The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-26 00:00:00

TBE HAYMARKET MURDER.

Dining the last few days the most earnest exer-
tions have been made, through the instrumentality
of Mr. Heath, the Consul-General of Sardinia, to
induce the Home Secretary to spare the life of the
culprit Giovanni Lani, who was executed this
morning for the murder of a Frenchwoman named
Heloise Tbaubin. The prisoner, it appears, has
made a statement in which ho positively asserts
that he did not strangle the deceased, but that
a quarrel and struggle took place be-
tween them in consequence of her getting
out of bed in the middle of the night, and his
observing her in the act of rifling his pockets,
upon which he states that he struc her in the
stomach, and she then scratched his face, and this
led to further violence, and in the end she became
4,s he thought, insensible, and he left her in that
condition. Upon the ground that this statement
may possibly be true, and that under such circum-
stances the character of the offence would not be of
so heinous a kind, but would partake more of the
form of a case of manslaughter, the, Home Secre-
tary was asked to spare the life of the prisoner ;
but in the final answer that was received on
Saturday evening the Secretary of State informed
Mr. Heath that the whole of the circumstances of
the crime had undergone the most careful conside-
ration, and that the Government could not find
any mitigating circumstances in the case that would
justify them iu sparing the life of the pris suer ;
and that, with regard to his own statement as to
the circumstances under which the crime was com-
mitted, it was negatived in the most positive
manner by the evidence, and that there could be
no reasonable doubt that when the prisoner ac-
companied the unhappy woman to the huuse in
Arundel-court he had formed a deliberate plan to
rob her, and that her death was the result of his
determination to carry out that intention at all
hazards. UnJer such circumstances it was inti-
mated that the Government felt they had no
alternative but to allow the law to take its
course.

A notification was made to the prisoner several
days back that the day of execution would be on
the 26th inst., and he appeared quite resigned and..
exhibited very little emotion ; the only request
he he made to the gaol authorities was that he ig:,:e
be permitted to have some addition to _ the
"
gaol allowance of food in the ° Pe
extra • meat, and he was told j 12L the
1110
o
sheriffs that they had no power t grant
request without the consent f the visiting
aldermen, but they would make the applicat-on to
them. They did so, and the request
eh last fortnight the
was acceded to, and during
an extra allowance of
of the prisoner
Millard and
ftiod. The Under-Sher,
prisoner has been allowedi Messrs.pris'oner aIm,LA every day
wren the upon the latter gontleman
Parker, have
during the
him uwpeoeen,one occasion whether he had any
r he replied. that the only thing he
requestask,ng to.ma ,
do to serve him was to try and sug-
P°salblleYa to save his lifo. During the week
' ' oner employed himself in drawing up a sort
the prisoner orcoesutltime p
of will, by which he requests that certain articles
in his possession should be given to different persons,
and he concludes by stating "not forgetting my
cigar case," which ho d sires may be given to a
person whose name he mentions.
The prisoner, it has already been stated, is a
native of the Sardinian dominions. It appears that
he has no other relatives living than a father, a
step-mother, and a sister. The occupation followed
by himself and his father was that of a Unman, as

ee cx, resssei r, butthe i-reite to which he has beers
ereu would appear to ,be Chart %illicit in Eng-
-lel I would be called a whitesmith. He states
that for some reason or other 'his father's second
wife took a dislike to him, and he 'was so -un-
comfortable with his family in- his fswn country
that he resolved to ertriersite to America,'and came
to Load n for that parpOie. He hid saved a little
motley, an i afiee peying for his passage he had a
few sovereigns left at the time lie accouspenied the
deceased heme on. the night of the murder ; and he
represents tea• the deceased was in the-aet of tak-
ing this money from his waistcoat pocket when be
awelee, and that this led to the quarrel and its
filial result. The prisoner has not received
any letters or other commuuications from any
of his family since his conviction, -but they have
been made acquainted with his, awful position.
Tee prisoner appears to possess enormous strength
fi with bn cg
ksm
heavy i
hammers
in les thumbs and hands, as is usually the case
v
fia nd otrsw
indeedho, are e .Ini nu .sthe l
,muscular
habit
:i
pearance of his thumb and forefinger amounts
almost to malformation, and a grasp from them
upon the throat of any one, as in'the case of the
Ne svgate, it appears
wretched deceased, would speedilybe'fatal:
While the prisoner was in the House of Deten-
tion, prior to his committal to
that he was visited by a priest of the Roman Catho-
lic
epoenresrua:liiedne,
obtuttu
akafteeratitiyiseata rtlval at Newgate the
melt respee!ing his
religious belief, he attended the ptison chapel, and
in accordance with the gaol regulations a Bible and.
Prayer book were placed in his cell. After Isis con-
viction he was asked whether he desired to be
visited by a priest of any particnter religious deno-
trieation, and be then stated that he was a Roman
Catholic, and he desired that a etitest of that red:.
pion might be allowed to have eeetees to him. Mr.
ex-Sheriff Swift, who acts as the Agent for Cardinal
Wiseman in these matters, was atflence applied to
upon the subject, and at his !request Father
Fienza, a Roman Catholic priest- attached to the
Lincoln's-inn chapel, waited upon the prisoner;and
lie his been in constant communication-with him
ever since. It appears that a suggestion was made
that there had been an attempt on the part of the
authorities of the prison to proselytise the prisoner,
and to induce him to abandon the Roman Catholic
faith and become a Prot eattl!, -butit iA' needless to
stite that there is not the 'slightest foundation
for such an impression, and the facts'upon which
it is founded appear to be these e—lt ap-
pears that Mr. Under-Sheriff Parker, having regard
to the condition of the prisoner, and the fact of his
being a foreigner, had introduced to him a benevo-
lent Italian gentleman, Signor Paretti, and he had
some conversation with the prisoner, but none at
all of a religions charac:er. It also appeared that
Mr. Parker, knowing. the prisoner was unable to
iesd or speak English, had placed in the cell an
Italian translation of the Bible, for the prisoner to
read it if he thought proper, bet not the slightest
restraint was put upon him in this respect, and itap-
peered that the English Bible which, as the prisoner
was entirely ignorant cf the language, could not
have ben attended with any effect, and also the
Italian translation, remained in the cell for several
days, to the knowledge of Father Fienza, before
any complaint was made, when they were at once
removed. It also appears that an anonymous letter
in a woman's handwriting, and in the Italian lan-
guage, was addressed to the prisoner, and in this
he wes urged to endeavour to obtain "Salvation
by Faith," and this letter, it appeared, was shown
to the prisoner. These were the principal grounds
upon which the charge of an endeavour to prosely-
tise the prisoner was founded, and it would teem
that Mr. Swift expressed himself very warmly upon
the subject, and threat; ned to make a represente-
ion to the Secretary of State in reference to it. In
consequence of this it was considered advisable
that h.; should be put in possession of the real
facts, and Mr. Aleermatt and Sheriff Lawrence,
Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Allen, and the Under-
Sheriffs, Messrs. Millard and Parker, attended
at the gaol, on Thursday, in order that an inquiry
might be gone into. The result was to estab-
lish iu the eleareet possible mariner that there
had not • been the slightest improper inter-
ference with the religious Opinions of the culprit,
and Mr. Swift made a statement to that effect
which was satisfactory to all parties.
The prisoner did nor, of course, attend the chapel
yesterday to hear what is called the condemned
sermon, but Father Fienza. wag 'With him the
greater part of the day, and remained with him
until the last moment.

THE EXECUTION THIS MORNING.
Offended justice was satisfied this morning, in
front of the Old Bailey, by the execution of Gio-
vanni Lani for the murder of Heloise Thaubin. At
an early hour large numbers of persons began
to arrive in the 011 Bailey, and imme-
diately took up their position as near the
gallows as they were permitted to:approach, and
for hours endured the cold biting wind in order to
gratify th, it morbid curiosity. At half-past seven
the crowd was immense. It consisted of the usual
class of persons who attend on the e occasions and
a large number of foreign prostitutes.
Whilst all was excitement outside the jail, within
the scene was very different.' Shortly after six
o'clock the Under Sheriff arrived and immediately
proceeded to the cell in Which Lani was confined,
and there the usual formalities were gene through.
From his cell Lani was conducted to the press-room
where Calcraft, the executioner, commenced his
duties by placing his apparatus across the chest of
the convict in order to properly secure his hands
and arms. Whilst this operation was being gone
through Lath maintained his usual quiet demean-
our Father Fienza attending hint in his last mo-
m n,s.

On mounting the scaffold Lani was received
with loud 'groans and yells, but his reception did
not produce the least effect upon him. He looked
round on the crowd beneath and then took his place
under the beam. Calcraft in a very short space of
time adjuitedthe rope, and the signal hiving been
given the drop fell, and in a few seconds Lani
ceased to exist.

The body, according to custom, remained sus-
pended until nine o'clock, when it wa3 cut down
and conveyed into the gaol, where it will be buried
in accordance with the sentence."

The scaffold having been removed the crowd
slowly dispersed, and in a short time after the Old
Bailey resumed its usual business appearance.

TllB PROPERTY QUALIFICATION.

The following is Mr. L,)cke King's Bill to Abolish
the Property Qualifications of Member of Parlia•
"'lent :

Whereas by the several acts and parts of acts
hereinafter mentioned provisions' have been made
for requiring, on the part of members of the House
of Commons elected for England and Ireland re-
spectively, cer,ain qualifications in respect of pro-
perty ; and whereas it is expedient that the said
provisions should be repealed, be it therefore
enacted by the Queen's most excellent Majesty, by
and with ti e advice and consent of the ler&
spiritual and temporal, and otheations,-in
authority
sent Patliament assembled, and byelie
of the same, as follows : this p.m-
-meln.
tiTohneease(tvheraatlisacttossaanyt paaurtascot
he ninth year
by- farther
6.e An act for
of the reign of Queen Anne, intituled..:.ent,
securing the freedom of Pi
tag in
fo tcts hereinafter
the House of qualifying the members 3 todeBear of the reign of King
Com-
mons," an act of the 3 George 11., intituled "Act to enforce and render
jeers relating' o the
qualification
the House of Commons," an
moreof
members effectual t o thesit i n
c, An act for farther act of the 59th year of the reign of King George
r regulating
ofmembers
to serve in th
the qualification
United parliament of Great Britain and Ireland,"
an act of the session of Parliament holden
and
111., intituled
in the first and second years of the reign of
her present Majesty, intituled "An act to
emend the laws relating to the qualification of
members to serve in parliament," and so much of
au act of parliament of England, and of an act of
parliament of Ireland, respectively passed in the
i septaet
.Bci
otrilvtsae
iil.
nya
oacifi judGa
rrri
fortiethaiilnliii t
Ireland,
ri
ee dl
ae:
ne
,da, r,
A,
An"
as
sKapci
provides
ogfvo
irdet Georgehs
eti
til a 111.,
iltoll
11
respect of property of the members elected on the
part of Ireland to sit in the sof
ouse Commons of
the United King tom shall be respectively the same
as were then provided by law in the cases of elec-
tions fur counties and cities and boroughs respee•
tively in that part of Great •
Britain called Eng-
land, unless any utter provisions should hereafter
be inede in that respect by ac, of parliament of the
United Kingdom, and so much of an act of the 41st
year of the reign of King George 111., intituled,
"An act for regulating, until the Ist day of May,
1802, the trial of controverted elections or returns
of members to serve in the United Parliament of
Great Britain and Ireland for that part of the
United Kingdom called Ireland, and for regulating
the qualification of members to serve in the said
United Parliament," as relates to time qualifications
of members elected to nrve in parliament, shall
be repealed : provided always, that the repeal of
' the said recited acts and parts of acts respectively
shall not be construed to revive or re-enact any act
or part of act heretofore re pealed by any of the said
acts or parts of acts respectively.