The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-23 00:00:00

The Contemned Convict in Newgate.

Efforts are now being made in the proper quarter
to procure a commutation of the sentence of death
passed upon Karl Anderson, a Swedish sailor, at the
last Sessions of the Central Criminal Court, for the
murder of a fellow-seaman, named Marnchein,
board the ship Raby Castle, on a voyage from
Penang to England, in November last. On Stittlr;
day, a memorial, with that view, was prepared and
forwarded to the Home Secretary by Moore'
Wontner and Sons, the solicitors, who, at the
instance of the Swedish Consul, conducted the de"
fence of the prisoner on his trial. The facts, as
they were brought out upon the trial on Friday
week, will be still fresh in the public recollectioet
and it is only now necessary to state, what Wae
abundantly proved in evidence, that the prisoner
shared in a superstition said to be common Well
sailors, that a ship with a Russian Finn on bear
was always more or less in danger of being lost;
and that he was possessed with the belief that the
man Marnchein, though in fact an Indian mulatto,'
was a Russian Finn, and must be got rid of for the
safety of the vessel and all on board. The
memorial states that the case ou the part of the
Crown was perfectly clear, and could have left n°
doubt in the mind of any person who heard the
evidence that the prisoner put the unfortunate man
to death, but it is submitted that the attendant cit.'
cumstances show a state of mind of the prisoner st
the time of the alleged murder which takes the
crime out of that category. The memorialists say'
from the evidence both on the part of the proses''
tion and of the defence, it appeared that for some
time past the prisoner, although in a general o_l
accountable for his acts, is a person of NveB'
mind, and the officera of the ship Progreso;
in which he sailed in 1865, went the length
calling him " a harmless idiot." He used to Nit'
about the deck talking and muttering to himself'
and if addressed by a superior and told to do any'
thing he would laugh in his face. He invariably
took bis meals apart from the other men, ate raven;
ously, and though capable of understanding th,
orders given to him, the general impression on boaru..
was that he was a person of very feeble intellect'
The memorialists say that a superstition clearly eii.e
among sailors that the inhabitants of Finland We
the power of witchcraft, and among no people more
strongly than their neighbours, the Swedes, of wheel
the prisoner is one. No sooner did Marnchein, the
deceased, join the Raby Castle, then the prisoner, wh°
believed him to be a Russian Finn, was repeated/_„1
heard to say that the devil was in the ship. Thel';
remarks were not addressed openly to any one, bllO
were muttered audibly to himself as he walked t,,
deck. The memorialists also say it'was dearly 8°:
mitted on all hands that there was no personal rnallueo
on the part of the prisoner which conduced to tu
act. They recount all the facts elicited in evidence
_,,
on the trial, and say those facts establish to th 7
mind a perfect instance of a murder committed undu*,
the pressure of a strong delusion, and from the 001;
ming up they are of opinion that the learned
(Mr. Baron Channell) who tried the prisoner enter'
tained the same view. The jury, however, after cell;
suiting together for more than an hour, found P
prisoner guilty, and he was of course sentenced tio
death. The memorialists say that in spite of th
verdict they still adhere strongly to the opinion th.
the view taken by the jury was incorrect, it bel!e;
admitted on all hands that there was no other moth
which could have influenced the prisoner beyond
1 the
superstitious delusion which the evidence of ei
witnesses showed to have been the cause of the wi
In
der. Nothing, they say, but the strongest sense o
the injustice of the verdict would have induced theP:,
to move in the matter, and they trust that Mr.
%Val
d to
pole will be induced to reconsider the case, an
verdict
consult the learned Judge before allowing a
so much against the evidence to stand. In the rne3ry
time the Sheriffs of London have fixed the execution'A,
unless respited, for Tuesday week, the 30th oh
to
and an intimation has been made to that effect
the convict.

1,
THE CONDEMNED CONVlCT.—Yesterday the GO
vernor of Newgate received a communication frow
the
Secretary of State for the Home department respiting
P'
sentence of death upon Charles Anderson, the SS
sailor, during her Majesty's pleasure.

Births.
013.4
ATROLE —0 a the 20th inst., at Blair Athole, the nueb

of Athole, of a daughter.' wife
STROUD—On the 22d inst., at Tunbridge, Kant, the •
of the Rev. John Stroud, of a son.
GREEN -Ou the 22d inst., at 5, Woodlands-Will:
Blackheath, the wife of Samuel Green, Esql
daughter.

Marriages.
TIDY—CouiNs--On the 18th inst., at St. Pancras ti';;;(i,
ThUmas Alfred, youngest son of the late Thomas
of Gloucester-crescent, Regent's-park, to Jane, se
daughter of William Collins, of Notting-hill.
00'
DAUTZIGEIL—SUMNER—On the 20th lust., at St.
-.
Kouuington, Harry Dautziger, Esq., to Stl,,0 sn,: of
younger daughter of the late Robert Sumner, .'1
Priory-road, Clapham.

Deaths. TA
KENT—On the 21st inst., Mr. James Kent, of We t.°
Hampstead, aged 74.
ROMER—On the 22d inst., at Lamb's Conduit-street, 3iff‘
John Romer, in his 81th year. .1)°,0
BowatAN—On tho 10th lust , at Walton-on-Tl-03
James Bowman, Esq., aged 41 h IdA
CHILDS At Claptoa, the Rev. Thomas Cave iao-
rector of St. George Plympton, near South
Devon, aged 47.

Loudon: Printed and Published by WILLIAM ANP-":„; 114
of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at THE SUN Office,'"t; of
Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the COW"
Bliddleoex.--luesday, April 23, 1867.