The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-16 00:00:00

NOVEMBER 16, 1864.

The Execution of Muller.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—Your report in to-day's paper of the execu•
tion of Franz Muller is entirely correct, .with the
one exception that the unhappy man declared he
was innocent not while, but before, the Sacrament
was being administered to him. Soon after entering
his cell on the last morning I asked Muller again
whether he was guilty of this murder. He denied
it. I then said, " Muller, the moments are precious;
we must turn our minds wholly to God; I shall
question you no more about this, but my last words
to you will be Are you innocent P' " He remained
silent for a minute or two, but presently exclaimedt
his eyes full of tears, and clasping his arms round
my neck, " Do not forsake me ; stop with me to-the
last." I was so struck with this that I consulted
with Mr Jonas, the ,Governor, whether the final
question should ba put in the pinioning room or on
the scaffold. We decided for the latter.
The manner iu which this crime was committed
will never bo known. My own firm conviction, de-
rived from the closest personal intercourse with the
prisoner, is that murder was not premeditated ; but
that Muller, in want of money, and yielding to a
sudden temptation, attacked his victim for the sake
of robbery, and finished, in the despair of the mo-
ment, by killing him either with his own hands,
or by causing his fall from the railway carriage. I
recollect particularly on one occasion, when I repre-
sented to him the crime as likely to have taken
place in this way, he answered not, but gazed at me
intently, and impressed me at the time with the
belief of the correctness of my supposition.
I have generally observed that Muller was
most earnest in protesting his innocence when
directly charged with murder. Statements such as
having never been in a North London Railway
train he made only in answer to pointed questions,
and, it seems, in order not to contradict previous
similar assertions.

His manner—simple, gentle, and apparently open
and truthful—was such as easily to deceive even ex-
perienced observers, and the wonderful self-possese
sion of this most remarkable character was never
more strikingly manifested than by his fencing with
words, the rope round his neck and the white cap
over his face, when about to confess his quilt at the
very last moment.
His last two hours were all peace and prayer.
He repeated what he had said before, "If I had
died six months ago I should have been lost, but
now I entirely rely on God's mercy ; I have done
with the world and am ready to leave it." He
stated all recent events haerat times appeared to
him like a vision or a dream, adding that he had
passed in solitude through many terrible hours since
his arrest in America. He was full of meekness
and resignation, forgave freely all his enemies, re-
quested me to write to his father that he should die
a happy and repentant man, and spoke in terms of
affection and gratitude of the prison officials, par-
ticularly of the Rev. Mr Davis and Mr Jonas, the
Governor. And I desire to conform to his sentiments
towards all the officers of the prilon, and cannot
sufficiently empress my admiration of the firmness,
combined with touching kindness and tenderness of
heart, with which Mr Jonas fulfilled his most try-
ing functions. It is a blessing indeed to have such
officers in such a prison.
In conclusion, I feel constrained respectfully to
call the attention of the proper authorities to what
seems to me a cruel and crying evil in Newgate.
Again and again on Monday morning in those last
solemn moments our prayers were interrupted by
the savage yells of the multitude assembled to wit-
ness the execution. Cannot the condemned cells be
placed in a position where the noise of hammering
and the shouts of the mob do not reach the ears of
the miserable culprit ?
I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient
servant,

LOUIS CAPEL, D D.,
Minister of the German Lutheran Church,
Alie-street, Goodman's-fields.
4, Primrose-hill-road, Nov. 15.