The Express.
London, England, 1867-11-25 00:00:00

THE EXECUTION OF THE CONDEMNED

FENIANS.

(nom OUR SPECIAL COI

Public executions may or may not be neces-
sary, and xi) doubt for some morbid minds
they have a curious attraction, or even fasci-
nation ; but there can be no question that
they are a bitter punishment not only to the
culprits who suffer, but to most, let us hope in-
deed to all, who are compelled by the na-
ture of their duties to be present at them. To
see a fellow creature, however guilty, however de-
based, led out pinioned, trembling, agonised,
shrinking, with the dread of that undefined, that
undefinable future which is about to be forced
upon him ; to watch with unwilling eyes, but with
a gaze so fascinated that we cannot withdraw it
though we would for the trifling gesture which is
Ito terminate the life of a fellow creature, is terrible,
is humiliating, is most agonising ; how agonising
those only can tell who have had to undergo its
torments. Like many other tortures, its very
severity not unfreqnently for the moment dulls the
sensibilities, and many go through the ordeal with
an outward appearance of calm which almost con-
ceals the suffering that they are undergoing. But
if so terrible to the spectators, what must be the
agony of their last moments to those who are about
to die I Upon their feelings we must not, dare not,
speculate. So long as there are executions the public
has • right to be informed, and will be informed,
of the incidents by which they are accompanied,
but they are incidents not pleasant to write about,
and which it would be wicked to treat either
lightly and carelessly, or to work up as the basis of
a sensational story. Told in the plainest and
simplest language, this is, as far as I witnessed it
or am informed of it, the history of the last hours
of the three men who died on Saturday. Ever since
the time of their condemnation they were confident
that they would be reprieved. They were never
tepersuaded to recognise the enormity of their crime,
urts, to the last—unless in their private communi-
cations with their confessors they said anything
to the contrary—persisted in regarding themselves'
as political martyrs. This confidence in what
they mistook for the rectitude of their conduct,
and the certainty of their escape from death by the
exercise of the royal prerogative of mercy—there
seems no reason to suppose that they had any ex-
pectation that they would be rescued by their
friends and partisans—in no way interfered with
their attention to the counsels of their spiritual
advisers—the Rev. Canon Cantwell, the Rev.
Father Truck, and the Rev. Father Gadd. On
Friday the Rev. Mr. Beating, • catholic priest
from Ramsbottom, near Huddersfield, paid a visit
to Allen, at the special request of his mother. He
remained with Allen some time, and also bad inter-
views with both the other prisoners. He found
them all in an extremely depressed condi-
tion, but Allen was even lower in mind than
either of his companions. On Friday they went
to bed about half-peat eleven o'clock, and
passed a tolerably quiet night They were
awakened at a quarter to five o'clock, and at half-
past five mass was celebrated by the three reverend
gentlemen whose names I have mentioned, and
the prisoners received the holy communion. At
this time they expressed great resignation to their
fate, but even then did not appear to have aban-
doned all hope of • reprieve. Soon after the con-
' elusion of these religious services, Calcraft, the
hangman, and his assistant were introduced suc-
cessively into the cells of each of the prisoners,
and performed the operation of pinioning. They
submitted to this process with calmness and firm-
ness, and while it was going on the clergymen
ted to them the prayers of the church. Mean-
7rie the last preparations had been made outside,
an the hour at which they were to die was rapidly
approaching. About 10 minutes before 8 o'clock the
detachment of the 72nd Highlanders was marched
into the prison yard and drawn up a short distance
from the wooden stairs which led from the ground
to the scaffold. Nine men ascended to the plat-
forms on eitber side of the gallows, and crouched
down with their rifles at their hips. At first the
soldiers who composed one of these parties assumed
too nearly upright a position, and for a moment
their heads were visible above the wall, but a word
from one of the officers in command immediately
caused them to lower themselves a little, and they
were never again visible from without. About the
same time the troops who occupied the railway
viaduct showed themsehes towards the prison aide,
and one or two men ascended by a temporary stair-
case to one of the loopholed turrets of the gaol
wall. Each of these turrets had been pro-
vided with a similar platform, but only that
towards the railway was occupied. Precisely at two
minute before 8 o'clock the bell of the prison began
to toll, and almost at the same moment the con-
victs made their appearance in the yard. The
under-sheriff led the way, and was immediately
followed by Canon CantwelL Allen was the
first of the convicts to turn the corner of the
gaol, and he was followed by Gould and Larkin.
Each prisoner was attended by two turnkeys ;
Father Truck accompanied Gould, and Father
Gadd Larkin. As the little procession approached
the foot of the stair leading to the gallows, the
three priests reading in earnest tones the
solemn service of the church of Rome, the scene
was most impressive. The mist had then become
so thick that I cannot speak with certainty as to
the appearance of the prisoners. As far as it was
possible to judge they all appeared deeply im-
pressed by their awful situation. Larkin, indeed,
seemed quite prostrated. They were all very
pale. Allen and Gould walked slowly, but
without the asaietnce of the turnkeys ; Lar-
kin, however, had to be supported by a gaoler
on either side. Each of the prisoners had a crucifix
hung round his neck, and these they held tightly
grasped in their hands while they repeated the
responses, " Jesus, have mercy upon me;" " Jesus,
receive my soul." It might be going too far to say
that Allen and Gould were less earnest than Larkin,
but certainly his voice was more distinctly audible
than theirs. These two ascended the stairs
which led to the scaffold without difficulty, but
with somewhat faltering and apparently reluctant
steps. Larkin's difficulty here was of course
greater than on the level ground, and he required
more assistance from his guides. All the three
looked once or twice to the right or left as they
crossed the prison yard and occasionally turned
their glances to look for the last time towards the
sky which the haze, now become a thick fog, ob-
scured from their gaze. When Allen reached
the scaffold he took his place upon the
right of the drop, that is, towards the river. Cal-
craft immediately drew the white cap over his face
and adjusted the rope. Gould passed on to the
scaffold with a firm step. On reaching the drop he
shook hands with Allen and kissed him on the
right cheek. He then left him and went to the
other end of the drop,Larkin who had followed him
taking his place in the centre. At first Larkin
appeared to have recovered his firmness, but while
the hangman was making the final arrangements
his confidence deserted him, and he had to be held
up by the warders. Immediately before the bolt
was drawn he fainted, and as ho was then in a
stooping portion the effect of the drop was not com-
plete, and his struggles were greater than those of
his companions. Allen, indeed, did not struggle
at all, and in the case of Gould the contortions of
the body did not last long, and were, probably, en-
tirely involuntary. There is reason to fear that in
the case of Larkin that was not altogether their
character, and that more than one or indeed two
minutes elapsed before he expired. There was no
expression of feeling from the crowd when the drop
fell and the men disappeared below the
black drapery, only two white caps re-
maining in sight. Indeed, at this time
the fog was so thick that only those immediately
under or opposite the scaffold could see what was

going on ; and the crowd had no idea of the exact
moment at which the execution took place. After
hanging the usual time the bodies were cut down,
and were examined by a surgeon, who certified
that the men were dead. In the course of the
afternoon they were buried within the precinct, of
the gaol, the clothes of the deceased having been
removed, in order that they might be sent to their
friends. Before the operation of cutting down was
performed the crowd had begun to disperse, and in
a few minutes from that time the police send special
constables were moving off the ground, and men
were engaged in removing the barriers.

Although the crowd which had attempted to
witness the execution rapidly melted away, and
there was during the evening no ominous collec-
tion of individuals nor any unusual movement of
the population, some apprehensions were enter-
tained in the course of the night lest an attempt
should be made to carry out the threats of. Fenian
'partisans , and to avenge the deaths of the convicts.
Special measures had been adopted, both by the
authorities and by the inhabitants, to thwart and
punish any such endeavours. The warehouses
were, in most instances, occupied by some of the
clerks or workmen who are employed in
them ; the police had been cautioned to
exercise unusual vigilance during the night, and
exceptional measures had been adopted by the de-
tective department, under the direction of Super-
intendent Maybury, to obtain information of any
contemplated outrages. As it turned out, there
was no opportunity of testfng'the efficacy of any of
these precautions. Throughout the night the most
perfect order prevailed in both Manchester and
Salford, and soon after midnight the streets were
almost entirely deserted. The fog, which had
shrouded the proceedings on the scaffold, increased
in density during the morning, and ultimately
acquired the rich pea-soup colour for which Man-
chester fogs are even more distinguished than are
those of the metropolis. In the course of the after-
noon the air cleared, and the night, although bit-
terly cold, was fine.