The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-01-11 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF THE WARWICKSHIRE

MURDERER.
On Tuesday morning, Edward Handcock, who was
convicted at the last Warwick Assizes of the nuirder
of his wife, Betsy Handcock, at Priors Hardwick, on
the 13th of November. was executed within the walls
of the county gaol at Warwick.

The muideier, who is 50 years of age was a
jobbing butcher at Priors Hardwick, a little village
between Southern and Banbury. Ile was at
one time in god circumstances, possessing pro-
perty in the village, and carrying on business; as a
butcher; but drink and dissipation reduced him, and at
the time of the murder he occupied one of the most
miserable-looking hovels in the village. The deceased,
who was 11 years his junior, was his third wife and
sister of the first. Of all three wives he had been ex-
tremely jealous, and this passion led to frequent rup-
tures between them. He had been summoned
before the magistrates for aessulting one of his
former wives, and the death of the second was al-
leged to have been occasioned by the prisoner's vio-
lence. His jealousy of the third wife amounted to a
mania, and he suspected the police and the villagers in-
discriminately of improprieties with her. Both hus-
band and wife were natives of the village, and he had
been married to the deceased seven years; but
their married life had been embittered by his un-
governable pension, although within a month of
the murder their quarrels had been much less
frequent than formerly. He having repeatedly
threatened her, the deceased, from an instinctive
dread, had lately concealed his knives. This great),
irritated him, and was the only "extenuating circum-
stance which he could offer when ar. ested immediately
after by the parish constable. He and his wife nod
four children lived in the wretched hovel in which the
crime was committed. An illegitimate child of the
deceased had also lived with them until last summer,
when it was killed by • plough falling on its bread.
On the day previous to the murder the prisoner spoke
to the Rev. T. Hallett, vicar of the parish, about hi,
wife's supposed infidelity. The rev, gentleman ineffec-
tually endeavoured to persuade him that his suspicions
were groundless. The deceased overheard the conversa-
tion, and said to the vicar, "I hope you don't believe
him." The next day (the 13th) the prisoner went to a
neighbouring village to kill a pig, and there a sin-
gular circumstances occurred. Whilst so engaged is
the same place about a year previously the prisoner
heti in an unaccountable manner lost a sticking knife
which he had for a moment placed behind him, while
no other person was near. On looking round a minute
or so afterwards he found the knite had been mys-
teriously spirited away. On the return visit on the
13th November last the knife was restored, it having
been secreted by • jackdaw—an act unattended with
the direful consequences of the peccadilloes of the
unfortunate jackdaw of Rheims, so far as the bird
itself was concerned, The prisoner had suspected his
wife of having concealed thrn knife, which was the
Instrument with which he executed his fell purpose.
On the day in which he committed the dreadful
crime for which he has suffered, he, as was his custom
after a job, had recourse to drink. On arriving at
home, a quarrel—the usual attendant in his case of
indulgenosw. ensued, and the deceased left, stating her
intention to go to the adjacent village for the police.
On the way she was overtaken by a neighbour, who
promised to communicate her wishes to the police, but
failed to do so, thinking it unnecessary in c nsequence
of the frequency of their domestic brawls. In the ab-
sence of the deceased, the prisoner, in the hearing of his
son Walter, an intelligent boy, 13 years of age (who at
the trial gave his evidence remarkably well), sharpened
his knife and went upstairs to await her return.
On reentering the hut the mother undressed the three
little children, and before taking them upstairs re-
marked to the boy Walter that she expected there
would be a pretty " pillelu" (meaning a row) when she
got upstairs. What occurred in the bedroom could
only be described by the eldest girl, Eliza, who, al-
though only six years of age, gave her evidence before
his lordship with wonderful coolness and lucidity.
According to her statement, the deceased put the three
children to bed in the front room, whereupon her father
immediately rushed out of an adjoining room, with a
knife in his hand, and, before her mother had time to
speak, he stabbed her several times. She described one of
the stabs as " slippingthe knife into herleg." After this
he pushed the deceased on the bed, from which she
reeled downstairs, having first called to the boy below,
"Walter, Walter, he is cutting me ;" and also rapped
at the thin partition separating the next hovel, and
cried, "Hannah I Hannah I I am stabbed; I am
dying." On hearing this the next door neighbour,
Hannah Hart, and a mar named John Haynes, ran
into the house, and found the deceased lying on the
stairs, head-foremost Haynes asked her what was
the matter, and she answered, "lie has stabbed me."
Reatoratives were administered, and a surgeon sent for,
but he did not arrive until a few minutes before the
poor woman died. After the commission of the crime the
prisoner remained in his bed-room, where the pariah
constable, who was almost the first on the spot, found
him sitting on the bed, and said to him, "Edward,
Edward, whet have you done, your wife is dying?'
To which he replied, "I have done it" Berjeent
Webb was the next he arrive, said to him the prisoner
said, "I suppose you are going to take me." The
woman died an hour and a half after the infliction of
the wounds.
. . . . .

The medical testimony showed that the cause of
death was a large punctured wound in the back part of
the thigh, about an inch in length, and several inches
in depth, nearly penetrating through the limb, and
quite severing the femoral artery. A long, tapering
knife, much worn, and such as is used for sticking pigs,
was found by Serjeant Webb concealed in the bed.
room, and covered with human blood. It exactly
fitted the wound, and from the rough and jagged
appearance of the latter, the medical men were of
opinion it must have been used with great violence,
and turned round whilst in the limb. There were
also two small punctured wounds under the right
armpit and two on the left elbow.
At the trial the defence set up by the prisoner's
counsel was, that the crime only amounted to man-
laughter, as the fatal blow had been struck daring a
quarrel, in which the prisoner had been scratched in
the face, where he was bleeding at the time of his
arrest. The learned gentleman also wrote to the
Home Secretary in his behalf. No other memorial was
presented, and BO hope of I reprieve was entertained.

Since his condemnation the culprit's children and
brothers had interviews with him of a most affecting
nature. The Rev. Mr. Richardson, the Chaplain, was
with him almost constantly, and the culprit paid
great attention to his unwearied ministrations, became
deeply penitent, said he deserved death, and would
rather die than live. At his request he was visited by
a Wesleyan minister, to whom he also expressed deep
contrition. He entertained no hope of, and did not
wish for, a reprieve, and seemed confident of Divine
forgiveness.
He went to bed at ten en Monday night, phased a
most restless nigh g rase at six on Tuesday morning,
dressed himself, and was visited by the chaplain, who
remained with him until the execution, lie ate
nothing, but drank a glees of brandy and water, lie
went early to chapel, and received the sacrament, and
spent the remainder of the time in prayer.
Mr. Heath, the Under-Sheriff, arrived at the prison
at a quarter to eight on Tuesday morning, RINI was
received by Mr. Anderson, the Governor, who con-
ducted him to the cell. The condemned man expressed
his thanks to the officials for the kind way in which
he had been treated. At ten minutes to eight, J.
Smith, of Manchester, the executioner, entered the
cell end pinioned the man's arms, lie then walked
to the drop, a few yards distant, with a firm step,
looked for a moment at the beam, placed himself
beneath it. and whilst being prepared for the fatal mo-
ment, prayed aloud for mercy, and trembled violently.
The cap having been put on his head and the rope ad-
justed the executioner went beneath, the prisoner all
the time exhibiting great emotion. The bolt was
instantly drawn, and the culprit struggl.l violently
several time.. The culprit was a light man of
average height. A medical gentleman, who was
present in the interest of the amelioration in
the mode of death of murderers, states that the
culprit was nearly four minutes in dying. Death
obviously arose, not from dislocation of the ver-
tebrae, but stratignlstion. Several persons who were
present were obliged to turn away with painful emo-
tion. The execution wan strictly mivate, the Under'
Sheriff, chaplain, surgeon, governor, and other gsol
officials, and eight representatives of the press only
bein; present. The bleck flag was hoisted at the
moment of execution; and, aft r hsnging for an hour,
ths• toily was cut down. An inquest was afterwards
held, and the body was buried in the go, 1.
This is the first execution which has taken place in
Warwick since the abolition of public executions, the
last having taken place in 186.3.