Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-03 00:00:00

Tuesday, January 3, 1860.

EXECUTION AT YORK.

Chas. Normington, a collier from Leeds, aged 18 years,
who was convicted at the recent assizes at York, before
Mr. Justice Wightman, of the murder of an old man
named Broughton, on-the 6th of August last, at Round--I
hay, near Leeds, was executed on the drop behind ,the
Castle, at York, on Saturday last. The fall particular;
of the murder recently appeared in the report of the:
of- the prisoner. It will be remembered thatr,
Richard Broughton, who was 67 years of age, re-
sided at the village of Roundhay, near Leeds, was pro-
ceeding on a footpath across some fields to the latter
town, on -the afternoon of Saturday, the 6th of August,.
when about 5 o'clock he was assailed by one or two men,
and was knocked down and robbed of his watch, that his
skull was fractured by the blows be -haa received from a
thick bludgeon or hedgestake, and that he died on the'
-following day. In a short time after the murder of
.Broughton circumstances led to the apprehension of
Normington, by Mr. English, the chief constable of
Leeds, on the charge of the murder—a charge which
was clearly brought home to the prisoner, which he;
indeed, after his conviction, confessed. He, howeverr
stated.first that there was another man with him at the
time of the murder„ who did not strike the blows which
caused Broughton's death, but who got half the p.m-
ceeds of the robbery -- namely, about 25., half the
money for which Normington pledged the watch.
After his conviction Normington gave a description.
of his alleged accomplice, and stated what his accom-
plice said his name was, and where he lived, but
the police have failed in discovering Inch a man.,
After he was placed in the condemned cell the un-
fortunate man appeared very penitent, and paid deep
attention to the religious instructions of the chaplain of
the prison. He was not able either to read or. writer
but he procured some friendly hand in prison to write
several letters for him, one to his father, one to his
mother, and one or two to other relatives, acknowledging
'his sins, expressing his hopes of salvation through
Christ,: and urging those- to ' whom the letters were
addressed to lead a religious life. lie also urged
his father, who is a collier. or labourer, to be
re-
conciled to his mother, for they have been parted for
some years—and to ,their neglect of their son his
sad fate. may in part be attributed. Though the
culprit was young, being, as is stated above, only
eighteen years of age, no effort was made to obtain
a commutation of his sentence, the shocking circuin.
stances under which the murder had been com-
mitted depriving the murderer of almost all sympathy
from his fellow men. On the night before his execu-
tion Normington desired one of the turnkeys to read
him the history of Joseph and his brethren, and after
that request had been complied with he knelt down a,nd
engaged for some moments in silent prayer. He afterwards
desired the officer to write a letter on his behalf to Mr.
English, the chief constable of Leeds, who has had one or
two interviews with the unfortunate man since his trial.
The letter was written at Nermington's dictation, and in it
he admitted having had an impartial trial, and stated that
he was then very contented in his mind, and much happier
than on the day that he was arraigned before the jury. He
also expresseda wish that Mr.-English would search for
the other man, whom he (Normington) implicated as au
accessory to the murder, the letter stating—" I. hope
yOu will look after the other man, and try to find him."
The convict calmly submitted to his fate, and died after
a few convulsive struggles after the bolt had been drawn,
a few minutes past twelve o'clock at noon. The last
words he was heard to say were, "Lord have mercy
upon me !" The executioner was a man named Thomas
Askern, of Maltby, near Rotheram, who has before
discharged similar painful duties at York Castle.
About 7,000 spectators were present. The weather was
dull and wet.

SERIOUS Ae,ll, LA' r.—Ou Thursday, at Gatherley,
near Castle Howard, in Yorkshire, a dreadful accident
befel Mr. Coulson, an extensive farmer there. A
thrashing machine was in use on the farm, and was on
the point of being stopped. Mr. Coulson had occasion
to step near the feeder, but the frost having caused the
boards to be slippery, he lost his 'footing, and fell with
his right leg into the drum. The foot and lower part
of the leg was fearfully crushed and broken up. The
limb has since been amputated.
THE Nw YEAR.—This is a "bissextile" or leap-
year, and next month there will accordingly be twenty-
nine days instead of twenty-eight, as usual. There will
be four Sundays after the Ephipany (Friday next);
Lent will commence on the 22nd of February, and
Easter day will fall on Sunday, the Bth of April—a
fortnight earlier than last year. Whit Sunday will
occur on the 27th of May, and Trinity on the 3rd of
June. There will be twenty-ive Sundays after Trinity ;
Advent Sunday will recur on the 2nd of December, and
Christmas Day will fall on a Tuesday, two days later
(owing to leap-year) than this year; that is, according
to the solar cycle, when the reckoning is by the days of
week exclusively.
SHOCKING ACCIDENT AT ROCHDALE.—An event of
a sickening character occurred in Rochdale on Saturday
afteinobn, at the new' mill of Messrs. Howards' executors,.
cottOU spinners. John Brierley, who had reached the
age of 70, and had been in the service of the firm as a
labourer for thirty-one years, and another man named
Helliwell, who had worked with Brierley for twenty-one.
years; commenced soon after the dinner hour carrying
into the engine-house 'materials for repairing- the
engine pump well. It was necessary that these
materials should be deposited on the engine-room-
floor, and be carried past the forty-horse engine.
The crank of the engine moves during one-half of
its revolution within a space hollowed out of a stoue,
which it almost touches. Helliwell had seen Brierley
enter-the enoine-room with a load of brick, and almost
immediately
ebrlaeifno fallentohwe
deeodnni withnteh-
the well,
owl omeaidl
Helliwell r r
is c. Notloonsjee
cttous
treheede-
itnhgatßhrie
n bucketg stopped,
tecor scaffold,a r the hk e
Theand26 engineer
thefeheeta
crank and covered with boards, which had to be crossed
to reach the further end of the engine-room. Helliwell
immediately rushed out. and had scarcely requested the
first person he met to get the engine stopped, when_le-
fainted with the thought.of his companion's fate, and
was carried home, where he lay completely prostrated
by. the shock of the subsequent intelligence. The engine
taohlonierdteo well,
rait-eltlll the
oy,ogrkansod engine
some
on
tbhe e
bde descended
hadlo
stonework,
been e fi
below h
room, he found Brierley's headless trunk, with one arm
taillm ehllttorn
between
h
to collect the scattered fragments. Brierley's
steadiness was undoubted, and he was much respected
throughout the establishment.
BRITISH CONSULS.—CAUTION TO SHIPMASTERS.--
The British Consul at Copenhagen, by despatch dated
23rd September last, reported to the Board of Trade-
that it had frequently occurred that masters of British
vessels had neglected to deliver their ships' papers at
the consulate, as required by the Merchant Shipping
Act, sections 13 and 279, whereby he was unable to.
furnish the returns required by her. Majesty's Govern-
ment, and also to prevent seamen being illegally left
behind ; and.drew attention to the case of John Byers
Atkinson, master of the Mary and Eliza, of Ports-
' mouth, Off. No. 2,778, who arrived at Copenhagen on
the 19th of the same month, at 5 p.m., and who did not
deliver his ship's papers until the forenoon of the 23rd,,
althoughstwice requested to cause them to be forwarded..
The master having denied the sight of the Consul to.
require the inspection of the ship's papers, the Board-of.
Trade, on the recent return of the vessel to Sunderland,,
directed proCeedings to be taken against the master
under the 279th section of the Merchant Shipping Act,.
wherein it is enacted that If it appears that the•
required forms have been neglected, or that the-
existing laws have been transgressed, such consul shall
make an endorsement to that effect on the agreement,
and forthwith transmit a copy of such endorsement
with the fullest information. he can collect regarding
such neglect or transgression, to the Registrar-General
of Seamett. And if any master fail to deliver any such
document as aforesaid, he shall for every such default
incur a penalty not exceeding £2O ; and in any prose-
cution for such' penalty, it shall lie upon the master
either to produce the certificate of the consular officer,
or officer M customs, herein-before required, or to prove
that he duly obtained the same, or that it . was im-
practicable fqr him so to do." The defendant was con-
victed in the mitigated penalty of .£5, which he im-
medi4telY