The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-01-17 00:00:00

TRIPLE EXECUTION AT GLOUCESTER.

At eight o'clock on Monday morning two men and
a woman underwent the extreme penalty of the law
within the walls of the Coma' y Prison. The culprits
were—Charles Edward Butts a young farmer, 22
years if age, who hod been convicted at the Glom
cester Winter Aseizte of the wilfnl murder of Amelia
Siditia Phipps, at Arlinghsm, on Stimlav, the 17th of
Ant not lost; and Edwin Bsiley, aged 32, a Ira 'esman,
in busimee at the time of his appreheneion ma boot and
ohm maker, anti Anne If any, ford 31, charwoman,
both of whom were convicted at the name wee of the
wilful murder of Sarah Jenkins, the illegitimate infant
of Bsitey, at II .rlield, near Brietol, also on Souday,
the 17th of August. The forte in ea-lo case have been
fully reported in the pewees, and therefore, a verjebriet
recapitu'ation of them will serve to bring them to the
remeruhrance of our madame
Charles Edward Butt lived with his widowed mother
at Arliegham, Gtoureetervitine and mewed her some-
what exteniive farm, on which the family, consisting of
rime tun or eleven children, of whom prison.r was the
eldest, was depeedent. Mies Phihps &Mid as boast.
keeper to her brother, who owe pis d a nei ghtion ring farm,
and Mr. Butt, who conceived a paiisionate love fir her,
endeavoured to win her sffectione. The young lady, how.
ever, although 'he appeared to favour his attentione to
some xtent, refused to marry him, onii 00 Sued sy even.
hz, the 17th of Anglia, isf,r they hail speet the iisy
bother in company with Immerses friends, Butt, who
dui leg the intetcourse of the d ty had vatu'y urged hie
suit, drew the deceased to a Pivot white he had concealed
a gin on the lawn of her brutlasee house, and there
shot her in the fans and neck, calming iuj Him of
which she died in a few minutes. He then made his
escape, but was eventually captured in communes of
information obtained from some letter, Rent to his
friends, and which were elsverly intercepted by Mr.
Grlike, deputy chief constableof Glousestsrehl e. After
his conviction a petition, dents] by nearly 9,000 per-
was prevented to the Ilium Sento:my, prec.ing
for a commutation of the sentence on the grimed of in-
melt, ; but although the petition was supported by
Sir W. GUiPr, foremen of the grand jury, by the whole
of the jury who triid the Cal by the liihip and Dean
of Gloucester, by Biehop Claughton, and phsented by
Lord Fitzhardinge, Mr. Lowe, after consulted n with
the learned juice who tried the ems, failed to discover
any reason oo which to recommend her Majesty to
exercise the Royal prerogative of mercy.

The circumsancs if the other care are of a more
revolting and complicated character. The prisoners
were convicted, after two daya' trial, upon purely cir-
cumstantial evidence. The man Bailey seduced a
young woman named Jenkins, who visited his shop for
her mistress, and she berm him an idegitinnate child,
for which he was a ijudged to pay ss. per week. fie,
however, denied the parentage, and offered to give Ids.
o the first person who brought him tidings of the death
of the child. annals time after its birth a woman called
on the mother and grandmother of the coild, pro-
fessed to take deep intereet in its welfare, "because
it was Co mach like her own dear little one she
had recently let;" at one time ehe wikhed to adopt
it ; she frequently took it out with her mid made it
small presents, and eventually, while the child was suf-
fering from teething, she auggested tnat St, edman's
soothing powders should be Oven it, and any, hinted
that some powders might be sent by a lady from a
Dorcas S, eiety. In the cooree f hr vjeater 'led
over several months, she denied all knowledge of Bailey,
but etolionily avoided giving her own name. Sae, how-
' ever, was regarded as a benefactress, and when, a day or
two after her last visit, a packet of what purported o be
St eedmares powders were rent in the name of a lady from
a Dorcas society, one of them was adminiatered to the
ohilid. In a few mioutoe Aftorwarcle it WM a corpse,

Suspicion wan excited, inquiries were instituted,
and it turned oat that the child had been poisoned by
Mr, all WO, of which it was found the powdersenclosed '
in Steedulan's papers wee largely composed. It w,
proved at the trial on the evidence of an expert, M. '
Chabot, that the note aocompanytng the noun:hare wise '
in Bailey's handwriting. as was also the-address on the '
envelope in which it was ecoloee I, although an attempt
had been made to disguise the writing both in the note
an'l on the envelope. The woman, woo hod vidted the
child, tura. d out to he Barry, who en far from not know-
ing anytoing of Bailey, was in his employ and bad been
for several months ; and when apprehended, she stated
that ehe had been engaged by Bailey to trek the
child in order to discover, if porsible, its real father.
Oo this evidence, the jury came to the conclusion
that the prisoner had cunningly contrived to acoom•
plish the deroh of the child in order to relieve Bailey of
the responsibility of keeping it, and convicted them 1
wilful murder, but recommended them both to mersy
and the woman strongly so. In thin case 11.1. X
numeronely-signed petitions were presented to the
Home Secretary praying for a commutation of the
sentence. en the ground principally of the slender
character of the evidence connecting the prisoners with
the crime with which they were charged. Mr. Lowe,
h iwever, declined to interfere with the course of the
law, and informed the memorialiatn that he had failed
to discover any reasons for so doing.
The conduct of the prisoners after their condemna-
tion was quite consistent with the serious position in
which they were placed. Butt, from the time of his
1 teat incarceration, has had the advantage of the
' spiritual instruction of the Dean of Gloucester, in ad-
dition to thoee of the present chaplain, the Rev. H. G.
Layton. Bailey wanan Atiteilt, but in the prospect of
death he saw reason to alter his views, and has re.
epectfuly listened to the spiritual ad vie of the
chaplain, and has sought the servioes of the Scripture
Reader in Gcucester. The nuhapt y woman Barry,
although somewhat flippant immediately after the
passing of sentence, died thoroughly penitent, and it is
beli,ved with a fall reuse of the mercy of God.
All the prisoners slept well on Sunday n'gbe, rove
early the next morning, nod spent much time with the
prig in chaplain. The proceedings on the so if ild
occupied a few minutes only, and all the prisoners di 1
, quickly, the woman only exhibiting any gigue of gaffer.
ing. All prayed audibly, and Barry frequently bade
farewell to those around her. She and Bailey made a
, full confession of their yuilt, acknowledged the justice
of their sentenca ; but they did not do the until
the very last. Bailey was the first to make a confession.
On leaving the dock, atter the passing of the sen-
tence, Bailey pot bin linger to his mouth, which the
woman took as a sign of secrecy, and Roe faithfully
adhered to it, refusing to say anything until she knew
wlo tier Illaiiey bad made a confession, and it was not
, until she was told that Bailey hail etated every thing
that she admitted her complicity in the crime. Bailey
strictly enjoined the chaplain not to divulge the details
of his confession; but he adhered to the last to a state-
ment that the policeman and another witness had
committed perjury In important parts of the evidence.
He further stated that the woman was a tool
In his hands. Bailey has made presents of religious
books to his friends and that to his wife is accompanied
by a most affecting lettor. Butt died thoroughly
penitent, and acknowledged the justice of his sentence.
His mother and sisters took their farewell of him on
. Sunday. Bailey's wife 9.1.0 did so on the same day.
Mr. Arkday, M. A. Stoughton, E-q., the Sheriff, and
Mr. Burton, the under-sheriff, were present at the
1 execution, as well as a large number of medical men,
besides about 59 other persons and the reporters.
Anderson, of Liverpool, was the executioner.