The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-31 00:00:00

Execution of Ferdinando Petreani at

Winchester.

Yesterday morning at eight o'clock the dread
finality of the 1 was perfected upon Ferdinando
,:w.
Petreani, on the sc.:
affold erected over the gateway
of the gaol of Winches:er. The remarkable fact of
at an inland town for
__.ll the miscreant Ed-
en execution taking place
such an offence as that for whit,.
,6-
fered drew a more than usually lar :e crowd of pct
sons to witness the scene.

Since his condemnation the wretched n;.: In hes
behaved himself with calmness and propriety, never
having entertained any hope that his life would be
spared after it was intimated to him that the only
doubt on the subject was solved by the decision of
Mr. Justice Bytes that the point of law raised by
the learned counsel for the defence was not tenabN•
The Rev. Father Pacificos, of the order of Capu-
chins, visited the hapless man on Saturday, the'
13th inst., and has been in daily attendance upon,
him. On Monday he visited him at the usual bOtirr,
and at the culprit's request remained with hill
throughout the night, which was passed in COn"
stant prayer. What statement he made to the revs
father is, of course, secret, under the confessional
vow, but through the kindness of Dr, Sanders, one
of the regimental surgeons in the garrison, we are
able to state that the criminal fully acknowledged
his guilt, but attributed the commission of his crimt
to the woman, who desired to cohabit with him?
and constantly importuned him. Her desires, how-
ever, he rejected; and on account of that she was
always setting the captain and the first mate against
him, causing him constant annoyance and ill treat.-
ment. He averred that he never should have con-
templated his crime hut for the manner in whlell
he was treated—not with violence, but as to the
difference with which he was used, even compared
to the most menial of the crew, particularly instanft
ing the fact that when they were able to buy O
bread they were allowed to do so, while he was rP'
stricted to ordinary ship's biscuit. He expressed
himself in the most grateful terms of the manner
which he had been treated by the governor and
the other officials whilst in confinement, and con-
trasted it in most emphatic words with that to whieu-
he would have been subjected if he had been in-
carcerated in his own country, where he would
have been loaded with irons and subjected to the
utmost indignity. At a quarter before eight
o'clock the under-sheriff, Mr. W. Brooks; the go-
vernor Mr. Henry Barber ; the surgeon, Pr'
Lyford, with the other prison officials, visited the
unhappy convict in his cell, and Calcraft, the even'
tioner, proceeded with the rites of his office. The
culprit expressed an eat nest desire to be almost
stripped of his clothing, an anxiety which was
humanely acceded to as far as consistent with Pre"
priety by the governor, and the wretched man wag
therefore without his coat and waistcoat, having 0.11
a very finely-worked fronted shirt. Father EPaer
ficos, who was dressed in the full vestments of 11'5,
order, continued the repetition of the prescribed
formularies of the creed of his Church with the
utmost vehemence, and the repetition of the
prayers by the culprit was distinctly heard by tee_
persons in the lanes opposite the gaol long beforie
.
the dread procession was visible upon the scaffein,,
On reaching the drop the father confessor, who
waved the crucifix in front of the criminal, q"
horted him to repentance, and the wretched culpril.o
111
who then trembled violently, joined earnestly 14
the prayers with apparently deep contrition.
the midst of the prayers the drop fell, and the al-
fessor, kneeling by the side of the pendant bocif+.
prayed with great fervour. The father confesse,ri
continued on the scaffold repeating prayers until
half-past eight, when he descended and thanked
the governor for his exceeding kindness to the
fortunate man who had paid the penalty of ln;
crimes with his life. The body was cut down al;e,,
hanging the usual time, and the crowd raping
dispersed.