Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-11-17 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF DAVIS, FOR MURDER.

Robert Thomas Davis, who was convicted at the last
session of the Central Criminal Court of the murder of
h s wife, at Ball's Pond, by cutting h.r throat, was exe-
cuted yesterday morning, at the usual hour, in front of the
gaol of Newgate.
The prisoner had himself sent a memorial to the Secre-
tary cf State, praying for a commutation of the sentence of
death, on the ground that he was unconscious of the act
he committed, in consequence of the quantity of liquor he
had taken on the day of the murder, and the under
sheriffs, Messrs Millard and Parke-, subsequently ad-
&wed another communication to Sir G. Grey, urging, on
behalf of the prisoner, that the act was unpremeditated—
that theire was an apparent absence of any motive, as he
had shortly before spoken in te-ms of affection to his wife,
and that it was a sudden act. The answer to this was,
that the evidence did not support these inferences, and the
Government therefore, felt compelled to allow the law to
take its course. .

Ever since the commiss.on of the deed, the culprit has per-
sisted in stating that he had entirely lost his senses when
he committed the drearlful crime, and he has repeatedly
complained of what he considered the injustice of the law
in taking his life for an act far which he says he was not
re:pensible. He has always stated that he was fondly
attached to his wife and that he never harboured a thought
of injuring her until the very instant of the sad occurrence.
The final answer of the Home Secretary was communicated
to the culprit on Friday ev ning, and when he was told
that no hope remained for him, he again complained of
the injustice of his sentence, and asserted, in an earnest
manner, that he did not know what ho was doing when he
destroyed his wife.
The prisoner appeared to have very little idea of his
religious duties. While his case PM under consideration,
he appeared to pay a proper attention to the exhortations
of the Rev. Mr. Davis, the ordinary of the gaol, but when
his fate was decided, it was evident that there had been a
good deal of acting on his part, and that he was not much
impressed with religious feeling, his whole desire apparently
being to impress all those ,bout him with the idea that he
was, as he said, innocent of the crime of mu der, because,
from the quantity of liquor he had taken he was unconscious
what he was doing at the time he committed the act The
ordinary was with him the greater part of Sunday, and
remained with him until late in the evening, when the
culprit retired to his bed, but he did not sleep more than
ten minutes during the night ; and as early as six o'clock
in the morning the Rev. Mr. Davis visited him in his cell,
and remained with him until the fatal moment.
Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Lawrence, and Mr. Sheriff
Allen. accompanied by the under-shctifies Messrs. Millard
and Parker. arrived at the gaol about half.pest seven
o'clock and a few minutes before Gi,(eat they proceeded to
the prisoner's cell. accompanied by Mr. Weatherheed, the
governor of Nowgate; and the usual olcials. The prisoner
exhibited much more firmness than was anticipated from
his demeanour at the trial, and upon the entTance of the
sheriffs ho at once began to say, in a firm voice, that he
was going to die for a crime of which ho was innocent.
"I had," said he, "no more idea of hurting that dear
creature than the child unborn—God bless her !"
The ordinary observed that he Ohl not understand how
he could call himself innocent when he admitted that
his hand had destroyed his wife, and that it he were
unconscious what he was doing, he had reduced himself
to that condition by his own act. The prisoner replied, in
an earnest tone, "I, was quite unconscious what I was
doing at the time. I did not know what I had done until
I was told hours afterward,'" He then referred to his
child, and prayed the sheriffs to give her a religi6us book
that had been supplied to him, and he, at the same time,
requested that another religious book might be given to the
col of he sister. The sheriffs assured him that his re-
quests should be complied with, and the prisoner, again
referring to his child, said, " Ged bless her ; she will soon
be fatherless and motherless, and I hope Got will protect
her." While the executioner was pinioning him he told
him he need not take much trouble, for it woull soma all
be over, and he subsequently begged that be would
be as brief as possible in the performance of his
duty, and not keep him long upon the se Iffeld
to be gazed at by the crowd. Ju.t before proceeding
to the place of execution, the culprit exclaimed with
great eagerness. " I wish I was going to die at the hands
of twelve of her Majesty's foot guards, and not in the way
lam going to die—it is the death of a dog and not the
death of a Christian."

All the preparations being completed. the usual
procession was formed and the culprit walked with a firm
seep to the scaffold. There was a slight groaning when
he was first seen, bat in a very few seconds the ner:essary
preparations were completed, the drop fell and he appeared
to die almost immediately.
The crowd was much greater than usual. The body
after hanging an hour was cut down. and was buried in
the course of the day in one of the passages of the prison.

COAL PIT ON FIRE. DERBYSHIRE -TWELVE
PE tiSONS SUPPOSED TO BE SUFFOCATED.

On Sunday morning, a dreadful accident occurred at the
Hollingwood Colliery, Btaveley, (three miles from Chester-
field), the property of It Barrow, E•q A fire was
discovered about six o'clock in the morning, in a room in
the pit, in which the colliers clean their lamps. It
would appear that after the waste becomea dirty, it is
thrown togathar, and by some means or othsr it ignited
and caused a large amount of smoke to circulate through
the pit. Information was given by a horsekeeper, whose
du►y it was to go into the pit early; and Mr. Coepar, the
head underviewer, his brother, and 11 other persons went
down the pit with buckets to put out the fire. They
proceeded tr the place, which is nearly a mile from the
bottom of the shaft, underground, and Mr. Cooper ordered a
man named Charles Vardy, to open a door. so as to momen-
tarily check the ventilation. Vardy did al reqnested, when
he saw the smoke issuing up both planes of the colliery,
and he at once closed the door again, and was proceeding
to the place where he left Mr. Cooper and his party, but
t e could not approach within 700 yards of them on account
of the density of the smoke. Nothing has been heard of
them since. Mr. Jencock, mining engineer, tv.th several
other engineers, are at the work=, endeavouring t rescue the
party, who, it is feared, have been suffocated. Mr•. Halley,
Government Inspector of Mines, has been telegraphed for.
Water is being pumped into the pit to force ventilation ;
and as smoke has begun to rise from the cupola., it is
feared that the coal in the pit has ignited. Four hundred
colliers were employed at this pit, and they will be hrown
ou- of employtnen•, unless wa:k can be found for them at
the other pits.