The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-16 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF DAVIS (THIS DAT.)

--..-
At eight o'clock this morning, Teomas Robert Davi,',
a fancy carpenter, was executed in front of Newgate for
the murder of his wife, by cutting her throat at their
lodgings, Dorset-street, Balls Pond, Islington.
The crowd in front of the jail was less numerous than
on many former occasions, but still there were before the
scaffold some 5,000 or 6,000 of the worst sort of people
London can proclaim.
At half-past seven o'clock this morning Mr. Sheriff
Allen and Mr. Under Sheriff Parker arrived at the jail
and were soon afterwards followed by Mr. Sheriff Law-
rsnce. At a quarter to eight o'clock they, with the
governor (Mr, )Vetherhead), the Rev. Mr. Plairs, and
Mr. Under Sheriff Millard proceeded to the prisoner's
cell, where he was found standing with his hands
clasped in the same manner as he stood at the trial,
muttering, " Lord have mercy on my soul. I am in-
nocent Of all knowledge of the crime. I die a dread-
ful death, bat innocent of any inientioe." Mr. Under
Sheriff Parker fished hint, now that he was so near
death, whether he persisted in his statement, to which
he replied earnestly, " I do, I do ; before God and man
I am innocent of any knowledge of the act '." and in
reply to repeated questions he said that it bad been his
only consolation in all his troubles to know that he was
innocent of any knowledge of committing the act until
some hours afterwards ; that he loved his wife dearly,
and that the day on which it was done was the happiest
day he had spent, but how mournfully had it turned
out, He added that, as far as any man could, he died
innocent. Mr. Under-Sheriff Parker and the reverend
ordinary repeatedly asked him if he felt that he was
truly penitent. His replies were reiterations of his ,
innocence, and the expression of a hope that God would
be merciful to him. He desired that one of the warders
should deliver some little books to his child, who he
hoped would be taken care of now that she had lost
both father and mother.
Calcraft was here introduced, and proceeded to
adjust the new leather apparatus, during which Davis
asked the ordinary to request the executioner, who-
ever he was, to be as quick as he could, as he did nut
want to be kept standing to be gazed at by the mob.
Having been assured upon that point, he said he would
not have minded being shot by some of her Majest3'is
Foot Guards, as he should then have died the death of 1
a Christian, but now he was going to die the death of a
do As the last moments which he was to spend on earth
arrived, the convict appeared
inn
redmov
too
ooeneoro. nerve himself to the
b utmost, still protesting At length the
tbiei
el l
rev,tolle
ordinary
rad?
bda tr
3 the processionbeadiug tbe
burialed o to the scaffold,
con-
vict walked firmly and steadily service. The
shook hands with the warder,
bo
towatedth e
theside
corfoCwadl,creaoftd,
in a few moments had suffered the full penalty for his
I crime. His sufferings did not appear to be severe.
I
frompay6l/13. was
to asna.
asl.twilefuel.woHrhemwanas, and frequently earned
meat of Sir Joseph Tobin, of Liverpool, formerly
as in the employ
a sshipwrshipwrightHe
was one of the volunteers who offered to go to the
Baltic with Sir Charles Napier.