The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-08-08 00:00:00

THE CONDEMNED CONVICT WELLS.

The unfortunate man Wells, who WU convicted of
the murder of NIL Walsh, at Dover, at the late assizes,
will, in the ordinary course of events, be executed on
Thursday, the 13th inst., at Maidstone. His de-
meanour continues to lie quiet and self-possessed, and
he pays great attention to the ministrations of the
chaplain, the Rev. W. F. C'. S. Fraser.

• —•
Instead of having the impression, as has been
asserted in some of the papers, that the last sentence
of the law will not be carried out, he has, from the
first, seemed resigned to his fate, and he occupies the
whole of his time in reading, or in writing letters to
his friends. Ile was engaged to a young woman at
Dover, and many of his letters are addressed to her.
Last week he sent a letter to Mr. ilex, the superin-
tendent of the Harbour Station, asking his forgiveness
for the sorrow he had caused him, awl requesting the
achlress of Mrs. Walsh. Mr. Cox replied in the most
kind terms, and the prisoner then wrote to Mrs.
Walsh, asking her forgiveness for the grievous wrong
he had done her. Mrs. Walsh at once replied as re-
quented.

The father and mother of the prisoner have not yet
visited him, as they are both quite prostrates' by their
heavy affliction, hut it is understood that some of the
prisoner's relatives have intimated their intention of
seeing him during the present week.
Alr. Fraser is constant in his attention to the un-
fortunate man, who seems most grateful. The muter
sheriff, the visiting justices, the officials of the prison,
the representatives of the press, and a few others, in
the discretion of the under sheriff and the visiting
justices, will, in all probability, be the only witnesses
of the carrying out of the last dread sentence of the
law. According to the late act ttf Psrliament, to pro-
vide against any suspicion that the law has not been
strictly carried out, the coroner of the district is,
within 24 hours of the execution, to hold an inquest,
and the jury is to be satisfied as to the identity of the
body, and that judment of death was duly executed.
The erection of the permanent scaffold is being rapidly
proceccled with. 'the site for it is an enclosed yard
adjt4sing the debtor's prison. The wood and iron
work of the old drop are being used, but as the struc-
ture is to be permanent it is to be covered with an
iron roofing, and hidden from the view of the inmates
of the prison by moveable shutters. The scaffold is
being built on a level with the prison yard, an excava-
tion being made for the drop, to which access is given
by four steps on each side. The yard in which the
execution will take place is a sery stnall one, not
being snore than 30 feet square. Faring the platform
is a building which is being converted Into two 1,1,111
one for the chaplain, and the other for the officers of
the gaol.

On Monday, Margaret Johnson, ninety•one wan
of ago, w..s charged at a London police-court with 'tieing
drunk and disorderly. The magistrate told her it was time
she left off drinking " I will leave it off sir," woo the olit
lady's reply ; "I am going into Kent, hopping: I go every
year." The magistrate thanglit the " hopping," for a person
,•1 rs. .1 ohnsn's year% more remarkable than the drinking,
and discharged her,