The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-08-06 00:00:00

EXECUTION CF THE CHELSEA
MURDERER.

Walter Miller. thirtybone, and by trade a plasterer,
waa executed in Loudon on Monday morning at nine
o'clock, within the walls of the Gaol of Newgate, for
the murder of the Rev. Mr. Heulin, the evidence
leaving no doubt that he had not only committed this
murder, but a second, upon the person of Anne Boss, •
woman who acted as housekeeper to the decease I.
The facts of the case will be fresh in the rectillection
of the public. The prisoner was empl..yed by the de-
ceased, and there was no doubt that he deliberately
conceived the intention of murdering him, and that he
destroyed the life of the unhappy woman fir the
purpose of endeavouring to conceal his first crime.
He then made a clumsy attempt to throw justice off
the scent by making it appear that he was a French-
man, but it of course failed, and he was apprehended
through the instrumentality of a carmen, named
Piper, and the evich nce clearly established the com-
mission of both the fearful crimes that were Lid to his
charge.
The prisoner appears to have conducted himself very
badly since his conviction. Although the evidence
against him was so perfectly clear and conclusive, he,
almost to the last moment of his existence, persisted in
asserting that he was innocent, and that the double
murdere were committed by a Tom somebody, whom
he named. lie seemed pretty well conversant with
the Scriptures, but it was evident that they hail very
littie effect upon him, and although he seemed to
listen to the exhortations of the Rev. F. Jones, the
ordinary of the Gaol of Newgate, they had, plainly,
no weight, for upon several occasion's, when Mr. Jones
asked him if he should pray for him, he merely
replied that he might if he liked, but it was in-
different ta him whether he did so or not. Oa Mon-
day morning, at an early hour, the ordinary asked the
culprit 'whether he would not take some breakfast,
and he replied, in a surly tone, that he did not want
any. The ordinary kindly urged him to take some
refreshment, observing that it would enable him better
to support what he had to go through, and he then, in
an angi y tone. said, "No. I told you so before—l dent
watt any." He appeareito have eaten heartily, and to
have Wept soundly ever e ince his conviction, and his C,E-
duct has been described by those about him aabeing mat
callous and unfeeling, and he never appears to have cx-
hibited anything like remorse for his dreadful crime,.
It appears that the wife of the wretched man was de-
-1 livered of a child on Wednesday last, an I, at the re-
! quest of the prisoner, the child was taken to see him
on Friday, but he did not exhibit any emotion at the
eight of his offspring, who had been brought to him
under such painful earcumetarteec.

The prisoner appears to have intimsted on several
occasions an intention to destroy himself; and he I.as
been m at carefully watched in order to prevent him
from doing so but, notwithsranding this, he endea-
voured just before his execution to commit vi deuce upon
himself. While Mr. Sheriff Paterson and the under
sheriffs, Messrs. Crossley and Balis, were in the cells,
and just as the process of piniodiog him was about to
be commenced, the culprit rushedsoway from the
warders who had him in charge, and ran head foremost
against the wall of the cell. the abortive attempt was
immediately frustrated, and the prisoner then appeared
to fal I iuto a state of unconsciousness, which in the pinion
of Mr. Gibson, the surgeon of the prison, was merely
simulated, and he would have fallen to the ground if
he had not been placed in a chair provided especially
for the purpose. and carried to the scaffold by four of
the warders. He retrained in this state until the drop
fell, the chair falling with the prisoner. The length
of drop was al out two feet and a half, and there were
some convulsive movements in the body of the criminal
for three or four minutes after the drop had fallen. It
was stated that while on the maffold the culprit
endeavoured to get one of his feet upon the firm portion
of it, as it will be remembered was done by a man
named Bouefield, who murdered his wife and several
children in Drury-lane. The proceeding if the pri-
soner was observed, however, and his foot was pushed
back on to the drop.
The only persons present at the execution were Mr.
Sheriff Paterson, Mr. Under Sheriff Crooley, and Mr.
Under Sheriff Baylis, with some representatives of the
press, and, at his earnest is quest, the carman Piper,
who, it will be remembered, was the cause of the arrest
of the pi isoner, was ale° permitted to be present.
At tee moment of the execution a black flag was
hoisted on the top of Newgate, and shortly afterwards
a notice, signed by Mr. Sheriff Pate rsosi, the Governor,
awl the Surgeon of the prison, was affixed outride the
walls, announcing that the sentence of the law had b. en
carried into effect. The body was cut down after
hanging an hour. The face presented a placid am
pearance, and there was not the least distortion
of any of the featurss. It was also noticed that
the mark made by the rope was hardly perceptible.
An ingusst was afterwards held, in accordance with
the provisions of the statute, when a rather singular
incident took place, one of the jury, who had been to
view the body, expressing a doubt that the man was
dead, and desiring to go back and see it a second time.
After hearing the evidence of Mr. Jonas, the governor,
and Mr. Gibion, the surgeon, the usual formal verdict
was returned—" That the deceased came by his death
by hanging, in conformity with the sentence of death
passed upon him for the crime of wilful murder, of
which he bad been convicted."