The Commonwealth. — 1867-04-20 (London, England)

EXECUTION OF LOIVGITURST, THE CHILD MURDERER. James Longhurst, aged 21, a labouring man, was. executed on Tuesday morning, at nine o'clock, at the usual place of execution for the county of Surrey, on the .1 top of Horsemoner-lane Gaol. The culprit was convicted at the late Spring Assizes, before Mr. Baron Bramwell, of the murder of a girl seven years old, named Harriet Sax. The murder was. committed by stabbing the unfortunate child in the throat, this act of violence being no doubt committed by the culprit in consequence of the child resisting the prisoner's attempt to commit another serious crime. He was apprehended almost upon the spot, and his, victim was able to recognise him as her assailant, and died almost immediately afterwards. He was found guilty, but the jury recommended him, to mercy on account of his youth, besides which the chaplain of the gaol had great doubts as to the man's sanity. After full examination, however, the condemned prisoner was found to be compos mentis, and the extreme sentence of the law was ordered to be carried out.  Nothwithstanding, however, the fact of the prisoner thus appearing ta be in a state of mind becoming his awful position, when he was taken down from the condemned cell to the yard to be pinioned, a frightful scene ensued. The moment the culprit saw Calcraft, the executioner, approach him with the straps to pinion his arms, he started back with an aspect of terror depicted on his countenance, and began to struggle violently with the turnkeys. The chaplain spoke to him and endeavoured to calm him, and this for a moment appeared to have the effect, but upon the executioner requesting that the culprit might be taken outside, as he could not see sufficiently well to fasten the straps properly, another fearful struggle ensued, the culprit being a young, powerful h horoleldqd required er him, tnahnte eeixt ground e wasr tio ns necessary ow f h eu r htoeor throwfi v wase obf ehti nimhge man,wardersdow naannatdoit pinioned, and during the struggle the prisoner kicked mast violently, and one or two of the turnkeys were very much hurt by the kicks they received. Daring the whole of the struggle the wretched prisoner did not utter a word, and his conduct seemed to be actuated by an uncontrollable horror of the sight of the executioner and the apparatus of death. After he had been secured he walked quietly by the side of the chaplain until he arrived at the steps leading to the scaffold, and immediately he caught side of the gibbet his horror ap peered to return. He again struggled violently as well as he was able, and was forcibly dragged up to the steps and held under the beam by several turnkeys while the rope was adjusted round his neck, and as epee lily as possße the bolt was drawn, and after a, few violent struggles the wretched youth ceased to, exist.  the but as. ivritlithbtihlnaeck cloth, so that After ten o'clock the body was cut down, and was. fell, very little, if any, of the body of the. rlb,aluraraci trihonewtdhs scaffold f courseassembledrola was o f the htndga witness yw. A very is now customary when those dreadful exhibitions take. cauftleprritthceodurldopbe seen.  tchornotuignhat ha from consumption, borders of they hear of the most surprising recoveries asthma, and other lunWgse, elltise of Da. LOCOCIC'S Pin.litt)bn All who have weak chests should certainly try tbettNothing Impossible.—The greatest snersoSt useful nywntion of the day A(411.11