The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-15 00:00:00

LATE REPENTANCE.

(From the Cincinnati Commercial
Stephen Short and Wm. Henning were "hanged
by the neck until dead," at Greenurbarg, Ky., Friday
afternoon, at 1.40 o'cluck. Both had been hard drinking,
wonkier men, and had wives and children—the former a
large family, and both had committed murder. They were
tried, convicted, and sentenced during the November term
of the Oreenup County Court.
As they were given considerable time to prepare, they
spent the lint part of it in • shocking manner. Snort
blasphemed at the ministers who visited bun so horribly,
that they fled from his cell, and amused himself by hanging
rats, and speculating on the analogy between the death
struggles of those animals and men.
He swore that when he died, all he muted was ten feet
of rope in the clear, and fora band of music to play " Jor-
dan is • hard road to travel." When his legs were being
ironed, be said, " That's right,—oboe this old hose well,—
he's got a hard road to travel." Henning was more quiet,
but not less desperate. But about four weeks ego a change
came over the spirit of their dreams, and they gradually
became anxious inquirers, and losing all hope of pardon,
respite, or escape, they were glad to see the ministers, and
finally became zealous professors of religion, saying that
the fact that they were to be hang was the most fortunate
event of their lives. If they had not been found guilty of
murder, and doomed to banging, they expressed • belief that
they would have died drunkards and vagrants; now they
thought they were good Ctristians, and would be taken
from the gallows to Abraham's bosom.
Several ministers of the Methodist penuasion, among the
most constant and ardent of whom were two "slave
preachers" in Oreeaapeburg (i. e., coloured persons held as
naves, who are regular preachers of the gospel.) la Gruen-
arbors, whites and blacks, slaves and masters, belong
to the same church, and meet in the same hum of prayer.
At an early bur on Friday great crowds of people
gathered about the street corners of the town, where the
hengidg was to take place.
Meanwhile, half • dozen ministers were praying and
glens *neatly in jail with the men who were to suffer
the mee penalty of the law. The jail was a little hewn
leg egreetun, about 20 feet square, and a motley, Raping,,
atuldtads aseenebled around white the femoral services pro-
' gum& and never was heard more mournful music than
the teeseliar old Methodist hymns sung by broken voices in
thellr:f the doomed.
The was meted about 200 yards above the mouth
of Seedy, ead was simply formed by placing two
lottuetc,imely M the ground, and joining them by a
awewhich was about 10 feet long and 12 feet high.
The Matt "the hanging" was between 12 and 1, but
some delay took place at the jail. That institution wall so
constructed that the prisoners had to make their exit from
the second story, and descend tb the waggon, which was
"backed up" far their reception by an outside railway.
This afforded the surrounding crowd • good look at the
wretches, who, with ropes about their necks, and their arms
fastened tightly behind by the elbows, took seats on their
own codes, in a shackling old wood-waggon. One hun-
dred guard., in citizen's dress, and without weapons, sur-
rounded the vehicle, and the dismal array moved towards
the scaffold. Short appeared cheerful, and spoke in hearty
tones to his old acquaintances. Henning was trembling
with fear, and silent, while his eye was unsteady, and
glared bare and there, like a frightened 'sisal's. The
gallows was so placed that on one side was • hill, affording
thousands of persons • fair view of the deplorable spectacle.
When the waggon reached the spot, • minister beside the
jrisoner commenced • hymn, but only two or three voices
oined him, aad the singing was feeble, broken, but ices-
preseibly sorrowful. When the last an had ften sobbed
forth, the condemned kneeled and beat over their codas,
and the minister offered a prayer. During these ceremo-
nies the great multitude collected around (the number un-
mated at six thousand) was awed into stillness profound as •
breeselairsummer wilderness.
When the prayer was over, Short spoke as follows :—"
want all of you to take warning by me. See what whisky
and bad wawa have brought me to. I have been to a good
many hanging scrapes myself, and thought it woe great
fun,lPut I never thought I'd be hung myself. This is the
work of Capt. Whisky. lam willing to die for the life of
the man that I took. Talk of pleasure—l have tried all
kinds of it about shanties drunk, and everywhere else, but
I have had more real pleasure up in that old jail, than ever
before in all my life; and chains on my legs—big, heavy
chains at that. I just took off this old coat, and whipped
Satan clam out, fair. I've made my election sure, I
think. Tee, oil, I think my election is sere. [Some one
in the crowd celled out, If you are safe, I don't
think there is much danger for the ran of us.'] I
am perfectly willing to die. The man you have got
in jail for aiding me is perfectly innocent, and ought to be
let go; but that Blair deserves all I've got. [Blair was
' the man who told him to shoot.] He was as ninon to blame
as I wee."

Some one inquired—" Are you willing to die, Stave
Said he—. Yes ; I hate this world and my own life ; " and
he continued with an air that was nearly milting—. and
Pm ping to leave it ; I'll be is Paradise before sundown.
Now, farewell, farewell; meet me in the other world. I
want to see you all in Heaves." An old man somewhat
drunk, pressed upon him. Short said, " Whisky brought
as to this—l ezpect you along in a few days."
Henning then, quaking in every limb, got up and said—
" I had% got anything spinet any man in the world, and
I hope nobody's got salvia:lg against me now."
Short repeated this remark. Large numbed of hie ao-
quaintances crowded about, shaking hands with him and
Wan questions, until the last moment. He knew all his
old friend', and ezehanged smiles and words of good will
with them until the white cap was tied down over his fad.
He stood up firmly as the waggon was driven away, and
said at that instant, very distinctly—" Farewell, • all my
friends"—when the fatal noose checked his utterance.

Our government is understood to bays concluded
contracts with various houses in Umlaut for the delivery of
large quantities of salt neat.
DISCONTINUANCI OF INTERMENTS IN CHURCH
VArms.—The parochial authorities of Islington have re-
ceived notice, under the Metropolitan Barials Act, that for
the protection of the public health interments are to be
wholly discontinued forthwith in the vaults under All
Sainte Church, Holy Trinity Church, and flt. John's
Upper Holloway, is is patislz of St. Kay, Wastes.