The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-10 00:00:00

EXECUTION AT 211AIDSTO.VE.-(THI.

The last sentence of the law was this morning
carried into effect upon James Pletcher and Anne Law.
ranee, who were convicted at the recent winter assue.for
the county of Kent of the crime of wilful murder. The
circumstances will be fresh in the recollection
of the public. The man Fletcher was cons icted
of the murder of one of the warden of the Chatham
convict prison, in which establishment he wa.. c,eeed
under a sentence of penal servitude for seven year., for
robbery accompanied by violence. While engaged' at the
work of breaking stones be suddenly attacked the unior.
tunate warder, struck him three fearful blows with a
heavy hammer, and literally smashed in the front of hit
face, inflicting such fearful injuries that the warder ate
unable to speak a word afterwards, and died in the s isms
of a few hours in dreadful agony.
With regard to the other prisoner, the circumeanen
were somewhat peculiar. She cohabited with a man hat:A
Walter Higham, at Tunbridge Wells, both of them bring
married, and the child whose life was destroyed was a boy
four years old, the son of the woman, and whom she had
taken with bar when she left her home. There was very
little doubt that she entertained strong feelings of
affection towards her paramour, and the fan
that he bad been unfaithful to her, and was
desirous of breaking off the connection, drove her to
the murder. It appeared that about 5 o'clock on the
morning of the 14th of April she got up, leaving nightie
in bed asleep. She then proceeded downstairs, took a rant
from a cupboard and returned to the bedroom, ands
the most deliberate manner almost severed the head of
the unfortunate child from his body. Afterwards she
endeavoured to coat the guilt upon the man Higbee,
and continued to persist ,in the statement that Ls
was the person by whom the murder was committed,
even after the jury had returned a verdict of guilty,
and the learned judge who tried her, Baron Channel!,
bad palmed sentence of de►th upon her. Very shortly after.
wards, however, the hardihood she had exhibited seemed
to forsake her, and on the day after her conviction she ail.
mitted her guilt and made a confession, the particulars of
which ban already appeared.
As regards the man who was hanged this morning, it ap.
pears that when he was tint brought to Maidstone gaol, be
conducted himself so violently that it was found necessary
to put him under restraint. Sinew his condemnation, bow.
' ever, he has behaved very well, and he has never,
it appears, entertained the slightest expectation that the
sentence would not be carried out. He has expressed Lis
deep contrition for the crime, and admitted that it use
premeditated. He has made ► very extraordinary statement
in connexion with it. He says that he fully determined
to murder the warder on the day in question, and that he
looked up at the clock that was hanging near the place
where the convicts were at work, and at each quarter
of an hour said to himself, " I shall do it in another
quarter den hour." This went on for several successive
quarters, and at length, at 4 o'clock, he again said to him
self, " I will do it in another quarter of an Lour." He
suddenly changed his mind, and thought he would do it
at once, and on the instant he rushed upon the man and
felled him to the ground with the hammer.
The woman seems to have exhibited extraordinary firm.
ness ever since she has been under charge, and has fre-
quently expressed her readiness to meet her sentence. She
admitted that she intended to do something that should
occasion trouble and mischief to her paramour, but declared
that on the morning when the crime was committed, she
was driven to do what she did by seeing a new hat on the
table belonging to Higham, with the maker's name
in it, from Melling. She immethately suspected
that he had passed the night that he was ab:eet with the
woman of whom she wee jealous at that place. lu the tint
paroxysm of her fury she tore the hat to atom', seised
the razor in one band and the billhook in the other, and
first cut the child's throat, and then made the attack OA
' Iligham. She declares that the medical theory advanced
at the trial that the blood had spurted over her at the
time was not correct, for she purrosely held back
as far as she could. She asserts that all the blood upon
her clothes came from the man Higham at the time she
attacked hint. No one has been to visit the wretched woman
since her conviction but • married sister, who provided
the funds for the defence. The child the prisoner had by
the man Higham,which is about 12 months old,was with her
iu the gaol until a short time back, when it WOO placed in the
workhouse. It appears that no woman has ever been ex•
ecuted in Maidstone parish, all the executions of women
that have taken place having always been carried met at
the ancient place of execution on Peuenden-heath, which is
in the pariah of Bexley. The prisoner had become
aware of this fact, and evidently for some time enter.
tuned the idea that no woman would be executed in
Maidstone. It was not until she was earnestly pressed to
abandon all thought of a reprieve that she appeared to
give up the hope that the sentence would not he carried
out.

The 11ev. Mr. Frazer, the ordinary of the gaol, who his
been unremitting in his endeavour to bring the condemned
prisoners ton sense of their condition. amt who administered
the Holy Communion to both of them twice at their
request, was in attendance upon then at on early bon
this morniug, and remained with them until the execution,
which took place at 12 o'clock. The culprits exhibited
great firmness, and when the drops fell appeared to be
dead almost immediately.
There was an immense concourse of persons present.