The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1856-05-02
From The London Post.
Execution Of BOUSfieId for Murder-ElOrri-
bIe Scene.


/ On Monday morning, William Bousfeld con-
vicied al the March Srssion of the Central
Criminal Court, of thr murder of his wife and
hthree children, was executed in front Of the
.jail ofNswgate.
On Saturday, the prisoner made most des-
perate attempt at sel-destruction. II appears
that in The afternoon, the prisoner was visitrd
BY two q his sisters. They were very much
distressed, as may BE- conceived, under the cir
cpmsances bat the prisoner exhibited good
deal OF indifference, and very little passed at
the interview. After his sisters bad lett him,
Boustield was seated upon the edge of his brd,
which Is close TO the fire place, The officer be-
ing quite near him, when he suddenly started
lron, his seat and threw himself head foremost
upon the CRATE. The officer immediately rush
ed upon nm and dragged him from his perous
position, and, with assistance, his clothes, which
were on fire, were pulled off, and hr thus ps-
capped from receiving material injury. Ihp
prisoner had good dya! OF hair under his chin,
and this had gnited, and the month and lower
parts ol the face We're severely burned MIR.
Gibson, the surgeon OF the jail, wasat once sent
for, and he found that all that could be done
was to apply cooling lotions to the face, to re-
lieve the pain, and these were continued al
HFlS4 AbhStdAltiF tAIt9 ARlF iFitoLblh1 Ni'SN "
the wretchpd mans existence. 1t appeared
that from this time the prisoner refused 10 take
any sustenance: and the only nutriment be re-
ceivpd from Saturday afternoon 10 the time ap-
pointed for bis execution was small quantity
OF milk, tha! was almost forcibly administered
10 him with spoon.
As early as SIX O'Clock, on Monday morning,
MIR. Sheriff Rose, accompanied by his brother
I ,~4f dan b.
and Mr.. Sheriff Kennedy, and Mr.. Under Sheriff
Stone shortly afterwards arrived at the jail
Ihr Rev. MIR. Davis had been with the wretch
ed man flotu an earlier hour, but all his endea-
yors to induce him to receive the consultations
OF religion were Intellectual. He appeared, in
deed, in an almost totally PROSTATE condition,
aud hir. Weatherhead, the newly appointed
Governor OF Npwgate, directed that some wine
should br given to bin. When the authoFitiss,
whose painful duty it was to superintrnd the
execution, were admitted to the room wherr
! the wrrtched man was confined, he was found
| sitting on a sort Of couch that formed bis bed,
! with his head buried in bis breast, and appa-
rrnly utterly unconscious of what was passing
around HIM Calcraf, the executioner. at once
/ proceedsd TO pinion the cuIprlt, and when this
I had been completed the prisoner vomited for
ITerS appeared 10 have left him. There can
40 doubt however, from what subsequently,
/ occurred, that a good deal of this was assumed,
/ 10 thr hope, possibly, that some Of the usual
! precautions would be neglected, and that he
/ might thus be enabled 10 carry out the plan he
evidently contemplated OF creating scene on
I the scatiold. Fortunately, however, notwith-
standing the apparently prost rated condition OF
7 AZ b. ,tt T,Ir, nd otlH
/ his subsequent desperate proceedings on the
scafFold only had the effect oi increasing his
own suiieringS.
/ When the ceremony Of Pinioning had been
/ completed, the prisoner let his head drop on has
breast, and he appeared 10 have already ieit the
pang oi death Eight O'Clock, the fatal hour
fur The execution, having arrived, the prisoner
! was raised by four men, and IN that manner con-
/ v+yeJ to the scafold. As he appeared totally
unable to stand, il was considered that the best
/ course TO br adopted TO place hlm IN char un-
! der the beam, and be was sustained ~ that posi-
/ tlon by one OF the assistants while CalcaFt h&ed
the rope in lis proper position The kev. MT.
Davies accompanied the Wretched man, Gut
/ from his APPARENT state II seemed useless 10 per
| form the usual offices OF religion. When The
signal Was given. the chair m which the wretch
! I'd man was still Sra!ed, ot course gave way
with The drop, and consequently The laIi was
not near 50 great as i. IS under ordinary CIR
cumS;auCrS; and al thS dreadful moment he
prisonrr attempted tp carry out The desperate
struggle tor life, which b. had evidently con-
tpmplaled The sound of the falling drop bad
. scarcely passed away, when there was a shrek
from the crowd OF sHrs up again :" and, to
/ the horror oi every one. 1t was found that the
prisoner hy powerful muscular effort, bad
drawn himself up completely TO the level OF the
drop, and that both biS feet were resting upon
The edge Of il, and be- was vainly endeavoring
10 raise his hands to the rope. One OF the otl-
GERS Immediately rushed npon The scaffoid ana
pushed the wreiched mans feet from their hold:
but in an Instant, by vlolen Effort, he threw
| himself 70 he oth-r side, and again succeeded
in getting both his feet on the edge OF the drop.
Calcraf, who had left the scafold, imagining
that all was over, was called hack, and he SELF
ed hold OF the wretched criminal, and 1t was
with considerable difficulty, that he could force
him from the scafold; he was again Suspend
ed The short relief the wreiched man had Oh
tanned from the pressure Of the rope by those
desperate proceedings, had robably enabled hun
to respire and, TO the astonlShment aud horror
Of the SPECTATORS. be a third time succeeded IN
placing bis feet upon the platform, and again
his hands yanly attempted TO reach the fatal
rope. Calcraft, and two or three men, then a
gain forced the wreiched mans leet irom Their
hold, and his legs were hrld down until the h
nal struggle was over. While this fearful scene
was being enacted, The bells of the different
neirhboring churches were ringing ntrrlly up
on the announcement of peace, Offering a sad
contras; TO the melancholy proceedings.