The Express. — 1853-08-12 (London, England)

EXECUTION OF JOHN ROBERTS.  CAItNAILVON, AcutsT 10.  This morning the sentence of the law vita carr:ed into etfet on the body of John Roberta, about 20 minuti a after 8 o'clock. Seldom has an execution taken place under circumstances more calculated to startle and disgust. It hid been intended to er..ct the scaffold eatable the gao! wall, in a part which abuts over a slate-yard; but the tenant and landlord alike objecting, it was finally decided that the execution should take place within the wall, and be public only to the extent which a large aperture therein would permit. The scaffold was small, and only capable of accommodating the Deputy-Sheriff, 11. U. It sberis, Esq., the governor of the prison, the chaplain, the surgeon, the executioner, the culprit, and a gentleman who had acted as a spiritual friend to the unhappy man both before and subsequent to his condemnation. The name of this wt 11-known  philanthropist is Wright, a resident of Manchester. Out of these individuals, the culprit, the executioner, and Mr. Wright, were all that could Le seen through the aperture ; and when they made their appearance, at about a quarter pat 8 o'clock, a start of horror and a shrill cry took place amongst the spectators, who, notwithstanding the inconvenience of the spot, numbered several thousands. The religious service took place within the walls, and none was heard from without ; abd the only feature that could tend to mitigate the horror of the picture being the benevolent . . .  ministrations which Mr. Wright rendered t i the deceased. It was obvious that the good man had won the regard of him on whom he tended. The latter waved his hands to the crowd, saying, "Good people, take warning by me: this comes of Sabbath breaking and poaching. All that 1 said about William Evans (the man whom he had accused of having bribed him to the deed) is false. lie had no baud in the murder." His last words were, "Jesus, remember me." While his lips were still probably moving in prayer the signal was given by the sheriff and the drop, fell. The sad spectacle lasted about tire minutes. The executioner was from York, a young man, probably inexperienced, f is. the knot was tied on the wrung side and above the ear, se that though the faU was full four feet, the spine was not broken, and death did not ensue until after a few minutes of convulsive struggle. After hanging for an hour the body was cut down and interred within the precincts of the gaol according to the sentence. The culprit had evinced the greatcA horror at the idea of not being buried in the churchyard. Ile was a small slender man, and about 23 years of age ; but grief and remorse had worn him so that he seemed really aged. The grotesque horror of the sight was enhanced by the strange black head dress worn by the hangman, and there, within a small square aperture of a few feet,were the busts of the two figures seen—the one in the foreground waving his hands and making motions of agony and woe, and tho other darkly 1 miming from behind in a costume as hideous as any which fancy can suggest. Up to the very afternoon of yesterday, Roberts persisted in asserting to the chaplain and to his kind visitant, Mr. Wright, that his accusation of William Evans was true. Towards evening, however, he admitted its falsity, and assigned as the resaoa for his mendacity is lingering hope that his life would thereby be prolonged. Having made this statement he became apparently more easy. Ile said that a heavy load was taken from his mind, requested his spiritual advisors to inform William Evans of his regret, and to take care to make his confession public. Ile admitted that his conduct towards the murdered man had been most ungrateful no lees than treacherous, for that he was in the habit of writing letters for Lim, and doing him several other kindnesses.