The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-22 00:00:00

EXECUTION 12' CrAI?LISLE.

George Cass was executed at Carlisle gaol yester-
day at noon, for the wilful murder of Ann Sewell,
at Embleton on the 26th of March last. The cir-
cumstances of the case have before appeared in The
isun. At the end of last week the prisoner made
another statement, which, though of a somewhat
unsatisfactory character, tends to clear up some
doubts as to the manner in which the murder was
committed, and what was the motive for such an
atrocious clime. It will be remembered that in
the prisoner's original statement he said that the
girl had asked him to mend her clog ; he refused
to do so, and she threw a knife at him; he threw it
back at her, and it stuck in her throat, and then,
after she had requested him to " put her away
altogether," he went and inflicted the wounds which
caused her death. He now states that a quarrel
arose between him and the girl, in the kitchen,
about a half-crown which he had lent her ; he
rushed at her in a passion, and pursued her along
the passage to the outer door, where he caught her.
A scuffle ensued at the door, he then dragged her
down the passage (which accounts for the streaks
of blood found on the wall), and at the end of the
passage, where the body was afterwards found,
murdered his victim. Yesterday morning, three or
four hours before the time of execution, groups
of people—men, women, and children—assembled
in front of the scaffold, which was erected
at an angle of the gaol wall. Trains from the
west, the district in which the murder W
committed, brought a great number of people;
but excursion trains from the town were run at
cheap rates to induce as many persons as possible
to be absent during the execution, and to these $
remarkably fine day served as an additional ill:
ducernent. Soon after 11 o'clock the number 0I
people in front of the gaol began to increase greatly;
the windows commanding a view of the scaffold
were occupied, and children of the tenderest years
might be seen mingling in the crowd. At a quo,
ter before 12 thousands had assembled. They dl
vided themselves into two portions, one on each
side of the scaffold, the scaffold having been s°
placed behind a, projecting parapet of the gaol wail
that•the gallows could not be well seen from the
front. When the clock struck twelve a still-
ness seemed to come upon the .spectators; children
who had been running about in the open space in,
the centre ranged themselves with the crowd ; the,
chapel bell began to toll, and amid the most pro-,
found silence the criminal, accompanied by the•
chaplain and the hangman Calcraft, ascended the,
platform. The chaplain read the usual texts el
Scripture, the hangman placed the white cap upon
the head of the unfortunate criminal, and, having
shaken hands with him, adjusted the rope and re:
tired ; the chaplain also shook hands with him all
left the platform. About five minutes past 12 the
bolt was drawn, and the criminal was launched
into eternity. At the same instant a loud moan
passed through the whole crowd. The murderer
struggled but for a few seconds, and the crowd then
began to disperse immediately. While the body
hung only the head and shoulders were visible frog
the street. •