The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-09-06 00:00:00

RESPITE OF DR. ShIETHURST.

It will, we think, be with • feeling of relief, says the
Tinws, of Saturday, that the publicwill learn the respite
of Hr. Sniethunit, who, if law hal been allowed to take
its course, would have been executed on Tuesday (this
day), for the murder of Isabella Sankey,
After • careful consideration of the evidence takes at
the trial, al well as of the opinions which since the
trial have been elicited from the most eminent medical
men, that the death of Miss Bankes might possibly hays
been produced by natural causes, it has been decided to
respite the primmer during Her Majesty's pleasure, and
this respite will probably result in • commutation of the
capital sentence.
A communication to this effect was made to the High
Sheriff on Friday. and the welcome news was, of
course, inmedisteiy transmitted to the prisoner.

The greatest anxiety appears to exist in the public
mind as to the ultimate fate of Dr. Smethurst, but,
of course, no determination has yet been come to upon
the subject, and probably will not be for a consider-
able time, all that is at present known being that, the
execution of the capital sentence having been respited
during Her Majesty's pleasure, the life of the culprit
will undoubtedly be spared, and his fate is entirely in
the hands of the Home Secretary, or rather of the
advisers of the Crown in them matters.

It would seem that the reprieve was quit. unexpected
by the gaol authorities, and that the prisoner himself,
although he still continued to exhibit a good deal of that
confident demeanour that he Min shown throughout the
entire proceedings, evidently had sonic misgivings as to
the result. It vu expected by himself and those who
have taken an active part in the proceedings to obtain •
respite that if • reprieve was panted it would not be
delayed beyond the middle of the week ; and when that
period passed over, and Thursday and Friday arrived
and no cominunicatiGn was received from the Govern-
ment, the hopes of the prisoner and his friends became
fainter, and it MU the general impression up to the
afternoon .4 Friday that the sentence would be carried
out. So strong was this impression upon the minds of
the officers of the prision that on Friday morning orders
were given that the scaffold and the drop and all the
apparatus connected with the gallows should be carefully
1. xunitled to see that it was in proper order to perform
its dreadful task. It has not been used for several
years, and the whole of the framework Is kept in the
entrance-lodge of the gaol, and, having lain by so long
it was thougt.t that possibly some of the joints might
not be in working order, and therefore the precaution
was taken to have it examined, and this was done, sad a
report was made to Mr. Keene, the governor of the
gaol, that the scaffold would be ready if required, and all
the different portions of the erection were laid ready to
be put up on Monday morning.
During the early part of the week Dr. Smethurst sp-
pesred in extraordinary spirits. It has already been
gated that he is watched day and night by two of the
warden i of the prison, who take it by turns to perform
this duty. Ile converses with these men in the most
friendly manner, and lass frepiently joked upon differ.
cut subjects. With the chaplain, the surgeon, and
every official connected with the prison he has always
appeared most anxious to converse upon the subject of
his alleged crime, arguing with great apparent earnest-
ness and sincerity upon the folly of it being supposed
that he should commit such a dreadful murder for the
sake of obtaining • few hundred pounds, when lie had an
ample sufficien..7 for all his want., and beside, which,
the deceased would have willingly given him the money
if he had asked her to do so. lie has all along appeared
in extraordinary spirits, and it was not until the week
wore away and the day fixed for the execution of the
sentence became nearer and nearer that his appearance
and demeanour were at all altered, and then only to a
trifling extent. _
_

The Rev. Mr. Jesaopp, the chaplain of the prison, re-
mained at Horsemonger-lane Gaol considerably longer
than his ordinary time for attendance on Friday, in the
event of any communication arriving from the Home-
office, that he might make it known to the prisoner,
and be left the prison under the full impression that no
respite would be sent that day. Shortly afterwards,
however, a messenger arrived, bearing the reprieve,
which was addressed to the governor, and Mr. Keeno
" ediately proceeded to the pnsoner's cell and commu-
nicated to him the welcome intelligence, at the samo
time explaining to him that it was not a respite for any
particular ',cried, which would still render his ultimate
fate uncertain, but that the effect of a reprieve during
Her Majesty's pleasure was that his life would certainly
be spared. Dr. Smethurst did not betray such ematicia
as might have been expected under the cireutuatenease
hut lie shook hands with the governor, and in an ear-
' nest manner asserted his entire iIIDOOIIOOI of the 'rime fur
which he was eoudemned to die, and added, "What •
dreadful thing it would have been to die an run.d
death for a crime that was never ooremitred
There is very little doubt that the friends afg.l=
sonar will exert themselves to proems • Weal
of punishment, so the ground than as lb. °°"lnahm-
lo•
-t.
by refusing to allow the o=lessiessee :6,
.7,,
out, admit that there an of his n
and be
easier ought to bays the bomb of Noss
abosighse giagisrgoi trwo rwildehmeni•