Execution At Maidstone.
The Times, 1824-12-21T00:00:00

Yesterday, at noon, at the accastoned place of e cutica olt Penenden Heath, the awful sentence or the lir rras carmed into< effect on the brody of Thomas (Combs, wh, at the late Kent eaaizes was found guilty of the murder of Thomas Morgan. zt Beckenham. Prom the first monaent the prisoner entered the bounty gaol, the magnitude of the offieDce imputed to him, and thejirobabilityof hia sutfering the heaviest pena'ty the law known of, pointed him out as an object of the more peculiar notice of the worthv chaplain, thle Rev. Alr. Winter, who throughout has paid the utmost attetntion to him. Phese have been but badly received; the prisonerfiorthe most part displayed a spirit of sulleni indisferenre, and when quentoed as so his participation in the murder of wv, " he lu baen conviLed, be on most occasions became violent, dclarlng that he had confraae& the extent of his sins to Almighty(Gnd mt secret, and that he wasnot disposed to repeat his confcasions in public. Since his conviction he has slept but little, and on the last ni,ght of his eaist- cIce, he d3oed only tx an hour. Early on the momrnn of yetterday he was visited by the Rer. Chaplain, who endeavoured to bring hiEi to a suitable stateof ,ind for the reception of the Holy Sacramant and most particularly pointed oat to him the necessity of making a candid avowal otfhis guilt or innocnce in respact to the-ofenc of which he had been found guilty. He promptly answered that he was innocent; and he was then aslked, if that were the cage, why he did not attempt to establish it at the triaL He replied, "What would be the use, when it was predetermined that I should b- found gutslty ? It was the reward of 1091. tbat did for me." The strong circumstantial evidence obtained from thedove-tailing of the tobacco paper was then poiRted out to him, and he aewered, " VWhabt of that ? It was easy, to tear a tobaccoZpaer, and put FMrt. of- it into tile gun, and then swear that they oun4 it a. D hirmed pounds will tempt men to many dirty =cts." Several other pasta of the testimony were pointed out to him, and his re- P] to each was, " The 1031. reward did for me." Pie was csked v 'yhe did not account for the possession of the fruit he hadanld. this inquiry he made no answer; and a little befbre-elevera- o'clock he was conducted into the chapel, where the &slema cere mnony of the admiisnatrion of the sacrament was perTarnied, in the course of which he was asked by the Rev. Chaplain, whether he was innocent of the charge allegeds against him. To this inquiry he re- tarned no answer, and it was repeated, but he atill remainedfalent Jle was then aeked whether ho was guilty of the o6ence im-. puted to him. To which he answered, " Don't disturb mv mind by inquiries; I wish to b2ve nothing ta say to the question Rltogether. Do you think I would tell a lie on tie subject ? What ! tell a lie under the rcumstances of my present case? No, never." Under all the peculiarities of the case. the sacnment was at lat ministered to him, and was received without an avowal of guilt or innocence, but the manner of the convict left an impression that he was in his own mind assured of the justice of his sentence, andi that he was only withheld from acknowledging his guilt by a fear of what might be said of him after his death. he culprt was a Brist man. and served his time to a tMlw.- shandler. About ten years ago he was married, but had not teen hlis wife for several yenat. RZECUTlIt9 A? $ PIADs0T1,7.