The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-03-31 00:00:00

EXECUTION.

On Tuesday morning George Watts, aged seventeen,. and
William Winter, aged 21, were executed' in front of FiSh-
erton gaol, Wilts, the former for betting fire to premises, and
the latter for setting fire to a hay-rick. A, third prisoner, panted
John Wilmot, 'had also been sentenced to death for burglary
and stabbing a constable, but through the huinane exertions of
the chaplain of the prison, who is also the vicar of Kington St.
Michael, in whose house the, burglary was coi:pitted, a respite
was with considerable difficulty. obtained fOr him. The conduct
of Watts, from the moment of his condemnation to his execution,
was becoming his awful situation.. On his return to his tell,
after his trial, he made a full confession of his guilt, acknow-
ledged the justice of his sentence, and gave himself up to peni-
tence and prayer. It was matterof surprise to the rev. chaplain,
and to others, that a boy of his age, who had led such a profli-
gate life, should have been so conversant with the scriptures. It
has been said that there is scarcely a passage in the Bible but
he could refer to. He attributed his dis"raceful end to drunken-
ness and Sabbath-breaking. The conduct of Winter, after his
trial, presented a striking contrast to that of Watts. He per-
sisted throughout in denying his guilt, and his last words on the
scaffold were an asseveration of tis innocence. The rev. chap-
lain, assisted by the Rev. D. Eyre, devoted much time in endea-
vouring to bring him to a sense•of the very awful situation in
which he stood, and to prevail tipon him, whether guilty or inno-
cent of the crime of which he had been convicted, to view him-
self as a sinner, and standing in need of the divine mercy ;.;but
all spiritual advice seemed quite lost upon him. Both 'prisoners
partook of the Sacrament a short time before their execution;
and in a small room, near the scaffold, they afterwards knelt.
down with the chaplain in approPriateiirayers. Watts followed,
the chaplain with great devotion. Winter also joined in 'the
Lord's Prayer. Previous to Winter ascending the scaffold, the
chaplain earnestly besought him to say nothing 'more of his
innocence, as, if he really were innocent, it could make no
possible difference in his earthly punishment. "Bear in mind,
tsaid-the rev. gentleman) that in a few moments yon will have
to appear before your Maker, and beware, oh, heware of leaving
this world with a pie in your mouth !" Winter stared with 'evi-
dent surprise at the request, but did not say a word in reply.
His hands having been pinioned, he .ran quickly up the scaffold,
and gazed vacantly upon the immense multitude beneath
Watts, on ascending the drop, addressed those assembled at
some length, and enjoined them to take warning by his miser-
able end. Winter then said, whilst the rope was round his
neck, "Brothers and,sisters. I never did the crime lam to rciffer
for, nor do I know who-did it; I die innocent." These were
the only.words he uttered on the scaffold, and they occasioned a
thrill of horror through all who heard them. In England, the
condemnations to death for 21. years, from 1913 to 1833, are
given as 23.700; executions, 933; giving 1,19 average annual
eondeinnations, and 44' executions—an enormous .proportion,
when compared with those of France orßelgium. '1 he follow-
ing table will show this proportion still more distinctly :—The
medium executions in France from 1825 to 1832 amounted to 67,
or 1 for 477,000 souls. In England, from 1827
.to 1833, to 44,
or 1 for 225,000 souls. In Belgium, from 1815 t 0.1829, to -4 1-7,
or 1 for 680,000.