The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-02-08 00:00:00

EXECUTION AT MAIDSTONE.

Stephen Gambrill. aged S 2, a farm labourer, who
was convicted at the late as,izes for the county of
Kent of the murder of Mr. Arthur Gillow, a young
farmer at Wednesborougb, near Sandwich, was
executed on Tuesday morning at nine o'clock within
the walls of the prison at Maidstone.
The facts connected with the murder will be fresh
in the recollection of the public. There had been
some ill-feeling in the district between the labourers
and their employers, and some injury had been done
to agricultural machinery, the property of the father
of the deceased. There was some reason to believe
that further mischief was intended, and on the night
the *murder was committed the deceased went out
alone for the purpose of watching and endeavouring
to detect the guilty pity. While so watching, a
deadly struggle took plilbe between him and the pri-
soner, the result being that violence of a frightful
character was committed upon the deceased. Most
of the injuries appeared to have been inflicted by a
bludgeon, but besides this the throat of the deceased
was cut.

A strenuous effort was made by the learned counsel
who defended the prisoner to make out that the fatal
result was owing to an accidental collision between
the parties, and that as the injuries were inflicted
while the parties were engaged in this struggle, the
jury might reduce the crime of the prisoner to man-
slaughter; but the fact of the throat of the deceased
having been cut operated strongly against this view of
the matter, and the jury without any hesitation,
found the prisoner guilty of the crime of wilful
murder.

The Prisoner appears to have expected that that
would be the result, and to have made up his mind to
the consequences and he has never attempted to deny
that he was guilty of the crime of which he was
accused. The account he gave to the Rev. Mr.
Harrison, the chaplain of the prison, of the circum-
stances under which the crime was committed, was
this:—

---- -
He said that Mr. Gillow detected him in the act of
doing some injury to one of the machines, and told
him that he must go along with him, upon which he
at once attacked him with a bludgeon, and bt at him
on the head till he fell insensible. Seeing that he was
not dead, and fearing that he might recover and be
able to give evidence against him, the prisoner stated
that the devil put it into his mind that if he killed
the deceased he might be able to evade detection.
He therefore resolved to kill the deceased and cut his
throat with a piece of sharp iron which he took off one
of the engines. He expressed the deepest sorrow for
the crime, and Mr. Harrison expresses his opinion
that his repentance was sincere.
The prisoner was visited by his wife, who is quite a
young woman, and his two children, a boy and a girl,
aged respectively two and five years., one day last
week, and he then took his final farewell of them.
The prisoner went to bed about nine o'clock on Mon-
day night and passed a rather restless night; and he
was visited soon after eight o'clock by Mr. Harrison,
who remained with him until the last moment. Mr.
F. Scudamore, the under sheriff of Kent, went to
the gaol a few minutes before the hour appointed
for the execution, and proceeded to the pri.
Boner's cell, where the process of pinioning was
performed by Marwood, the executioner. The pri-
soner did not utter a single word, but appeared absorbed
in deep thought. He walked with a faltering step to
the place of execution, and appeared almost uncon-
scious to all that was passing around him while the
executioner ww, adjusting the rope round his neck.
Being a tall man, Marweod allowed him a fall of
nearly eight feet, and the shock appeared to cause
almost instantaneous death. The prison bell began to
toll, and the black flag was hoisted outside the gaol at
the moment of the execution, and in the course of the
day an inquest was held upon the body, when the
usual formal verdict was returne,i.