Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-15
EXECUTION OF NELL
Hanging of the Man Guilty of Many
Crimes.
NET DEATH WITH CALMEESS.
KILLED A PRINCES SON.
Execution OF Thomas N.iu Cream for HE
Many Crime..

Execution OF Thomas Nrin Cream for HE
Many Grimes.
LONDON. Nov. I5.-Thouss Nell. otherwise
Cream, the murderer Of Matilda Clover and
several other girls. paid the penalty Of his
crimes at O'Clock this morning.
Notwithstanding the fact that orders we're
issued directing that .the execution should be
strictly private the representative OF the Asso-
ciated Press was accorded permission 90 enter
NeWgate prison. where NeiIl had been confined
since his CONVICTION. He learned that shortly
before 9 o'clock the authority 20 hang Neil was
banded over BY the high sheriff of the county
OF London 20 Hangman Ellington in accord
snce with the legal form. At three minutes 90
3 Ellington, accompanied by an assistant who
carried the pinioning material, entered the cell
OF condemned man. where he found the prison
chaplain ministsring 10 Neil Without a mo-
ments delay, while courteously asking the per-
mission OF the condemned man, deftly and
rapidly pinioned him. passing a broad belt
around his waist and securing his elbows with
two straps tightly drawn back and fastened 70
the belt behind. Straps were placed around
the wrists and connected with the body belt in
front This rendered Neill absolutely incapable
OF moving his arms or hands. The condemned
man did not utter = word during the process
which lasted barely minute.
The procession 70 the gallows was then
formed. II was headed by the chief warder
who was followed by the chaplain. who a. he
walked, read the burial service 81 the Church
OF England. Nell came next. guarded on each
side by warders. lie walked firmly. A deadly
pallor overspresd his feature. but his face
showed no other trace Of emotion. Close be-
hind the prisoner walked the hsngmAn.
As the procession passed through the corri-
dor oward the scafiold the iolling OF the ps-s-
inS I'll Of 81. Sepulchres. which has marked
TIL st moments Of 30 many criminals, re-
sou led through the prison.
g. arriving at the scaffold the white cap,
whirn had been previously placed upon the
her" Of the condemned man. was pulled down
Over AIS eyes. Ellington then guided him on
TO tie trap doors beneath the cross beam, from
which rope with moose end was dangling
The white cap was then drawn down so that il
covered the chin, rendering 1t impossible for
Neill TO see the final preparations FOR his death
This took but few minutes. His legs were
pinioned with a strap that Was fastened below
the knees The moose was then dropped over
his head and adjusted around his neck. The
ring of this moose was fixed behind the left ear.
In another second the eNcutoner stepped .
pace % the rear. pressed a lever. and the trap
fell. Neiils body dropped five feet into a pit
DEATH IL AN INSTANT.
Ellington and the other persons who saw the
execution concur in opinion that death was in
stantaneous. There were convulsive twitch-
ings OF the muscles of the back and iimbs,
which lasted a few seconds, aud then the body
hung motionless.
Just prior to the cap being drawn over his
face Nell thanked the prison officials for their
courtesy and kindness.
The body was cut down nj 10 O'Clock A cast
OF the head was then made.
At noon jury viewed the body and returned
a formal verdictsn accordance with the medical
testimony that death bad been caused by a frac-
ture Of the neck.
The body WAS then placed in a perforated
coffin. into which a sack of quick lime was
poured. The features showed no trace OF the
mans violent end The only sign of what had
caused death was a red line about the neck,
made by the moose. aud a deep impression be-
low the ear where the ring had caught.
The body was buried under the hagstones in
the corridor through which Neill had passed
only short time before on his way 20 the scaf-
fold. The grave was not opened until after the
execution, when a 1agstone wa lifted close TO
the spot where Mrs. Piercy, the murderer OF
her psramour's wife and child, il buried The
corridor of Newgate is, perhaps, the most
ghastly spot in the world Under the tagging
of this corridor have been buried the bodies OF
q long succession of notable and obscure Grim
inals. Initials or numbers cut in the walls in
dicate the more recent sepulchers Earlier in
scriptions have been defsced by time.
OUTSIDE THE PRISON.
As soCn as dawn began TO break small groups
OF people commenced to gather outside the
prison. The grim and gloomy exterior Of New
gate gave sign of the preparations within to
send man to his final Judgment There was
nothing 10 indicate that anything beyond the
accustomedroutineo of the prison was proceeding
within the dne-stained walls. Notwithstanding
this, however, the crowd continually gained
fresh sccessions and shortly the street was lined
from St. Sepulcher's Church TO near LudgRte
Hill. The people stood and discussed Neil and
his crimes, all the time eagerly craning their
necks and watching the flagstaff. awaiting the
black flag that would announce that the coudem-
ned man had paid the penalty of his crimes. IL
WAS quite an assemblage, numbering over fve
hundred persons. Not the fsintest trace Of
sympathy was shown for Neill. On the con-
trary such expressions rs They will soon finish
hip now and it will be a good Job. too. were
heard. Probably no criminal was ever executed
in London who had less pitying mob awaiting
his execution. Nell died amid general e1ecra-
tions.
When the black flag was run up on the flag
staff, just as the church clock ceased Ginning
9. groans and half-suppressed howls along the
ranks of the people testified to the state Of feel
ing.
The bell of ST. Sepucher's began tolling at
s;45. when the minor officials of the prison
took their positions about the scatfold.
As the bell began TO toll the crowd
outside the prison suddenly became greater.
The masses hurrying at the hour to
and swelled the waiting groups until the street
was densely packed. some thousands filing the
limited space opposite the prison gates. A ma
jority of the crowd. after brief look at the
black flag. passed on. and so the crowd melted
away as rapidly ~ il had formed. leaving only
some hundreds whose morbid curiosity held
them to the spot Neil made no confession