The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-08-10 00:00:00

EXECUTION

AND

CONFESSION
Of JAMES SEAL for the MURDER of
Sarah Ann Guppy at Stoke Abbot.

It will prolubly be in the recollection of our reader*
that on Friday atiernees, April 30t11,, the fearful
tragedy waapoininitted -and u to now teettlied to by the
voluntary confession of the oouviat, an well ea by us hn•
partial jury after a careful investigation, by James
Seal, • youth 19 years of age. The unfortunate
object of the youthful aassuiu'a attack was a retiring,
well-behaved girl of about 23 years of age,
_

somewhat deforniel, of short stature, and constitutional
weakusta disabling herf rola' out-door exercise, and slie wax

usually left •t Ilona. The place of her abode for Bowe

years past had been in a part of • double cottage
called Puekeliorn, 1,01110 quarter of a mile Irons a similar
building, in which dwelt the prisoner and his parents.
Tile mother of Sarah Ann Guppy was never married,
and she and her daughter dwelt with & man owning the
same name IUI the convict "James Seal," though no
relative. In the other half of Puckshurn, dwelt a couple
of the come of Hutchins, who were in somewhat better
circumstances than their neighbours, they managing •
few cows, and occasionally fatting and killing a pig,
which they sold. All these dwellers on the outskirts of
Stoke Abbott, however, worked in the holds in some
way or other. 'roe prisoner was accustoine Ito visit the
Hutchins' sometimes, and had on one or two occasions
penetrated to the abode of the Guppy's. He hence
knew somewhat of their condition and habits. On the
meniorablu Friday the poor girl's mother, Rebecca
Guppy, and the two Hutchlus, as well as the
limn James Seal had left their homes, some of thou,
after dinner and passing to their work. Mrs. Hutchins,
about half-past two, before returning to her work went
into ',nor Sarah Allll, and left the key of her house
with the girl. At this time there was in the house £4,
the price of a pig, which had been killed and sold a few
days previously. The duly before, the prisoner had
an altercation with Mrs. Hutchins, and emit into
the Guppy's about a knife. He had once or twice with-
in the few days bothered Mrs. Hutchings for the loon of
2s. for his mother, and Mrs. Hutchings declined to
advance the money unless she had letter authority
from young Seale's mo'dier. At the close of the al'er-
cation about the knife, which prisoner affirmed he
found in • fuel-liuwe at the cottage-end, but Mrs.
Hutchins, averring that it had been taken from her
&pertinent, forbade the prisoneraguin coming to her
house. But about three o'clock all old woman, who
lived beyond the ',Haulier up toward* the village, and
who hail COlllO down to out some green's in her garden
which ley at the beck of Pitukahorn, heard a scream and
then a mulidued sub. She called out immediately
" Sarah Gully," but had 110 answer, and goon after-
wards spied the prisoner shutting Guppy's door.
He stoop,,d, found Jane Corniek'e eyes still
upon him, and walked up to tier. The two
walked round the garden leveret time* talking Omit'
gerdening PA well /01 other matters. She accused him
of " making work" with Sarah Ann, but he stoutly
denied the aocusation, saying Sardi wen peeling po-
tdoes. Mrs., Corniok noticed Woo,' dripping from him
finger+ oti hie trowsere, and he explained the 110111111 was
caused by cutting green The old WOlllllll wondered at
this, and said she 'night cut her own hands a greet
loony times in ouch a way. However, she kindly
offered to bind up the finger with sume paper else
found In her pocket, hut he said " never mind :" and the
two walked quietly on down the little pathway leading
to the prisoner's house mild also to the village. She saw
him crow the gate leading to his father'n, an I went her
Way home. Nearly as INIIIII As she 1110 gut in door',
there was & rumour that Pookilioni wall on Are, and
every one hurried to the spot. The men, J,iiies Seal,
who lived with Mrs. Guppy, saw shunt 4 o'clock from
the hill where he worked, signs of fire at hill residenee,
and at at once, with 11 fellow worklindi named Howley,
ran to Yuckaliorn, Hutehings was also aeon on the

.... ...
spot. fieal went into hie own Ilona°, roil up etnira
to save lonic of his property, and just notioed the
girl Sarah Any Guppy lying with a Atm over her
loco on the floor in the lower apartment, and on

coining down 'dales be saw she was in • " great
pumt of blood." Huts:Ming* no rapidly passing fikel's
open door caught sight of the deceased on the floor, but
went into his own house to save his goods, Huesey
having lireceded him by breaking open the door. All
the villager* helped to eoliths the flames, but the
cottages were burnt to the ground, though some of the
Property was moiled. When Seal shouted on dim
-
covering the state of the poor girl the prisoner's father,
Job Seal, carried the bleeding body outside into the
orchard. There wee a deep out in her throat Alll.OBll the
windpipe and carotid artery and the plieryx which, it
was declared, Inuit lowa caused her death immediately,
and before she could even lift her arms. Her nglit
hand likewise was slightly rut. The body was after-
wards removed to the village inn for the purpose of an
inimeat into the cause of her death, where it wee seen by
the crowd. Aim Hutchings hail 'laced the key inside
the Guppy,' Immo, but it was picked up just outside
where the prisoner had stooped on disiovering him
Carsick. In reference to the fire it will be reeollected
that Hutchinge found it hal einumeneed on the outside
of the building'', in the thatched roof of the fuel house
which adjourned the Guppy.' part of Puukshorn, so
that it would impear to have been the work of an
Incendiary. Moin w Idle, after iluitting Dirs. Cornick, the
young prixoner, it to presumed, 'wide tune any again to
Pnekshorn, for just before the alarm ef fire it lad named
Morris BaW loin within three fields of Puckshorn hem
-
toning towards the village, mid from the mune of the
double ualainity. However, the rumour raphtly epread
that he was the offender in both in 4,inees, awl a eliepheril
boy, named William Paul, driving his master'e sheep
through stoke Abbott on the way home to Beaminster,
heard the fearful suspicion ; end Paul was Annie' when
oily a wieder of o mile from the village, in ',wising the
end of Horsehill-lane, to see young Seal coining towards
hie'. The two walk on together for sonic distance, but
otter no word, the prisoner indeed everting hie head
from the prurient gaze of young Pool. The prisoner'.
jacket end trowaere deemed wet, hie finger Moo bound
up with a bit of rig, and lie carried an 1,11 stick. He
coon turned from the regular track up a by path exiled
Waothlene, and one of Pael'a sheep running away unused
him to look up Woo I-lane, when he Sow Seal striving
to rub some coloured dirt or aim' over 'lig true/sere.
Almost immediately after P.C. Lavington in search of
the ofrn ler meet', Poll, and Icarus thee young Seal is
close at hand. The polieweiei, after owitie dtereation
with young Seal, seeing his trothiere and jacket .iiatu•
niter' with blood, apprehended him on the charge of
murder, and conducted him to Llowningter. The pri-
'loner told the Oilier one story of where he hail been,
Sill in the evetlin4 in the linkup told Sui.erintendent
SlaoH,ile o duff-runt one, halt of wifieli turned out to
be incorrect. Up to two o'clock 1111 that fatal day there
was no blood on the prisoner's clothes, end throughout
the forenoon he hail been volnntarily hulling Kline men
in removing tiiiiiier, receiving with them a small elm-
tity of eider. His character, it would Appear, had been
very indifferent, awl he wits liked upon ea a young
although 19 and apparently strong, though very
'short. He lied, it ie eaid, suffered iiiiiirierennent le•
fore. The wound on the poor girre throat had been oc-
cavioned by soine sharp instrument, 11W1 after the fire
the burned bladea of two knives were found Mew to
where the corpse hi! rested, while • thiril blade was
LliAanverati outaide the outtege. One of these blades
which looked like a dinner knife, rubbed down to a
tapering point, Nlll,l acid by H114,11.y, who knew the pri•
goner well, living in the 1181:011,1 door of Seal's father'e
uottege, to be one generally used by the Knauer to out
hi* food with, These link* are all, es it seen, eircuin-
atantial iu their alierecter, but teketi in connection with
the statement the prisoner has imele clue., hie movie.
lion will no doeht mien op awl uoutpleto the details of
to convey • single idea to the prisoner, KII,I Wllolll.l,oored
to have Itt'&11011 himaelf of no opportunity for improve-
ment.
Th• stolid, immovable bearing lie mainteined through-
out his lengthened trial, before Baton Channel', at the
County Hall, vemnsto have been sestained by Min during
his subtainent 'numeration, and hie a very long time
no impreseion whatever could be mule upon hie spiritual
!intuit, Indeed so lost dill the unlisepy youth 4.01 n, that
the Rev. Mr. Bingham stated eta recent reline meet.
lug that for two day. he amid hanlly thti lengttage ables
the terrible story. It will he *eon by the priiimer's con-
!melon that everything appeal"' Ito °empire to all him,
the girl fell down, there WM a razor just by, and no
person WM at hand to frustrate tile designs.
Tide morning at eight o'elbek, Jlllll6ll Seal, condemned
to death for the murder of Stroh Ann Guppy in April
last at Stoke Abhott, near Beatninster, underwent the
last sentence of the law In front of the *aunty gaol in
the presence of a large ceneourse of persons from far
and near.

Numbers of persons went Iset night to see the
gallows which ha I ban ereotea on the top of the lodge,
the usual place of execution an l nit over the g ate
where Martha Brown wee execnted, in Auguct, 1866;
and from an fatly hour this morning groups of pasons
4rrive4 from various places to witness ties solemn