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

THE HORRIBLE SCENE AT AN
EXECUTION.

Andrew Carr was executed at Richmond Bridewell,
Dublin, on Thursday in last week, for the murder of
his paramour. The Very Rev. Mgr. Meagher having
shaken hands with the convict in bidding him farewell,
said "Keep your trust in God, and this day you will
be with your Lord Jesus in Paradise." The dying
man bowed his head reverently, and then turned to
the Rev. Mr. Anthony and continued to pray with
him.
The executioner now ascended the stairs with his
face covered with black crape, and, throwing off hie
coat, commenced his odious duties, and as he pinioned
the arms of the convict it was at mice to be seen that
"the finisher lif the law" had never been at hard work
as his hands were very small and white, like those per.
sons who live without much manual labour. When
the pinion straps were adjusted, the convict walked
out on the drop, and di not display the slightest
nervousness or emotion as he prayed with Father
Anthony while the ankle straps were being heckled.
The rope having been adjusted, and a white cap having
been pulled over the head and face if the convict, the
chaplain, who stood by him to the last, bid him an af-
fectionate farewell : and, as the noisy bell of the pri.
son was ringing, the bolt was drawn by the execu-
tioner. and the drop fell. Down came the wretched
man, and when the rope stretched with a kind of bur-
ring sound, the headless body of him who but a few
seconds before was full of vigorous life rolled over in
the bloody shingle with which the yard was covered,
and soon after the head, encased in the gore-saturated
cap which covered it, fell from the noose beside the
lifeless corpse, from the neck of which protruded the
lacerated muscles and bleeding vessels which had been
wrenched asunder in the terrible fall. Unspeakable
horror was depicted in every face, and no quick and
appalling was the fearful circumstance that for a con.
siderable time no person moved from the place where
they had been standing, and as the empty noose of the
rope swung to and fro in the morning breeze Andrew
Carr had passed away for ever from hie crimes and his
sorrows. Ali who had been present save those whose
duties compelled them to remain took their departure
at once from the prison.
After a considerable time had elapsed the pinioned
and bloodlees trunk was removed from the pool of gore
in which it had lain to the deadhouse, where the cap
containing the head of the convict was also removed to
await an inquest, to beheld at twelve o'clock.
At the impusst which followed the governor of the
prison deposed that the surgeon of the prison was re.
sponeible for the length of the rope used. It was used
against the governor's own opinion. A witness after
the drop fell observed the recoil of the rope, and be-
lieving some accident had occurred, went and looked
into the trap, and saw the body 13 ing in the yard
beneath decapitated. The head was lying several feet
from it, and tha blood was pouring in torrents from
the head and trunk. The surgeon, Dr. Minchen, de.
posed that he feared the rope was fastened too tight
round the neck, and this gave greater force to the falL
He would not attribute the accident to the thinness of
the rope, although the head was as cleanly severed as
if by a knife, but he rather attributed it to the tight-
ness of the fastening. There was no disease of the
, neck. The machinery was in perfect working order.
The chaplain depoied that the prisoner complained of
, the tightness of the rope, saving, "\'il you strangle
or choke me before my time !"
The jury returned a verdict that the mishap was
the result of accident.

The steamers of the Great Eastern Railway Com-
pany have brought back from the Cultinent large numbers
of tourists whom the war hie fright nowt home to their nai
titre land. The steamers of the same company have also con-
veyed tithe Continent several parties of Prussians, about 500
in all. They left in high spirits.