The Wolverhampton and Midland Counties Advertiser. — 1876-05-27 (Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England)

EXECUTLON OF THE LENNIE MURDERERS.  The execution of the four prisoners—Matteo I Cargalis, aged thirty-six, sailor, who went by the nickname of " French Peter ; " Giovanni Carcaris. , aged twenty-me, who was known as "Joe the Cook ; " Paecales Caludos, known as "Big Harry;" and George Kaida, twenty-two, who sent by the name of "Lips "—who were convicted at the last session of the Central Criminal Court of the wilful murder of Stanley Hatfield, the captain of a British vessel called the Lennie, took place on Tuesday morning, at eight o'clock, within the gaol of Newgate. The offence for which the prisoners suffered was committed, as will be remembered, under circumstances of great aggravation and atrocity, for, although the men were formally convicted but of one murder, it was clearly established that by a deliberate and preconcerted plan they killed the captain, the chief mate, and the second mate of the vesael, with the object of getting possession of everything on board that was valuable, and that they then intended to scuttle her, and make their escape to Greece, the country to which the greater portion of the crew belonged. They were prevented horn carrying out this project to its full extent by the courage and tact exhibited by a Belgian named , Constant von Ileydonek, who was engaged as steward on board the vessel, and the assistance of a Belgian lad named liousselot, in whom the mutineers wore obliged to place confidence, as the former was the only person on board the vessel who was capable ,of navigating her, and he succeeded in deceiving I the prisoners and retaining their confidence, until he was able to obtain the assistance of a French man-of-war; and the prisoners, and four others , who were tried with them, but had the good fortune to be acquitted, were taken into custody and handed over to the English authorities, under the provisions of the Extradition Treaty between France and this country. Although the prisoners were no doubt most desperate ruffians, and one or two of them, notably French Peter and Big Harry, are more than suspected of having previously been guilty of the crime of murder, it appears from the report made of them by the officials of the prison that they have behaved in a becoming manner since their conviction. They have never attempted to deny that the captain of the vessel and his officers came by their deaths at their bands, and they have admitted that the, murders were premeditated, and that the plot to kill the captain and the officers and take possession of the ship was concocted by the whole of the crew immediately she began her voyage. All the prisoners, however, assert that the terrible plot was first suggested by one of the prisoners who was acquitted, and they seemed to consider that it was hard upon them that they should suffer, and that the man who they have all along declared was the ringleader in the terrible affair should escape. The prisoners, however, were the only persons against whom any actual act of violence was established, and this was no doubt the reason why the jury acquitted the other prisoners who were put upon their trial with them. The prisoners being members of the Greek Church, the Archimandrite (Dr. Myriamtheus) administered the holy communion to them on Monday. The sheriffs (Messrs. Knight and Breffit) were in attendance at half-past seven ' o'clock, and very soon afterwards the prison bell began to toll. The Archimandrite and the ViceConsul of Greece, Mr. G. P. Lascaridi, were in attendance with the prisoners, and accompanied them to the scaffold. French Peter was the first who was led to the scaffold. He was followed by Big Harry; then came Lips, and then Joe the Cook. The caps were all placed on their heads in their cells but for some reason or other they were not pulled down over their faces until after the ropes had been adjusted. Big Harry smiled after he had been placed on the scaffold, and said something that sounded like "Good-bye," but the f prisoners did not say a word to each other. They ; all met their fate with firmness, and appeared to die without any severe struggle. At the moment of the execution a black flag was run up at the front of the gaol, and in the course of the day the usual forinal enquiry took place before the soroner.