The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-08 00:00:00

EXECUTION AT TAUNTON.

Yesterday morning William Burgess was hung
m front of the county gaol of Somerset for the mm-
der of his infant daughter in Exmoor Forest.
Subsequently to his conviction, Burgess, who was
deplorably ignorant, received unremitting attention
from the Rev. F. House, the chaplain, and he was
also visited at his own request once by the Rev.
Thornton, clergyman of • the parish in which he
lived, and several times by the Rev. W. R. Clarke,
curate of St. Mary Magdalene, Taunton. He freely
acknowledged his guilt to these rev. gentlemen, but
seemed perversely to believe that he should atone
for his crime by self-destruction. To prevent him
from committing suicide he was constantly watched,
but the idea seemed to have been entertained by
him almost to the last moment of his life.

At various times he had interviews with his bro-
ther and with two of his daughters, which were
necessarily deeply distressing to the relatives, and
which seemed to have a depressing effect on the
mind of the wretched man himself.

On retiring to rest on the evening before his
execution, Burgess declined to take off his clothes.
The turnkeys who had charge of him report that
he slept but little, and that he got up between two
and three o'clock and engaged in prhyer. He sub-
sequently took off the prison dress which he had
worn since his conviction, and put on the clothes
in which he was attired when apprehended. A
breakfast t of the ordinary gaol dietary was
provided for him, which he ate, and was
'shortly afterwards visited by the governor and
chaplain. At eight o'clock the convict and the
other prisoners were taken to the chapel of the
gaol, where divine service was performed, but the
Eucharist was not administered to the condemned
criminal. Caleraft received the prisoner at the ter.
mination of the service, and having pinioned his
arms, to which operation he submitted with a forti-
tude that had not been anticipated, the procession
proceeded to the scaffold.

A deep silence pervaded the multitude as the
toiling of the chapel bell gave signal that the fune-
ral procession of the yet living culprit had started,
and the boldest of their numbers held their breath
as the gaol warder, followed by the chaplain, the
criminal, and the executioner mounted the scafibld.
Burgess walked firmly up, and was placed under
the fatal beam. The chaplain concluded the read-
ing of the burial service, Calcnift performed his
functions as the hangman, and the preparations for
carrying the sentence of the law into effect having
been completed, the officials descended, leaving the
culprit alone. The bolt was almost immediately
withdrawn, and, after a few throes of mortal agony,
Burgess yielded up his life. In an hour afterwards
the body was cut down and'touried within the pre.
eincts o,l' the gaol.
The crowd dispersed almost as soon as the cri-
minal was no more.

M. Emile de Girardin has , accepted, without
salary, the post of manager of the unfortunate Napoleon
Docks, which he hopes to resuscitate. He proposes to buy
the old shares of 125 f., which have lately been fetching
only 40f. in the market, at .65f. for money, or to give shares
in the newly-organised company at the rate of 85f.