The Sun. — 1832-07-09 (London, England)

EXECUTION OF SMITHERS.-(TIIIS  MORNING.)  This morning the Old Bailey was thronged from an early hour by persons of all classes, to witness the execution of Smithers for the murder of Miss Twamley. The miserable culprit had conducted himself since his condemnation on Saturday morning with surprising fortitude, and appeared perfectly prepared for the dreadful dodo he was about to meet. On Saturday afternoon Mrs. Stni= thers, with a little girl said to be a child of her former husband, presented herself at the prison, and with tears requested leave to see her unhappy husband. Her request was immediately granted, and she was conducted by the turnkey to the condemned cell wherein her husband was incarcerated. He was, according to custom, permitted to go into the convalescent room, where the interview took place. Mrs. Smithers at first appeared terribly affected, but a flood of tears gave some relief to het distressed feelings. Smithers smiled at bet, arid desired her to bear up against her trouble, as• as well as she could, for he felt perfectly happy and re' signed to his fate. The interview lasted about twenty minutes, but it was divested of that harrowing effect, which, upon almost every similar occasion, is produced on the feelings of those whose duty leads them to he witnesses. Yesterday the miserable criminal conducted himself with great fortitude, and from his general demeanour it was anticipated that he had a due sense of his awful situation, and that he was penitent for the crime for which be h ,c 1 been condemned. During the day he wrote a ►etter to his wife (in which, it is believed, he has made an admission of his guilt), and enclosed it to the lady of Mr. Sheriff Pirie, requesting her to hand it over to her after his death. This letter he delivered to Mr. Wontner, who kindly undertook to see it delivered.  Last night he became communicative, and in conversation said "he thought it very hard that he should be hanged for the murder of Miss Twainley, and that he should be selected to be the first to suffer under Mr. Peel's new Act; " thereby tacitly acknowledging that be set fire to the house. Certain it is, he all along entertained a hope that he would have been tried for the arson.  At about ten minutes before eight o'clock, the two Sbe-, riffs and their Under-Sheriffs arrived at the prison, and precisely as the clock struck, the culprit was brought forth from the cells. As he entered the press-room, he smiled at all around him, and firmly stepped up to the officers of justice, to undergo the ordeal of pinioning. Putting on a pair of black gloves, Smithers submitted his wrists to be tied, and also his elbows. Mr. Under-Sheriff Wood spoke kindly to him, and told him that these preparations were essentially necessary—indeed, they were to render his awful situation as comfortable as possible. The miserable man then raised his eyes, and replied, Ah, very well, Sir ;" and then turning round to Mr. Wontner, shook hands with him, and bade him good bye, at the same time enjoining him to attend to the letter to his wife.  The procession then moved on towards the scaffold, in perfect stillness, there being no burial service or bell.. tolling. On reaching the steps leading to the gallows, the culprit ascended them with the same degree of firmness which had marked his demeanour throughout the trying ordeal. He was placed under the beam by the executioner, where he stood perfectly unmoved till the cap was drawn over his eves, when his frame began to totter, and, by the convulsive movement of his lips, he appeared to be suffering much mental agony. After every preliminary was arranged the fatal bolt was drawn, the drop fell, and the criminal appeared to be dead in an instant. Some female in the crowd gave a convulsive shriek, and many said it was the wife of the miserable man, but upon inquiry we ascertained such was not the fact—but the female, who was so affected, was a total stranger to him. At about nine o'clock the body was cut down and delivered over to the surgeons for dissection. pursuant to the remaining part of the sentence.