The Warwickshire Herald. — 1892-04-28 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

THE CHILD MURDER AT BRIGHTON.  EXECUTION OF WOOD.  George Henry Wood. the Brighton murderer, was liamted at Lewes Gaol onTuesday moraine, Iti I liiigtn being the executioner. Wood was a miles porter, and the crime uf which he was convicted was so re.'. Isis g in cliaract,T, and created such widespread iedignation, that the facts will doubtless be fresh in the minds of many. Very early one morning in December last a workman visited a shed in a field in the • ast eed of RI ighton, and was horrified to diseover there the dead lady ot a little girl. The et brtimate child proved to be Edith Je,al, only f y. are of age, the daughter of a Brighton labourer. She bad apparently been violated and then brutally n0.•,..d. Suspimen fell upon Wood, and he w.is arrested. and charged with the crime. It. was shewn that he had been regarded as a steady, respectable man, and, Milted, a teetotaller, bit uit t'5.138.14 came forward who deposed that on the night prior to the murder he was utider the itifluence of erink, was seet awey from his work in rouse. quence, and was subsequently seen to accost a child. On this and other circumstantial evidence the accused was committed for trial. The indictiit was hs erd at Lewes Assizes, and eventually W. oil was found guilty, and sentence of death was passed. During his subsequent incarceration the condi mned man wrote a pathetic letter to his fetrente, in which he asserted that the events of the fele' night were a perfect blank in his mind. Its. eainistly repeated this statement to those in attendance upon him. • petition praying for Wood's reps Wye was forwarded to the Home Secretary, and the governor of the gaol informed the culprit that, if this application proved unsuccessful, the sentence would be carried out on Tuesday. The prisoner was much overcome, and wept bitterly, but was not, apparently, without some gleam of hope; but on Sunday last it was announced that the Home Secretary declined to interfere with the sentence, and that the law must take its course. Shortly before this announcement was made Wood had been visited by his father and other relatives, and the scene was oh a most, .sleeting elisiaeter. The condemned than was seen on Monday by his father and relatives,and the interview, which lasted about a quarter of an hour, was naturally of a painful character. The culprit slept fairly well at night, and rose soon aft. r 6 o'clock on Tuesday morning. Ile partook cf lsreakfast, consisting of coffee, bread and butter alld an egg. and was subsequently visited by that Rev. B. Wilkinson, Congregational minister, who had been frequently in attendance upon him since Isis CODIIPITI nation. Shortly before 9 o'clock Billington entered the condemned man's cell, and pinioned the prisoner, a process to which Wood eutimitted quietly. A procession was then formed, and marched slowly to the scaffold. which had been erected in an exercise-yard, Mr. Wilkinson reading I the opening sentences of the Burial Service as the party walked along. Wood, who looked exceedingly I pale, was supported by two warders, but he walked with great firmness. Ellington quickly placed the , rope round his neck, the minister meanwhile con, tinning to read the Burial Service, and as the sentence "in the midst of life we are in death "was readied Billington drew the bolt and Wood instantly disappeared into the pit. The execution was ' carried out in an extremely prompt manner, scarcely two minutes elapsing from the time the procession , left the cell until the drop fell.