The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-04-24 00:00:00

THE EXECUTION

NoftwicH, Saturday..
It was expected that an immense crowd of spectators
would be attracted to the spot, as the population of the
surrounding country, which had taken so deep an interest
in the dreadful tragedy of Stanfield-ball, would watch it
to the very close; brit this has not been the case. Nor-
wich has received no sensible addition to the number of
its inhabitants, and, though it is market-day, there is
very little additional bustle or excitement in the streets.

As the fatal hour approached, the increased in
''numbers. For many it was evidently a day of great ex-
citement, and they crowded to the execution as to a the-
atre or public show; others came obviously in a different
spirit, to notice the dying moments of a man whom they
had known in their daily pursuits, and to see how he bore
himself in that supreme hour, when oppressed by the re-
collections of such tremendous crimes.
Turning from the crowd and preparations outside the
Castle to the unhappy convict within, there has been little
opportunity for gleaning any additional particulars to
those which have already appeared. At nine o'clock last
night he received a letter from his eldest daughter, and
on reading it he became depressed ; he rallied, however,
after a time, and made a hearty supper. The chaplain to
the gaol has been in constant attendance on him all the
morning, with little effect upon his conduct and feelings.
Just previous to the execution. the sun shone out and
the day- became fine, and the crowd on the Castle-hill
increased. The space is a large one, and there might be
13,000 people present. The early trains from
Yarmouth and other places were loaded with passengers,
and the 'arrivals were also very numerous from Suffolk,
gine even Essex.
The magistrates and representatives of the press lined
the short space between the prison gate and the scaffold.
Precisely at twelve o'clock the procession left the con-
detkiled cell, headed by the:oho:all and javelin-men. The

convict walked with a firm step, and was attended by the
executioner, who stood immediately behind. As the pro-
cession emerged from the Castle, the chaplain of the gaol
joined it, and commenced reading the burial service of
the Church. The culprit then mounted the scaffold, and
the rope having been immediately adjusted round his
neck, the drop fell, and he was launched into eternity.
He retained his firmness to the last, looking up to heaven
and shaking his head as if protesting his innocence. He
shook hands with the governor, to whom he whispered'
something, and then died without a struggle.

The Times, of yesterday, gives the following additional
particulars of the wretched mans conduct shortly prior
and up to the moment of his being launched, into another
world. He took every opportunity of denying his guilt,
professing perfect tranquility and unhesitating confidence
in his acquittal. His constant language was, " Thank
God, I am quite comfortable in body and mind ; I eat
well, drink well, and sleep well." The wretched man's
sleep was observed by his attendants not to be so quiet as
he himself represented it. He was constant in his attend-
ance at chapel, and very soon after his committal requested
the chaplain to administer the sacrament to him privately.
This, however, the chaplain refused to do, and thereupon
Rush lost all confidence in him. After conviction, he
requested that the Rev. W. Andrews, of Felmingham,
and the Rev. C. J. Blake, of Ketteringham, might be
permitted to visit him in Mr. Brown's company. This
wish was of course complied with, and no doubt the con-
vict expected to work upon the minds of those gentlemen,
wiluse churches he had urc

f attend

conviction of his innocence. Finding, however, that he
was deceived in this hope, and that he could not impose
on them a doubt of his guilt, he became dissatisfied with
them also, and his last interview with them, as will be
seen, terminated in a violent altercation. The chaplain,
who had determined to refuse to him the sacrament
while he remained impenitent and without confession, was
apprehensive that he would requ-st to have it administered
on the day of his execution. He, however, expressed no
such wish, but about five minutes before he left the
chapel to be pinioned he said he hoped that it had
been the intention of Mr. Blake and Mr. Andrews to
receive the sacrament with him. The chaplain came
to him about half-past eight o'clock this morning,
and he seemed glad to join in devotion, but whenever
his guilt was assumed, and confession and repentence
was urged on him, his constant reply was, " God knows
my heart ; he is my judge, and you have pre-judged
me." On Friday night, at nine o'clock. Mr. Pinson went

his eldest daughter, expressed, it is said, in a very pro-
per and feeling manner. Mr. Pinson had two doors to
unlock close to the bedside of the prisoner before he could
approach him, yet Rush professed to have been in a pro-
found sleep when awakened by him. He had not retired
to rest more than half-an-hour previously, and Mr. Pin-
son was perfectly satisfied that he could not have been

asleep as he pretended. He kep
twelve o'clock, and told the turnkeys in attendance on
him that he had had a beautiful sleep, yet no five minutes
in the interval had passed that his eyes were not wide
open and fixed on theirs. About two o'clock, becoming
very restless, h e got up and commenced reading a religious
book, passages of which he interlined, expressing at the
same time a wish that the book might be given to his
family. Thus two or three hours of the short time re-
maining to him passed away. He then got into bed
again, but could not rest, and was up and down con=tan\tly
until the chaplain came to him. For breakfast he re-
quested that a little thin gruel might be given to him.
He was then engaged in reading till after ten o'clock,
when he went to the chapel and heard service performqd
with the other prisoners. This lasted till twenty minutes
to twelve o'clock, and at its close he was left with the
chaplain and Mr. Andrews. They again solemnly urged
upon him the duties of repentance and confession,
but he became much irritated. reneatpd hig

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and said that the real

known in two years. He was proceec
rel most violently with them both, when