Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-12-22
1flisfellaneolls.
From the Chronotypo.
Execution of the BermOndsey Murderers
Letter of Charles Dickens.

der of Patrick O'Connor, on the 10Th ult.-
The husband made a sort of " confesslon"In
which he charged the guilt and the act OF
the murder on his wife, representing himself
as a remonstrant at all stages OF the business
The woman made no confessions, but when
asked on the scaffold by the chaplain wheth-
er she had anything to say, replied, Nothing
except to thank you for all your kindne;s."
What seems to give some probability to me
statements of tine husband is that he desired
to obtain an interview with his wife while
they were awaiting their execution, out she
refused to see him unless he would assent
to a statement charging tue fatal act upon
a third person. For the ceremony OF the sa-
crament just previous to the execution they
were brought into the same room and seated
on h bench with q male aud female turnkey
between them.
While in this position, and before the rev.
erend chaplain had entered, the first friendly
recognition between the convicts took place.
Manning, apparently unable to control his
| feelings longer, leaned forward toward his
wife, and in the most imploring accents, said,
81 hope you are not going to depart this life
with feelings of luminosity toward me-" The
appeal was too much for his guilty partner;
and, leaning towards him, she said, 81 have
no luminosity towards you" He said, "Will
YOU not kiss me, then?" The female con-
Wet said, "Yes;" and both parties having
arisen, they shook hands and kissed each
other several times. The reverend chaplain
here entered in his robes, and, having taken
his place at the altar, he administered the
sacrament TO both the c%onvicts. This sacred
rite occupied nearly half an hour, and at its
closing the wretched pair were permitted to
meet again. Manning embraced his wife
with great fervor, and said, "God bless you,
| hope we shall meet in Heaven" His wife
returned his embrace, and sobbed audibly.
From this scene they were taken to the
s%caffold, their arms, having been first plnion-
cd by Colcratt, the British hangman, a man
SO identified with hanging that he is suppos-
ed to know how it feels, Manning, as he
was being pinioned for the gallows, with a
simplicity almost ludicrous, asked Colcraft
if he should suffer much pain. "No," said
the professional consunlmator of the law,
If you will keep yourself still, you will sut-
fer no pain at all" The assurance is said to
have given Manning considerable satisfac-
ton. On the scaffold the culprits again
joined their pinioned hands, and took their
leave of each other. Manning was dressed
In black, and his wife in a SPLENDID black
satin dress, and the beauty of her person as
she dangled in the wind is remarked by the
journalists.
But what of the scene outside? A crowt
! was assembled in the street in front of the
Jail during the whole of the previous night
and accumulated during the morning up t.
the hour of execution, nin o'clock, TO tift,
thousand. One woman was a~ctuallyNcrush
ed to death in the crowd, and many of boil
sexes We're so injured that they were carie'
to the hospital.
Charles Dickens, the novelist, attended t
observe the proceedings outside, and w
close by copying the letter which he write
to the editor OF the Standard of Freedoms:
Sir-I was a witness of the execution q
Horsemonger lane this morning. | wen
there with the intention of observing tn
crowd gathered to behold it, and | had eS
cellent opportunities of doing so, at interval
all through the night, and continuously tror
daybreak until after the spectacle was over.
n Il "
. / believe that a sight SO inconceivably aw
full as the wickedness and levity of the in
mense crowd collected at that execution thi
- morning could be imagined by no man, all
could be presented in no heather land undo
the sun. The horrors of the gibbet and
the crime which brought the wretched mul
derers to it, faded in my mind before tn
> atrocious bearing, looks and language of tn
assembled spectators. When ! came upo
the scene at midnight, the slrillness of til
cries and bowls that were raised from tim
to time, denoting that they came from a cor
course of boys and girls already assemble
in the best places, made my blood run cole
As the night went on, screeching, and laugh
ing, and yelling in strong chorus of parodie
on Negro melodies, with substitutions {
"Mrs. Manning" for "Susannah," and til
like, were added to these. When the Ola
dawned, thieves, low prostitutes, ruffians an
vagabonds of every kind, iocked on TO I'll
ground with every variety of offensive an
foul behavior.
Fightings, faintings, whistling, imitation
of Punch, brutal jokes, nmultuous demon
= STATIONS of indecent delight when swoonin
women were dragged out of the crowd
the police, with their dresses disordere
gave a new Zest to the general entertainment
When the sun shone brightly-as it did
it gilded thousands upon thousands of VI
turned faces, SO inexpressibly odious in the
brutal mirth or callousness, that a man hs
cause TO feel ashamed of the shape he wor
and 10 shrink from himself as fashioned
the image of the Devil. When the two mi
cradle creatures who attracted all this ghas
ly sight about them were turned quiveriI
into the air, there was no more emotion, !
more pity, Tic more thought that two immo
tai souls had gone to judgment, no more r
straint in the previous obscenities, than
the name ofChrist had never been heard
this world, and there was no belief ainor
men that they persisted like the beasts.
:, have seen, habitually, some of the wor
sources of general contamination and CO
ruption in this country, and ! think there a
not many phases Of London life that cou
surprise me-. ] am solemnly convinced tn
nothing that ingenuity could devise TO