The Sun. — 1864-11-16 (London, England)

THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.  SlR,—Your report in today's paper of the exeeu• tion of Franz Muller is entirety correct, with the one exception that the unhappy man declared he was innocent not while, but before, the Sacrament was being administered to him. Soon after entering his cell on the last morning I asked Muller again whether he was guilty of this murder. He denied it. I then said," Muller, the moments are precious; we must turn our minds wholly to God ; I shall question you no more about this, but my last words to you will he ' Are you innocent ?' " He remained silent for a minute or two, but presently exclaimed, his eyes full of tears, and clasping his arms round my neck, " Do not forsake me; stop with me to the last." I was so struck with this that I consulted with Mr Jonas, the .Governor, whether the final question should be put in the pinioning room or on the scaffold. We decided for the latter. The manner iu which this crime was committed will never be known. 'My own firm conviction, derived from the closest pt rsonal intercourse with the prisoner, is that murder was not premedi ated ; but that Muller, in want of money, and yielding to a sudden temptation, attacked his victim for the sake of robbery, and finished, in the despair of the moment, by killing him either with his own hands, or by causing his fall from the railway carriage. 1 recollect particularly on one occasion, when I represented to him the crime as likely to have taken place in this way, he answered not, but gazed at me intently, and impressed me at the time with the belief of the correctness of my supposition. I have generally observed that Muller was most earnest in protesting his innocence when directly charged with murder. Statements such as having never been in a North London Railway train he made only in answer to pointed questions, and, it seems, in order not to contradict previous similar assertions.  His manner—simple, gentle, and apparently open and truthful—was such as easily to deceive even experienced observers, and the wonderful self-posses. sioa of this most remarkable character was never more strikingly manifested than by his fencing with words, the rope round his neck and the white cap over his face, when about to confess his guilt at the very last moment. His last two. hours were all peace and prayer. He repeated what he had said before, " If I had died six months ago I should have been lost, but now I entirely rely on God's mercy ; I have done with the world and am ready to leave it.' He stated all recent events had at times appeared to him like a vision or a dream, adding that he had passed in solitude through many terrible hours since his arrest in America. He was full of meekness and resignation, forgave frzely all his enemies, requested me to write to his father that he should die a happy and repentant man, and spoke in terms of affection and gratitude of the prison officials, particularly of the Rev. Mr Davis and Mr Jonas, the Governor. And I desire to conform to his sentiments towards all the officers of the prison, and cannot sufficiently express my admiration of the firmness, combined with touching kindness and tenderness of heart, with which Mr Jonas fulfilled his most try. ing functions. It is a blessing indeed to have such officers in such a prison. In conclusion, I feel constrained respectfully to call the attention of the proper authorities to what seems to me a cruel and crying evil in Newgate. Again and again on Monday morning in those last solemn moments our prayers were interrupted by the savage yells of the multitude assembled to witness the execution. Cannot the condemned cells be placed in a position where the noise of hammering and the shouts of the mob do not reach the ears of the miserable culprit ? I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient servant,