The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-22 00:00:00

For some days the utmost precaution have been taken by
the police authorities in the City for the prevention of acci-
dents. The usual style of barriers invariably erected at
the top of all the thoroughfares into the Old Bailey, were
laid aside as useless, Lut in their place others of extra-
ordinary strength were placed, and on. Saturday the whole
of the space is the Old Bailey, from Ludgate-hill to New-
gate-street, and thence along Giltspur-street towards
Smithfield, was intersected by formidable barriers placed
at short invervals, to lessen the pressure and to prevent the
fearful swaying and surging of the multitude that was cer-
tain to assemble on the terrialo occasion. In addition to this
the footways on each side of the Old Bailey from Newgate-
street to Ludgate-hill are guarded by strong barricades, to
afford means of exit in case of need, and hoardings have been
put to prevent people clinging to the chevaux de• frise which
runs along the low wall of the courtyard of the Sessions-
house, or;to any of the projecting parts of the architecture.
A. similar arrangement has been made in front of St.
Sepulchre's Church, which commands a view of the place
of execution, and, where, on this very day of the month,
57 years ago, at an execution for the murder of Mr. Steele,
about 30 people were killed by the giving way of an iron
palisading, to which they had clung while standing on the
wall of the churchyard.
If a person this morning could have placed himself upon
some high eminence and have obtained a clear perspective
view of London, he would have seen, wending their way
through the principal thoroughfares between the hours
when the great city is ordinarily hushed in silence, people
of all classes and both sexes seemingly bent upon one and
the same destination. Perhaps, at a considerable distance
from the genetal place of rendezvous, the echo of
the streets was only disturbed by the hurried
tramp of solitary pedestrians, bat as the distance grew less
the number of persons in the streets increased, and the
actual spot to which, as it were, the different streams of
moving humanity ran was one large mass of people filling
the footways. Strange it is that the morbid tastes and feel •
ing of the people to witness a public strangulation are so great
that remaining throughout the night in the street on a bitter
winter's night with the thermomenter six degrees below freez-
ing point, squeezed on all sides by a mob, and the probability
of being seriously injured, or robbed, are not thought too
great risks to encounter, in order to witness the terrible
drama of which the frowning and black Old Bailey was to
ba the scene.

Hundreds of people assembled last night, and they kept
gradually inure: ing in numbers, until at six o'clock this
mornirg all the approaches to the place of execw ion were
completely blot.ked up. • Better o:dcr was preserved than
could be expeetr.•:l, owing to the was,: indafatigabl© efforts
of the police, who mustered in groat force, The crushing
an 3 swaying to and fro of the crowd, notwithstanding all
their cfF.orts, was terrific, and every now and then the polico
had to renew their efforts to prevent the barriers yielding to
the enormous pressure put upon them. For some time be-

fore 3 o'cllck the whole place presented the appearance of a
fair. Boys and girls, the refuse of the neighbourhood of
Rateliff, Wapping, the Mint, and other low
neighbourhoods, together 'with men and women
from the same parts of the nietropolis, formed a
great proportion of the motley multitude. Venders
of brandy-balls, hot potatoes, and hot pies pursued their
vocation with great success, perhaps the most comfortable
thing procurable for money, on such a morning, was a hot
potatoe, which offered to those not disposed to oat, a warmth
to the hands which was, to all appearance, a vary general
desire. The chief conversation appeared to turn upon the
novelty of, so many being hung together, and the observa-
tion, "I wonder whether they will die Omo," was fre-
quently to be heard.
The machine of death was placed in the usual position in
root of the Debtor's Door. It Was an enormous looking-
construction, covered with black cloth, and compared with
that generally used, it would be at least three times its size.
The Sheriffs of London, Mr. Nissen and Mr. Grave, with

Mr. Nicholson and Mr. Gammon, the Under Sheriffs,
arrived at Newgate about
7 o'clock and waited until
the hour fixed for the execution. From an earlier hour
in the morning the priests who had been in attendance
,
on the doomed men since their conviction wore again
with them, and remained until the last.
M. Morphinoz,
Archmandrite of the Greek Church in London-wall, at-
tended upon the convict Watto, and the other four received
the consolations of religion from the lips of the Rev.
James Hussey of the Roman Catholic Chapel in Moor-
fields, and Fathers Joseph Louis and Hermann, the last-
named two being Spanish priests. Shortly before 8 o'clock
the Sheriffs and Under Sheriffs, who wore their respective
robes and badges of office, accompanied by Mr. Jonas, the
Governor of Newgate, the Rev. Mr. Davis, the Chaplain,
and Mr. Gibson, the surgeon, went in procession to the
part of the prison in which the convicts were spending their
last moments. On this occasion each of the five
prisoners was brought out from his cell in rota-
ion, and pinioned at the entrance to it. This was
a precautionary measure to prevent men with charac-
ters so desperate as these of the convicts from
having any communication at such a time. Watto was first
brought out to be bound. He had greatly improved in ap-
pearance since his trial, when he was ono of the least pre-
possessing of them all, if such a term could indeed be applied
to any one of the prisoners. Unlike all the rest, who were
men of swarthy complexion, Lopez perhaps excepted, lie
was of fair visage, with a profusion of light brown hair, and
his youthful countenance now bore a touching and resigned
expression. lie submitted quietly to the
warder near who had
attended him since his conviction, he beckoned him to
him. As the man approached, Watto, whose hands ware
then bound, bent forward, with process of pinion-
ing, and, at its conclusion, seeing a
a grateful look, to kiss
him on the cheek. The warder declined the proffered salute,
upon which it was explained to the convict,' lest he should
feel hurt, that it was a mode of parting to which men in
this country were unaccustomed' Lopez, a short, slightly-
made man, next submitted himself to the hands of the
executioner, exhibiting as he did so the same defiant
and reckless air which had characterised him through-
out the trial. It is said of him that on leaving the
dock atter sentence of death had been pronounced by
Baron Bramwell he attempted to dance a reel, until
the act of indecorum was repressed by the gaoler.
Daranno, a mere lad in appearance, then underwent the
process of pinioning, and was the only one yet who had
shown any symptoms of a famt heart. After him came
Blanco, who had taken the most conspicuous and relentless
part in the murders. lie it was, with Duranno. who as-
sailed the first mato on the dock with handspikes, and
• he threw him, while
mercy, into the sea.
stabbed the captain
yethAaf vt
ei
alivert i
wg abredartst,ne
dnwshi
hti
hmn i
ktinearlynw go
poitt
eht
ooeur deathssl,
y h foro
three times as the unfortunate man lay, asleep in his
berth. He also took part in the murder of the cap-
tain's brother. Now, however, Blanco, physically the
strongest of all the five, was the moat subdued and faint-
hearted of all. Two crucifixes as ere suspended from his neck,
and though all of the convicts appeared to be amenable to
religious consolation, Blanco seemed the most susceptible,
in that respect, of all. He hung, as it were, on the words
with which his priest tried to cheer him, and at his
request a tract was given him, which appeared
to have been forgotten for the moment, and which
he placed in his bosom. Leon was the last to be
bound, and ho 'hem the ordeal with the quiet com-
poeure which had marked his bearing on the trial. These
preparations ever, the convicts were escorted to the scaffold
by the Sheriffs and the rust of the authorities, the prison
bell tolling the while. They all walked without assistance,
and Lopez, with a light, jaunty air. For a few moments
they were seated in a corridor, where Blanco an l Duranno
becoming faint, tcok some stimulant which was handed
fc., them, as did also Lopez. They wore then ono
afi.er another conducted to the seafteld, and placed
in a row on the drop,. Blanco, who Lad gong first, swooned