The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-11 00:00:00

EXECUTION FOR MURDER AND ARSON

The full penalty of the law was carried into effect yester-
day morning at 8 o'clock, at the Castle of Dorchester, On
James Seale, in the presence of a large concourse of people.
The wretched culprit was tried before Mr. Baron Chanuell
at Dorchester, on the 24th ult., for the wilful murder of a
young woman, named Sarah Ann Griffy, at Stoke Abbotte,
on the 30th of April last, and also for having set fire to the
house in which this victim resided. The prisoner is a vet y
young man, not having reached his 20th year, and had been
working as a labourer for some time past in the vicinity. A
person named Seale, no relation, kept a house, known as
Puckshorne House," a short distance from Stoke Abbotts,
and with him lived a woman named Gritty and her illegit-
mate daughter, the deceased, who was aged 23 years. On
the day of the murder deceased remarked to her mother
that she had seen the prisoner lurking bout the premises,
and she was afraid his intentions were not proper. In the
course of the day, when all the parties, who were farm la-
bourers, were at work, excepting deceased, the prisoner en-
tered the house, and after twilit eating her, inflicted a most
fearful gash in her throat, nearly five inches long, with a
clasped cheese knife, on the hands, arms, and breast,
then set fire to the house. The fire was extin-
guished, and the deceased was found dead on the
floor of the room. The culprit being suspected,
search was made for him, and he was found walking up
a lane some distance from Yuckshorne House, by a con-
stable named Lavender. He was charged with the murder,
and also with setting fire to the house, but he stoutly
lde-
nied having been connected with either, it being
t
in the day, and he said he had not been there sauce nine fn
the morning. There were large splashes of bloc d on his
hep ate
hands and clothes, and he bad evidently tried tocon-
ceal it, by besmearing the spots with mud._ lle was
taken into custody, and se ntencad to death
Ili
the on
guiltthe
'24th ult., the evidence clearly bringing ha tin_
to the culprit. Some exertions have been made to ob-
tain a commutation of the sentence, but Mr. Secretary
Walpole replied that, the whole circumstances having been
taken into consideration, no just cause could be seen for the
alteration of his lordship's decision. Since the condemna-
tion of the unfortunate man he has been visited regularly by
the Rev. D. Cleraentson, the ordinary of the gaol ; and
although rather sullen at first, he at last listened with the
greatest attention to the rev. gentleman's exhortations. For
some time he continued to deny that ho had anything to do
with the atrocious crime, but he appeared to become aware
of the aveful position in which he stood, on being informed
by the governor of the prison that the day of execution was
fihinsagiluyilstettotletdhe and ultimately he made a full confession of
chaplain, and expressed his deep penitence,
and hopes for future salvation. At a few minutes after
seven o'clock this morning, Mr. Lawrance, the governor,
entered the cell, whet e he found the wretched
man in an abject state. On being asked if
there was anything he wished to communicate, he
replied there was nothing; but he wished to thank them
for the kindness they had shown him. Having shaken
hands with the officials, Culcraft, the executioner, was in-
troduced, and proceeded to perform the awful operation of
pinioning, and as the time approached for the departure to
the scaffold, the wretched man engaged in prayer with the
chaplain. At last the mournful procession was formed, and
proceeded to the scatibld, where, all the preliminaries having
I been completed, Seale was placedi by the executioner under
the fatal beam, and the bolt having been witkdrawn, the
drop fell, and, after a few brief struggles, death put an end
to bite gaetings.