The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-01-23 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF BROWN, AT LEWES.

3fartin Brown, alias Martin Henry Vinall, a young
man, only twenty-two years old, was executed on
Monday morning, at eight o'clock, within the walls of
the county gaol at Lewes, pursuant to his sentence and '
in accordance with the provisions of the recent statute
abolishing public executions.
The prisoner was convicted at the res*nt gaol de-
livery for the county of Sussex, before Baron Chan- i•
hell, of the nuu•der of an old labouring IPOPII 1111111 ed
David Bakkey, by shooting him 11.4 he was returning •
home to his cottage in the neighbourhood of Lewes,
after having received his wages aml those belong-
ing to two of his sons, the whole amount bring
between £3 and £l. The ptior old man wits
shot in the back, and three bullets pasted com-
pletely through his body. The evidence against
the prisoner, although what is termed circumstantial,
wgs most conclusive, the most Important fact bring
that a broken gunstock which was found a short dis-
tance from the spot where the body was discovered,
and which had apparently been broken trio the barrel
by the violence used with it after the fstal shot had
been tired, was proved to have belonged to the pri-
soner, and to have been in his tiosseasion the same
night that the murder WAS COMlllitta After the jury
had returned their verdict, and the sentence had been
pronounced. the prisoner declared that lie had not
committed the deed; but it is satisfactory to state that
lie has since made a full confession of his crime that
jp. PO for as the fact that it was he who killed the old
man.
'I he cultnit wrote his cor fession himself. It was
very badly it, 'eh, and was afterwards cooied Iv one of
the °dicers of the prison. It was as follows and headed
"Martin Brown's own Confession."

"Dark and gloomy was the night of the 9th of October—
dar an gloomy as the deed that was going to he done. IL
k d
was murder; but not old Baldrey. I did not intend to
hurt the poor old man, and I did not know It was him.
I never had an angry word with him, and bad not
wen hint for two weeks. It was Tupput the shep-
herd. that I intended to kill. I 101 l upon Newmarket hill
and waited for him, and saw a man coming along and thought
it war hint. When he came close to nte 1 iiatled hint,
and he turned round, and I fired at him and he fell. I then
beat him about the head with the gun, and it broke in my
hands I then rifled his pockets, and found his watch, and
the I knew that it was old Baldrey. I took hi- ttttt ney and
ran away likes wild man, and threw the gunstock into the
plantation, rho barrel of the gun I afterwards hid in 19U1s
king grass close by. I did not know what to do or where to
go, and I warlike a madman."
The prisoner then detailed his subsequent proceedings
until his departure for Maidstone, where he enlisted in
the Royal Artillery. The remainder of the mintession
consisted of extracts from religious books and
different prayers. He admitted fully the justice of his
sentence, and said that he hoped he should Ite forgiven
his tins and that be should meet "poor old Haloirey,"
as he Mlled him, in Heaven.
The culprit had several interviews with his relatives
and the young woman to whom he was engaged to be
married. and he saw them for the hat time and bade
them an affectionate farewell on Saturday tnorning, and
the interview, as may be imagined. was painful in the
extreme. The chaplain tif the gaol (Mr. Duke) found him
to be very ignorant ill spiritual matters, and was IMMO
time before he succeeded in impressing upon him the
ordinary Christian truths. Latterly, however, he read
much of the Bible and other ragious wB.rks, and there
is reason to hope that his professions of repentance
were sincere. The usual practice of preaching a
"condemned sermon" was not followed on Sunday,
though a discourse was delivered suitable to the oc-
casion, nor was tile sacrament of the Lord's Flipper
atintinistered to the unhappy man. The chaplain was
with the culprit until nearly 11 o'clock on Sunday
night, when the prisoner went to bed, requesting that
he might be awakened at half-past 5 or'elock MI the
following morning. He ate and drank as usual n.
Sunday, slept well during the night, and hod to be
awoke at half.past live tin prepare for execution. This
was done, and about 7 the Hey Mr. Duke was again
with him, and remained till the last moment. A few
minutea before S o'cloA, the culprit was pinioned by
Calcraft. He exhibited very great firmness, and
although he had a considerable distance to go to the
scaffold he walked the whole way with a firm quick
step. The scaffold, which is the same as was
formerly used, was erected close to the locality of pre-
vious executions, but, of course within the walls of the
fiaoi. The scaffold MSS draped with black eloth, no
that when the drop fell no portion of the body of the
culprit was visible.
At the moment the drop fell a large black flag
was hoisted at the top of the prison entrance, and
this was the only indication given id the scene that was
going on inside the prison. There were a low idlers
outside the gaol, but otherwise the town presented
quite its usual appe trance.
No hopes of reprieve were ever held out to the con-
vict He, indeed, seemed to anticipate nothing of the
kind, and, so far as is known, no petition in his favour
was presented to the Home Secretary. Under the
new act of parliament of mtnrse no one was allowed to
he present at the execution besides the officials, the
chaplain, and the representatives of the press.
Shortly alter the execution a coronor's jury was
summoned, and Mr. Fullagar. county coroner, held an
inquest, pro forma, on the body. Evidence of identity
and of the -fact that the deceased had been put to
death in accordance with le,allt warrant was adilUCell,
and a verdict to that effect was inanediately returned.
The police have found the missing barrel of the gun
by a spot indicated by the prisoner in his confession,
not far from the scene of the murder.

and why should we not bear this, which only touches the
I.,lteitle of things, not the heart of doctrine? For one thing
it may be answered that it IS 'the last straw which breaks
the I•aniel's back." The injustice which we have had to bear
luni been cumulative and if this be .as people say it is:,
but a straw, yet it may make up the sum of the lei ustice to
he beyond endurance. But more than this. We did not
bear the "Gorham" case, for we have ever since been doing
the very thing which the Privy Council told us not to do—
preaching that the doctrine of baptismal regeneration is not
an open question, but the essential truth of Christ, and the
only honest sense of the Articles if the Church so England.
We did not hear the judgment in the " E-says aud Review"
case, for we have, ever since it Sr. delvered made a point ,
of teaching more fully than before the duty of every English !
churchman to believe and teach the doctrines therein assailed, '
namely, the inspiration and Infallibility of Holy Scripture, :
and the truth of our Lord's teaching about the eternal world.
If we ever had accepted these judgments we should have
been guilty of heresy. We are told to wait till doctrine is
attacked—and how will the enemy attack doctrine? Why,
loy rutting away bit by bit the outward expression of doctrine.
In the meantime we are to stand quiet, though in danger of
being called upon to break our ordination vows on sonic
matter which to the world looks trivial, though too us
essential, and that by a court which has nospiritual jurisdic-
tion over us, and whose decrees cannot bind us in fern COW
scientia ,in matters spiritual. the Pliny Council may tell
me to do what it pleases, hut I cannot plead its decrees before
the La- t Great Court of Final Appeal.
What is to be done? I venture to answer--Two things.
1 We have talked about a reform of the ecclesiastical law
moults. Why sto we suet insist upon it ills a question
which just now touches us specially ; but it is not one which
belongs more to tine section of the church than another.
, It we are groaning under the injustice of toeing told that the
church of England has no supernatural existence, our
brethren who do not see as we In the sacramental teaching
of the church, are most reasonably outraged at the threat
of being compelled to" perform" the service for Holy Cont.
mullion ill a way which to them would be most unreal
If the " Gorham " case w. Si, offence to us, the " Essays
and Review case is equally so to them ill COIIIMIOI with us:
and the St. Bernal,as case apart fnim us. Doubtless, more-
over, If some man shall be tried for teaching that our
Blessed Lord is not God the Eternal Son, the court which
now forbiols lights to be burnt in His honour would gladly
complete its work by acquitting the blasphemer. At any
rate, I. venture to call upon churchmen to I rein at once, and
sti-.71: to the work of insisting upon properly constituted
lesiastical courts, in which churcn law may he impar-
tially slot equitably administered by men really learned in
the matter 141 which they are called too adjmlicate. Would
it be tolerated that judges shoeld sit in the Court of Bank-
ruptcy who did not know the difference between a debtor
anti a creditor? Why, then, should matters which affect
our conscimoces be tried by men whose ignorance of the
questions lain hehore them is, not through their own fault,
but by the force of circumstances, perhaps even as deep?
As Engli,hmen, let us appeal to the crown, the parlia-
ment, the convocation ; use every influence wh eh we can
brilog to bear on individual., either in office or iii opposition
with the view to obtain for the church really church courts
for church causes, as long as the establishm, tot lasts.
2. And this brings me to the seam I thing to be done. I
suppme every one has more or less been thinking over the
question of establishments. If I may judge from the rec,p-
lion which Was given to a few words of mine at the meeting
of Tuesday, in Freemasons Tavern, the conviction is gain-
ing ground that the time has come tor the church to
claim deliverance from they eke of state contnol. Ido
not believe it to be a question belonging to any political
school, for I constantly find myself at one on this point
with men of views differing as widely as possible from
one another and myself on political questions. Even
if we look at the matter from a state point of
view, the principles for which I contend lies deeper than
any differences of mmlern politics; for thus regarded
an equitable union of church and state IS only possible
ivhere the two terms are co-extensive. In any other came
tone of two difficulties will arise—either the influence of the
church in the affairs of state will be a burden bo those sub
jects of the state who do not belong to her pale, or else
which is the more probable alternative, the yoke of the state
will press heavily upon the couscience of the church. The
Englidi establishment dates from a time when the two were
co-extensive; and a continuance of this condition was
assumed at the Reformation, but has not been realised ; nor
will any OHO dare to predict that it is likely to be realised ; so
that even from thia point of view tile 11111011 of church and
state is an anachronism, and ought to he swept away. But
it is in the interest of religion solely, not in that of politica
that the question has to be viewed by no What right
lie, Vie spo ouse of Christ to ally herself with the powers
of the world? Surely, to do so is to committ that terrible
spir tual adultery against which her Lord hay so eft, n
warned her. If the state be unbelieving—and I sum.. no
one e ishes to Impose upon the ruling bodies in the English
atat• except upon the crown itself; the name of Christian
—the very ideals an offence to the dullest spirihml instinct.
AIM yet if we take the opposite hypothesis we shall, I think,
find it worse. A Christian state is the child of the church.
It is of the church, in such a state, that each Individual is
" begotten again of God in Christ Jesus"—it is lip her that
each is fed by her prayer and blessing that all state acts seek
for help from God by her anointing that the sovereign is set
apart for the high functions of Government. Can we, then,
defend aoleltery between a mother and her stun? Such I
believe to be, and always to have been, the nature of union
between church and state. Douldleas the state owes to the
church all the affectionate care and support that a dutiful !
SOO can give to his mother but this is not the theory of
establishment. The .lewish church began to fall from God,
and ultimately sank into idolatry from the tune that it
became an estalolishment, in the reign of Saul. The reign of
Constantine was the beginning of the decline of Christianity
iii spiritual things, opine as much as it was the beginning of
its rise imi temporal grandeur.
Nor to I think that the state has suffered less than the
church from the alliance. But I mmt not prolong my letter
by the discussion of this question. Let us then, as citizens
now-ell as churchmen, move every power to obtain a ol
thou of this ungodly alliance Why should not petitimis to
parliament and memorials to convocation be ready by the
commencement of the session? then by the time parliament
meets again after Easter, other memorials might be ready,
and thus the question be thoroughly ventilated.
I feel that it is impossible to urge this matter too strongly.
• The limits of a letter prevent nie from dsoing more than
barely indicate crudely sonie of the thoughts which have
long been in my own mind. I trust other hands more able
than mine will take up the subject, and show further grounds
for the action which seems so desirable. Once free from
, state control we shall begin, I truat, to feel as a body, and
' not merely as individuals, that we belong to a kingdom
which "is not of this world." Our Mahona will know that
their power is that of the servants of Christ, not of lords of
parliament ; we of the clergy shall his free of the temptations
to gain anti ambotioon with w Inch an est iblishment
surrounds men, and our people will receive or reject us for
Christ's sake not as ministers appointed by the state.