The Express.
London, England, 1849-04-07 00:00:00

INQUEST ON THE BODIES.

Yesterday afternoon an inquest was held on the bodies, at
the Doke of Devonshire Tavern, Leicester, before J. Gre-
go?, Fog., coroner.
ohn Grace, husband of the unfortunate woman, deposed
that he had been married to the deceased about three years,
and had another child besides the one new dead. He went
to work on Thursday morning, leaving his wife and children
in bed, and returned before WAG o'clock to breakfast. his
wife was then up, and bad the breakfast things on the table.
He got his breakfast, but she did not seem disposed to have
any. He spoke to her about it, and she then had some.
After breakfast he went to work again, and returned to
dinner about one o'clock. On entering the house,
he found the eldest child, two years and a quar-
ter old, in the cradle, but could not see anything of his wife,
He ailed out, but got no answer, and went up stairs, where
he saw a quantity of blood on the floor of the bedroom, and
his wife lying by the bed side. He ran down stairs and gave
an slum, when some neighbours came in, and he went up
stairs spin. lie then found the youngest child lying on the
floor at the foot of the bed, and a razor lay on the floor be-
tween the two. He immediately went for a druggist who
lived near. The razor was hie, and wan usually kept in a
small basket which hung over the mantelpiece. He had been
in depressed circumstances for about nine months past, and
had made application for a free pump to Australia. His
wife was willing to go at first, but after he received thoraces.
sary certificate, she objected, and was very low spirited.
They did not know what would become of them, as his own
earnings and those of his wife (who worked at a factory) put
together were not 'efficient to maintain them.
Robert Moak, a neighbour of Groos's, deposed to running
into his house on hearing the alarm. Grote had lived next
door to him about six or seven weeks, and he never knew
him and hie wife to quarrel but once in that time.
Sarah Wright (a neighbour) saw Mary Grooe nursing her
child about ten o'clock on Thursday morning, and had some
conversation with her. She could not perceive from her con-
versation that she was insane... . .

Ann Paynter (another neighbour) gave similar testimony.
Mr. John Buck, surgeon, deposed that he was called upon
to *ea the bodies of the deceased persons about half-past one
o'clock on Thursday afternoon. He found the woman lying
on the bed, suffering from an extensive wound in the upper
part of her neck. The wound was from two to three Lathes
in length, and very deep. She lived about an hour after his
arrival. Her death was produced by the effects of the
wound. From the situation of the wound, he was of opinion
she had inflicted it herself. The child was dead
when he arrived, and its extremities were quite
oold. He should siy it must have been dead an hour at
least. It had a wound on the left side of the neck, very
small in extent, but so very deep that the vertebral column
was severed and the head was quite loose, as if it had been
violently twisted. The wound appeared rather the result of
a stab than a cut, and must have been inflicted intentionally.
Mr. Anderson, druggist, gave similar evidence.
Harriet Langton. mother of the deceased woman, deposed
that the father of the deceased had been confined in a lunatic
asylum ; that his mother had died a lunatic ; and that some
time before her death she had attempted to commit suicide.
This witness was still under examination when our parcel
was despatched. There was no other witness to be called,
however. and there was little doubt that a verdict in accord-
ance with the evidence would be returned.

ABOLITION OF PUNISHMENT BY DEATH.
A meeting was held on Tuesday evening last, on
the above subject, in the Council Chamber of the Town-
hall, Ipswich, the MAYOR occupying the chair. The room
was densely crowded, large numbers of the Society of
Friends and other influential inhabitants of the town being
present.
In introducing the question to the meeting, the MAYOR
observed that be regretted J. C. Cobbold, Esq., M.P ~ was
not present to occupy the chair, as that gentleman had come
to the opinion that capital punishment should be abolished,
and ba promised to present to the House of Commons any
petition that this meeting may pass upon the subject.
(Hear.) For his own (the Mayor's) part, he had some
strong opinions on the subject, but for the present would
reserve them.
RANSOME, Esq., then addressed the meeting, end
stated his fires belief that the punishment of death should
be abolished. In Ipswich alone, during the put 30 years,
I there had been no less than 62 executions. He did not think
that men were justified in taking away the life of a criminal
—as life was too sacred sad inviolable to be destroyed by
fallible beige. After stating his belief that public execu-
tions had a hardening effect, that they did not diminish
crime, and 11161 directly uuseriptural, the speaker reprised
his winded any individuals present who bold different opi-
nions dendi state their views, and ooncladod by moving the
Wean venation :
Th 4. ePhilute of this r meeting, the
dPreebblisidas of death
hheis ecTii the spirit at
ef repreing erns; mg as gists are grostr &months.
Itmeistimesesseame the deetreetka tithe lemoent by
proses; mi, et nes hems the nape of the guilty, thus
the Mum Swat inned to remiss, and that, therefore,
The
aledisheL
Rev. J. VIM B rase to woad this resolution, and
said that he had bong ben finny envineed that capital
punishment was anneconen, Winless, and uuserlptural.
C. OILPIN, Fag , this siieeasi So meeting. lie said
it gave him pleasure to now that pablio opinion upon
this point was undergoing a rapid change, and that soon
parliamentary majorities would be unable to sustain the
present system. It was a solemn thought, that since the
year 1810, 1,400 persons have been executed for crimes that
were not now capital. In the reign of Geo. 111., no less
than 200 offense were subjected to capital punishment :
the gibbet literally groaned beneath the weight of strangled
bodies. What a terrible responsibility, thee, rested upon
those who took away persons' lives for crimes that were now
declared not to be capital. [The speaker then detailed
several cases in which persons had been hanged for the most
trivial offences.] Now the same clam of reasoning that was
then adopted for maintaining capital punishment for shop-
lifting, mining, hen stealing, At., was now adopted by those
who desired that the preasnt remnants should Maio. No
injury to society had marred from the remission of this ter-
rible punishment in a vast number of cases. The scaffold
was no place far excitiog either to principles of virtue or to
feelings of dread. The speaker Diced several cases, and
pointedly alluded to the callousness of the boy Wiz, who had
witnessed several executions. Either crimioals were exalted
to heroes, or they were carried in a senseless state to the
drop, and died amidst execrations against that law which
committed so great a wrong ; or, in other eases, where crimi-
nals gave evidence of sincere repentant, the sacrament was
administered to them, and before being strangled they were
called by the ministers" brethren or sisters m Christ!" Had
they, then, so many followers of the Saviour among them
that they could afford to strangle them ? How was it in
Ipswich, a town whisk was remarkable for its many and
somewhat gunnel", excenthim ? Why, it was like
London—it kg whaled eon derible scenes. The speaker
then sketched the Man eambil at an execution in front of
Newpte, and painted la ilortesie tenor the fearful effect pro-
duced by them. History taught them that where govern-
ments had been merciful the people had been merciful ;
where they had boon bloodthirsty, the people had %Koons
blood thirsty. The histories of Franco and dpain were rife
with evidence of this truth. He contended that it was not
right that fallible men should execute sentences that could
not be reversed. In two instanors, connected with Ipswich,
there were grave reasons for believing that the persons were
innocently hang. But in many saes It was certain that this
terrible mistake had been committed. Where, he asked, was
the remedy for the sufferer ? Man's hand war too weak, too
faltering, too shaky to be trusted with the work that only
omniscience and omnipotence should perform. Until the in-
fallibility of human judgment could be demonstrated, he
demanded the abolition of capital punishment. Pablo
opinion has long condemned the scaffold. Now if the law
was a righteous one, the administrators would be respected—
but who respected the hangman ? None. This might
be • simple proof of the feeling on this point,
but le considered it to be a forcible one. The
speaker narrated a case in which Caloraft, who was
present to execute a criminal, complained of • grievance
to the sheriff, and told him if it was not redressed the sheriff

should hang the man Limnlcead 1000111panie—d
throwing the rope at the sheriff's feet ; the ghi
waed7olt
fulliyd2htiened, and immediatedly granted all tha.,
He thought if megLetratwi were compeaedl7l
work, that the question wonted soon be root
Arnim was then made to the anwillinemeee so
Melltallbi by Juries to convict in capital cases. twit,
egmallse) would farther state, that in proportion es
Warns ware lessened, so those offences had grad
uall
lashed in number. For hie part, he would not sit on
in a capital use, be the consequences what they Mist* IT
garding the scriptural part of the subject, Melly rem '
sent men believed that the word of God required
egv .•P
life of a murderer should bs taken away. The
my,* Se
meat of these men was found in the pa ling. 41/91,...11111p.
deth man's blood, by man shall hie blood-be sited7r,
the but educated men believed that this pump NR
be taken literally; the word " will," it was eemoooro7Zel.
be in the place of "shall." If it was to he later
then, what should be done to those who murdered No,
strangling them ? What would become of teemoo,_
of the innocent taker of life, and of the h; b—
who shed blood in the pursuit of what they called
The speaker then stated the great alterations that .!
mod, in the passage in order to make the matt
mum with ie. Ho could have no sympathy um,"
Who could read from Genesis to Revelation, sod
over all the glorious emirs of mercy, fix upon one tear*
they twisted into a rope to strangle men with ! Now pow
had one criminal before him—it was a murderer in the ""
son of Cain ; but in this CO
es
O he suffered no yea
him, but sent him forth upon the then yonag world
to?
brand upon his person that no man !Mould take airep
life. Thu God's decision was against capital pur•
He (the speaker) was indeed glad that there *4 a
woe
popular movement among the nations of Europe
this point, and, amidst much that he feared, he yo si„t
the people were acknowledging that none, none bet goo
should take away so sacred a thing. as human life. Lwow
tine had given forth a splendid decision in favour oiebo,
and he did hope that ere !rag the scaffold would Ss —'
away for ever, and that all would mall.. the gnat teeth-Cr
" God had made of one blood all the nations of the *see
The first resolution was unanimously paredmeeting.
by di
Mr. GRIMWADE then rose and proposed.
That a petition to the Muse of Commons, foes:led Oa the lan
resolution, be drawn up and signed by the chums"
the meeting, and that!. C. Cobbold, 11. p., be rum„,,,,
sent it to the house, and that both the ratrabere for the beojii
requested to support the same.
T. BEG° it 3 Fen, alluded 63 some of the regal of
nsl
times that had given way to a better toy of
In the treatment of insane persons and yie-tokiii....
was distinctly visible. Crime has been ea the dm-4
wherever milder punishments had been salmitated Ice %ft
It wu a solemn question whether man had a tight miaow
punishment as such : laws should be rude for the rehishe,
of life and property, and for renovation, and net "mop gir
punishment. The effect of gladiatorial and On fight sdd.
loitiens had been most wretched. He be dad
great props of the gibbet were the ministers aides mmek
who advocated its use on scriptural ground'. The *44
then alluded to several rums why he eteresead 10upw
punishments. They bad entirely titled in fall* ism
ful purpose. Either the population gloated over tlis
of the criminal, or sympathised with him and cairn*
the law. The Times had been finding fault with thou.
diets of juries, but it took no notice of the laws, sad mood
as if it had not yet discovered that the feeling "pew
capital punishments was a great fact. The speaker, ho
some lengthened remarks, exhorted the meeting ti intend
itself on this subject, and concluded by seconding the sic p.
tion of the petition.
The MAYOR said he bad had some few objections ands
scriptural view of the question, but these had been fumed
by the arguments that had been adduced. (W.t)
then submitted the petition to the meeting, teach me
unanimously adopted.