The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-09-06 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF FRANCIS BRADLEY.

Francis Bradley, who was convicted at the last assizes held
in this town, of having killed his wife by the administration
of poison, was hanged, on Saturday last, at twelve o'clock,
on a gallows erected at the north-east corner of Kirkdale
Gaol.
After his condemnation, the unhappy man was confined in
a cell, where two turnkeys were kept continually with him.
Notwithstanding the conclusive evidence on which his guilt
was established, and the emphatic manner in which the
Lord Chief Justice exhorted him to prepare for death, it ap-
pears he cherished an expectation of a reprieve so long as
there remained the slightest room for hope. The convict.
who was a Roman Catholic, was assiduously attended by the
Rev. Peter Wilcock, one of the priests of St. Anthony's
Chapel. For some weeks the daily visits of the reverend
gentleman were unattended with any good effect, the convict
remaining hardened, impenitent, and deaf to the exhortations
of the minister. Mr. Amos, the kind and excellent Governor
of the prison, describes the attention of Mr. Wilcock to have
been of the most untiring and affectionate character, but for
a length of time his kind efforts were unavailing. Though
the prisoner was repeatedly informed by those about him that
there was no hope of any communication in his favour, he
still clung to the cherished impression. A memorial in his
behalf was forwarded to the Secretary of State. The answer
returned was to the effect, that the case was of such a nature
that her Majesty could not he recommended to, grant a re-
prieve. At length, the impenetrability of the prisoner's cha-
racter gradually gave way as his case became more hopeless,
and his stubbornness vanished before the certainty of ap-
proaching death. Recently he attended closely to the reli-
gious instructions of his reverend attendant, and conformed
strictly to the discipline which his church prescribed.
The execution was, at first, fixed to take place at eight
o'clock on Saturday morning. It was afterwards determined
to alter the hour to twelve o'clock, from a humane conside-
ration that a reprieve might arrive by the early morning
train. It had, however, got abroad that the criminal was to
•be hanged at eight o'clock, and those whose bad taste in-
duces delight in such exhibitions were early on the alert.
Even at six o'clock, we are informed, numerous individuals,
of both sexes, were seen wending their way towards Kirk-
dale. Long before eight a considerable multitude of the
humbler classes had assembled in front of the scaffold, and,
though most of them must have had avocations in the town,
by far the greater number waited till the sentence was car-
ried into effect. At the approach of noon the crowd was
considerably augmented. Amongst the spectators were a
number of females, several of very respectable appearance.
If the multitude evinced none of that brutality which we
have sometimes seen described as occurring at executions in
other places, they, at least, behaved in many respects with
unseemly indecorum. While waiting for the appearance of
the criminal, they lightened the time by shouting, throwing
cabbage stumps, and other unseemly pranks ; and one fel-
low was detected in the act of picking a pocket. He was
immediately secured and taken within the prison.
The convict retired to rest about twelve o'clock on Friday
night, and slept till four on Saturday morning. The Rev.
P. Wilcock entered the condemned cell at six o'clock, and
continued in close attendance on the prisoner till he ceased
to exist. The Under-sheriff arrived from Preston at half-
past eleven o'clock, when he joined the Governor of the
prison. At a quarter before twelve the prisoner was con-
ducted from the cell to the press-room. His demeanour was
firm, and his countenance pale but calm. He is a short,
stout built man, about five feet four inches high. His
features are strongly marked and stern-looking, kis eyes
small and rather dark, and his forehead low. His head was
uncovered, and he wore a blue coat with brass buttons, drab
trousers, and boots. His demeanour in the press-room was
respectful and devout. About ten minutes to twelve o'clock
the prisoner, attended by his religious instructor, the prin-
cipal turnkey, and others, was led from the press-room to
the pinioning-room. His self-possession never for a moment
forsook him. As he passed through the yard he bowed to
some of the turnkeys who stood near. Mr. Wilcock walked
on his right hand and read, in a faltering voice, several pas-
sages from the service proper for the occasion. The un-
fortunate man walked slowly, but steadily, up the flight
of steps leading to the pinioning-room, and when there,
he stood for a short time engaged in prayer with his pastor.
He was placed in the chair and the work of pinioning him
was performed by the executioner, who was brought from
York for the occasion. The chair upon which he sat was
immediately in front, and commanded a full view of the
gallows ; indeed, there was but a short platform, erected
temporarily for the purpose, between him and the place of
execution. He kept his eyes intently fixed for a long time upon
the spot, during which his lips were continually moving, as
though he was engaged in deep mental prayer. The Rev.
P. Wilcock asked him if he had anything more to say. He
replied, in a loud, unshaken tone. " No; nothing more."
After being pinioned, he extended his hands to the various
officers connected with the establishment, which they shook,
and at twelve precisely he was led out to his fate, Mr. Wilcock
accompanying him to the scaffold, and reading while the
executioner adjusted the apparatus of death, the lips of the
convict all the time moving as in prayer. A loud buzz ran
through the crowd when he made his appearance, and the
next instant all was silence. At a given signal the drop fell.
A struggle was apparent for a moment, and it was thought
he had instantly expired, but in a little his sufferings evinced
themselves by the convulsive movements of his hands and legs,
which continued some two or three minutes. When he
ceased to move, and it was evident life was extinct, the
exicutioner, in reply to a question from a gentleman present,
said, in a tone of the most businesslike indifference, " Oh,
we generally give them a three feet drop, but he's a light
weight."
The unhappy convict made a statement, which was at his
request, taken down in writing by Mr. Wilcock. We sub-
join a copy, by which, it will be seen the culprit ac-
knowledges that he was " satinfied with his sentence." He
signed the document with his own hand, in bold, but no very
elegant characters.
TILE CONFESSION. •
"I, Feancis Bradley, make the following declaration. I
die in the faith of the holy Catholic Church, of which, I am
truly sorry to say, I have been an unworthy- member. I
earnestly beg of all my brethren to pray, after my departure,
for the repose of my soul. I die in peace with all mankind,
and forgiving sincerely from my heart all who have ever
injured or offended me, and craving forgiveness from all I
have ever injured or offended. I depart this life satisfied
with my sentence, and I cheerfully submit to the death
which it is the will of God I should suffer ; hoping through
the infinite merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to
obtain pardon for my sins and life everlasting. I beg to
return my poor, but best, thanks to the Governor of the prison
for his humane treatment of me, and also to the keepers of
the jail and other official individuals, for the kindness they
have shown me during my confinement. By my order and
direction the above declaration has been written.
(Signed) " FRANCIS BRADLEY.
" Kirkdale, September 3, 1842."
The crowd dispersed immediately after the execution. The
body, after having been suspended for an hour, was taken
down and buried within the precincts of the gaol, in pursu-
ance of the sentence. Bradley is the fourth criminal who
has been hanged at Kirkdale. The first was Thomas Barlow,
for the murder of his wife; the second Betty Rowland, for
poisoning her husband ; the third, William Hill, for rape
and murder, at Warrington ,• and the fourth Bradley, for
the murder of his wife. The last-named culprit is buried in
the same grave with the other three.
A Ilium HEAD.—An athletic black man,
while carrying
a hod in a building down town, was struck on his head by a
salmon brick which fell from the scaffold nearly two stories
high. " Look out up dare, how
you frow your bricks, vo-
ciferated the hod carrier, " guess yon want to kill dis nigger."
'
"
What is most strange is, that the man was not even stunned,
.t
and the brick was broken in two by coming in contact with
his head.—Philadelphia Gazette.