The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-10-12 00:00:00

THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

An extraordinary instance of the application of the elec-
tric telegraph occurred on Thursday at the London-bridge
terminus of the South-Eastern Railway. Hutchings, the
om,
wife,calno cfoundst guiltyoh ohe a
Shortly
been
efonrs
before the
xntethecenu ctaeepddp
oat ot
appointed
dea i fordhsotuo rnpefool?;
oc
carrying
n ynag h t
inli2gs
the sentence into effect a message was received at the
London-bridge terminus from the Home-office, requesting
stthniatcatinngortdheer
ushould
sbheesreiffntabtymtahied
setloenc ter
to
co t e
stayl eg rthapehexine:
cution two hours. By the agency of the electric telegraph
the communication was received in Maidstone with the
usual rapidity, and the execution was for a time stayed.
It seems that the Under Secretary of State had been in
conference with a gentleman who had interested himself
in the case, and a re-examination of the evidence was
humanely determined on; pending the consultation the
Under Secretary ordered the temporary respite. Shortly
after the transmission of the order deferring the execution
for two hours, a messenger from the Home-office conveyed
to the railway the Secretary of State's order that the law
was to take its course, and that the culprit was to be at
once executed. As we have heard it stated, Mr. Mac-
gregor, chairman of the South-Eastern Railway, happened
to be at the terminus when this order arrived. The tele-
graph clerk hesitated in sending such a message without
instructions, and the propriety of transmitting it was ac-

cordingly submitted"A Mr: Macgregor. The messenger
from the Home-office could not be certain that the order
for Hutching's execution was signed by the Home Secre-
tary, although it bore hisnamet and accordingly Mr. Mac-
gregor, with great judgment and humanity, instant!y de-
cided that it was not a sufficient authority on such a mo-
mentous matter.

It now became the duty of Mr. James Walter, the chief
superintendent of the South-Eastern Railway, to see the
Home Secretary on the subject of the message, and ac-
cordingly Mr. Walter proceeded to Downing-street, and
stated to Sir Denis le Mircbant, the Under Secretary of
State, that the railway company, in being required to deal
with such a matter as a man's execution, must have the
signature of the order affixed in the presence of their re-
sponsible officer; that the second telegraphic message was
in fact a death warrant,, and that Mr. Walter-must have
undoubted evidence of its correctness. It is stated that on
Mr. Walter drawing the attention of the Secretary, of State
to the fact that the transmission was, in effect, to make
him the sheriff, the conduct of the railway company in re-
quiring unquestionable evidence and authority was warmly
approved. The proper signature was affixed in Mr. Wal-
ter's presence, and the telegraph then conveyed to the sad
criminal news that the, suspension of the awful sentence
was only temporary. Hutchings was executed soon after
it reached Maidstone.
An extraordinary sensation was created in Maidstone;
it was generally believed that the man would not be
hanged. The Sheriff delayed the execution the full time
of two hours, and didnot get the second mandate, ordering
the execution, until after the expiration of the time. This
was in consequence of the wires being engaged in trans-
mitting a message from The Sheriff to the Home-office, so
that the Secretary of State's order could not pass through
until the Sheriff'G conversation had ended. We believe
this is the first instance of the employment of the electric
telegraph on such a service.