The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-12-06 00:00:00

SCENE AT TH2 SCAFFOLD.

Percy Intro/ Mapleton was executed at Lewes_ poi
on Tuesday mends& for the murder of Mr. Isaac OM on
the Brightest Railway on the 27th of Inc.. 'rho last
modem of Um law was carried out in the mem" of
the usual officials sad • few repressatati vas of the Prom
Pricaatloaa had bees taken to pi... amke sag nurses
say endue minable(' In the immediate vicinity of let
prison, but these proved Almon unnecessary, as but few
perms were to be men round the preen gates whim the
olack deg was hoisted. la conscience of ths pubdosnon
of eo may statements in alliaMtloa with L4rey. the
authorities of the gaol, soiled under strict orders from
tee Moment(os, were met reticent upon every whims
In connection with the uafortunste latal, and doulleld
to mem say onetime with remade to him. The
warden sad maw °Morale received orders, ceder
psis of instant dismissal, to segue all Won..
Ms, sad it became • matter of inceeding
catty to obtain any particulan that could be Med
up... It seems, however, cumin that during • portion
ef Koolau the markt{ becam very prostrate—so weak.
Mama., that at led to be helped Mk from Mae axerciaiag
yard to kis ca. Onos there he rapidly reamed
eall, sad regsised that almost lansnovable seeklity of
moaner that Is has kept up from the tens of hi. anus.
The chaplain visitei him alter gve, sad remained tor
emu tom in ouvereation, and whet he left the culprit
appeared quite calm sect in no way to fear Meettal
his fate Tee osliWkhad SO visitors, sad it was wader.
stood that his Ineeds were using sal their aierturaa to
boredom. For • sionient lss,lcg tb. convict, It may be I
stated that there have cab been three gentous usu. I
Pons at the prism gaol, which has been in me dada'
Us pest twenty 11. yam. re. Willow% MIMI was
of In the sort/reed court of the gaol, was of • saw
patters, and suitable for Ore with the loag drop. One of
I the jelmapel femme is that the colialasl ocodeessed to
ha• act to mend mi sem but walks direct as to
tbe platform. where be Is au • ieval with the spectator".
' Rare he steads upon a lifted trap tallies downwards
front Ma centre, and °peed by a lever coutrolling • bolt
I is frost, In sometkag of the same manner as the work- 1
lag M • railway switch. Usderseath this there was • I
brick cavity, measuring about II net by el fee% sad
easily 1.5 test deep giving • direct fall of over IS feet
without danger of the criminal's feet touchier the groped,
Tao pit will now be utileed as ea ash bin. Om the
platform was erected the cross bum at • height of IF
I lest from the ground. Marerood arrived an Monday
aAt ta
quarter to slits one at the principal warders made
his appeemace at the dose of the waling-room sad asked
the nor-mustiest' of press to folio. him across • couple
of szereeing yes* to the court-yerd sure tee Mt scone
I et sli was to at. plime. This is utoatel ea the serthmist
sid• of tbe gut, and Mr. they went meow by Marwood,
' who, lila list la oar hapil sad psatoalag escape ia
other head, united, aad-app.ara prom of Me Moe of
wort he had to execute. The rope, which was some
twelve feet is leth, gars • drop ot nine feet, and was
the oss used at Mincemeat on Monday mamas for the
.:,00.1012,4 the was Simpson. There war la the shadow of
the wall another object must as dreadful as the apparatus
of death; this Sad tee grove of the yet lime rue, • pit
som six fast in depta, du g in the ch M. Just as taut
inspectioa was galseed, Merwood was celled, sad
appaered. Tim came an &exams waning for • moment
or I.e. At three minutes to num the deputy gamest
ousel the Inas door leading into the yard, rem as ll.words, " I am the resurrectioa and the life," resoled Me
ears of Mau present, the dried proemial_ _ ahlogett flea
Mt. doer. First mate the Sm. T. M. OM% reciting the
Balsa Soria of the Cauca of Mogland, lbs 1.1, uhrw
mind breaking on his Mu mos being taii clang of
ttio (oath bell, sad that had sow been toning some ten
splaalee TIN clergyman was followed by • warder, and
thee came Leroy, fest pinioned and bare stoked. with •
woo, as tomer elide, and tas examittater close to the rear.
supporting Um coevict by • slight team of the elbow, not
that the sulmit seamed to require sack assistaime as be
wenn( with set, Audi set fammoving ass man la as dream
me um tightly cum& looking neither to the right or ieft,
supping Quietly is tuns with the reminder of the pro-
nounce. Leroy wore • suit of some brown mixture, sad
not ths prime garb In which he has been Intim dace his
ocanotiaa. Is rear of him came Us governor, the prison
:=and the wider asend, while eis small hot
0, amp was Weird up by tbe under serener.
It took but • moment to reach the scalded, as to which
Lofroy stepped without th• Mlatitest bealtatiolt or tremor,
• Med lila, toast/war M 11. UPI skm• Mewing beetle(
agitation. Then Marv/cad proceeded to do hie work, gret
placing Lam is proper position under the beam, bad,
tooting that by Laying the reps upon lii shoulders, be
pre:amid ths cap for shrouding the convict" lam Irma his
pocket, and isstantly_Plased It in position; then with
dexterity sod and rapidity tar adjusted tee osrofolly
placing " eye" of the rope eimoat utr.oliy nadir eie
dap. when all was suljasted ea stopped back from
ta• soalol4, without PM( through the ouremoar
of shaking kends, and stood by the lever that controlled
the working of the drop, sad as the minister recited the
words, 'Lord, have mercy upon us," he palled tie lever
and the doomed nien drappsd out of sight of the uncovered
spectator.. Not • quiver was visible in the rope whom
se/eyed back sad faith for • moment or two. With •
deep" Ames Mr. Ode loft the side of Me scaffold, and
the prima authorities at me returned inside the gaol.
As the drop fell, which wee awn, at sins o'rtioak, the
black lag was hoisted an Its top of the gaol; but then
wen net more than a hundred people to the road to
Minus it.

Atiother account says ;—The convict Wray passed a
comparatively quiet night, and slept for Hyoid hours.
le the morning he appeared tieloa and resigned. He
rose soon after six co clock, and was shortly after
visited by the chaplain, who conversed and prayed with
him for sem* time. The condemned moo partook of
a fish'. breakfast Mr. Bull, the under sturiff,
arrived at the gaol at a quarter-past eight o'clock.
No movement was made until a quarter to nine, when
the prison bell commenced telling. Al five minutes to
nine, Merwood entered the all and pinioned the prisoner.
'Afro merle little or no eine of showing any interest is
Ms proceeding. aelsenrieg in • half dazed state. It took
Harwood but a couple of miaow to complete this portion
ot hie teat. so that at precisely onto minute to nine the
mournlul procession emerged from the 'orison, the complain
readmit the Burial Berme for the dud in • loud although
tremulous voice. The sad eort‘go was preceded by the
deputy.govern.or, followed by toe sheriff, two warders
supporting the convict, Ikerwoad, the prison docthr.
Turner. and two or three prison °Moira& loiroy was
not dressed in convict's got his shirt front was
open, any ming hie lug this neck, find narrow
bellow chest, he had 'a biota livid look, and
it wee evidently with the greatest difficulty that he waa
able to nerve himself for the fearful ordeal. He staggered
rather than walked.hlthough hie logs were unbound, and
stared wildly from holt to right from beaeath his &MOP-
Mg eyelid& Along the narrow paean he walked, through
the courtyard, on his way to the scaffold. Ifierwood st
times pottier forth • hand to steady the mulct. Ltfroy
had the upearance of • prematurely worn old man ; he
took no seeming interest in the Burial fiervios, and never
I once opened of even moved his lips on the way to the drop
in respoose to the chaplain's reading. On reaching the
scaffold, ths warder, held Lefroy whilst Harwood
Listened • broad leathern sump round the convict's leg.;
in an in,tdiat more he pulled the white cap over the
*retched man's lace—the last execution of Lefroy being
. ghastly in the extreme, and look.ng a. if he wefe parelyeU
—and drialiy he adjusted tbii rope. The chaplain then
, turned hte beck to the scaffold, moving at a distance of
about 93 feet to the right, whilst the goveroor, sheriff.,
and o.her officers ranged theraseivee in front at about
an equal distance from the drop. The reverend gentlemaa
continued reading lb. i.;hurJli Sento, but witnout wait-
ing now for the rriiis,noss which never came. "L rd,
hive mercy upon us, ' Cerise, have mercy upon ae," the
chaplain cried in trembling tone.; tiu warders left the
convict's side, antK .rwood stone remained supporting
him by putting his right hand upou shout&r. At
the lut word of the service Use executioner slipped from
the murderer'. side, and before h. bed time to give way,
pulled the lever, which launched Lel roy into eternity.
The body fell with a heavy thud, and was echoed by •
murmur from the small auenibly. The chaplain wee the
first to break the minim sites°, which easoral, by crying
Amen " in a deer vows. Harwood looked down into the
pit after his victim, and seemed satisfied with his work,
for death apparently wee in stutaneous. The me v•ct never
moved in the slightest dopes, bat hung Ithe • leaden
weight at the end of the rope.