The Sun. — 1845-12-31 (London, England)

THE CONVICTS  TENCE OF DEATH.  It has at length been finally arranged that the execution of the two unhappy criminals, Martha Browning and Samuel Quennell, who were convicted of murder at the last sessions of the Central Criminal Court, shall take place on Monday next, the former at the usual spot in front of the gaol of Newgate, and the latter on the top of the Surrey county gaol of Horsemonger-lane. Within the last few days a petition has been sent to the Home Secretary by the relations of Quennell, praying for a commutation of the sentence on account of the state of his mind, but as there did not appear to be any evi•dence or facts to warrant the conclusion that his mind was affected, an answer was returned from the Homeoffire, stating that the case was of such a character as would not warrant any interference on the part of the authorities with the sentence of the law, and that it must, therefore, take its course. An application was also, it was understood, made on behalf of the other culprit, Martha Browning, by some members of the Society of Friends, and others, who are averse to the principle of capital punishment, and to which the same answer was returned. Ever since this wretched young woman has unburdened her mind by making the confession which appeared last week, and detailing the particulars of her awful crime, she has seemed much more resigned and composed, and evidently feels deeply impressed with an idea that her life is properly sacrificed as an atonement to society for the offence of which she has been guilty, and, in the course of some conversation she had with the chaplain, she has expressed an opinion that the spectacle of her being publicly executed would be calculated to have the effect of preventing others from committing a similar crime ; and there is very little doubt that she will meet her dreadful fate with the utmost firmness. With regard to the other miserable criminal, Quennell, it appears that since his removal to Horsemonger-lane Gaol, he has contlnued to exhibit the same sullen demeanour that he evinced at the trial ; and it appears quite evident that he all along anticipated what must be the inevitable result of his crime, and made up his mind accordingly. The Rev. Mr. Rowe, the chaplain of the gaol, has been constantly with him, and using his best endeavours to bring him to a due sense of his awful position ; and it is gratifying to state that, to a considerable• extent, he has succeeded in so doing, and on several occasions the culprit has evinced a most penitent feeling, notwithstanding his generally reserved and sullen demeanour. Owing to the alterations in the law, and the great diminutio❑ in the number of capital punishments, there has b:•en for a good many years only one official executioner, who performs the office in all parts of the country. The authorities, considering that it would not be advisable for the two miserable criminals to be executed together at the Old Bailey, made the alteration in the sentence to the effect that Quennell should be executed within the county where his offence was committed; and as it will be impossible for the executioner to get from Newgate, where he will have to remain until nine o'clock, which is the usual hour for the infliction of the capi tal punishment at Horsemonger-lane, in order to cut. down the body of Martha Browning, the hour for the execution of Quennell has been altered to ten o'clock. It will be recollected that shortly after the execution of Hocker for the murder of Delarue, Sir James Graham issued an order, in accordance with the provisions of the New Gaol Act, prohibiting the governors of the different gaols throughout the country from allowing any strangers to be within them on the morning of an execution. The order was confirmed by all the courts of quarter session, and will be rigidly enfo ced on the present occasion, so that no representative of the press, or any individual except those ofli cially employed, will be allowed to be present, and the ceremonials connected with the execution will be conducted almost in private.