The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1866-09-08 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

TLIE WIGAN MURDER.  1 ' % • -. • Thomas Grime, the young man from near Chorley, who was convicted at the'lasn t Liverpool assizes of murdering Barton, by striking him On the head and afterwards thrusting him into the furnace he was watching when attacked; ~ : , was hung at Itirkdale Gaol precisely at noon on Saturday. . The scene in front of ' the. scaft ild, Which was erected in the usaal place .. . . at:the the north-west coroner of the . gaol, preSalted a stiiking contrast to- that at any exeCu - t - tion • in'T Liverpool within. the -last few years. We ' have always had to record the fact that there' was a very great, -in some. cases an imi-AoitS6concourse of spectators of the harrowing scene. On this occasion there were very few, compari. . ;tively 'speaking. - They could be surnmed,Up.as beitte4 *lit 5,000 in number about halfpast eleven (Mock. This is no doubt partially , . to be accounted for by the circumstance that , , . •from half-put eight to ten,o'clock there was a heavy.pelting;shower of rain, which indeed' had the effect of despatching a pretty large number of these who had assembled to .find sheltering quarters elsewhere. Gradually the, crowd inbrearied;by,twelve o'clock-it conld number in .rouuktrwilMikabout 50,000, including .A con, course.of peOple who lined the wall along-Stan.ley-road,,and! oecnpied positions . on roofs' and chitnney stac4 in the vicinity. The scaffold erected on the - wall. was deeply draped_ With black . cloth,,;pardy crape, and partly calico. Very little ;was -visible beyond on the three fatal links of chaii. attached to the beam.. When it .approacheditoxithin five.Minntes of the hour. the people hastening to the scene alterect their. sharp-walk into .o,;run.with a view of not issing the finecatastrophe. At fivepiinute oelore the hour the door of.: tioom was o with , 'th. 'a rough :creak -upon its,hinges, a slight action in itself, but one .which sent ,a. shudder thrqu4h, .the crowd. . The culprit went to bed at &guar-, Aer-past nine o'clock, and notwithstanding the inevitable fateuwjaicn stared him in,the face,' he -.slept soundly and undisturbed,tilViwadvaticed; ...hour, When heittwoke apny.rently,quite resign-, to enter the portals ofeteimity, . ile €1 ri) it 1 a quarter to five o'clock, and after,-engagit g4in prayer 'partook of .a hearty_ breakfast,„ his last mites! -upon earth. The Rev. Mr„Gioson who had acted as his spiritual adviser, since he;.received his sentence, arrived at the prison .at half-past seven o'clock, • and remained with the convict till the last. T4e whoje time was spent by the priest and, the .prisoner in devotional , exercises. .Themas,Grune exhibited no labk of , that repentant feeling which he had shown for 1 -the previous fortnight. Precisely at , twelve , o'clock Calcraft, who was executioner, -appear- , ' ed ;upon the scaffold, followed by the convict and-the Rev. Mr. Gibson. . The head of the , ' doomed man, which was all that was visible swayed to. and fro, and his lips MOedin prayer: Calera% who wore a black skull Cap, drew 'the white nightcap over the convict's face; and then adjusted the, rope round his neck, placing ' the knot of the noose . under; the right ear. Meantime, the iteyMr.' Gibson read a. P aliii, a distinct,T;enunciatipp of. WhiCh was heard by the front- rank: of the speCtitora:. The miserable man shook hands with the executioner, •who immediately drew the bolt and ' he. was launched :hit° eternity. 'His. body instantly disappeared,from..light,,aud..the culprit died in a few seconds without,anYLtrtiggle which was perceptible to the niAti4ade.-, . ~,,.., The execntion_over;rthe neWsPaper rePo ecrs, , accordiitfO illielfalialrOTAUtice, met in Ca tain , f Gibb's's'Offied in the -gatkisilitke were the iCev.' Mr. Gibson Mr. Fran* Satterthwaite,' who had attended Grime since 'hc was sentencod, Mr. Formby, head warder; and other officials. In order to understand what follows, we May' remind our readers that upon being-remitted to Kirkdale gaol after his trial to await execution, Grime at first remained somewhat obdurate, and appeared to cherish hopes that hm. life would be spared. .Being assured that there Was no possible chance of the sentence being reversed JAB demeanour changed for -the better. A few days ago _Grime intimated to the governor , of he gaol his desire to-make a statement with , respect to' the murder, for the purpose of its being ina;de pnblie. The governor supplied, him with a slate, upon which he wrote as follows .: . . "I wish it to be• know publecly that wat I have said different-times about William thomson and Joseph° soden and Walton being present at murder of berten (Mester) is not true they were not 'present and they had nothing to do:with it. "