Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1879-02-08 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

EXECUTION AT ILLIDSTONE.  Stephen Gambrill. aged 32, a farm labourer, who was convicted at the late wises for ti. county of Sent of the murder of Mr. Arthur Gil a young farmer at Wednesborough, near Ba iwich, was executed on Tuesday morning at nine c /lock within the walls of the prison at Maidstone.  The facts connected with the murder will be fresh in the recollection of the public. There had been some ill-feeling in the district between the labourers and their employers, and some injury had been done to agricultural machinery, the property of the father of the deceased. There was some reason to believe that further mischief was intended, and on the night the murder was committed the deceased went out alone for the purpose of watching and endeavouring to detect the guilty party. While so watching, a deadly struggle took place between him and the prisoner, the result being that violence of a frightful character was committed upon the deceased. Most of the injuries appeared to have been inflicted by a bludgeon, but besides this the throat of the deceased was cut.  A stremuous effort was made by the learned oounsel who defended the prisoner to make out that the fatal result was owing to an accidental collision between the parties, and that as the injuries were inflicted while the parties were engaged in this struggle, the jury might reduce the *rime of the prisoner to manslaughter ; but the fact of the throat of the deceased having been cut operated stronFly against this view of the matter, and the jury without any hesitation, found the prisoner guilty of the crime of wilful murder.  The Prisoner appears to have expected that that would be the result, and to have made up his mind to the coasequences, and he has never attempted to deny that he was guilty of the crime of which he was accused. The aocount be gave to the Rev. Mr. Harrison, the chaplain of the prison, of the circtunstances under which the crime was committed, was this :  He said that Mr. Gillow detected him in the act of doing some injury to one of the machines, and told him that he must go along with him, upon which he at once attacked him with a bludgeon, and best him on the head till he fell insensible. Seeing that he we. not dead, and fearing that he might recover and be able to give evidence against him, the prisoner stated that the devil put it into his mind that if he killed the deceased he might be able to evade detection. He therefore resolved to kill the deceased and cut his throat with a piece of sharp iron which he took off one of the engines. He expressed the deepest sorrow for the crime, and Mr. Harrison expresses Ids opinion that his repentance was sincere.  The prisoner was visited by his wife, who is quite a young woman, and his two children, a boy and a girl, aged respectively two and five years, one day last week, and he then took his final farewell of them. The prisoner went to bed about nine o'clock on Monday night sad passed a rather restless night ; and he was visited soon after eight o'clock by Mr. Harrison, who remained with him until the last moment. Mr. F. Scndamore, the under sheriff of Kent, went to the gaol a few minutes before the hour appointed for the execution, and proceeded to the priBoner's cell, where the process of pinioning was performed by Marwood, the executioner. The soner did not utter a single word, but appeared absorbed In deep thought. He walked with a faltering step to the place of execution, and appeared almost uncoilscions to all that was passing around him while the executioner waq adjusting the rope round his neck. Being a tall man, Marwood allowed him a fall of nearly eight feet, and the shock appeared to cause almost instantaneous death. The prison bell began to toll, and the black flag was hoisted outside the gaol at the moment of the execution, and in the course of the day an inquest was heid upon the body, when the usual formal verdict was returned.