The North-Eastern Weekly Gazette. — 1891-12-26 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE LAST 'SCENE. ' , ~ 9 hashes.. , 4 .." •liasifispitsialled " l'he ars" quid the Eeeleintex.* * ' . Johnson, Ofiicially described as "49, agricultural 1 before ten o'clock; At eight o'clock on Tuesday inerniag John Wan'. . The ingweat viwe had et an prima et a gnarls' •leatesh sitthsißritieh Women% Tospentnee itsso. Mr GESILAIR being the Canner. elation at 3ishop Auckland: labourer, well educated," suffered the extreme I There were also present the Under.Sberiff,Mr J. G. ) penalty of the law inside Durham Gael for the ! Wilson, , and the Governor of the Gelid Kr Lb. murder of Margaret Addison, a widow, with whom Cruikshanks. The jury having been sworn, they he had lodged for mary years, at Hetton-le-Hole, were conducted to the mortuary to view the body on October 31st. The execution was of of Johnson. The representatives of the Press A BCRE PRIVATE NATURE present asked the Coroner that a similar than ' any of the large number which have 1 privilege might be granted to them, . taken place in Durham Gaol—which is said to which he replied be did not Sea with soine truth to have been the scene of : any objection. The Press accordingly accompanied the jury to the mortuary and viewed more executions during the past twenty i the body. The corpse presented no ne„al appear. years than any other of Her Majesty's , ance ...the features were perfectly regular, and bore t gaols in the Northern counties. The only persons I a calm and peaceable aspect. There was nothing admitted to witness the " last scene of all" in to indicate that death had been caused unnaturaily Johnson's ill-fated career, betides the Governor i except aofslaig;iht rist.e. otfioth.n i!eareibTlehereritzre no and warders of the gaol, were the Under-Sheriff i having examined the body returned to jury I I (Mr J. G. Wilson) and his officer (Superintendent I Coroners Court, and the enquiry was pro- ' oeeded with.—The Under-Sheriff stated that he , Burrelli, the gaol chaplain (Rev. G. H. Fletcher', / ' and two representatives of the Press—one a repro:- ' was present at the Ass Les when Johnvon was I , sentative of this ;eerier/. A change had also been sentenced to death, and lie had that-morning seem the goatees* carried out.—This Governer of the ! made in gaol was nixt called, and testified that he wee i ! THE SELECTION OP EXECUTIONER, ! Billington, of Bolton, having been present in the gaol when Johnson returned from appointed to i the Court after having been sentenced, and at 8 o'clock that morning he saw the sentence 1 discharge the dread office for the diet time ia Dar. carried out according to late. Death was ham. He arrived by an early .afternoon train en instantaneous.—Dr. Treadwell, the prison curMon day afternoon, thereby disappointing quite a t geon, stated that he afterwards examined the t 1 small crowd who awaited the arrival of the South I body of Johnson, and found that death was due to I expresses duo at 4.31 and 4.48 p.m. Although ' strangulation following upon judicial hanging ; The Coroner: In your opinion,doctor, the gen i hitherto a stranger to executions at Durham, Biltsnce It as in wsaprwpe properly ! lington is no novice at his gruesome task, having doctor: and skilfullyerway carried outfactory T ?.--ThheeI given the coup de grace to no fewer than nine Coroner: You find no fault with the eiecutioner. ; murderers in Leeds Gaol and one in York Castle —The doctor: None whatever—Following upon , since he took up the ghastly business. Is appear- the instructions of the Coroner the jury returned the usual formal verdict. lance and in manners he is the very reverse of all ; preconceived notions of a public hangman. In