The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-01-21 00:00:00

iENCIA-C4l-7; THE FIILWOOD
, I 3 T XIIRDEREIL

On Saterday, at noon, Patrick M'Caffery, a youth of
18 years of age, was executed in front of Kirkdale Gaol,
for the reorder of two oaken, Colonel Hash Denim
Croftou and Captain Hanham. The public are already
aware of the nature of the crime for which M'Caffery
expiated his guilt on Saturday. The guilty youth. after
his condemnation, doggedly refused the munstrations of
the Rev. Mr. Gibson, &Homan Catholic priest, to whose
communion he belonged. Be ultiirsitely, however, be-
came extremely penitent, and up to the time of his exe-
cution he was fervent in his prayers for forgiveness.
The execution did not appear to excite so much inte-
rest in the minds of the public as others that have taken
place at Kirkdale, but nevertheless • large crowd, of the
character which usually constitutea such oongregations,
assembled to witnesa it The gallows was erected on
Friday afternoon, and the vieinity of the place of
exepution was retied off and kept by a large body of
police. For several hours previous to the time ap-
pointed for the 41Gcloution the rain poured down in in-
cessant torrents. The badness-of the weather did not
deter thousands of people from attending the melancholy
spectacle, and perhaps the most extraordinary incident
in the day's proceedings was that many mime by train
from Preston and the neighbouringdistricts. Compara-
tively few people had congregated in front of the gaol
before eleven o'clock, but after that hour droves of
people, men, women, boys, and girls, came flocking op
to the mecum of execution. Every little hillock which
eommanded a view of the gallows was seized upon by
the spectators, and the higher ground adjacent to the
north-west corner of the gaol, at which the drop was
erected, was eagerly appropriated by the mob. The
crowd had assumed very large dimensions when the
time for the execution arrived, and it was computed
that upwards Of 10,000 witnessed tbe solemn soene.
The culprit was attended by two Roman Catholic priests
—the Rev. Mr. Gibson and the Rev. Father Lanza, of
Bishop Heaton (a Belgian missionary,) who have been
unremitting in their attention to the unfortunate
youth.
M‘Caffery went to bed in his cell about eleven o'clock
on Friday night, and slept soundly. He rose a little
after five o'clock, but did not take any food, at the
Roman Catholic Church requires that the last sacrament
should be received fastiag. The Rev. Mr. Gibson
arrived at the gaol about seven o'clock, administered the
last sacrament, and prepared hi'Caffery for his end.
About eight o'dock the condemned man partook of a
hearty breakfast. He afterwards requested to see the
governor, Captain Gibbs, thanked him for the kind
'Manner' in which he had totalled. his office, and ex-
pressed • fear that he had behaved MorootlY to Captain
Gibbs in the early part or his confinement. He bad
previously requested Mr, Gibson to procure for him some
small "pious picture!" to be sent to his friends as
remmbrances after death. These friends were the
sergeant at Preston, to whom he had previously written,
and • young man at Staleybridge with whom be had
lodged. Mr. Gibson inclosed the mementoes in letters,
which be wrote at the dictation of il'Caffery, who
'desired to exprest his son-ow for his past life and the
bad .exatisiple he had set them, and requested their
prayers for him. He informed Mr. Gibson that he came
from Athay, county Kildare, and was not aware that
be had any relatives or friends beyond those named, and
Liverpool policomifioer who visited him on Friday.

Al twelve minutes to twelve o'clock the doors leading
to the gallows were tbroWn open, and immediately a
murmur of curiosity passed through the crowd. The
young man, who bed invariably maintained the greatest
calmness and fortitude, was pinioned by Calcraft ; and at
twelve o'slook be walked with • firm step upon the drop.
lie was attired, not in his regimental uniform, hut in
the sombre dress of the reel. lie was attended by Rev.
, Father Lanne, who, until the culprit was hanged. wax
I constant in his admonitions. Immediately behind
ti*Caffery walked the hangman Calcraft, who soon
placed the cap over the face of the criminal, and ad-
justed the rope about his neck. Just before the bolt was
I drawn, the priest pressed the crucifix to the lips of the
I culprit, and continued his exhortations. The hot
audible words thathe uttered were, "Mary and Joseph,
I give you my soul t" and afterward! "Jean, have
I mercy on me.' Caloraft and the priest then left the
scaffold, and soon afterwards the bolt was drawn, the
drop fell, and ths unhappy youth was suspended by the
seek in mid-air. There were several convulsions of
the body, a struggle bra few seconds, and then it was
apparent to the vest crowd that the executioner had
completed his work.