The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-01-11 00:00:00

THE EXMOOR FOREST MURDER.

TAUNTON, Friday.
This morning, at 9 o'clock, William Burgess under-
went the extreme penalty of the law in front of the
Somerset county gaol, in this town.
The crime fur which the wretched criminal for-
feited his life was one of extreme turpitude amt enor-
mity. The victim of the murder was Burgess's own
child, a little girl about six years of age, whose sup-
port, it would seem from the evidence adduced at
the trial before Mr. Justice Bylass, had become
irksome to him. His other children were grown up
and able to provide fur themselves, but fur the young-
est, Anna Maria, he hail to pay a sum of 2s. fid. a
week fur her board to the woman in whose house he
lodged. On a Sunday morning in July last, under
pretence of taking the little creature to live with a
sister at Porlock, Burgess and his daughter left the
cottage at Exmoor at which he resided.. He himself
returned home in the aftenmon without the girl, who
was never afterwards seen alive. Early in August he
left Exmoor, stating that he was going to seek work
elrewhere. Soon after he hail left it was found that
the child had never tlltla taken to Porleek ; search
was made, and SOUIC of the clothes she wore were
found partially burnt at a Lindy spot oil
Exmoor, and other circumstances were disco-
vered which led to the suspicion that a
foul murder had been cumulate...l Ile father was
traced by Superintendent Jeffs, of the Somerset
county constabulary, to Swansea, and on being
apprehended the wretched man confessed his guilt.
}finding subsequently, however, that the body of the
child had not been discovered, Burgess maintained a
stolid demeanour, and seems for a time to have
hoped to escape conviction. Circumstances trans-
pired in the meantime which pointed to the
probability of the body having been thrown down
the shaft of an old mine, called Wheal Eliza Mine,
at which the prisoner was formerly employed, but
the working of which had ceased for sone years, and
which had become lined with water te the depth of
nearly 220 feet. At great labour and expense the
magistracy of Somersetshire mused the water to Ise
pumped out. I /perations for Oust peel...se were COUP
menced on the 14th of October, and the work was
completed on the 2nd of December. At the bottom
of the shaft the body of the murdered child was
found. The garments in which it was wrapped,
with a long chain of other circumstances, conclusively
fixed the guilt of the murder upon the father, while
the surgical evidence showed that her life must have
been taken after the infliction ef much brutal violence.
For a crime so atrocious Burgess's life was justly
forfeited, and, as already stated, the sentence of
the law was carried into effect this morning.
On the day after his conviction, at the prisoner's
request, he was visited by the Rev. Mr. Thornton,
clergyman of the parish in which he resided, and
subsequently by the Rev. W. H. Clarke, curate of
St. Mary's. Taunton, who has also seen the prisoner
on several occasions during the last three or four
,lays. Ile appeared to pay great attent to the
counsel of these rev. gentlemen, as well as to that of
the Itev. F. Hoare. the chaplain. Te all of them he
admitted his guilt, but said that he committed the
crime through drink, and that he deserved to suffer.
Up to the very morning of his execution, however,
Burgess continued to express a desire to destroy
himself, and, having made one attempt upon Isis
life before his committal, he was perpetually watched
to prevent the possibility of his committing suicide.
On Wednesday week Burgess had an interview
with one of his daughters and with his brother. His
eldest daughter also saw him on Sunday week.
These meetings were very affecting, and were subse-
quently referred to by Burgess with more emotion
than he hail displayed on any other topic.
At 8 o'clock not more than a couple of hundred
persons 14 assembled in front of the gaol, but the
numbers '
numdly increased until, shortly before the
time appointed for the execution, there were several
thousands congregated in the grumulsattachtd to the
new Shire-hall, which command a full view of the
scaffold. Among the crowd were an unusual number
of women and children, and many agricultural
labourers, who appeared to have come a wielder-
able distance. With very few exceptions, the
spectators exhibited a serious demeanour well becom-
ing so solemn an occasion.
Just before the gaol clock struck 9 the bell
announces! that the procession to the scaffold had
started, and within a minute or two one of the
warders, followed by the chaplain, the convict, and
the executioner, ascended. The prisoner walked to
his doom with surpriaing firmness. While the con-
clusion of the burial-service was read Culeraft
adjusted the rope, and the officials having departed,
the bolt was withdrawn. An audible sensation ran
through the crowd as the wretched man fell, and
after struggling cenculsively for several seconds he
ceased to exist. The body, after hinging the usual
time, was cut limy'', and, in pursuance of the terms
of the sentence, was afterwards interred within the
precincts of the gaol. The multitude who witnessed
the execution dispersed almost immediately after
Burgers was dead. The culprit did not say a word
upon the scaffold, aml made nu request previously to
being led to eats:utter!.