The Sun. — 1863-04-27 (London, England)

WOOL.  The demand both for home-grown and colonial wo-loontinues in a sluggish state, owing in some measure to the Proximity of the public 04108, which will commence on  The Execution of Brookes for the Acton  Murder (This Day).  This morning Joseph Brookes, aged 27, convicted at the last session of the Central Criminal Court, underwent the extreme penalty of the law in front of Newgate, for the brutal and unprovoked murder of the police-constable  Davey, at Acton. The crowd wss not so numerous as on many former occasions, but it was remarked that a large number of the Metropolitan Police were present. Since the wretched man's condemnation he has conducted himself quietly, but up to the last few moments of his existence protested that he was not the murderer, and that it was his brother Isaac who fired the shot, although the evidence on the trial, and particularly that of Sarah Lake, to whom the wretched man was engaged, pointed to a very different conclusion ; for she stated that it was the convict Joseph that left the house with the gun on the night of the  murder, and that Isaac remained at home. His statements,  have, however, been so contradictory that the officials were satisfied he was fabricating a number of untruths to screen himself, and the result of his application to the Secretary of State for commutation of his sentence was received by him with much despondence.  He appears to have in early life entered the army, enlist_ _  ing in the Royal Artillery, and was in the Crimea, India, and China during the war, but has been twice a deserter, and such at the time of the murder, the military authorities being in search of him.  The exhortations of the Reverend Mr. Davis, the ordinary, do not appear to have had much effect upon him, although he listened attentively, but it may be said to be a  passive attention.  This morning at half-past seven, Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Lawrence and Mr. Sheriff Jones, with Mr. Undersheriff Macreil and Mr. Under-sheriff Ferrer arrived at the gaol, and at a quarter to eight were introduced by the Rev. Mr. Davis and Mr. Jonas to the prisoner's cell. He appeared quite unmoved at his near approaching end, and, in reply to questions put to him, he replied he had nothing to say. He was then conducted to the press-room, where, after a short interval, Calcraft was introduced. He at once arose and submitted passively to the bracing and pinioning, and seemed in no way concerned, Some few minutes elapsed amid a dull monotonous silence, when he was again asked if he had anything to say, when he replied "Nothing." The procession was then formed, the chapel bell tolling, and the culprit walked with a firm step and mounted the scaffold. As soon as he got there he requested to speak to Mr. Davis, the ordinary, to whom he freely admitted his guilt, and the justice of his sentence. He said it was his hand that fired the shot, and that his brother had nothing to do with it. The cap was then drawn over his head, the rope adjusted, and in a few moments the wretched man was launched into eternity. His struggles were brief. After hanging the usual hour the body was cut down, and will be interred within the precincts of the prison this  evenin