The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-01-16 00:00:00

When the gove-roor of the gaol coeamasiaeted.to 111

the faot of his haring received the warrant for his me-
ontioa from the sheriff, he addressed the governor in the
sans affected tom of yoke 1 whkdi bo spoke daring the
and said, " Major Banister, will you favour me
with a sight of the dorsoneat by whieb a fellow-creature
is to be conveyed to another world r Major
handed him the warrant, which merely formally Metes
that the prisoner was convisted is dm forts of law
of the crime of wilful murder, and that he wee there-
upon ordered to be banged by the neck mail be was
dead, and that ibis sentence was to be carried out on the
lith of January; and Soother very serially perused
handed it back to Major Bannister, and mailed, but did
aot make say further observation.

There canbe no doubt, whatever may be thi opinion
focused with referees* to the sanity or Insanity of the
prisoner, that down to tbe very latest moment of hie
est:deuce be setertained • sinews belief that be was not
guilty of any mime in destroying the lives of his victims,
and that he also eonsidered that it was for their good
that he should destroy them. On Benday, before the
sonsmireeement of Divine service in the shaped, he rose,
and addressing his fello• prisoners, said: " My fellow-
men and brethren,—l feel that it nets on ma se • most
110i4M111 duty to the Creator, as well as a moat high duty
towards you, that, I should make a deoluatioes of the
Great Father of the Universe baying been moil graci-
ously and most mercifully pleased to direct as. to the
belief of the Divinely inspired truths of the Bible. I
therefore some hipe to-day sad desire to make an ac-
knowledgement a all any faults end join with you in
the public worship of Almighty God. I desire aloe to
acknowledge openly that the overwhelming roses of
troubles to which I have been subjected, and which
have been the enacts of brines( me to • sad and un-
timely wed, are clearly traceable to my baying lost is
my earlier years the gaidieg sad soolblag belief is the
truths of the Christian reliant. And I desire to ac-
knowledge, before all moo, my heartfelt sod deeply
sorrowful sense of my utter ninfulso. end worthless-
eies." Having mile this statement in a load and di..
theft voice the prisoner sat down sad appeared to pay
deep attention to the @orrice.
In the enures of • convenation the eulpeit bad with
the Rev. Mr. Woohner, oa Monday, the latter inquired
of hiss wboalwir be •okeowledged the sinfelnees of the
crimes for which be wee shoot to suffer. "My NMI,"
said the culprit, "La petting my three adopted Widnes
sad Mrs. Forsrood and my daughter to death were attri-
butable to mei, es which, so far as I coo by the keenest
selfcaelysis determine, were of • virtuosi eharacter ;
bet I now feel that all human motives are sinful,
and I seknowiedge every set of my life to be • sin.
I believe ell tsunami actions to be Mahal, even those
which, according to the human standard, are considered
to be virtuous.* Mr. Woolliesr thee asked him whether
be acknowledged the justices of the ietileses of Use law,
and be replied in an emphatic manner that he did not
do so, observing at the same time that he considered his
ads should be measured by some higher standard than
human laws.

The eulpritseesas to have entirely subdued the feeling
of aairsosity he entertained towards Lcrd Dudley, and
be has written • letter to that nobleman entreating him
so forgive him for any annoyance or trouble be may
have coomioned him. He hes also made a partisalar
request that if any of his written itatement. should be
made public everything contained in them likely to be
otteeekte to kb s lordship sbonid be suppremsd.
The chaplain did not leaie the culprit until half-pact
ten o'clock on Wednesday night and he then com•
menoed verities, and was go engaged until twelve o'clock,
and it appeared as awash be would have eat eye writing
mush longer. He was, however, not permitted to do
so, and the writing materials and papers were taken
from him, and this appeared to exoire him. He, how-
ever, shortly afterwards west to bed and slept soundly
for several hours. He was visited by Mr. Wool mar at
eight o'clock on Thursday morning, and the prisoner
then appeared a good deal agitated, and complained of
the writing materials and his papers having been taken
away from him on the previous night. These papers
were retraced to him, and among them wee a cog letter
to Mrs-White, which be solemnly committed to the care
of the ohapialn, to be delivered to her in the event of
her returning from Laetrile to this country. He talked
In a somewhat rambling manner, and said he had been
afraid, or that he was in veal danger of his transition
from this world to the preemie of his Father, being •
harried, confused sad scrambling departure, and that
he should not be ambled to realise the eolernoity of
what he was about to undergo. He then said that he
was most desirous of recanting the charges he had made
trainee moiety, and he was deeply Mouthful to all those
who had preyed for him.
After be had finished the letter to Mrs. White, the
culprit continued in earnest prayer with the Bev. Mr.
r dorm to the period appointed for the meat-
tion. Mr. F. Boadamore, the under-sheriff of the county
of Kent, accompanied by some of Ms °Matra, arrived at
the gaol • few minutes before twelve o'clock, and they
at ones proceeded to the cell where the praorate was
oonAned, end announced to him that the fatal moment
bad arrived. After the culprit bad been pinioned by
Caloraft, who was assisted on this occasion by Smith,
who acts as executioner at Stafford and in the midland
canaties, the prisoner asked permission to ay • few
words, and he then exclaimed, in an audible voice, "I
desire to my in presence of you who are now assembled,
and in the promoise of Almighty God, into whose im-
mediate presence I am now about to depart, that I die
trusting only to the merits of the God-roan Jesus
Christ." As he was preceeding to the scaffold the
prisoner prayed audibly; and just before be was placed
upon the drop he shook hands with Major Boroister,
and also with the chaplain, and requested the latter, se
• last favour when be was upon the scaffold, that he
would only utter the 1012016011 of prayer which be should
dictate to him, which was, "Lord, into Thy hands we
commend the soul of this our brother, for thou Last re-
deemed him, 0 Lord, thou God of Truth." The
prisoner said that his reuse for this was that be wished
to concentrate the whole powers of his soul and spirit
into one mighty sot of volition and rendering himself op
to God in the words be mentioned. This request was,
of course, eccoplisd with, and almost at the iostant the
prayer was uttered the drop fell, and the culprit, after
a vary short struggle, ssai to slid.

During the Lett.t. day. of his existence all the self -
commit that had been previously exhibitot by the
culprit entirely loft him. and he must undoubtedly,
under any eintomittaneee. be regarded as • most sates-
ordinary criminal. It appears that the may education
he ever moved was at a penny-a-vvek school, and it
appears surprising ho. be should have obtained the
acquirements w bath he undoubtedly pommeed. The
°Onion of every one who haa tome into communication
with him appears to be that it be had bad the benefit of
a good education hie talents would have bean something
extraordinary.

The weithir at the time of the execution was most
inalwateet—it wee snowing and thereon. a ferns gale of
mod, This will propably sooonot for the comparatively
small number al person* who were present at the cis.
outtoo, who did sot exceed 500, and It is a creditable
(sot that there were very few women among the crowd.
A rather ouriouc incident occurred at the moment of
the elocution. The mournful procession it was arranged
should start from the cell at shout three minute. to the
hour of twelve, which woo the Mine appointed for the
execution, and upon arriving at the foot of the drop it
wanted one minute to twelve by the prison clock. The
culprit was then pinioned. but upon the under-sheriff
looking at the dock again the band was still at the POMO
:mt.,At the very instant the snow, which, as above
, was falling in ler,' 11.1ces, had arrested the
miner* hand and the clock, and the execution Goan-
quietly took place before the appointel hour had Areal.
Bys rather curious coincident*, the town cloak outside
the Court-house, in the High-street, also stopped at the
same time and from the same cease.

As upon former owniaioos, the scaffold was hang
round with black cloth to work a height that when the
drop feU only just the top of the culprit's head was
visible to the crowd. The body, if tor hanging one hour,
was sat doors and a oast of the bead was taken, lath.
afternoon the body was huried within the walls of the
gaol, in pennants of the sentence.