The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-27 00:00:00

(IT ILLICTRIC

STAFFORD, TrEsui

The condemned convicts Hale and Brougb;er.
both hanged this morning. Six thousand persons were
present. Bale persisted in his innocence to the last, tut
Brough confused his guilt.

Stough was terribly prostrate after taking final leave of
his relatives, who visited him about midday yesterday—La
cousin sod two female friends. Hale was visited yesterday
afternoon by his sister, his brother•in-law, and two other
relatives, but he persisted throughout a long, and we mei
hardl► say a most painful interview, in denying his 0,11;
and protesting most solemnly that if ever an innocent nisa
was banged at Stafford, he was that man.

THE CONDEMNED CRIMINAL IN SPRING.
FIELD GAOL.

To-morrow (Wednesday) morning, at 9
the unhappy crimioal,FranciaWane, under sentenced dent
in Springfield gaol for the murder of Amelia Lint ht
Chadwell-heath, will expiate his offence on the g 511...,
at the hands of Calcraft, the common hangman. Tea
moo, we learn, have written to the officials offering
their services as hangmen one of whom, da from
Gray's-inn-rood. states he haii the " promise of a job' foal
the governor of another county gaol, while the other Weft
to undertake the awful task for " it, and railway ex.
ponies." We have heard no confirmation of the rtirt.,.tr
current last week, that a petition praying for the ref tier..
of the unhappy man was in the course of signature, and
from the first not the slightest probability has existed ef
soy commutation of the sentence. The imier.d.e7.4
(T. M. Gepp, Eng.) has more than once impressed •Jpon
that there is oo hope for him in this world, and end...nu-red
to awaken his mind to a sense of his true position.

The prisoner continues to eat and 'drink well, .4
readily converses with the warden. He states that Ilr.
Bowen, the surgeon, was wroog when be said there sere
three wounds oo the deceased's neck u he only made two,
and to the chief warder he thus described the circumstances
of the crime—" When I s►w she was in the kitchen wiob:ts
at the boiler, I slipped in behind her as quietly a, I
could. I bad the knife in my right hand, and I
threw my left arm round her heed. She turned her bead
half round sod ' Good God, Toddy, what are ,ee
doing here? I did not answer, but cut her throat,
making two wounds_ Sbe struggled sad got boll of the
copper to get from me before I cut her the second Cm.;
but I did it, and then left her. She pulled the Waiter
off the copper side in trying to pull herself back from my
pup." Wane continues to pay respectful attention to
the mioistratious of the chaplain, and seems folly alive to
the heinousness of his crime. He is evidently of s 100
grade of humanity.
In several of the neighbouring places of worship the
mien of the congregation. h►ve been asked by the mi.
nisters on behalf of the unhappy man, and there will be a
special service in St. John's Church, lloulsham, during the
execution,

On Sunday the condemned sermon wee preached t r the
chaplain, the Hey. G. B. Hamilton, and the condec.net
man received the holy communion. Since his modems.
tion a great number of tracts and religious works have leen
sent to him by different persons, one lady in particular
writing him a long letter exhortang him to penitence aud
resignation. Yesterday (Monday) morning he was via.ted
by his eldest brother and his brother-in-law, being the tint
time he has been seen by his friends since his triaL the
interview, which lasted shout half-an-hour, was • most
affecting one, the unhappy man espreesing much sorrow for
his crime and appearing quite resigned to hi Lite.—E z
He rold.

SHOCKING MURDER AT PORTSLADK .VEAR
BRIGHTON.

The usually quiet village of Portalade, between
three and four miles from Br lattice, was the 'ease of a de-
liberate murder oo Cbriatmas Eve. It appears that a num-
ber of labourers were carousing in a cottage occupied up
John Coon, who has been a cripple since childhood, and
who is unmarried, and lives alone in the tenement in
Con. Amoaget the company was a man named Joseph
Sharp, farm labourer to Mr. Iludsoo, of Blatchingtoa, with
his wife and daughter, and during some " chaffing' Sharp
provoked Coons to use some vile words. Sharp re.
tainted by sundry slight blows on Comm, who sat
perched on his beech by the window. Coon became
exasperated, and cried to Sharp. with au oath, " If you do
that again I'll do for you." The company do uot ap-
pear to have interposed between the men, but contiwied
their orgies. In the beat of the altercation Coons sprang
from his bench, and, hopping to the door of the washing-
house adjoining the kitchen, seized a gun which lay con-
venient at hand against the wall, and which was loaded and
capped. Taming suddenly round he hopped towards Sharp,
and taking deliberate array shot the ill-fated man through
the bead. Death was instantaneous. As may be imagined,
the wife and daughter were horror-stricken ; and those pre.
sent instantly deprived the murderer of his gun, and secured
him until the arrival of Police.coustable &Mope, of the
Sussex constabulary, who, heanag the report of firearms,
hastened to the house.

It, the meantime information was seat to Sergeant Bald.
win at Preston. He repaired to Portalade at an early hoar
in the morning, and received the murderer in custody. A
horse and cart having been procured, Coons was conveyed to
Hove police station, and locked up on a charge of wilful
murder.

loom, who is about 33 years of age, is a perfect criprle,
having lost the use of his Inaba which are doubled under
his haunches, by accidentally drinking a quaotity of vitriol
when a child. Four or five years ago Le kept a horse and
cart, and sustained himself by carrying wools, , between
Portslade and Brighton. He is, however, strong and mus-
cular in body, remarkable for strength sad length of arm.
His cottage has long been famed as a rendezvous for men
ejected from the village public-house at unreasonable
hours and, being passionate in temper, he inspired fen
amongst his associates by carrying loaded fire-arms, nod
has often threatened the lives of persona who have aroused
his anger.—Siesecr ddrertistr.

A MAN CHOKED IN • COFFEE-SHoP.--(THIS DAY.)
—This morning • wethdressed man entered the coffee-shop
kept by Mr. Vousden, Chichester-place, St. Pancras, and
called fur and was supplied with • lAefoteak and other
refreshmeat. Whilst partaking of the steak he .:ut off 6
large piece and attempted to swallow it before it was in&
Metal, masticated and it stuck in his threat and eboi.ed
him. Every means were adopted to didodge it, but without
avail, and he was then removed to the Royal Fees Hospital,
Gray's-inn-rued. He was at once seen by Mr. .1. 1111.
the resident medical officer, and Mr. H. T. Marriott., the
house-surgeon, and the throat wan opened and artlicial
respiration resorted to, but without avail. The deceioel,
who wore a moustache, was between 30 and 40 years of
age, and from the papers found on him it is thought be
by trade a carpenter.
ALLILIED CHILD MURDER AT TinsaL.—Yester-
day (Monday) the Think magistrates were occupied several
hours in hearing • case of child murder preferred against
• young girl named Elisabeth Gibson, 19 year* of age, •
mattes of Ripon, and a charge of siding and abetting against
Mr. George Fox, an old man, a butcher, at Srwerhy.
is whose service the girl had lived last yea. The
circumstances are as follows :—Abont • fortnight ago Mr.
R. J. For, nephew of the male prisoner, while sbootisg
over land adjoining the village of S,werby, a suburb
of Think, saw the body of an infant Boating in • P*o4
in a tel-I near the Seesay-road. dir. Inspector Smith.
of the North Riding constabulary, had the bely removed
to the Union workhouse, where Mr. S. Walton, carom,
held an inquest which resulted iu a verdict of Wilful
murder" against some person or pence's unknown. Mr.
Smith subrequently continued kis inquiries, and he made
out that the female prisoner had been delivered of a child
shortly before leaving the nide prisoner's minim at Martin.
man. She bad lived with him for three 'sun, hit left at
Ma/thous', and entered the service of Mr. Mangles. of
Giveudale' near Ripon, where the was arrested on the
rheum, and it is maid, umplicatod the elder prisoner, her
late master. She was takers before 31r. Bell, Tbirrik 112.1,
and remanded till yesterday, when both prisoners sera
brought before Earl Cathcart, Sir W. Parse Gellwey, But.
Captain Tartan, and the Rev. G. Scutt. Afucr a
short consultation, the Bench maid there was no legal evi-
dence against the prisoner Fox, who was discharged, and
OA for the girl they should commit her for trial ot. a charge
of concealment of birth only. The witnesses were bound
over to appear. The ease caused great excitement in the
town.

SLAVERY IN CCRA.—"The itiliabitante of Cnba,"
says the Opinion Natimoafe, "it is known, have for mine
time past manifested fishers fa...tumble to the enter
cession of the segment The Administration of ts;ein
is almost the only one that ',Abstains the *sows
of slavery. We sly learn from Cuba that I
petition, signed by upwards of ova hundred planters, hat
bum presented to the Captairocleberal Duke, in which
they sell on him to obtain front the Queen of Spaiu the
&imamate( slavery is ths Crown' Deice replied
that before he transtaitte.l the wish of the petitioners tothe
Madrid government he should wait to liars the result of
the President's election tu the United States, as that would
decide the fate of alaeery in the great American Republic.
As Mr. Lincoln has deviated strongly against slavery, the
hops may be entertained that a cotolttunaUon of the marl*
Lotion may soon be proclaimed in Cuba.
FORGED it7TOORAPHs.—A wan named Gerdcre
bergk has been reeeetly arrested at Weimar and committed
for trial on numerous charges of obtaining money under
false pretences by selling, s sutogr ..hs of Sadler, a reel.
Binde of manuscript letters, poet., Se., wriitou be him-
self. For some toes Gersterberglc found plenty of CUP
towers, and obtained high prices for his foments. bat at
last people begin to suspect something wrong, and Protroot
Dielitr, of Berlin, discovered and deuousced the fraud.
Among the prisoner's dupes te the poet Schiller's own
daughter, who is said to have expended above s,oo(ifr. in
the parch... of thine forgeries,
PATENT.oTTICE MUSEUM, SOTTR lirNsmaroN.
—Number of a isiturs for the Seek en•lieg Dec. 24, 1,102.
Total number since the roman; vi the museum free duly
(12th May, ltaZa'‘,), 176,311.