The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-10-11 00:00:00

EXECUTIONS IN LONDON.

The two murderers, Thomas Henry Orrock, and
Thomas Harris, underwent the penalty of the law on
Monday morning within the prison of Newgate. The
circumstances of the crimes for which they suffered
have been given so recently that it will not be neces-
sary to state more than that Orrock was convicted of
the murder of a police-constable named Cole, who had
endeavoured to take him into custody after he had
broken into a Baptist Chapel in Hoxton, by shooting
him with a revolver; and the other, Harris, was con-
victed of the murder of his wife, to whom he had been
married a great many years, and who had borne him
a large number of children, eleven of whom are still
alive, by cutting her throat with a razor in the
bedroom they occupied at Kilburn. The first-men-
tioned murder was committed nearly two years ago—
namely, on the Ist of December, 1882. The mur-
derer got clear away, and as it was a dark, foggy
night, it was generally thought to be impossible to
recognise him, and the murder had nearly died away
from the public mind, when, through the active
exertions and inquiries made by Inspector Glasse, of
the N division of police, the prisoner was apprehended
and his guilt of the crime was conclusively established.
When the prisoner was sentenced to die by Mr. Justice
Hawkins, before whom he was tried, he asserted that
he was innocent. For a considerable time after-
wards he persisted in the same denial;
but as the day for his execution began rapidly to
approach he appeared to realise his position, and at
the latter end of last week he admitted to the Rev.
Mr. Duffield, the chaplain of Clerkenwell and New-
gate Prisons, that he was the man who fired the
revolver at the unfortunate constable, although he
persisted to the last in declaring that the act was not
a premeditated one, and that all he was endeavouring
to do was to make his escape. The prisoner, it will
be remembered, was an attendant at the
chapel where the burglary was attempted,
and he bore a very good reputation with
the Rev. Mr. Barton, the minister of the chapel.
Since his conviction he has attended the prayer-
meeting in the prison chapel every day. By the
orders of the prison authorities the prisoner was
allowed to have any one to see him that ho expressed
a desire for. His mother and stepfather were with
him three or four times, but his wife, who is only 21
years old, has been with him every day, and took
a parting farewell of her unhappy husband last
Saturday.
The prisoners went to bed about ten o'clock on
Sunday night, Mr. Duffield having been ve th them
alternately during the previous two hours. Orroek
appeared to be quite resigned, but Harris exhibited
the same callous demeanour that has characterised
him since his conviction. Both prisoners got up at
six o'clock on Monday morning, and very shortly
afterwards they were visited by the Rev. Mr. Duffield,
to whom both men expressed their gratitude for the
kindness and attention shown them. Mr. Sheriff
Phillips and Messrs. Crawfurd and Whitehead, the
under-sheriffs, arrived at the prison about half-past
seven o'clock, and were received by Captain Kirk-
patrick, the Governor, who shortly afterwards accom-
panied them to the cells where the prisoners
had been brought. Berry, the executioner, was
in attendance, and the ceremony of pinioning was
rapidly performed. Orsock was the first who was
brought out. He walked with a firm step, was placed
under the beam and the rope put round his neck
before his unhappy companion, Harris, had been
placed by his side. The Rev. Mr. Duffield then read
the Burial Service, and at a given signal the drop fell,
a distance of seven feet five inches, and death appeared
to be instantaneous, the executioner apparently having
performed his work in the most skilful manner. The
skin on Harris's neck was slightly abrased, but it was
stated that this was generally the case where the
criminals are advanced in life, Harris being 48 years
of age.
A considerable crowd assembled outside the prison,
and it was necessary to have the attendance of two
police-constables to keep the road clear.