied himself both to reading and writing. In the
course of the day he was visited by several reverend
gentlemen, to whose exhortations be seemed most
devout.
As early as noan on Thursday preparations for the
execution were commenced. A lar;e body of men were
' set to work in erecting barricades round the entire front
of the gaol, which stand possibly in the loweet locality
in Glasgow, and which consequently formed • point of
attraction to the wretchedly-depraved class who iehabit
its environs. As the day advanced and the night closed
in, these knots of shseless beings perceptibly ine, eased,
and
as early as ten o'clock some hundreds had taken up
what they called a "good position." Throughout the
night, notwithstanding the very threatening state of
the weather, people poured in from the surrounding
districts in immense numbers-

The culprit lay down to rest at half-past eleven Thurs-
day night, and slept soundly till half-past five o'clock on
Friday morning, when he arose and dressed himself
in the suit of mourning he bad had made for his wife's
funeral. He took pains with his toilet, and afterwards
Partook of some breakfast. He was subsequently joh.ed
by the Rev. Mr. Oldham, with whom he prayed for
some time, and was then pinioned, to which process he
submitted with perfect composure. Previously to this
he planed one of his black kid gloves on his left hand,
and carried the other in his right The procession was
then formed, headed by the chaplain, and after gaining
the court-room, in which were seated the city magis.
trates, the criminal, in answer to their question whethet
he had anything. to Fay, replied in a firm voice, "
acknowledge the Justice of my sentence." The procession
then moved onwards towards the gallows, during which
the criminal, who walked firmly, mattered prayers with
his face uplifted. He amended the gallows with a firm
step, and having placed himself under the drop, was a
moment afterwards launched into eternity. He appeared
to die hard. There was no manifestation of feeling on
the part of the crowd, who numbered fully a hundred
thousand, until after the drop fell when a f4int attempt
was made at cheering and waving of hate. Ile did not,
as was expected, address the crowd ; and before leaving
his cell he requested that anything be had written
should not be published, and contradicted the statement
that he had ever written his biography, which is
placarded for sale in Glasgow. The body was out
down at nine o'clock, and the mob dispersed quietly.
The following is • copy of a letter written by the
criminal to his brother-in-law :
"27th July, 1865.
"To Dr. lJndel Taylor, Hutton Hall, Penrith. Cum-
berland.
"Farewell. brother. I die in twenty hours from this.
(Romans 8, 34 to 39 v.) Mary Jane, darling, mother
and you I will meet, as you said-the last time you spoke
to me in happier circumstances. Bless you and yours.
Pray for the dying penitent,
"EDWARD WILLIAM PRITCHARD."

DECADENCE OF THE WALLS OF Rolm —The walls of
Rome are in many parts an antiquated and decayed that
they fall to ruin of themselves. On the 18th, between
the Porte San Paolo and the Porta San Sebastian°, the
well toppled down for an extent of 30 metres.

ROWING FEAT OF A YOUNG LADY—On Friday
evening a Worthing young lady went to sea alone in a
small skiff, and rowed to Brighton. The distence is
reckoned to be ten miles, and she accomplished it,
pulling against tide, in about two hours. The water wan
very calm at the time, but the exploit nevertheless has
created some astonishment —West SUS= Gazette.
A FARMER KILLED HT HIS SO.—Mr. William
Wyadd, a farmer at Bishopsworth, Brietol, died on
Wednesday from the injury he received in the forehead
from a stone thrown by his own son. There bed been a
quarrel between them, and the son, before taking up the
stone, had threatened to kill his father. Be is now in
custody, charged with his father's limier.

A melancholy instance of sudden death took place on
Monday inn railway carriago. A man who was employed
at the Victoria Decks had been down there, and got
into the railway at the Tidal Basin Station to return
home. He was about to smoke, but just as be put the
pipe into his mouth he fell forward dead. An inquest
was held on Thursday, when the jury returned a verdict
of death from &seen of the heart.

THEM LAD} CIIURHED TO DEATH.—A. horrible
accident occurred on board the steamer Ottawa, near
Sandusky, 0, while on an excursion trip on the 4th
July. The clothing of • lady excursionist became
entangled in the shafting or some portion of the
machinery of the vessel, and two other lady excursion-
ists ran to her relief and were caught in the same
trap, and the three were crushed by the machinery
together.

WHAT MODERN MONKS HAVE TO ENDURE.—On
Tuesday, as the Rec. G. J. Ouseley, the late chaplain at
the Norwich Monastery, was proceeding to his home at
New Lakenham, he was assanited by a number of men
and boys, who assailed him with a shower of stones, and
made an attempt to tear off his dress. After taking
refuge in his house, a crowd of people assembled in the
street, and threw stones at the doors and windows.

MURDER OF A BAILIFF IN IRICLANIL—Oa Wednesday
the body of a man named Thomas Devlin, agent on
the estate of Mr. Archibald Godley, Ladyrath, Navan,
who had been missing from his home about 10 days, was
found in a ditch at Iflountainstown, dreadfully mangled.
There is no doubt that he was foully sad brutally mur-
dere t. Those who discovered his body where attracted
to the spot where he was lying by the smell arising from
the putrefaction of his remaina.—lrtsh Times

A SEVERE DISAPPOINTMENT.—Mr. Pope Hennessy, the
most fluent advocate of. the Ultramontitoe party in the
House of Commons, has wet with a bitter disappoint-
ment. At the close of the contest for King's County this
year, he and also his antagonist believed Mr. Hennessy
was the returned member, and the latter made a speech
announcing his own defeat. FrOweyer, when the
accounts were made up, it was found that one return was
wrong, and that Mr.iffennessy had lost his seat, being in
a minority of sig.

A Ch Omuta TlBT.—The Alexandrian doctors have
tried a curious experiment to ascertain whether the
cholera in that city is c.used by • peculiar state of the
outward air, as has been supposed. They sent up two
ballons, one from a village as yet untainted by the
epidemic, and the other from Alexandria. A quarter
of fresh beef was suspended to each balloon, whiMi was
allowed to float for a certain time in the air. On
making these balloons descend the meat whiLh had
floated over Alexandria was completely putrified,
whereas thst which had been suspended over the healthy
village was perfectly fresh. The quarters of beef had
been cutoff the came animal.

IMPORTANT TO MOTHISENA—n Are you disturbed at
night and broken of your rest by a sick child Buffering
and crying with the excruciating pain of cutting teeth ?
If so, go at onoe and get a bottle of Mrs. Window's
Soothing Syrup. It will relieve the poor little sufferer
immediately—depend upon it, there is no mistake about
it. There is not a mother ou earth who has ever used
it who will not tell you at once that it will regulate the
bowels, and give rest to the mother, and relief and
health to the child, operating like magic. It is perfectly
safe to use in all cases, and pleasant to the taste, and is
the preiscription of one of the oldest and best female
physicians and nurses in the United States—New York
Sum See Advertisement in another column. Price,
Is. led. per bottle.

FOWLS PLUCKED BY LIGHTNING. —A curious instance
ef the effects produced by the electric fluid occurred a
week or two 'thee to two girls who were on their way
ro the market at Bressuire, with a btaket of live fowls
slung from their revective shoulders. They went
chatting along, when a few great drop, of rain, which
came pattering dovrn, warned them that a storm was at
hand. There happened to be an enormous rock near,
which projected over the road, and beneath this they
took refuge. Presently, without previous warning,they
were half stunned bye loud report, and simultaneously
with the report they saw • hall of fire fall into the road
• few paces from where they were standing. The only
effect it produced on them was at though they had been
violently shaken. As soon as the storm had passed
over they continued their journey, not a little agitated
by what they had seen and felt. It was not until they
reached the market that they became aware of the
exceedingly narrow escape they had had. On their
baskett being lifted from their shoulders, they found
that the whole of their fowls had been stripped of
their feathers in the cleanest possible manner—AU the
Year Round.

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