The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-08-17 00:00:00

EXECUTION AT WORCESTER.

The execution of Charles Holmes, a labourer, of
Bromsgrove, for murdering his wife, took place on
Monday morning, within the walls of Worcester prison.
Calcraft officiated as the executioner. The culprit had
manifested a singular unconcern ever since the crime
was perpetrated, and betrayed but little emotion whilst
he was being pinioned and led to the place of execution.
He died after a few moments' struggle, and an inquest
was afterwards held.

The murder was committed under circumstances of
great dellbelation. The convict, Charles Holmes, was
a labouring man who obtained a respectable living at
working in a quarry near Broinserove Lickey, a district
in which nail making is carried on to some extent by
the population of scattered villages lying between
Bromsgrove and Birmingham. The deceased, Maria
Holmes, was his wife, and she worked at the nailing, a
very common occupation for women and girls in the loca-
lity, who work at small smithies attached to the cottages.
The two hart frequently quarrelled, and Holmes had of ten
neaten his wife, but this generally happened when he
had been drinking. They had one child aged about
four years, who was a cripple. On Thursday evening,
the 7th March last, Holmes had been drinking at tbe
"Rose and Crown" oublimhouse, near his own resi-
dence, and had been fetched home by his wife. After
they got home they quarrelled, and Holmes was heard
to threaten his wife that if she did not some in and get
his supper he would make her tit for a coffin before morn-
ing. Mrs. Holmes next day took her crippled boy and
went to the house of her mother, Mrs. James, who
lived near, where she remained all day. Holmes went
to her on four several occasions on the Friday, and
asked her to come back home; but she resolutely re-
fused to do so, and told him to go about his business.
On the third visit of Holmes, he told his wife that he
"should come once more, and not but once." He then
went away (this was about three o'clock in the
afternoon) and returned for the fourth time to Mrs.
James's house. He again asked his wife to come home.
She made no reply, but taking her child in her arms
proceeded to the door at the foot of the stairs, intend-
ing to go up-stairs. As she was going Holmes
asked the child if he would have a penny, on
which the deceased stopped with her back to Holmes,
and the child held out its hand for a penny. Holies
then took from his pocket a razor, and, taking his
wife by the left hand, cut her throat from sae to ear.
The poor woman staggered into the middle of the
room, and fell in a pool of blood in the presence of her
mother. The throat had been cut through to the verte-
bras.

Holmes has never denied tbe crime. At the inquest
he admitted it, and said he knew he should have to
suffer for it. While waiting examination before the
magistrate he made a full confession.

The prisoner bore his trial very stoically, and since
i
his condemnation he has behaved n a becoming quiet
manner, paying due attention to the ministration of
the chaplain of the gaol, the Rev. G. C. Salt. He ex-
pressed deep penitence, and was perfectly resigned to
his fate. He was visited in the condemned cell by
Mr. G. W. Hastings (who is a J.P. of the county) ;
and he had also interviews with his parents and brother
and sister. A memorial to the Home Secretary, signed
by about 300 persons, was forwarded, but the deliberate
character of the crime precluded all hope of a commu-
tation of the capital sentence.