The Sun.
London, England, 1818-08-15 00:00:00

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EXEMITION OF CHENNEL AND CHALCRAFT, FOR
THE MURDER OF MR. CHENNEL AND MRS. WIL-
SON, HIS HOUSEKEEPER.

George Chennel, aged 38, and Wm. Chat raf/,
aged 50 years, who were found guilty on ‘Vednes-
day last, of the murder of Mr. George Chennel
(the father of the former, and the master of the
latter), and of Mary Wilson, his housekeeper,
were executed yesterday morning, pursuant to
their sentences, at a quarter past eleven o'clock,
upon a temporary gallows erected in Godalming
Meadows.

The culprits, since their conviction, have
evinced the greatest apathy. They were con-
ducted to Guildford Gaoi on the night they were
convicted, and were placed in the condemned
cells, and double ironed. Two Clergymen visited
them on the same night, and prayed with them
for a considerable time. Chennel remained dur-
ing the whole time in a torpid state, and wished
to avoid conversing with any one, especially up-
on the subject of the inurders. Before the Clergy-
men (the Rev. Mr. West, of Stoke, and the Rev.
Mr. Coles) left him, they admonished him to pre-
pare, by a true repentance, for a future state—
they entreated him to confess his sins, and pray
for pardon.

During Wednesday night Chennel slept sevtn
hours, and seemed very much composed. Clod-
craft was feverish and uneasy, but slept sound for
several hours. On Thursday the Rev. Mr. Mann,
the Ordinary of liorsemonger•lane Gaol, and
Chaplain of St. Saviour'., Sonthwark; came down
to visit the prisoners, and to attend them in their
dying moments. He visited them immediately,
and remained on Thursday night with them a con-
siderable time, entreating them, as the only repa-
ration they could make to society, to relieve the
minds of the people, by acknowledging their guilt
of the murders for which they were so soon to suffer,
mid also their guilt of the other murders, at Peters-
field, Farnham, and Reading, of which they were
so strongly suspected. The culpri.s declared, in
the most positive terms (particularly Chalcratt),
that they were " innocent as the child unborn of
the murders of Mr. Chennel and Mary Wilson."
On Thtirsday evening Mrs. Chennel, the wile of
George Chennel, visited him with her child, a fine
lad about six years of age. The moment Chennel
saw them ite burst into tears, and embraced her
most affectionately. They were left together in
the cell fur about 20 minutes, .and when they
parted, his wife was in a dreadful state of anguish ;
he did not, seem to feel so much as when they met.
He persisted to his wife that he was innocent of
the crime for which he was doomed to die. lit a
short rime atterwards a more afflicting scene took
place ; Chaleraft's wife and six children presented
themselves at the gaol door to take " a last living
leave" of the husband and father. The interview
was overpowering to the spectators ; such real
distress and misery cannot be depicted ; it is im-
possible to be truly described. The agonizing
shrieks of the mother, the heavy groans of the
father, and the cries of the children, would have
pierced a marble hei“t.
Mrs. Chalcraft used the following emphatic
words when she was sufficiently recovered as to
be able to speak :—" Oh ! my dear Will, tell'ine
the truth ; as a man, who stands before God, and
is goings to die. if you are guilty of the murder;
pray, for God's sake, don't hide any thing, and.
have the weight of Iznik upon your conscience
when you are dying." Chalcratt replied, "My
(tear, 1 ant innocent of the murder, or I would
confess it."

Mrs Chalcraft stated to him, " that she had
been upbraided by her neighbours with washing
the bloody clothes, and you know, and God above
knows, ihat I never did."

Ch4!craft answered, " They are cr'►el to you, I
never did the murder, or had auy band in it, and
you never saw any bloody clothes."

Chalcratt then admitted, that he was at old Mr.
Chenners on the night preceding the'discovery of
the murder, from a quarter past eight to a quar-
ter past nine ; but he still persisted that he had
no knowledge of the murder.
Mrs. Chalcraft was about to leave the cell,
when she presented the babe sue held in her hand
to Chalcraft to kiss ; she then exclaimed, " Oh,
God ! to-morrow this child is just 12 months old.
and your father then is to die. I hope God will
be a father to my children." They then embraced,
and were separated by the gaolers.
Chennel asked the Rev. Mr. Mann, when he left
him on Thursday night, to be kind enough to visit
him as early as he could on the following morn-
ing. The Rev. Gentleman was with the criminals
yesterday morning as early as 6 o'clock. Eleven
was appointed for the time they were to suffer.
Mr. Munn continued praying and reading hymns
to them until half-past eight ;—they still persisted
that they were not guilty of the crime for which
they were about to (lie. Mr. Mann hesitated for
a considerable time before he would administer
the ‘Sacratuent of the Lord's Supper to them.
Atter some time spent in protestations of their
innocence, the worthy Divine cautioned them, in
the must feeling and religious language, not to
take sin to their souls by partaking of so divine an
ordinance with a lie in their months.

They continued to declare their innocence after
the Sacrament was administered, they were bound
by ropes in the usual manner, and at about half-
past nine they were led to the prison door, and
placed in a waggon, upon which was erected a
platform, which they were to be launched from
under the gallows. The following is the form
of the proce,sion from Guildford to Godalmiug,
a distance of about four miles.

Waggon and platform, in which were the crimi•
nals sitting with their faces towards the horses at
the front of the waggon. The Rev. Mr. Mann
sat between them, reading prayers and hymns.
The executioner sat facing them, with a drawn
sword in his hand. The Rev. Mr. West, of Stoke,
sat on the right hand of the executioner, occa-
sinally administering consolation to the criminals.
When the procession began to move ('.kennel
once changed colour, but he soon became com-
posed and did not hove a muscle during the re-
mainder of the way ; be was totally unaffected by
the surrounding multitude; he seemed as insen-
sible as a block of wood, and kePt his eyes fixed
upon the platform all the time, until the tiloment

'at; arrive(' unuer tub
gailOws (except bnce, when
he answered aqttestion of Mr: Mann's), and he
cast his eyes -tip at it and sighel. Chalcraf't;
during'the'vrhOle of the time, 'responded tollte
prayers of the Clergyman, and seethed sensibly
affected with his awful situation. The proces-
sion arrived on the fatal soot about II o'clock ;
the place is surrounded by hills, and thousands
had assembled at the place of exeention. Ott the
left hand nt the criminals was the farm lately oc-
cupied by young Chennel.

When the platform was placed under the gal-
lows, the executioner asked Chennel to mount
upon it—he sprung nityith•RllUprising vigour and
boldness, and stood erect and firm, without betray-
log the most remote symptom of fear (hiring ti e
time the executioner tied the rope round his neck.
D,ring that time a Gentleman,'for whom Chml-
craft had worked, was in deep conversation iyith
him ; Chalcraft had promised him (his own words)
`6 to tell him the whole pedigree of the affair
when he came to the place of execution." The
Gentleman entreated hint to fdfil his promise ;
Chalcraft trembled very lunch, bot recovering
himself, he again protested his innocence of the
murder.

When the procession was on the road, Mr.
Mann earnestly intreated Chennel to make a con-
fession ; and told loin that lie had no right to
expect mercy unless lie acknowledged his crimes,
it it was only for the purpose of preventing inno-
cent persons from suffering for the crimes which
they had committed. Mr. Mann then put the
unestinfl (which we above allude to) direct to
Chennel in the most solemn manner, " Did you,
Or did you not, commit the murder, or assist at all
in it ?"—Chennel lifted up his eyes, and said, in
reply, " I never had any concern in the murder "
Chalcraft turned his head round, and Finking at
him very expressively answered, " You did,
George, you know you did."
kiihenChaleraft was desired toaseend the scaffold,
he trembled very much, and looked anxiouslyround.
Is was thought lie would have made a confession,
hut he only shook hands with a Gentleman, and
again repeated his asseveration of innocence. He
then mounted the scaffold, and the rope being
adjusted round his neck, the Rev. Mr. Mann
ascended also, and held a conversation with them;
he said that they were now on the very verge of
the grave, but it was not too late to make a
hill confession ; and he entreated them, if they,
as dying men, had any regard for their souls, not
to die denying the truth. Chennel replied, " What
I have asserted is the truth." These were his
last words.—Chalcraft was deeply engaged in
prayer, and made no answer. Mr. Mann then
prayed with them, and having left the fatal appa-
ratus, they were launched into eternity. Chennel
was a' great deal convulsed ; Chaleraft died al-
most instantly. After hanging an hour, they were
cut down, and their bodies were given to Mr.
Parsons, surgeon, at Godalming, for dissection.
Another account says—" After hanging an
hour, the halters were loosened at the top, and
the bodies lowered down into the vehicle which
had brought them from Guildford. The hats of
the dead men were placed on their heads ; Chal-
craft's frock was ripped up and stripped off, and.
the bodies, tied together, were taken into Godal-
ming, and dravn up the street before the house in
which the murders had been perpetrated. A vast
crowd followed the caravan, which was surround-
ed by constables on horseback. It stopped before
the residence of the late Mr. Chentiel, which is a
small house, one story high, and but two or
three doors beyond the George and the Dragon.
Here, after -a pause of stone moments, the bodies
were taken from the vehicle, and carried into the
house. The doors were then closed, and guarded
by constables ; the caravan passed on, and the
crowd began to disperse. The bowels of the suf-
ferers were to be taken out yesterday afternoon,
and it was expected the bodies would then be
exposed to the populace."

CHARACTRR Or CHENNEL AND CIIALCIIAPT PREVIOUS
TO THR COMMIs.,IoN oP THE MURDERS.

Chentiel bore a very good character in early life. Among
his playfellows, when a school boy, he was remarked for a
quiet and even gentle disposition. As he advanced in life,
until some time after his 111:irriage, he was of a pat-simuniims
disposition, and it was remarked he the companions whom
he occasionally met at places of public amusement, that he
was a person li!irly to succeed in life. About nine years
back he became acquainted with the daughter of a respectable
farmer, residing at Chillingfoid. Their intimacy commenced
whilst she was on a visit at Godahning, and a matrimonial
connexion was the consequence. She received 10001. portion
from her father, and Chennei a sum to the sante amount,
with which he commenced business as a farmer. It was re-
marked soon after, that he got, by degrees, into habits of
extravagance. He became fond of society at home, while
circumstances afforded him the means o.' entertaining them,
and when those failed, he began to frequent imblie-how,es,
to neglect his fainie, and to addict himself to the sociery of
the lowest class of females. The consequence was, that from
a character of temperance and parsimony, he acquired that
of dissipation and extravagance, and conducted hitnsclf in
such a manner as to induce a suspicion of other crimes. pre-
vious to the perpetration of that for which he suffered. He
was never of a quarrelsome disposition ; on the contrary,
though his appearance at the Bar, and during the whole time
of his confinement, was intrepid, or even .careress to a degree
that seemed to border upon insensibility, he was always
averse to fighting, and was never known to display feelings of
hostility among his acquaintance.
Chennel's mother having (lied while he was an infant, Mrs.
Wilson, the housekeeper, was taken into the service of his fa-
ther about thirty years back, and remained there until the
time of ,her death. Her conduct to young Chennel, both in
early life and after he grew up to manhood, is said to have
been most affectionate. Her behaviour to him was marked
rather by the tender and endearing cares of a mother than
the hired attentions of a servant so that this horrid deed,
on the part of Chennel, might be consaletedas the murder,
nut of one, but of both parents.
Chalcraft, in the neighbourhood where he resided, does not
appear to have borne a good character. He was fond of fre-
quenting public-houses, and was neither a good husband nor
father. He allowed his wife, for a long time back, tube a
burthen upon the parish, giving her only a small part of his
earnings. He and Chennel were constant companions. They
for a lung time drank and conversed upon a footing of equa-
lity, though they partly stood in the relation of master and
servant. Some apprehensions are still entertained in the
towa of Godalming that they were not the only persons
concerned in this horrid murder. There is one in particular,
who when conversed with upon the subject, was always ex-
tremely cautions, and threw out many insinuations which
would lead one naturally to conclude, that, if nut actually
concerned, he was at least no stranger to the transaction.—
He has been often heard to say, that if George Chennel dare
attempt to say any thing to him, be could make him tremble
in his shoes. These, and other such expressions, have ren-
dered him an object of suspicion, but, perhaps, without suf-
ficient foundation.

The day after Chennel arrest, that was the day upon which
the murder was discovered, he sat at the Little George, next
door to his father's house, among the officers who had him in
custody. He smoked his pipe and drank porter, with as
much apparent indifference as if nothing- extraordinary bad
occurred. This was remarked to him by some person present,
and surprise expressed that he should act so while his father
lay murdered in the next house. Chennel replied, what is it