The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-04-23 00:00:00

&MEWS CONFESSION AND

EXECUTION.

The Home Secretary was unable to find sufficient
grounds for interfering with the sentence on Curren,
the Hoxton murderer, and he paid the penalty of his
crime at Newgate on Monday morning.
An attempt was made to obtain a respite on the
ground of insanity, and Dr. Savage, one of the
physicians of Bethlehem Hospital, visited the pri-
soner in company with the medical officer of the
prison, Dr. Gitbert. After an hour's conversation
with the culprit, they came to the conclusion that he
was perfectly sane. The same day the unhappy man
was visited by his parents for the last time.
It is satisfactory to learn that Carrell made a full
confession of the crime in a statement which he pre-
pared on Sunday. and which was handed by the Rev.
Mr. Duffield to Colonel Milman, the governor. In
this statement he fully admits the justice of his sen-
tence, aid said that jealousy was the cause of the
murder. He purchased the revolver only a very short
time before. There was, he said, no quarrel between
the unhappy girl and himself, and he fired the
weapon without a word being said. After the murder
he proceeded to his father's house, and threw the
pistol into the canal on the way.
Shortly before eight o'clock on Monday morning
Mr. Sheriff Kirby arrived at the prison, and, accom-
panied by the Under-Sheriffs, proceeded to the pri-
soner's cell. While Berry was pinioning him Mr.
Kirby asked if he wished to say anything, to which he
replied, "No, I thank you, sir." He walked to the
scaffold firmly, and death appeared to have been
instantaneous. As usual a number of persons
assembled outside the prison to see the black flag
hoisted.

The following is a copy of the written confession I
of Currell : "I have been for a long time accustomed '
to taking drugs, and have had frequent bouts of
drunkenness. One of these bouts commenced about
a week before the murder, when I was engaged in
removing the furniture of Mrs. Green's daughter-1u
law. During the whole of the su ceeding week I
had very few sensible moments, and if I were to
have my liberty for it I have not the slightest recol-
lection of how I spent the whole of that week. The
Sunday before the murder, that is Jan. 30, was my
clearest day, and I then attended Green-lanes
Chapel, the deceased accompanying me to that place
of worship. But after that day, and for the whole
of the rest of the week, I did nothing hut loaf about
public-houses drinking. On Wednesday night, Feb.
2, I was so drunk that I scarcely knew what I was
doing, but I remember passing a shop in Bishops-
gate-street, where I saw a revolver in the window. I
thought from the price marked on it that it was very
cheap, and all at once I felt I should like to have it,
and I went in and bought it. There was a reason for
my buying it, as you will see hereafter, and that
reason was increased by my drunken frenzy. I had
never had a weapon of the kind in my hand before,
and when in a public-house I tried to load it. On
leaving that house and on my way home the revolver
went off, and caused great consternation in the locality
where it was accidentally discharged. When I got
home 1 tried to load the weapon again, but I got it
"bunged" up, and could do nothing with it, so I put it
in my pocket. On Friday—that is the day before the
murder-1 went back to the shop where I bought the
weapon and asked the man who sold it to me to show
me how to load it. He called his assistant, showed
him the revolver, which was still " bunged " up, and
they laughed together at the clumsy way in which I had
tried to load it. To get rid of the charge the shopkeeper
discharged the weapon down the cellar, which was
behind the counter, and he told me after he had done
this that I had had a narrow escape, for it was a
wonder the revolver had not gone off in my pocket
and killed me. Having been shown how to load the
pistol and how to manage it, I put it into my pocket
and went away. At that very time I had no inten-
tion of doing any harm with it, although the reason
for which I had bought it was constantly coming up
in my mind. I had walked out with deceased every
night for the week. We had no quarrel, and no cross
words passed between us, although I owed her a
grudge. We seemed, however, to be on the best of
terms, and she seemed to be as true as steel to me. I
loved her with all my heart, and up to within a short
time of the murder I had no idea of taking her life
any more than I had that of the greatest stranger.
This I solemnly avow as if I were standing at the
Judgment Seat of God. On the night before the
murder, Friday, Feb. 4, I left her apparently on the
best of terms. After we had parted I went to
drink at a public-house until closing time, when
I was turned out. Although at the time I was
close to my lodgings, I went wandering along
the City-road, and here I met a woman whom I
knew named Kate, and I went home with her. In
the morning after leaving her house I wandered on
until I met Attrell. I did not go to meet him, nor
aid I know the hour at which he left home to attend
his work. Before I met him I had no intention of
going to Mrs. Green's, but the moment I recognised
him I thought I would like to go and see Lydia. I
at once asked Attrell to lend me his key, which
he readily did, and with this I let myself in at the
front door, and went straight to Lydia's room. When
I entered the room I went up to her and we kissed
each other. She then turned round to do something
having her back towards me. She said, "Tom, what
have you come here so early for?" I did not answer
her, but at once, without pausing to consider what I
was doing, drew the revolver out of my pocket. It
was loaded, and as I cocked it deceased apparently
heard the "click," for she turned round and
faced me. I at once discharged the weapon
at her, and she fell instantly on the
firing of the first shot. I fired twice more towards
her while she lay on the ground, but I did this
aimlessly, and I did not know, until I heard the evi-
dence at the trial, where the other two shots struck
her, or, in fact, whether they struck her at all. lat
once hastily left the house and slammed the door
after me. As I went on I threw the revolver into
the Regent's Canal, but whether it fell into the water
or alighted on a barge Ido not know. How I spent
my time after this until Thursday, Feb. 10th, all
came out in evidence. On the evening of that day I
went to 37, Crane-grove, Highbury, where there was
a ticket in the window "Lodgings for single men." I
applied for apartments, and after looking at a room I
paid is. 6d. deposit and went away. I told them I
was going to pack my box, and to send it to Crane-
grove by Carter and Paterson. Later on I returned
to my new lodgings, and after having had supper I
went to bed about eight o'clock. I told the landlady
I was working at Roberts's furnishing shop, in Upper-
street, Islington, and that I should be a permanent
lodger. I also told her that I had just left em-
ployment at Maple's. I went out on Friday, Feb.ll,
and walked about all day. At six in the evenine I
went home to tea, and after partaking of that meal I
went to bed. On Saturday, the 12th, I went out at
nine o'clock, and returned in the afternoon at four.
This was my worst day of all. I felt terribly nervous
and had nothing to eat—in fact, I could not eat, and
went upstairs and laid down on the bed. I was almost
crazy, and the landlady noticed it, so I told her that
I had had a nasty fall from a pair of steps on which
I was working. About ten o'clock a letter, which I
had previously posted to myself in the name of
Thomas Morton, arrived for me. I was upstairs, and
the landlord came up and knocked as my door. He
then opened the door sharply, which startled me
dreadfully,as I thought it was the police. I made a start
as if to get out of the room,when-I saw who it was. I
told the landlord the letter was about my box, but he
seemed to disbelieve me, as the address on the enve-
lope was written in pencil. On Sunday, Feb. 13.1
stayed at home all day, and went to bed early. On
the Monday evening, when I came home, I said I
was unwell, and went to bed at seven o'clock. On
the Tuesday morning, Feb. 15, the day on which I
gave myself up, a fellow lodger asked me for some
cough mixture which I had promised to get for
for him. I told him I had not purchased
the mixture, but that I would get it for him that
day. He gave me 6d. to pay for the mixture, and
I asked him to lend me 6d. as I had no change.
He very kindly lent me the money, and with this
shilling I went and got a good breakfast, after which
I started for the spot I had indicated where I would
give myself up, when I was apprehended. The
motive I had for committing the murder was
jealousy, and from the following it will be seen that
that jealousy was well-founded. For some past, after
I had left Lydia at night, I had noticed a man hang-
ing about her house, and two or three times I hid
under the shadow of a doorway. I then noticed the
man go to the door of Mrs. Green's house, and whistle.
The door was then opened by someone,who I thought
was the deceased. I more than once doubled sharply
back, and the man always ran away. .'his happened
on three or four occasions. I also went down to
Walthamstow two or three times to see if I could
find out who the man was, but I was never able to do
so."