The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-27 00:00:00

LAMBETH.

Samuel Orde, a youth of fourteen years of age,
was finally examined upon three distinct charges of
felony, the first for stealing a sword from the Surrey
Theatre, the property of Mr. Hicks; the second
with stealing a dress sword from the same theatre,
belonging to Mr. Saville; and the third with stealing
two swords and a silver mounted riding-whip from
the dressing-room of Mr. Roxby, of the Olympic
Theatre.

The first and last charges were clearly substan-
tiatiated, and the prisoner, who has been before tried
and convicted of stealing a watch from the shop of
Ilr. Arnold, of the Strand, was sent to Newgate for
trial.

THE HALMENEND MURDER.
EXECUTION OF DOWNING AND POWYS.
STAFFORD, SATURDAY APTERNOO3I.—A COM-
munication having been received this morning by the
authorities, that the decision of the judges had been
against the prisoners, the Sheriffs fixed twelve o'clock
to-day for their execution. At an early hour the Rev.
Chaplain visited the unhappy men, and continued with
them up to the period when the fatal bolt was drawn.
At eleven o'clock the wretched men received the
Holy Sacrament, and paid the most marked attention
to every part of that impressive service, making the
responses with apparently much fervour. In the
course of the morning Downing said, in reply to a
question put by the Rev. Gentleman, " I have spoke
the truth—it is a hard thing to suffer for other folks'
deeds ; and the lad and me is as free as the Bible of
this." He afterwards said, in the course of conversa-
tion, " If we suffer, we shall suffer wrongful ; we
could na' help what folks said agen us, or the jury
bringing us guilty; but we are as innocent as a child
unborn ;" and Powys, in reply to the Rev. Gentleman,
said, " I am innocent of it."
After the unhappy men were pinioned, the chaplain
asked them whether either of them had any request
to make with respect to their relatives ? They both
desired him to inform their friends that they hoped
they would prepare to meet them in Heaven, and
that they would lead a good life ; that they were
going out of the world innocent, and were not afraid
to die. Precisely at twelve o'clock the tolling of the
prison bell announced that the melancholy procession
was moving towards the place of execution.
The culprits, who had undergone no apparent alte-
ration since their trial, walked with a firm and un-
faltering step. On reaching the lodge, Powys, who
saw Mr. Superintendent Bergen, requested him to
shake hands with him, and said, emphatically, " God
bless you! It's hard to die innocent; but I can for-
give you." Downing ascended the drop with a hasty
step, and placed himself immediately under the fatal
beam, and whilst the executioner was adjusting the
rope, he said—" Gentlemen, here is two chaps going
to be murdered. We are going to die as innocent as
a child unborn. We are free from it." Powys then
ascended the scaffold, and whilst the executioner was
putting the rope round his neck, he said to him, " I
want to say something; don't put the rope so tight—l
can't breathe." The chaplain then shook hands with
Downing, anti exhorted him, in the most solemn
manner, to tell the whole truth, as he was about to
leave the world ; to which Downing replied, " I am
not guilty ; lam as innocent as a child unborn. The
Lord in Heaven knows we are, and we shall be with
him in a very short time." The chaplain having also
shaken hand.; with Powys, and repeated the ex-
hortation, Powys said, " We are going to die
for a thing we know nothing about, and I hope the
Lord in Heaven will protect us." He added, "We
are going to suffer for that which we are innocent of ;"
to which Downing rejoined, " Yes, and it will be
known before twelve months who is the guilty person,
and they will be no better off than we are." Powys
said, " We have had our lives sworn away; but I can
forgive." Downing further said, "I hope it will come
out, and that the country will know that we are in-
nocent, and our friends will be cleared of it. The
Lord knows that we are going to suffer fer a thing
that we never did." He also said he was going to die
for injuring a man he never injured in his life, and
the man never injured him. After the caps had been
drawn over their faces, and whilst the chaplain was
proceeding with the burial service, both the criminals
praying aloud, apparently with great fervour, that
their souls mimht be saved. Whilst they were engaged
in prayer the drop fell, and the world closed upon
them for ever. Downing ceased at once to live, but
Powys was greatly convulsed, and struggled for
several minutes.

THE EARL OF MORNINGTON.—We regret to hear
there is no improvement whatever in the health of this
venerable nobleman. Up to an advanced hour, the
answer given to the numerous inquiries was, that the
Noble Earl remained much the same.
Lord Francis Egerton has, we regret to say, been
suffering from an attack of gout, at Hatchford HaIL His
Lordship is, however, again convalescent. Mr. F.
Egerton has joined the Excellent, at Portsmouth.