The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1884-03-04 00:00:00

ZIZOUTION AT TAUNTON GOAL.

Charles Kite, labourer, was on Monday morning
executed within Taunton Gaol for the murder of
Albert Miler, at Bath, BOA]s was the executioner.
The pawn bell began t toll at quortar t eight.
Representatives of the press were not admitted to the
goal, ut it was arwertained that the culprit walked
firmly to the *calf 'ld and that death was altu rst
ineaantsneutie. Only a ,m,ll number of people
assernhled outeide the gaol. The convict b-lug • very
slight figure Boons gave • long drop. The hody was
allowed to hang ons hour. An iliqUlNt we. held and
a formal verdict was returned that deceased had been
executed according to law.
The cage of Charles Kit., who was executed at
Taunton Prison on Monday morning for the murder
of Albert Miles at liath, I. another awful example of
the terrible results of drunkenness. The convict was
• young man of the city, who obtained his li•ing by
hawking firewood, and his victim, who We. deecrabed
as a fine, tall fellow, strong and well made, and
apparently about 20 years of age, was by occupation a
fish hawker, and also belonged to Both. Thee tovict,
on the contrary, VIM • •lightiy built fellow, just over
five feet high, and hie lace Wan much disfigured horn
diaries' or some other canoe. Ile hal been previously
convicted of various offences, but the murdered man,
who W 64 known by the sobriquet of "Young Bough
Jack," was said not to have committed any serious
broselll Of the law. During tho afternoon of Wedowee
lay, the 2ad day of J aviary, Kite and Miles, who had
been rrn bad t4w031 mitt each other for some 'lays
previously, were in and out of the Malt arid IfJp4
publicbouse severe' time., Kite ••••1624 to follow and
dodge the deosaired ab ur. By tea-tine they wore
both under the iofl nonce of drink, and they had •
quarrel in the her, hut were ordered out of the bowie
by the lendleed. Deosseed loft, Kite following, but
by another door. About ten minutes alter they
returned again, but were refueed moredriuk. Further
angry words pissed bgtween the men, ending
with Kite rtabbiug his victim with a clum
knife, which he appears to have oeri.ed in
his pocket, and at the same time exclaiming
" Take that, you " Miles with an
oath cried out, "I'm stabbed," and fell I seawards
while the murderer made his escape with tlre knife
still in his baud. Modicel aid warn called, but Mile*
um I wthi teu minutes of receivieg the stab, which
wan near the throat. The blade ot the knife made a
.harp incision. about an inch in length, just t r the
right of the hollow at the bolt ren trf the front pact of
the neck, and . vidently entered the body s rine crn-
✓idersble distance, severing some of the nit.) rug 6138.
The murderer was arrested at his father's house, and
offers lou resistance. lie made no intelligible answer
to the charge, but bong hie head, and seemed either
from drink, or from a realie..tion of toe seta crime
I he had c omitted, to be greatly confused. The knife
with which the awful deer' hiol been committed wee
mod in the p mita of the twisoner's father. It was a
large °lmp pruning knife, with • blade three or four
inches bug, and nearly an loch wide.
At the trial at the Taunton AW17.44 the jury found
the prisoner guilty of " Wilful Murder," but re'
commended him to mercy. Sentence of death was
of course passed, and the recommendation forwarded
to the proper quarter. No Firepower having been
received to the same, a pubis meeting was held 164
week at Bath, with the result that a memorial
was forwards I to the Home Secretary, signed
by nearly 2,000 pers roe, asking for a reprieve on the
ground that the mordent, was drunk at the time if
the ourntnistion of the crime. A communication was
received on Saturday front the Home Secretary, stating
that, after taking into o rnsideration the whole to 660,
he 0 raid not advise her Majesty to grant a reprieve.
The following letter was written by the murderer
from Taunton Gaol to his mother in Beth.
Taunton, litth February, 1814.
Ity dear mother,—l am very • irrr 4/ tell 7,i lb
very unhappy end cannot eleep by .Igb, I *hall be very glad
wheit o,y time comee to die, I •.1411 be executed o. as •n icy
woe•lng lien deo mother and father lot me beg of you to
lead • eolo•r it. for the remander of your years and I he.* to
meet you all In heovsli I r.cel.si a letter from poor James
and he prorates I as. that be would go on better and teal an
honest life do ask george to come down aid see me once
between this and friday as amulet like to see him coos more
ss thin is my kin ono% pm, on this earth give my kind lore
to are lawrettee also mu bishop and his wife likewise to
themes sierra I have so more to as, at prase I. so remain
your unhappy son Qualm' llevs no good by ant gent Wen
them all do not forget to t II gis age t, come down tees me
and If Itch-mid be goi's arDI that ere eh .I 1 meet no more I
111•44 that I shall not 00m. back to ON )%41 any more.

To the last paragraph • cumber of woe's for Waists,
it is supposed. had been added by the wretched rasa.

iILICITTION. AT TAUNTON GAOL BIAGI 1844.

Tho following_ is • list of the nemstioas which hare
takea pine at Taunton since 1844 (prior to whin years
prisoners were hanged at llchester):—September 4th,
,Isf on Fisher, forth. murder of his wile, at Weston-
stunt- Mare ; April 23rd, 1845. Sarah Fromm, for this
murder of her boatload and childreo, at shapwiok ;
23rd April, 1851 Wiles and Smith, for tha maniac 01
au old man, at Nemessett ; 21st Aprn. 1857, !Cain,
for lb* murder of John Apliu. at Windisoombe ; 17th
January, 1858. Beale, for the murder of Charlotte
Pugeley, in Leigh Woo& ;24th August, 1858, Buck-
sell, for the murder of his grandfather and grand•
mother. at West Monkton ; 7th January, 1359,
Bargees, for murder of his child, at Exmoor Forest ;
sth April, 1861, William and Charlie Wedmore, for
the mauler of their aged nun, narah Watersun, at
Duudry, near Bristol ; August 29, 1867. George
Britton, for murdering his wife, at Wolvertoo ,• August
26, 1872, William Los. for the murder of his wife, at
Windup ; Hay 26th, 1879, Catharine Churchill, for the
murder of her husband. at Chard ; May 21.1, 1883,
George White, far the murder of hi. wife, at
Rentridge, near Wincanton ; Joseph Wedlake, for
the murder of Mark Cox, at Wirsford ; February 25th,
1881. Charles Kite, for the murder of Albert Miles,
at Beth, on the 2nd of Jaanary.