The Poole Telegram. — 1883-05-25 (Poole, Dorset, England)

THE INQUEST.  At ten o'clock a jury were admitted to the gaol in company with the coroner for the divtrict. Mr. W. W. Monckton, to bold the formal inquiry repaired by law into the death of the two culprits, re/inters being also admitted. They passed through the entrance to the civil side, thence into the Rove roor's gardi.n. ant into the corridor which leads to the cells. The inquest was held in a small room en the right band side of the corridor, and the bodies were kid out in • room adjoining that in which the jury sat. The jury, having chosen their foie-tarn, precede I to view the ho lies. The featur. eof Loth the deceased men bore a Placid appearance. arid there was no evilence of • struggle having taken placo. The necks of both were dieloea-ed, end death must in each instence have been instantaneous. The fulloeing evidence was rec,ived :—William Kiteley deposed T am governor of Her Males'y's Prisoe at Taunton. George White en I Joseph Wedleke, whose bodies the Joey have just viewed. were prisoners in this geol. George White pleaded guilty to the wilful murder of his wife, Clara White, at Hensrridge, en the 28th of March I ist, at the last are's., opened at T.eunten, on the 25th of April, He was tried on the 27th of April, before Baron Hiaddleston and was sent 'need to he hanged. Joseph Wedlake was tried for the wilful mairder if nark ix. at Winford, or she 7th of J anuery lart. He was found guilty on the 30,h of April, and s-ntenced by the name judor to he hengsel. The sentence was carried oat on both prisoners this merning ar eight o'clock in preeenre of myself, the High Sheriff (Mr. Stuckey), the chaplain (the R -v. W. iloays-), the medical officer of the prison. and other officers. The b 0 ties hanged about an hour, and were taken down at nine o'clock. William Hunstnan aaid—T am medical officer at T lent on Prison. I was present this morning when White and Wedlake wire hanged, as stet id by the governor. I examined the bodies after they were mit down. The di clamed diei from dislec 'titan of the vertebrae and injury to the spinal card. Thath must have been iurantaneous. 'she vertebras was completely steered and the cord was crushed. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that White and Wedlake were execu el within the prison ac cordint to law. Great afforta had been made in both cases to induce the Home Socratary to commute the capital sentence to one of ponal servitude for life. The R .v. Henry Tripp, the rector of Winford, and nearly all the inhabitants of that village joined in an appeal for mercy for Wedlake, and some domestic circumstances of a very painful nature in thecae° of White were embodied in a petition to the Home Office; and up to Saturday a few very sanguine pare nas indulged • hope that • favourable remit might he obtained. Sir William Harcoiart, however, failed to see in the representations made to him sufficient grounds to warrant him in'interfer94r with the due course of low, and on Monday both culprits expiated their Grinvii with their lives. Bath prisoners had manifested meet p indents', and White in particular, whore selfrpostession at no time forsook him, resigned himself calmly to his fate.  EXECUTIONS AT TAUNTON GAOL SINCE Mt The following is a list of the x tcutions which have Nikki' place at Taunton since 1841 (prior to which year rris tiers were hanged at Ilchestez ):—September 4th, 1844, Jo 1 Fisher, for the murder of his wife, at Weston. super Mare ; April 23rd, 1845, Sarah Freeman. for the murder of her husband and children, at Shapwick ; 23rd, April, 1851, Wiles and Smith, for the murder of an old man, at Nimpoett 21at April, 1857, Nation, for the murder of John Aphis, et Wiveihrombe ; 17th January. 1858, 13 -ale, for the murder of Ot‘arltt.s Puniest, in Leigtwoode : 24th August, 1858, Bucknell, for the murder of his grandfather and grandmother, at West Monkton ; 7th January, 1859, Burgess, for the murder of his child, at Exmoor Forest; sth April 1861, William and Charles Wedmore, for the murder of their aged aunt, Sarah Waterman. at Dundry, near Bristol; August 29 h, 1867, George Britton for the murder of his wife, at Wolverton ; August 26.13, 1872, William Ltce. for the murder of big wife, at Blagdon ; May 26th, 1879, Catherine Churchill, for the murder of her husbanii, at Chard ; May 2 tat, 1883, George White, for the murder of his wife, at Henstridge, near Witicanton ; and Joseph Wedlake, for the murder of Mark Cox, at Winford.