The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-05-30 00:00:00

EXECUTION IN LONDCN.

James Godwin, aged 27, who pleaded guilty at the
last session of the 'entral Criminal Court to the charge
of murdering hiis wife, Louisa Godwin, by beating her
on the head in a most brutal manner with a portion of
a bedstead, was executed on Monday morning within
the gaol of Newgate pursuant to his sentence.

-
The convict aud the deceased woman lived at a house
in Kimrsland-road, occupying a back room on the
second floor. They were accustomed to quarrel now
and then. On the 22nd of April they had an alterca-
tion more than usually violent while they were remov
ing their furniture, and he struck her on the head
with a bedpost, causing her death. Upon that he
hastily left the house, but was followed by a neighbour,
whose pity had been excited by the state in which she
found the dying woman, and given into custody.
This neighbour, Sarah Wilson, the wife of a walking-
stick polisher, deposed before the police magistrate
that the prisoner occupied the back room on the
second floor, and she lodged over him. At about half-
past three o'clock in the day, just after she had re-
turned home, she heard two " thuds " on the floor as
of somebody falling. The sounds came from the room
occupied by the prisoner and his wife and two children.
The prisoner she knew was in the habit of ill-using
his wife, so she did not take much notice. Directly
afterwards a little child of his came up to her room. It
was in the bait of crawling upstairs to her, but the
mother would follow to fetch it back. She did not do
so on the present occasion, and witness, coupling that
fact with the sound of a fall she had heard, began to be
alarmed. She went downstairs and knocked at the pri-
soner's room door. He did nut open it, but called to her,
"All right, all right." While he was speaking she heard
two groans. She ran upstairs to her own door, and,
looking over the landing, saw the prisoner leave his
room, close the door after him, and hurry out into the
street She at once went down to the prisoner's room
and entered. His wife was lying on the floor awl
covered with a sheet. Having removed the sheet,
witness saw that the deceased was bleeding from wounds
on her head and. from her ear. She called to her,
" What has he done ?" but the woman did not reply.
She did not appear to be sensible, but she opened her
eyes and looked at witness, who ran out into the
street after the prisoner. She saw him walking
quickly away from the house down the Kingsland-
road. She followed him until she saw a policeman, to
whom she called out, "Stop that man; he's murdered
his wife." The prisoner said to the constable that it
was true, and that he had "hit her on the head with
a bedpost." Witness saw the prisoner taken by the
policeman, and then returned to the house. On being
asked at the police-station what he had to say to the
charge of murdering his wife, he replied, "I know it;
we were going to loose furniture, and she called me
names, and I hit her with a bedpost on the head. I
don't care what I suffer. I hope I have not killed
her."

Mr. Daniel AFKay Forbiis, M.D., medical super-
intendent of the Shoreditch Infirmary, deposed to
being called to the house, 181, King-aland-road, where
he saw the woman lying. She had three contused
wounds—one on the right side of the head about 21 in.
in length, another over the right ear about 11 in. in
length, and a third, about 21 in. in length, on the
upper back part of the head. Blood was flowing from
alsl the wounds and from the right ear. She died the
same night.
At the last Sessions of the Central Criminal Court,
on being arraigned on the charge of murder before
Baron Cleasby, the prisoner at once pleaded guilty,
and persisted in adhering to that plea, though he was
again and again asked by the learned Judge if he was
aware of the consequences it entailed. He replied in
the affirmative, upon which Baron Cleasby, having no
alternative, passed on him the sentence of death, re-
marking, at the same time, that from what he knetv of
the circumstances the jury were only spared entering
upon an in vestigation whieh. in isll probability. conk
have but one result, and he urged him to make the
most of the time that remained to him. Through the
kindness of the Sheriffs a member of the Bar had been
assigned to defend the prisoner in consideration of his
poverty.
Godwin was visited by some of his friends on Friday,
and during the interview he said—" Brothers, I avant
you to listen. Take warning by me. lam not yet
twenty-eight, and I have only three days to live. It
all comes from drink and bad company." Upon this
he wrung his hands silently, and seemed too deeply
moved to speak further. He has two children, a boy
and a girl, the oldest if whom is only five years of age.
lie took a distressing farewell of them one day last
week.

The prisoner appears to have conducted himself re-
markably well since he has been in Newgate, and has
paid the most earnest attention to the exhortations of
the Hey. Mr. Jones, the Ordinary. On Sunday the
Holy Sacrament was administered to the culprit.

Alderman and Sheriff Whetham and Sheriff John-
son, attended by Mr. Beard, the under-sheriff, came
to the gaol shortly before eight o'clock on Monday,
and were received by Mr. Jonas, the Governor, and
Mr. S. Smith, the Deputy-Governor of the prison,
who accompanied them to the cell where the con-
vict had been confined. Calcraft, the executioner,
and his assistant, were then introduced, and the
culprit submitted to the operation of pinioning
without snaking any observation. He went to
bed in Sunday night at an early hour, but
it appears that he only slept a very short time,
and, at times, he exhibited a good deal of emotion.
iii,' culprit walked up to the steps leading to the
seaffold, without any assistance and took his place
under the beans, apparently almost mechanically. The
o ordinary remained praying with him a short time, and
after the asp had been drawn over his face, the culprit
exclaimed in a loud voice, " Lord, do forgive me---do
forgive me." The drop then fell, and he appeared to
be dead in an instant.

No one was present at the execution except the offi-
cials above-mentioned, and some of the representatives
of the press. After hanging for one hour the body was
cut down, and Mr. Gibson, the surgeon of the prison,
certified to the Sheriffs formally that the sentence had
lwen carried out, and that the culprit was dead.
At the moment the drop fell a black flag was hoisted
on the top of the gaol. Alth sigh, of course, nothing
but the black flag could he seen as connected with the
execution, a good many persons, some of whom were
in holiday attire for Whit-Monday excursions, as-
sembled outside the gaol during the hour the culprit
VMS hanging; but when the black flag was taken down
they disappeared.

In an article describing the execution, The Hour
remarks :--

" Full ninny thousands, men, women, and children, when
they lay slow', to rest on Sunday reusing looked anxiously
forward to the rising of the morrow's BUIL Pleasure and profit
were the thoughts that occupied their minds ; some eagerly
anticipating a long day of enjoyment, and others reckoning up
in advance the gain that could not fail to accrue to them
from theaholiday-makers' patronage. Hard toilers, who for
weeks had been saving up from their scanty earnings a few
shillings to be joyously squandered in a Miy of freedom, and
itinerant dealers who had long counted upon the golden
harvest such a slay could not fail to bring them, might be
classed as amongst the most anxious in looking fora aril to
the coming dawn. tut there was r o one in all the great
Metropolis to whom its ensiling was to be of more moment
than Jmnes Godwin, who lay in the condemned cell at New-
gate, and who on that bright summer morning, when so
many were to set off in the eager pumas of pleasure, was to
perish as a felon within the prison walls."

A corresissulent of the Daily Telegraph, who was
present at the service in the prison chapel, on Sunday,
writes as follows :

" Newgate chapel is lofty for its site. On the light of the
pulpit is a large gallery, entirely closed at the front by a thick
curtails, behind which sit all the female prisoners, Another
gallery opposite contains a division of the male convicts
with a warder sitting at each side of it. Beneath the
galleries are two other divisions of prisoners, the spec • on
either side below the front :d the galleries being divided
m the body of the chapel by heavy iron railings. In the
centre of the edifice sit the untried prisoners on black benches,
ale.. under the supervision of warders On the right of the
pulpit is a pew °coupled by the Governor of the gaol. Pro-
jecting from the walls on each side of the pulpit are two
small pews the one on the right is empty, the one on the left
is occupied by the sheriffs attending the service befor the exe-
cution. Just before service began a door opened, and a
single prisoner walked in, in charge of a warder. Ile was be-
low the middle height, and about twenty-seven years of age.
Godwin, for it was he, was very pale, and held down his head
at dressed in his own clothes, and not the prison dress, he
took his seat in a chair placed at the right hand of the pulpit
and reading-desk, while the warder seated himself in another
chair beside hint. The ordinary entered the reading-desk, and
the service began. It was read clearly and impressively.
The singing, which was led by a harmonium, was very
good, and most of the prisoners joined in it, The Ordinary
preached from the Bth chapter of the Romans, the 30th and
39th verses—' For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present
nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us from
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our
Lord.' The text, was, of course, chosen, and was
sermon preached, especially with reference to the ease of
the c•.ndemned man—although with-ut any personal allu-
sion to bin—the burden of It being comfort and hope beyond
the grave. When the sermon was ended Godwin was led
out first—still with the same downcast look—and the other
detachments of prisoners followed in their Intro, In no
church of the metropolis could a congregation have behaved
with more attention or more decorum."

There was a haul of about ten thousand mackerel on
Monday ,dose to the shore at Folkestone.

..
A tire broke out in a large warehouse in Liverpool,
on Tuesday, which was stored with cotton and oil cake. The
whole buildin4 was destroyed, and a Unman was danger-
owly injured by falling from a ladder.
Mr. Peek's offer of £5OO, to be given in prizes for
religious instruction, has been accepted by the London
School Board after many adjournments and much discussion.
How Sir Peek's design can be carried out in harmony with
the principles adopted by the hoard win be considered
by a committee. The resolution accepting the offer was
carried by twenty against five.