The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1869-04-24 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

EXECUTION OF SIIEWARD. FEARFUL CoNVESSION.  William Sheward was executed at .Norwich on Tuesday morning for the murder of his wife. He awoke soon after six o'clock, after having slept soundly, and he seemed calm and composed. At 755 the convict, who was suffering from rheumatism, was carried by two warders from the Infirmary to the lodge entrance of the prison, when he was pinioned by Calcraft and was again carried by the same warders to the scaffold, the chaplain reading a portion of the service. Sheward shook hands with Calcraft and his attendants, the bolt was drawn, and after a few faint struggles he ceased to live After his execution his last confession was read' by the governor of the gaol. The following is a copy of Sheward's second confession :—" CiV Gaol, Norwich, 13th April, 1869, 2 45 p.m.—The voluntary confession of William bheward, under sentence of death in the above prison.—ln the year 1849, November, I placed a box of money, having .£4OO in it, in Mr. Christie's possession, for him to take care of for me. In the year 1850, to June, 1851, I drew from that box £l5O, during which time my wife wanted me to bring the box home. Mr. Christie asked me if he might make use of the money. My wife seemed determined to fetch the box herself. I knew he could not give it to me. On the 14th June, 1851, Mr. Christie asked me to go to Yarmouth to pay £l,OOO to a captain of a vessel laden with salt, to enable him to unload on the Monday morning. On Sunday morning, the 15th, I was going to Yarmouth on the above errand. She (my wife) said, 'You shall not go ; I shall go to Mr. Christie and get the box of money myself, and bring it home.' With that a slight altercation occurred ; then I ran the razor into her throat. She never spoke after. I then covered an apron over her head, and went to Yarmouth. I came home at night, and slept on the sofa down stairs. On the Monday I went to work ; I left off at four o'clock p.m. and went home. The house began to smell very faint. With that I made a fire in the bedroom and commenced to mutilate the body ; kept on until half-past nine p.m. I then took some portions of of the body and threwthem away, arriving home at half-past ten. That night slept on the sofa again ; weut to work again the next day ; went home in the afternoon, about four o'clock, and did the same the following evening. On Wednesday went to work as usual, left off early, and went home ; carried some more portions in a trail basket to a second part of the city. Thursday, work same, and returned early. The head had been previously put in a saucepan and put on the fire to keep the stench away. I then broke it up, and distributed it about Thorp; came home and emptied the pail in the cockey in Bishopgate-street. with the entrails I then put the hands and feet into the same saucepan, in hopes they might boil to pieces. On Friday I went to work, and went home early and disposed of all the remains of the body, hands and feet included, that night, because I knew I should not be able to be home on Saturday until late. On Sunday morning I burned all the sheets, nightgown, pillow cases, and bed tick, and all that had any blood about them. The long hair, on my return from Thorp, I cut with a pair of scissors into small pieces, and they blew away as I walked along. I also state that I never saw or knew my present wife until 21st June, 1852—twelve months after the occurrence. I hereby give authority to place the above facts to the Home Secretary and Baron Pigott, but I request that this may not be published at present."